Hi,

just came across this site,i think its really good.We are a family of 3 from the UK who are looking to buy a 2-3 bedroom apartment in or around Durban,We are also thinking about all along the coast,south+north of Durban.Need all your help in deciding.We have a budget of £130-150k,and from what ive seen they all look really nice.Will just be used at 1st for holidays,and with a view to it being rented out when we are not there.Thanks in advance.

Lee,Nikki,Christina

i would by in umhlanga. very nice dev. there. good investment.

wow where to start. If I was you Id be looking at Zimbali (30min from the CBD and 15min from the new city centre of gateway in Umhlunga), with that budget you would get a lovely villa in a secure golf estate and nature reserve.
I have a friend from Cnada who did the same and they bought at Zimbali and spend 2 months a year there and the rentals they get for 3 months over summer (nov,dec,jan) pays the entire years levies for the place.
I wouldent look at a place that neds to have a tennant as its a pain in the proverbial. I have quite a few properties in CT and Durbs and tennants are the bain of my life. Id much rather have a place that only need holiday rentals to pay for its self. That way for over 9 moths of the year you can use it on the spur of the moment if you need to.
Zimbali also has one of the best cources in the country as well as a hotel listed as one of the best small hotel of the world.
Good luck mate

Giles its a great suggestion to say zimbali, but with a budget of 130-150K pounds u wont get anything!

The cheapest place on offer at zimbali is R3,5m (300k pounds)! So thats not an option.

My suggestions would depend on the environment that you are looking for "leesharp".

If you want to be near the action of the city, but not in it, then i would say look at Umhloti (5km from umhlanga, the growing edge city of durban, and uber holiday spot for the rich). Prices there are reasonable, considering u are so close to the city, but at the same time u feel out of the hussle and bussle.

If you would prefer to be further secluded, then i would suggest Westbrook, Ballito, Sheffield Beach or the like in that area. They are 40min drive north of durban ad are the holiday spots of the north, but are undergoing rapid dev. Yet they lack a city feel and get incredibly crowded over the holiday periods, but are very quiet the rest of the year.

In Durban itself i would reccommend the areas closest to the beach. As i said before, umhlanga is great (only 18km from downtown durban, but realistically u dont feel out of the city due to its phenomenal growth in recent years.) All u could want is in Umhlanga. The massive Gateway mall, the village and glorious beaches. However beach property is mighty expensive and apartments start at R2,5m (210k pounds) for a 1 bed on the beach. The new dev around gateway in the new town centre is nice, but not the ideal holiday position. You could find properties further back from the beach for a more reasonable price. (for more property info on umhlanga try these estate agents...www.pamgolding.co.za - www.getcoastal.co.za - www.thehunt.co.za - www.wakefields.co.za - www.homenet.co.za ...the list is endless)

The Point area is another possibility. The dev is progressing rapidly and there are over 20 apartment developments all scheduled for completion before dec 2006...(if u can wait that long...many will be ready by this dec though). the pricing is also reasonable and u will get something for your price range, 2 bed, 2 bath.

The beachfront does offer great prices, however the area is only starting its transformation. It is a great place to go, and the beaches are perfectly safe now, but i cant comment on living there. One thing is for sure, that the prices there will rise steeply in the next 5 years and a great profit could be made. Prices have risen over 300% there in 4 years...so positive sign.

The south coast is great. but a bit further from durban than the north coast. Best places there are Southbroom and Ramsgate, just south of the main town of margate. Prices are far lower than durban and there are many many many new dev there at good prices. But the south coast is 1h10min from durban.

hope that helped! ask anything else that could help

hi,

many thanks for the quick replies.What we are looking for isuppose is an apartment near the beach,shops etc etc .What is the holiday rental market like?Tell you the truth we are fed up with the english winters:-)too bloody cold.Would be nice when the time is right,would be to move over there when we retire.Thanks again for all you help+advice.

Lee...................

Hi,

just came across this site,i think its really good.We are a family of 3 from the UK who are looking to buy a 2-3 bedroom apartment in or around Durban,We are also thinking about all along the coast,south+north of Durban.Need all your help in deciding.We have a budget of £130-150k,and from what ive seen they all look really nice.Will just be used at 1st for holidays,and with a view to it being rented out when we are not there.Thanks in advance.

Lee,Nikki,Christina

you should be moving to cape town hehe good luck in durban , hope you find what you are looking for...WELCOME TO SOUTH AFRIAC soon...

good thing he aint looking at over priced CT. from the sounds of things ur market is going bottoms up...no properties sold across the WHOLE atlantic seaboard last month! not a good sign.

lee, the point would then be a very good option for it has the built up city lifestyle around canals, with retail outlets on the grounfloor, plus a mall. will have a great buzz, plus it is right on the beach and will have a marina. Can get good deals in some of the places still. Some for immediate occupation.

but i think contact those agencies and if u have not already, come and visit durbs :)

holiday rental is good in umhlanga, and i'm sure in time it will be good at the point. obviously all holiday rentals are on the beach, or close enough, but primarily in umhlanga and umhloti in the durban area, with the beachfront at a lesser degree.

