We already know about all of the people looking to leave South Africa, but I bet you didn’t know about the ‘semigration’ trend.

For ‘stayers’, as they’re calling themselves on Facebook, greener pastures aren’t necessarily found on other continents.

Instead, thousands of South Africans are ‘semigrating’ each year and the number keeps on growing.

The most popular semigration spots are without a doubt the smaller, beachside towns, to be found along the coast.

BusinessTech with more:

For most, the primary motivation for this move is a desire to escape the traffic congestion, escalating crime and increasingly regular bouts of unrest of the city for a safer, quieter life.

Many semigrants are also empty nesters and retirees looking to scale down both their homes and lifestyles, families with young pre-school children and professionals who are able to predominantly work from home or want to open small businesses

BusinessTech also reckons that there are three small coastal towns, in particular, that are fast becoming a hot spot for those looking to start over.

Plettenberg Bay

If you can get over the fact that the ‘Matric Rage’ happens there every year, Plett isn’t a bad place to settle down.

In fact, the property market has been soaring over the past few years.

The town has seen a fair amount of influx over the last few years as semigrating families looked to settle in a more wholesome environment said Kevin Engelsman, licensee for Seeff Plettenberg Bay.

…Full title sales account for 32% and an average selling price of R2.63 million. Estate property account for 19% at an average price of R2,904 million and sectional title property for 9% at an average price of R1,123 million. Vacant land accounts for 29% of all transactions.

“Plettenberg Bay offers a fabulous climate and lifestyle, something that holiday buyers and retirees have known for some time,” said Engelsman.

The restaurants, hotels, shopping centres and schools mean that small-town life doesn’t have to feel like small-town life.

Arniston

This small fishing village is only two and a half hours outside of Cape Town, making the occasional trip into the city easy.

It offers a laid-back coastal lifestyle and choice of holiday properties, said Elaine Beyers from Seeff Bredasdorp/Arniston.

Beyers said there are only about 1174 permanent households as it is primarily a holiday village with many people owning holiday homes.

“The average asking price for a home in the village with little to no views, is now around R3.1 million and for a sea view, expect to pay to around R8 million to R9 million,” she said.

If you’re looking to build, you can snap up some vacant land for just shy of R2 million or so.

Gansbaai

Gansbaai is also a short two-hour drive from Cape Town:

“The town continues to experience a steady flow of property enquiries and has seen consistent sales volumes over many years as Seeff’s agents believe that coastal properties here still offer excellent value and long-term investment potential. Aside from local residents, the area is very attractive to holiday home and retirement buyers,” said Marlene Uys from Seeff Gansbaai.

“Prices are very affordable considering that full title homes range from R1.2 million – R1.85 million on average, but large homes can range to around R4 million and more for top end properties.

“The luxury beach houses of De Kelders, although seldom on the market tends to range above this to around R12 million.”

Gansbaai is a busy holiday town, with a massive rental market, so if you buy property now in preparation for retirement, you could rent it out in the interim.

If that small-town life is for you, you could do worse than a beach view.

[source:businesstech]