Registered homes in Soweto more than double as younger buyers lead the way

Amanzimtoti Property • Crisna van der Bank • RE/MAX Toti
Amanzimtoti Property • Crisna van der Bank • RE/MAX Toti

Registered homes in Soweto, south of Johannesburg, have more than doubled since 1994 to 183 525, and 99% of them are Freehold.

This is according to Lightstone, a provider of comprehensive data, analytics and systems on property, automotive and business assets.

Hayley Ivins-Downes, Head of Digital at Lightstone, said there were 83 119 registered properties in the year South Africa held its first democratic election, one of which was Sectional Title and one classified as Estate. Since then another 98 605 Freehold properties have been registered, along with 1 779 Sectional Title properties and 22 Estate properties.

Most homes are valued at between R250k to R700k. Of a total of 183 525 homes, 153 769 (84%) were valued at between R250k-R700k, with 22 098 (12%) in the R700k-R1m band. There were just 10 homes registered at more than R3m.

Despite the more than doubling of homeowners, Ivins-Downes said the market has been relatively quiet since a busy period lasting from 2011 to 2015. “The best year since 1994 was 1998, when 6 964 homes were registered, but the numbers in recent years have been more modest at 2 141 in 2019, 2 093 in 2020 and 1 849 in 2021”, she said.

The vast majority – 90% – of homeowners in Soweto are under 49, with 47% under 35.

The pendulum has swung between first time buyers or repeat buyers dominating the market – in 2020 repeat buyers made up 59% and this dropped to 38% in 2021.

Braamfischcerville Phase 2 has been the most popular suburb since 1994, with 8 149 homes being registered, more than double the 3 851 registered in Thulani. Sectional Title homes have been registered in just two suburbs, Protea Glen Ext 11 and Jabulani.

Did you know?

 

Vilakazi Street has become one of Soweto’s most famous streets – because it’s produced two Nobel Prize winners—His Excellency Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu. And the street is named after another icon, Dr BW Vilakazi. He was a poet, novelist, and intellectual, who wrote in numerous indigenous languages.

Compare listings

Compare
Property Alerts Yes Please! No thanks