[imagesource: Stilbaai Tourism]

Semigration is defined as “the act or process in which professionals, individuals or families decide to move to different, more affordable parts of the country”.

With the rise of remote working, sped up by that pesky pandemic, South African coastal towns are proving very popular.

Remember when you could get a house in Paternoster without paying an arm and a leg? Those were the days.

According to agents at Chas Everitt Southern Cape, reports BusinessTech, semigrants are now “flocking” to Stilbaai:

…its location – just 26km off the main N2 Garden Route between Cape Town and Mossel Bay – and its temperate climate is now also making it a choice for retirees, remote workers and work-from-home business owners who have discovered that they no longer need to live close to an office in the city to be productive.

Chas Everitt Southern Cape franchisee Charles de Kock says his area specialist, Jeanne Hamman, has sold 60 homes valued at more than R85 million in the last year alone.

Stilbaai is divided into two sections, split by the river – Stilbaai Oos and Stilbaai Wes.

Permanent residents tend to live in Stilbaai Wes.

Prices for apartments currently for sale in Stilbaai start at around R430,000 for a one-bedroom holiday apartment in Stilbaai East and range up to around R1.7 million or more for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom unit with a view of the ocean.

Retirement home prices start at around R1.45 million for a three-bedroom cottage, and those for freehold family homes start at around R1.8 million and range up to around R6.5 million.

Off to Property24 we go, with both Stilbaai Oos and Stilbaai Wes as options.

If you’re really looking to semigrate in style, there’s a four-bedroom whopper in Stilbaai Oos for R15,5 million:

Across the river in Stilbaai Wes, I found a four-bedroom home listed for R12,8 million. There’s no video tour but the appeal here is most certainly the proximity to the beach.

Seems steep to me.

Realistically, the likes of a R2,15 million apartment, or a R1,5 million apartment, in Stilbaai Wes may be more attainable.

You can also find a number of options around the R1 million mark in Stilbaai Oos.

Realtors punting the area hard will tell you the area around the village has three nature reserves, multiple hiking trails, great whale watching, water sports, and more.

It is 340 kilometres from Cape Town, though, so it’s not like you can just pop into the Mother City whenever you like.

[source:bustech]