The new R400-million, 125-stored Garden Route Mall in George is yet another feather in the development cap of this booming area where increasing numbers of South African’s are relocating.

Tim Kirby of Sotheby’s International Realty, operated by Lew Geffen, in George says, “infrastructure is constantly improving along the Garden Route and developments are sprouting at every turn. One might argue that the area is losing its rustic appeal - however this doesn’t seem to be the case at all.

“We have a constant flow of new buyers looking for property in the area and this has been stimulated by improvements to the N2 road linking Cape Town and the Garden Route. New lifestyle estates are being constructed and publicised throughout the country and general improvements in infrastructure and amenities are underway. The award winning George airport has added to the area’s accessibility and affordable flights from Cape Town and Gauteng are spurring the influx.

“In my opinion, the trend of people relocating to the Garden Route from the metropolitan areas of Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban is in its infancy. The region is fast being transformed from a holiday destination into a sought after residential area.”

Unit sales along the Garden Route have risen exponentially over the last five years. According to SA Property Transfer Guide Statistics over the last five years, sales in Mossel Bay, for instance, have risen from 44 in 1999/2000 to 789 in 2004/05.

Kirby continues that although most of the investment along the Garden Route is local, new security estates have made “lock-up and go” properties more accessible and many foreigners are taking advantage of these opportunities.

Sotheby’s International Realty, operated by Lew Geffen, has invested in marketing these areas locally and overseas with the aid of an electronic showcase highlighting what the Garden Route has to offer. The showcase is distributed to the countries most qualified local and the world’s most qualified international client database.

Barak Geffen, Executive Director of Sotheby’s International Realty says, “We are actively promoting the Garden Route by selling the lifestyle and investment benefits of the entire region through our local and international channels, which we access through our ties to the global Sotheby’s International Realty office network and the Auction House.”