Situated on the East Rand of Gauteng is the residential town of Alberton, which celebrated its centenary in 2005. Alberton is a well established town that is unique in that it has no other reason for its location other than its proximity to the Johannesburg Central Business District.
This two bedroom townhouse in Meyersdal offers a private garden. It is on the market for R695 000 - click here to view.
It is often described as a bedroom community, because of the fact that most of residents live there but do not work there, commuting to nearby hubs to earn a living.
The town has a long and interesting history, initially starting out as a farm called Elandsfontein. A 13 year old boy by the name of Johannes Petrus Meyer purchased a section of the farm, which at the time was owned by his father.
In the years to come he would marry and build a house next to the Natalspruit, which is near to where the town’s civic centre stands today. Following the death of his wife in 1870, Meyer decided to start a general store and built his farmhouse mansion in 1890, a home which still stands in the affluent suburb of Meyersdal on land behind the Meyersdal koppie.
After Meyer’s death, the farm was taken over by his brother Johan Georg Meyer, who sold a section of the farm to war veteran, General Hennie Alberts after whom Alberton is named. Many of the streets in Alberton have been named after the Voortrekker heroes to commemorate The Great Trek.
This four bedroom modern face brick cluster in Meyersdal borders an eco estate. There is an entertainment area with built-in braai and patio. It is on the market for R1.65 million - click here to view.
The town’s first official post office was opened in 1926, with work on the town hall starting during 1938. Alberton’s industrial suburb of Alrode was established in 1943. The renowned general store, Blou Meul, was opened in 1954 and is still trading in Van Riebeeck Street in Alberton North.
Today, Alberton forms part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and offers residents a variety of amenities such as shopping centres, libraries, clinics, hospitals and entertainment facilities.
Adrian Goslett, CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, says the property market statistics in the Alberton suburb of Meyersdal are rather interesting in that the recent buyers in the area are divided equally between those aged between 36 and 49 years old and those 65 years or older.
Sellers are also divided equally, comprising consumers between the ages of 18 and 35 years and again those over the age of 65 years old. The highest percentage of existing owners in the area are consumers between the ages of 36 and 49 years old.
This four bedroom house in Meyersdal has a bar and entertainment area, double garage and staff quarters. It is on the market for R2.3 million - click here to view.
Goslett says property in Meyersdal consists mostly of sectional title units (51.48 percent), with the remaining property divided between estates (29.06 percent) and freestanding homes (19.47 percent). According to Lightstone data, while sectional title prices have seen marginal but steady growth over the years with the current average price around R787 000, freestanding home prices have been a little more inconsistent. From 2004 to 2008 the average price of a freestanding home grew from R607 000 to R1.957 million in just four years. While the price did see a decline to around R1.323 million in 2009, it has seen massive recovery and is currently at an all time high of R2.099 million.
Jenny de Necker, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX All-Stars, whose office services the Meyersdal area, says between 2004 and 2007 the area saw massive volumes of property sales transactions with over 500 properties selling each year. Transaction numbers dropped in 2008 and while they haven’t reached boom figures again, they are gradually increasing each year.
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