INVESTING IN THE QUIETER LIFE

Property investment as an income stream has been around for centuries, but the explosion in work-from home or hybrid employment opportunities that paved the way for acquiring property outside of traditional urban spaces during the Covid-19 pandemic now continues for slightly different reasons.

Many are choosing to ‘escape to the country’ in pursuit of quality lifestyles bolstered by a slightly lower cost of living. Property owners from as far afield as the Western Cape, Gauteng and Limpopo are heading for the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands where they can enjoy the benefits of country living without being too far from city conveniences.

Craig Millar, Tyson Properties Managing Partner for the KZN Midlands says he has witnessed extensive growth in less developed areas and well-run smaller towns both in owner occupied and in rental properties. Hilton with its renowned St Annes and Hilton College private schools has a consistently younger demographic as families have relocated for top quality government and private schooling and sound amenities.

One example is The Dairy at Hilton development under construction on land the school sold to create a low density, luxury country living environment on its border. Millar says sales for that development, as happened with the forerunner The Gates at Hilton, have been a mix of families relocating and properties used when visiting school-going children. The Hilton Community Security Initiative has seen the area being credited as being top among the safest regions nationally with the uMngeni Local Municipality recognised as one of KwaZulu-Natal’s best-run local governments.

The municipality received the provincial certificate for Best Quality Municipal Transformation and Institutional Development Key Performance Area for 2025/26. Millar confirms that Howick is thriving with buyers able to secure better value for their investments than coastal and inland areas. Investment purchases are common in the myriad retirement communities for which the town is renowned with the market driven by national demand and semigration. Statistically, two-thirds of Hilton buyers annually are under 50 years of age, while the opposite is true for Howick.

This unique demographic mix in a small geographic area is seldom found elsewhere nationally and increasingly families are finding space for multiple generations in close proximity to each other in the KZN Midlands. Semigration and strong local economic growth has witnessed businesses relocate to Hilton, Howick and further afield into the Natal Midlands in line with lower property rates and taxes and an efficiently operative municipality. Pietermaritzburg, as the provincial capital city, attracts government employees in middle-income neighbourhoods, while northern Pietermaritzburg offers more affluent business owners access to good amenities, schools and the benefit of green belt living.

Millar believes the Pietermaritzburg, Hilton and Howick markets offer competitive rental property investments as demand outstrips supply. The Howick based “Ambers” developments incorporating several estates has seen many savvy buyers acquire units into which they only retire a decade later, benefitting from the good capital appreciation on offer as they reach retirement. Likewise, developments adjacent to Pietermaritzburg Golf course in Hayfields PMB and Victoria Country Club in Montrose are providing attractive investment opportunities. While new development space in the three towns is limited, Millar says there are still opportunities for buyers able to enter the property ladder in the R1.5mil to R2mil range.

“Those wishing to exit more built-up areas and suburbia with the inevitable service delivery short comings experienced by many South Africans now have choices. Consequently, there has been a steady growth in property values in Hilton and Howick where development is undertaken with cognisance of the spatial development framework,” Millar said. This requires long-term town planning to ensure towns like Hilton do not lose their country village appeal and developments are approved once the infra structure can accommodate it.

This is something that other small towns in South Africa experiencing growth can learn from. “Locally there is a recognition that densification will happen, but not at the expense of lifestyle. Town planning is critical and demands communication from council and residents”. www.tysonprop.co.za

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