Property Newsletter | November 2021
Estate living in Mbombela
The favourite residential choice since 1994
As with so many towns and cities across South Africa, Mbombela, formerly Nelspruit, has seen a surge of Estate and Sectional Title properties since 1994, and a slowdown of new Freehold stock.
Mbombela is the capital of Mpumalanga, on the corridor between Pretoria and Maputo in Mozambique and a gateway to the iconic Kruger National Park. Other places of interest nearby include the Lowveld National Botanical Garden, the prehistoric Sudwala Caves and the Umhloti Nature Reserve, which contains the Jane Goodall Institute’s Chimp Eden sanctuary.
Freehold accounted for 88% of properties in 1994, and this has fallen to just 45% today. Estates accounted for just 5% of Mbombela’s market in 1994 and this has climbed to 38% today, while Sectional Title has increased from 7% to 17%.
Estate, Freehold and Sectional Title stock in Mbombela
Total stock in Mbombela
There are nearly 18 000 properties in Mbombela, the bulk of which are valued at between R1m to R3m. There are relatively few properties valued at under R500k (see graph below).
Current value of stock
Number of properties in Mbombela
| 0 - R250k | 20 |
| R250k - R500k | 345 |
| R500k - R700k | 207 |
| R700k - R1m | 3 875 |
| R1m - R1,5m | 4 894 |
| R1.5m - R3m | 5 272 |
| R3m+ | 1 217 |
| Grand Total | 17 764 |
The numbers of properties being transferred has been consistent over the past seven years. The effect of Covid-19 is evident with transfers falling to 1 078 in 2020 from between 1 350 – 1 551. Transfers have recovered strongly in 2021 and are projected to finish the year at 1 445, the third best of the period.
Transfers
As expected, Estate transfers dominate activity as the largest single category (see graph below).
Transfers by property type
Most buyers are aged between 36-49, followed by buyers under 35.
Age of buyers
The vast majority of people moving to Mbombela do so from elsewhere in Mpumulanga. Most of those moving to the city from outside the province are coming from Gauteng and the Western Cape.
Similarly, most of those leaving Nelspruit were heading elsewhere in Mpumulanga. Gauteng and the Western Cape were again the popular options outside of the province.
Movement to Mbombela
Movement from Mbombela
Did you know ?
Mbombela is the Siswati word for “a lot of people of the former Nelspruit since 2014. Some call it the Bomb City, others still refer to is as Nelspruit or Nelsparta.
The Sudwala Caves near Nelspruit are the oldest known caves on earth dating back 240 million years. The system of caves is over 30kms long of which only 600m is accessible.
The Lowveld botanical gardens just outside of the city is home to the largest collection of ancient cycads in the world and the first man-made rain forest.
The Stone Garden of Nukain Mabuza can be found outside Mbombela just off the N4 on the R38 on the road to Barberton and is well worth a visit. Now recognised as an important South African artist, Mabuza’s “Garden of Flowers” continues to inspire other creative minds, including triggering the imagination of playwright Athol Fugard.
Solutions that simplify the complex
Our new website makes it easier to navigate and discover a range of Lightstone products and solutions that make it easier for you to do business.
One place to access your subscriptions
We’ve simplified the complex with a single sign on functionality. Simply login and you will have access to all the products that you currently subscribe to. All in one portal.
What’s happening to the old website?
A few links on our new website may redirect you to certain pages on the old website. This is just a temporary solution to ensure legacy users still have access to certain products.
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)