What Buyers Really Look For In A Family Home

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Aug 15, 2026 What Buyers Really Look For In A Family Home

 When families begin the search for a new home in Cape Town, the priorities are often quite different from those of a young professional buying their first apartment. At The Storey Real Estate, we work with many buyers moving through this exact stage of life, and certain themes come up again and again. Understanding what matters most to family buyers can help sellers position their homes well, and help buyers clarify what they are truly looking for.

Space, unsurprisingly, tops the list. This is not only about the number of bedrooms, but how the layout supports daily family life. Open plan living areas that connect kitchen, dining, and lounge spaces tend to appeal, as they allow parents to keep an eye on younger children while getting on with everyday tasks. A separate study or flexible extra room has also become more important, as many parents continue to work from home at least part of the week.

Outdoor space is another major consideration in our region. A garden, even a modest one, offers room for children and pets to play, and supports the kind of outdoor lifestyle that draws so many people to Cape Town in the first place. A safe, low maintenance garden is often preferred over a large but demanding one, particularly for buyers who are already juggling busy work and family schedules.

Location and neighbourhood character carry significant weight too. Families tend to prioritise proximity to good schools, and to consider how quiet or family friendly a street feels. Access to parks, walking routes, and community amenities can be just as influential as the home itself. Safety and a sense of established community are frequently mentioned by buyers as non negotiables, more so than finishes or décor style.

Storage is another practical factor that often gets overlooked until buyers are actually living in a home. Built in cupboards, a garage or secure parking, and space for bicycles, prams, or sports equipment all make daily life easier for growing families.

Finally, many family buyers think beyond their immediate needs and consider how a home will serve them over the next five to ten years. Will there be room to grow, host visiting relatives, or adapt a space as children get older. This longer term view often shapes decisions as much as the immediate features of a property.

For sellers, understanding these priorities can help highlight the right aspects of a home when preparing it for the market. For buyers, having clarity on what truly matters, rather than what looks appealing at first glance, leads to a more confident and satisfying decision in the long run.

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Jul 10, 2026

A Considered Guide to Buying on the Atlantic Seaboard

The Atlantic Seaboard is the most sought-after strip of residential property in South Africa, and for good reason. From Mouille Point to Llandudno, the suburbs along this coastline offer a rare combination of natural beauty, lifestyle and long-term capital growth. But buying here rewards patience and preparation. Start with the suburb, not the property. Each pocket of the Seaboard has its own character. Sea Point and Green Point are dense, walkable and full of energy, with the promenade on your doorstep. Fresnaye and Bantry Bay are quieter and more private, prized for wind protection and elevated views. Clifton and Camps Bay are the trophy addresses, where beachfront glamour meets serious capital values. Knowing how you actually live, and which trade-offs matter to you, narrows the search dramatically. Understand what drives value on this strip. Three things carry disproportionate weight here: view lines, wind protection and parking. A protected north-facing aspect with a permanent sea view will always outperform a larger home without them. Secure parking, particularly two bays or more, is scarce in the older blocks and adds real value at resale. Move decisively, but with your homework done. Well-priced properties on the Seaboard rarely wait. Have your finance pre-approved, know your walk-away number, and view promptly. A boutique agency that works these streets daily will often know of properties before they are publicly listed, which is where a strong relationship with your agent earns its keep. Finally, buy the position, improve the property. Kitchens and bathrooms can be renovated. A view, an aspect and a location cannot. If you have to compromise, compromise on the finishes. The Storey Real Estate specialises in the Atlantic Seaboard and City Bowl. If you are considering a purchase, our team would love to walk the journey with you.

Jul 2, 2026

Choosing Between Clifton and Camps Bay

Few coastlines in the world offer two neighbouring suburbs as celebrated as Clifton and Camps Bay. They share the same ocean, the same sunsets and the same mountain backdrop, yet they suit quite different buyers. If you are weighing the two, here is how we frame the choice for our clients. Clifton is about exclusivity and privacy. The four beaches are sheltered from the summer south-easter, and the properties, many of them apartments stacked into the hillside, are tightly held. Stock is scarce, turnover is low, and the address itself carries enormous weight. Clifton suits the buyer who wants a discreet lock-up-and-go in the most prestigious position in the country. Camps Bay is about lifestyle and space. The suburb offers something Clifton largely cannot: freestanding family homes with gardens and pools, walking distance from a long white beach and a vibrant strip of restaurants and cafes. It is livelier, more social and more family-oriented. Camps Bay suits the buyer who wants the postcard view and the space to actually live in it year-round. On the numbers, both suburbs sit at the very top of the South African market, and both have shown remarkable resilience through market cycles. Clifton trades at a premium per square metre driven by scarcity. Camps Bay offers more accommodation for the same spend and a deeper rental market, particularly in the summer season. Our advice is simple: decide whether you are buying primarily a position or primarily a home. Clifton is the purest expression of position. Camps Bay gives you both, with a little more life around you. The Storey team knows every street on this stretch of coastline. Speak to us before you decide.