Ballito also good holiday rentals, but i think that market may be overcrowded now

hope we helped u out...never heard from u again tho! come and join in

good thing he aint looking at over priced CT. from the sounds of things ur market is going bottoms up...no properties sold across the WHOLE atlantic seaboard last month! not a good sign.

lee, the point would then be a very good option for it has the built up city lifestyle around canals, with retail outlets on the grounfloor, plus a mall. will have a great buzz, plus it is right on the beach and will have a marina. Can get good deals in some of the places still. Some for immediate occupation.

but i think contact those agencies and if u have not already, come and visit durbs :)

holiday rental is good in umhlanga, and i'm sure in time it will be good at the point. obviously all holiday rentals are on the beach, or close enough, but primarily in umhlanga and umhloti in the durban area, with the beachfront at a lesser degree.

Ballito also good holiday rentals, but i think that market may be overcrowded now
having said all that, I have just sold a CT property and made 62% in the space of 20 months

nice one. wow.

well that is good. but i have a friend who is trying to sell there place in camps, and has had to drop their price 3 times, and still no sales

Hi all,

many thanks for your help,we are still looking to buy and have been invited to stay in Durban early next year through friends of my brothers.We are all looking forward to coming over

Lee

LIVING IN DURBAN
Excerpt from a diary written by an Englishman...

August 31st: Just got transferred with work into our new home in Durban!! Now this is a city that knows how to live!! Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. What a place! I watched the sunset from a deck chair on the verandah. It was beautiful. I've finally found my home. I love it here.

September 13th: Really heating up. Got to 35 c today. Not a problem. Live in an air-conditioned home, drive an air-conditioned car. What a pleasure tosee the sun everyday like this. I'm turning into a sun worshiper.

September 30th: Had the backyard landscaped with tropical plants today. Lots of palms and rocks. What a breeze to maintain. No more mowing lawn for me. Another scorcher today, but I love it here.

October 10th: The temperature hasn't been below 30 c all week. How do people get used to this kind of heat? At least today it's kind of windy though. But getting used to the heat is taking longer that I expected.

October 15th: Fell asleep by the pool. Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body. Missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do. I learned my lesson though. Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this.

October 20th: I missed Kitty (our cat) sneaking into the car when I left this morning. By the time I got to the hot car for lunch, Kitty had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag and stank up the R15,000 leather upholstery. I told the kids that she ran away. The car now smells like Wiskettes and cat shit. I learned my lesson though. No more pets in this heat.

October 25th: The wind sucks! It feels like a giant bloody blow dryer!! And it's hot as hell. The home air-conditioner is on the blink and the AC repairman charged R200 just to drive over and tell me he needed to order parts.

October 30th: Been sleeping outside by the pool for 3 nights now. Bloody R1,450,000 house and we can't even go inside. Why did I ever come here?

November 4th: It's 35 degrees C. Finally got the ol' air-conditioner fixed today. It cost R500 and gets the temperature down to 25, but this bloody humidity makes the house feel like it's about 30. Stupid repairman. I hate this stupid place.

November 8th: If another wise arse cracks, "Hot enough for you today?" I'm going to strangle him. Bloody heat! By the time I get to work the car's radiator is boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet and I smell like baked cat!!

November 9th: Tried to run some messages after work. Wore shorts and sat on the black leather seats in the ol' car. I thought my arse was on fire. I lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and my arse. Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried arse and baked cat.

November 10th: The weather report might as well be a bloody recording. Hot and sunny, Hot and sunny, Hot and sunny. It's been too hot to do anything for 2 damn months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Doesn't it ever rain in this damn place? Water rationing will be next, so my R20,000 worth of palms just might dry up and blow into the bloody pool. Even the palms can't live in this heat.

November 14th: Welcome to HELL!!! The temperature got to 38 c today. Now the air-conditioner's gone in my car. The repairman came to fix it and said, "Hot enough for you today?" My wife had to spend the R2,500 house payment to bail my arse out of jail for assaulting the repairman. Bloody Durban. What kind of a sick demented idiot would want to live here?

December 1st: WHAT????? This is the first day of Summer???? You've got to be kidding me

So true... It was always like getting out of the car or out the A/P and walking into a wall of heat when we went down to DUR from JNB. Very funny, thanks SA Boy :cheers:

my god thats scary! i dont think its as bad as that, i mean granted i do live here, but 38C...since when?

but i can see why a brit would get upset. the little inaccuracy is that it is never that hot in september and october. this year it only went above 30C once in september, and there is no humidity yet.

November is turning into the hottest month of the year tho. last nov was hotter than dec, jan or feb.

But hey....its not that bad :)

Yah give me the heat anyday! The only thing I can't stand about Durbs heat is the humidity though. It's like a permanent sauna... You'll emerge from a cold shower and won't be able to dry yourself cos the towel is wet. hehe.