SMALL TOWNS WILL WIN

THE COVID- 19 pandemic has seen an increase in the number of inquiries for homes in the country as more people want less stressed lifestyles, says Berry Everitt, chief executive of the Chas Everitt International property group.

Areas that could be prime targets for this process of “de-urbanisation” are the

Cape West coast, the Winelands, the Garden Route, the Little Karoo, the KZN North Coast, Hartbeespoort, the Vaal, Lanseria, the Waterberg in Limpopo and towns in Mpumalanga close to Mbombela and the Kruger National Park.

“Not all towns in these areas will immediately benefit from this trend, but those that can attract the ‘de-urbanites’ with good municipal management, reliable power and water supplies, reliable and fast internet connectivity, reasonable proximity to an airport, good shopping and medical facilities and good schools, if they have children, will prosper most,” he says.

Small towns that offer good municipal management and infrastructure will prosper most in post-Covid life. PICTURE: PAM CARTER