Lux Properties - Spotlight On South Africa
It is a shame that discussions about living or working in South Africa are often tempered by concerns over security and the high crime rates associated with cities such as Cape Town and Johannesburg.
But of course, the overwhelming majority of South Africans, and ex-pats simply want to enjoy everything that a beautiful, diverse and optimistic country has to offer.
Take Sandton, for example; the financial centre to the North east of Johannesburg has come through a recent economic slowdown unscathed and “Africa’s Wall Street”, home to an estimated 10,000 businesses, continues to expand, which means residential properties in the area are more in demand than ever.
For the modest sum of 4.2 million South African Rand, that’s around £260k, you can find a comfortable 2 bed apartment in an impressive apartment complex with stunning views of the surrounding city and countryside.
Speaking of the countryside, some truly magnificent properties can be found around Johannesburg, in the Gauteng region.
At the very highest end, this £4.9 million pound modern mansion is pure property porn – it even comes with its own elevator, and parking for up to 10 cars. One for the connoisseur, and a very well paid one at that!
Back in the real world, a similarly modernist style 6-room luxury detached house with views to die for is priced at a far more realistic £896,000, but still finds space for a Jacuzzi, gym area, and swimming pool.
If a family home is more what you are after, this 4-bedroom home in Bryanston – Sandton’s name is derived from splicing together the name of 2 of its suburbs, Sandown and Bryanston – is more down-to-earth – but the space available when compared to a similarly priced property in a London suburb is still impressive.
Obviously, the decision to move abroad, let alone to buy a property abroad, is a major life decision and should not be taken lightly.
One of the most complex aspects of making a property purchase abroad is working out how to pay for it without losing thousands of pounds transferring money from one country’s currency into another.
At the Money Cloud, we have put together several guides to help you understand how the process works, as well as the money that you could save using a personalised service like ours. Brokers like Currencies Direct South Africa can help with transferring money to and from South Africa. Plus, we are always available to chat to should you require any further assistance.
Good luck with your property hunt, wherever you happen to be looking.
