Johannesburg property market bouncing back

Suburbs in Gauteng are receiving increased attention from buyers, with queries for property in Bryanston and Sandton rising strongly at the start of 2025. 

Pam Golding CEO, Dr Andrew Golding, recently outlined some of the trends the property group has noticed in 2025, including this rise in demand for Joburg property. 

“A recent assessment of web searches on our website reveals some notable trends regarding locations attracting high interest,” Golding said. 

“While Cape Town retains top spot for searches on the Pam Golding Properties website, Gauteng locations such as Bryanston and Sandton overall account for an increasing number of web searches.” 

For the six-month period August 2024 to January 2025, seven of the top 20 searches were for suburbs in Gauteng, with Bryanston and Sandton in second and third place behind Cape Town. 

Golding said Gauteng locations accounted for nearly a third of all the top 20 searches during this six-month period. 

This is compared with the first quarter of 2024, when Gauteng accounted for only five of the top 20 searches on Pam Golding, with Bryanston in fifth place and Sandton seventh.

“Sandton’s reputation as a premier business and luxury hub plays a significant role in the uptick in enquiries,” Gauteng head Nelson Ferreira explained. 

In particular, Sandton properties are in high demand in the luxury market, with viewing interest increasing in houses priced from R15 million upwards. 

This is not only among South African buyers and returning expats but also international purchasers, predominantly from African countries and Europe. 

There has also been a notable increase in offers submitted on properties priced around R11 million to R15 million. 

“Due to its vibrant lifestyle, lucrative business opportunities and upscale living environment, this area has always appealed to international property buyers,” Ferreira said.  

This includes those relocating permanently or with three-to-five-year contracts in the area, while other global investors are purchasing apartments to rent out and build a property portfolio in South Africa. 

Rising demand for suburban living

Bryanston is a more traditional suburb than Sandton, but it remains a sought-after address because of its central location, top government and private schools, and close proximity to Sandton. 

It is also close to the growing hub of Midrand, and for commuters to Pretoria, it offers easy access to the highway. 

Bryanston is dissected by Winnie Mandela Drive, one of Johannesburg’s busiest arterial roads, which effectively separates east from west Bryanston.

“The suburb caters for every kind of buyer, from those entering the market to couples, families upscaling and high net worth purchasers seeking luxury living, as well as those relocating back to Johannesburg as a result of a return-to-office trend,” Ferreira said. 

Bryanston offers a wide range of residential properties, including full title homes priced between R3 million and R40 million. 

It has also seen a notable increase in estate-living, with residences in the price band between R3.5 million and R30 million and sectional-title townhouses ranging from R900,000 to R8 million.

Ferreira explained that one of the early signs of a recovery is when developers begin snapping up empty land to build residential property. 

This is occurring in Bryanston, where developers are particularly attracted to freehold properties from 1,900 sqm to 4,200 sqm, resulting in a wide range of estate-style clusters and sectional title developments being built. 

Developers are especially interested in stands that have been rezoned as they offer strong prospects for redevelopment, renovation and resale. 

“In addition, some individual purchasers are looking to acquire properties where there is potential to subdivide and sell a part of the land,” Ferreira said. 

Many homeowners who cannot realise the full value of their properties are opting to subdivide. For example, a single stand could be split into five stands, allowing for the construction of five modern cluster homes.