Small Cape West Coast towns and villages are no longer just holiday and retirement destinations, as more people are moving into areas such as Langebaan and Yzerfontein, and further afield to St Helena Bay and Elands Bay, according to agents from the Seeff Property Group.
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Beautiful fishing villages, many with white-washed Cape vernacular architecture, have seen a strong shift in sales activities during the market boom of 2021/1. The migration of wealth to the West Coast is seeing prices of up to R5 million to R8 million being paid for luxury homes in Langebaan.
People working or with businesses in Saldanha and Vredenburg, as well as those who come to the West Coast for contracts and other business reasons, often prefer to settle in places such as Langebaan. This has boosted the Langebaan property market where transactions worth over R1.3 billion were recorded for the twelve months to the end of September, according to Lightstone data.
Given the proximity to Cape Town, under two hour’s drive, Langebaan is a popular weekend getaway, and many Capetonians own homes or rent Airbnbs. Families moving there now also have access to a Curro School.
Places like Malmesbury have benefited from upgrades to the Cape Town to Namibia N7 route that runs through the region. Given that it is only about a 40-minute drive from Cape Town, many people choose to settle there and commute daily.
Lightstone data shows the West Coast property markets boomed during the 2021/2 period resulting in notable growth in median prices over the last five years, doubling in areas such as Yzerfontein and Paternoster, while areas such as Langebaan, Malmesbury and St Helena enjoyed a notable uptick. Most towns experienced growth of 60% to as much as 107% and even 196% over the last 10 years, according to the data.
Price growth over 5 and 10 years
| Ave Price
2024 |
Ave Price
2019 |
% Price Incr | Ave Price
2014 |
% Price Incr | |
| Yzerfontein | R3.1m | R1.5m | 106% | R1.25m | 196% |
| Langebaan | R2.3m | R1.8m | 28% | R1.3m | 76% |
| Paternoster | R1.9m | R1.2m | 133% | R920k | 106% |
| Saldanha | R827k | R700k | 18% | R570k | 45% |
| Vredenburg | R837k | R700k | 33% | R520k | 61% |
| Malmesbury | R1.4m | R945k | 48% | R850k | 65% |
| Darling | R1.2m | R750k | 60% | R750k | 60% |
| St Helena Bay | R1.5m | R1.1m | 36% | R724k | 107% |
| Elands Bay | R1.25m | R1m | 25% | R400k | 213% |
| Lambert’s Bay | R1.1m | R1m | 10% | R849k | 30% |
| Ave growth | 50% | 96% |
Source: Seeff/Lightstone
Average transactions
Yzerfontein currently boasts the highest average transaction price of R3.1 million followed by Langebaan at R2.3 million. The West Coast is more popular with buyers and investors than ever before, according to Seeff’s agents. Jaco and Tracey-lee Coetzee, from Seeff Langebaan say that correctly priced high-end properties are still attracting buyers.
Over the last year, Seeff has sold apartments in Marina Village for R3.55 million and R3.75 million, and luxury homes in Calypso Beach for between R6.9 million and R8.8 million. These were mostly holiday homes and apartments including a South African Expat from Canada who purchased a holiday home. Beautiful Club Mykonos also remains popular. The highest demand is now in the R1.5 million to R2.9 million range, including new developments, according to the agents.
Seeff Langebaan
The rental market is also very active with plenty of rentals available, according to Mariska Le Roux and Mariszka van der Linde, from Seeff Langebaan. The average rental is between R10,000 to R12,500 for small properties, and R16,000 to R24,000 for three-bedroomed properties. Estates and high-end suburbs range from R25,000 to R30,000 per month.
Yzerfontein, Paternoster
The Yzerfontein market is quite seasonal and is expected to pick up again, according to Michelle Livingstone-Louw and Nelia Retief, from Seeff. There is no less demand for high-end properties, and land in view of the high prices, and slower market. Yzerfontein Heights III though remains in demand with plots selling for R1.05 million to R1.3 million, and plot and plan packages at R3.585 million and R4.1 million for a luxury, three-bedroomed house.
Rentals are always in demand in Yzerfontein which often exceeds the supply. Rental prices range from around R12,000 (apartments) to around R30,000 at the top end for a luxury house.
Paternoster is also not priced at the higher end with a median price of R1.9 million. Saldanha, Vredenburg and Malmesbury tend to offer more affordable prices, and also attract younger buyers including families. Buyers in Yzerfontein, Langebaan, and St Helena Bay tend to be mostly older, comprising a mix of holiday and retirement buyers. Although a low turnover area with only about a dozen sales annually, most recent buyers (77%) in Elands Bay were over 50.