Jun 24, 2026

The City Bowl Advantage

Ask anyone who lives in the City Bowl why they chose it and you will hear the same answer in different words: everything is close. The mountain is above you, the city is below you, and some of Cape Town's best cafes, schools and markets are a short walk away. It is the most complete urban lifestyle in the country, and the market knows it. Gardens is the heart of it. Leafy streets, Victorian semis and Art Deco apartment blocks sit minutes from Kloof Street's restaurants. It attracts a wonderful mix of young professionals, families and downsizers, and well-priced homes here move quickly. Oranjezicht offers elevation and elegance. Higher up the slopes, the homes grow larger and the views stretch across the city to the harbour. The suburb has a settled, established feel, with the Saturday market at the Oranjezicht City Farm as its social anchor. Vredehoek is the value story. Tucked against Devil's Peak, it offers some of the best price-per-square-metre buying in the Bowl, with dramatic mountain scenery and a strong community of first-time buyers and young families. Its apartment stock makes it a natural entry point into the City Bowl market. For investors, the fundamentals are compelling. The City Bowl draws consistent demand from professionals working in town, semigrating families and international buyers, while the supply of well-located homes is fixed by geography. That imbalance underpins both rental yields and long-term growth. Whether you are buying your first apartment in Vredehoek or selling a family home in Oranjezicht, The Storey Real Estate is based right here on Kloof Street, and this is the market we know best.

Jun 16, 2026

Selling Well in a Boutique Market

Anyone can list a property. Selling it well, at the right price, in a reasonable time, with the process handled calmly from mandate to transfer, is a different discipline. Here is what we believe a considered sale looks like in the Atlantic Seaboard and City Bowl market. Pricing is a strategy, not a wish. The first two weeks of a listing attract the most qualified attention it will ever receive. Price correctly from day one and you harness that attention into competing interest. Overprice and you spend that energy teaching the market to wait for a reduction. We build our valuations from live comparable sales on your street, not from optimism. Presentation is not optional at this end of the market. Buyers here are buying a life they can picture. Professional photography, considered styling and honest preparation of small defects consistently return multiples of what they cost. We guide our sellers through exactly what to fix, what to stage and what to leave alone. Qualified buyers beat busy open houses. A boutique agency works a smaller, deeper book of buyers. We know who is pre-approved, who has sold and needs to buy, and who has been waiting for your exact position. Fewer, better viewings protect your privacy and your negotiating position. The deal is made after the offer. Bond approvals, deposits, fulfilment dates, occupational rent, compliance certificates: this is where sales wobble. Our job is to manage every one of those steps so that a signed offer becomes a registered transfer without drama. If you are considering selling on the Atlantic Seaboard or in the City Bowl, ask us for a valuation. We will give you a number we can defend and a plan to achieve it.

Jun 8, 2026

Short-Term Rentals in Cape Town for Investors

Cape Town has become one of the great short-term rental cities of the world. A long summer season, a weak rand for foreign visitors and suburbs that tourists genuinely want to stay in have turned well-positioned apartments into serious income producers. But the gap between an average performer and a great one is wide. Here is how we think about it. Position does the heavy lifting. Guests pay for walkability and views. De Waterkant, Green Point, Sea Point and the City Bowl consistently outperform because guests can walk to restaurants, the promenade or the V&A Waterfront. On the Seaboard, a sea-facing balcony can lift nightly rates dramatically. Run the numbers on the full year, not the season. December and January can be extraordinary, but a sound investment case works on realistic occupancy through winter as well. Factor in levies, rates, utilities, cleaning, linen, platform commissions and management fees before you commit. We help our buyers model this honestly. Check the rules before you buy. Body corporate conduct rules increasingly regulate short-term letting, and zoning rules continue to evolve. A building that welcomes short stays, with secure access and fibre already in place, is worth a premium over one where you will fight the trustees. Professional management pays for itself. Pricing that adjusts to demand, five-star housekeeping and rapid guest communication are what earn the reviews that drive occupancy. Through our sister company, Hosted Property Management, The Storey offers owners exactly that, from listing setup to guest turnover. Thinking about buying an income-producing apartment in Cape Town, or converting one you already own? Talk to us. We can advise on the purchase and manage the investment end to end.

May 31, 2026

De Waterkant and Green Point for Lock-Up-and-Go Living

Between the city and the sea sits a pocket of Cape Town that has quietly become one of its most liquid property markets. De Waterkant and Green Point offer what a growing class of buyer wants most: a beautiful, secure home that can be locked and left. De Waterkant is Cape Town's village. Cobbled lanes, heritage cottages in sorbet colours and a genuinely walkable quarter of cafes, galleries and design stores. Its charm is protected by heritage status, which keeps supply permanently constrained. The cottages and the newer apartment developments around the quarter are perennially in demand from both local professionals and international buyers. Green Point delivers scale and convenience. The suburb runs from the stadium and the Urban Park to the promenade, with apartment stock across every price point. Morning runs along the Atlantic, coffee on Main Road, ten minutes to the airport highway and a short walk to the V&A Waterfront. For buyers who split their time between cities or countries, it is close to perfect. Both suburbs punch above their weight as rental investments. Corporate tenants, digital nomads and returning expats keep the long-term market deep, while the short-stay market absorbs everything else in season. Apartments here rarely stand empty. What should buyers look for? Secure parking, fibre, a balcony that actually gets used, and buildings with healthy body corporates. In De Waterkant specifically, authentic heritage features carry a premium that only appreciates. The Storey Real Estate works this pocket every day, from studio apartments to signature penthouses. If you are curious what your money buys between the city and the sea, we would love to show you.