Bryanston, a suburb just north of Johannesburg, is at the top of South Africa’s top five suburbs in both property sales and total purchase price.
This is according to Lightstone, a company which provides data and and analytics in the property sector.
This was achieved despite the lacklustre performance of Gauteng’s market with property growth inflation currently under 1%.
Sea Point in the Western Cape and Midstream Estate in Gauteng followed Bryanston on the list of the top five suburbs in the country.
Rounding out the top five suburbs in the country for sales and total purchase price is the Sibaya Coastal Precinct in KwaZulu-Natal in the 4th spot for and Sunningdale in the Western Cape was in the 5th spot.
| Suburb | Province | Volume | Total purchase price |
| Bryanston | Gauteng | 802 | R2.69 billion |
| Sea Point | Western Cape | 679 | R2.58 billion |
| Midstream Estate | Gauteng | 567 | R2.09 billion |
| Sibaya Coastal Precinct | KwaZulu-Natal | 419 | R1.72 billion |
| Sunningdale | Western Cape | 57 | R1.48 billion |
According to Cobus Odendaal, the chief executive of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty in Johannesburg and Randburg, in Bryanston the current median house price of R4.3 million is nudging the 2018 median price of R4.4 million.
Odendaal said that after a record low of 305 sales, 2022 they saw a record number of house registrations (608) and last year there were 438, the second highest number of registrations since 2016.
While Lightstone data shows that the median house price in Bryanston has risen above R4 million for the first time since 2018 with the number of registrations also spiking.
Odendaal said that other suburbs which have shown encouraging growth are Craighall, Hyde Park, Sandton, Sandhurst and Bedfordview.
Why is Bryanston top suburb for property buyers?
According to Manuela Coelho, Freehold Area Specialist in Bryanston for Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty, there are several compelling reasons for the suburb’s market resilience.
Coelho said that Bryanston offers a wide choice of property options with more accessible price points so they are seeing more young families move into the area and, when it comes time to upgrade to a larger home, most tend to stay in the suburb.
According to the property group, from starter apartments for under R1 million to elegant homes with all the bells and whistles that can cost tens of millions of rands, the suburb has a board choice of property options.
“Bryanston is a well-established suburb which is not only in close proximity to several excellent schools, it also offers easy access to Sandton and several other popular commercial hubs,” Coelho said.
According to Odendaal, in Bryanston there has also been a surge in young and first-time buyers.
However, Coelho, who works exclusively in the freehold market, said that most of her buyers are local families from Bryanston and surrounds and that the most active price band in this sector is R6 million to R9 million.
The number of long-standing homeowners has dropped to around 35%, while 33% of residents purchased their homes less than five years ago.
Odendaal adds that the area’s prolific growth has also spurred commercial development and upgrades to existing amenities. These include the Nicolway Shopping Centre as well as other upgrades to shopping facilities.
IOL Property