Hartbeespoort Property Market Boom on WFA Trend

The resort town of Hartbeespoort experiences a WFA (work from anywhere)-driven property boom, drawing attention from prospective local and foreign buyers.

Overview of Hartbeespoort

Located in the North West Province of South Africa and situated on the banks of the Hartbeespoort Dam in the shadow of the Magaliesberg mountain range sits Hartbeespoort. 

The name of the town (which collectively includes a few smaller settlements surrounding the Hartbeespoort Dam) translates from Afrikaans to "gateway of the hartebeest" (a subspecies of antelope). It is known affectionately by the locals as "Harties".

Despite making its name a popular weekend and vacation destination, Hartbeespoort also has a robust population of permanent residents. The Hartbeespoort community provides residents with excellent security and a fantastic outdoor lifestyle surrounded by spectacular views of the Magaliesberg Mountains. 

A range of activities is available to residents and guests, including yachting, boating, hiking, cycling, outdoor mountain biking, and river rafting down the white water rapids in the Crocodile River and Hartbeespoort Dam. Other activities include the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Sanctuary, Miracle Waters and the Harties Aerial Cableway. 

Many conveniences are available in the area, including schools, restaurants, eateries, and shops such as The Village Shopping Centre. 

From Hartbeespoort, the town of Brits is only 30 minutes drive away, while Sun City is 90 minutes away; you can also easily access Johannesburg and Pretoria in just over an hour, and the Lanseria Airport is only a 30-minute drive away. All these alluring factors make it the ideal WFA base for remote workers looking to escape the bustle of city life.

Hartbeespoort is known for its security estates and its residents' lavish lifestyle; recently, the town experienced a significant property boom driven by the WFA (work from anywhere) trend. 

Lightstone Data Showcases Boom in Hartbeespoort Property Market

According to predictions made by Lightstone Property, the Hartbeespoort property market grew significantly over the past year and reached the highest recorded numbers to date. Lightstone's further projections depicted 941 transactions in 2021, a 52% increase compared to the previous year and a shocking 56% increase in annual average turnover in the last ten years.

While the pandemic provided good news for older buyers, there is a noticeable shift towards younger buyers (under 35 years old), who now account for approximately 26% of purchases over the last year. A further 50% of buyers fall into the 35 to 50 year age bracket.

Most properties in South Africa fall into the freehold category, with secure accounting for 60% of the entire freehold property market in Hartbeespoort. There are, however, several options for sectional title properties both inside and outside security estates. Vacant land is now available on the Hartbeespoort property market for around R400,000, while apartments start at R780,000 and mansions at R1.7 million. Luxury properties in gated communities such as The Islands Estate, Birdwood Estate, and Westlake Country and Safari Estate range from around R2.2 million to R19 million. In contrast, top-end luxury mansions begin at R22 million.

Many other similar properties in the nearby Birdwood Estate come with similar facilities and amenities, including access to a private cinema, gymnasium and more, at the cost of R21.4 million (per property).

The waterfront mansion in the K'Shane Lake Lodge & Eco Estate in Hartbeespoort is around 800sqm (square metres) to 1000sqm and comes with six bedroom suites, massive entertainment and living rooms and 200m of waterfront with a private dock; this stunning property holds a price of R14.8 million. 

Pecanwood Estate is one of the most established & and well-known security golf estates. Properties in Pecanwood Estate fall between R3 million to R9 million, with some of the upper-end properties going for R15 million. The estate features a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf course, golf club and boat club available to all residents and direct access to Pecanwood College.

The most activity for sectional title properties in the Hartbeespoort property market falls into the R800 000 to R1.5 million-plus and the R2 million to R4 million range for freehold estate residences. Top-end luxury residences (priced between R5 million and R9 million) like The Islands Estate, Xanadu Nature Estate and Estate dÁfrique also achieved a handful of successful transactions.

If you are interested in following the WFA trend and want to become a remote worker but aren't sure if Hartbeespoort is the right place for you, look at our article on Small "zoom towns" for the remote worker with a family.