Location no doubt plays a huge role in any purchasing decision. Whether you’re a parent seeking a home in your preferred school district or a business mogul looking for a suburb close to your office, each buyer will have their own set of location preferences.
According to Adrian Goslett, Regional Director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, for the active outdoor enthusiast, knowing which suburbs offer the safest and most scenic walking / cycling / running routes nearby often plays an active (excuse the pun) part in the purchasing decision.
Safety first for sports enthusiasts
Apart from natural beauty and at least a few active offerings nearby, the perception these buyers have of crime in the area will play a vital role in deciding whether they’ll place an offer. “Buyers are not wrong in enquiring about the safety of the suburb – especially if they’re planning on being active outside of their homes. In fact, the Victims of Crime Survey 2018 recently revealed that an estimated 280,526 incidences of robbery away from home occurred during the 2017/18 period. Of these incidences, the majority of the victims (62,6%) were alone during robbery and over 65% occurred in a street in residential areas.”
“I would advise buyers who enjoy outdoor activities to speak to a real estate agent and find out whether people in that suburb are generally quite active. This can give you an indication of how safe residents feel in that area. Beyond this, the more active the suburb, the better the opportunity that there will be local walking/running/cycling groups which homeowners could join to lower the risk of becoming a victim of crime. As experts in their suburbs, estate agents can often advise you of how to get in touch with these kinds of groups,” he adds.
Read more: 5 factors that cyclists should consider when choosing property
Which cities are the most active?
The question is, which South African suburbs do most active residents flock to? According to the latest Discovery Vitality fitness statistics, Cape Town ranks the most physically active city and reports the highest amount of members participating in outdoor activities (which include running, swimming, cycling, canoeing, paddling, surf ski, multi-sport events, obstacle course races, parkruns, and myruns). After the Mother City, Joburg scores highest in this category – 8% away from first place. This is followed by Durban, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, and finally Bloemfontein.
“Living in a city renowned for its many iconic natural landmarks, Capetonians are spoilt for choice when it comes to outdoor activities and are able to participate in some of the largest outdoor events in the country. This being said, homeowners in certain suburbs are no stranger to being confined to their homes during big marathon events such as the Cape Argus Cycle Tour and the Two Oceans Marathon which sees certain residential roads closed to traffic during the event. Although these events happen but once a year, buyers should keep this in mind when purchasing in suburbs along these routes,” Goslett notes.
“No matter in which province you find yourself, there is no shortage of safe neighbourhoods for active South African home buyers. Particularly if you are new to an area, it is always advisable to get in touch with an estate agent who, as a local expert, will be able to point you in the right direction in your search for a new home,” Goslett concludes.
Read more: Which is SA's most cycling friendly city?
