Durban, honestly.

Most searches sort into four groups. Umhlanga and Umhlanga Ridge are the newest stock — sectional title, secure access, walkable to the promenade and Gateway, and the strongest rental demand. Durban North and the Berea are established freehold suburbs with bigger stands, mature gardens and character homes, closer to the city. Ballito and Salt Rock are the North Coast lifestyle move, largely estate living. The KZN Midlands is the out-of-town option — space and schools, an hour inland. What separates them is not really the house, it is commute, schooling and whether you want a garden or a lock-up-and-go.

Aspect and elevation do most of it. A north-east facing house catches the sea breeze and stays comfortable through a humid Durban summer; a low-lying, west-facing one does not. Sea view matters, but a permanent view — one that cannot be built out by the stand below — carries a real premium over a view that is only there until the neighbour develops. Then the practical layer: the state of the roof and ceilings after years of coastal humidity, whether the boundary and access have been kept up, and whether the stand drains.

Ask two separate questions. For power, ask what backup is actually installed — inverter capacity in kVA, battery storage in kWh, and whether the solar is grid-tied or hybrid. 'Has solar' on an advert tells you nothing. For water, KZN buyers now ask about storage as a matter of course: tank capacity, whether it is plumbed into the house or only to the garden, and whether there is a pressure pump. In sectional title, ask whether backup covers your unit or only the common property — lifts and gates on backup while the flats are dark is common.

It can, and it is worth checking rather than assuming. After the 2022 KZN floods, buyers and banks look harder at low-lying stands, properties near a watercourse, and steep sites with retaining structures. Ask the seller directly whether the property has flooded, ask the municipality for the flood-line position where the stand is near a river or stream, and have a look at how the stand drains and where the stormwater goes. Insurers price this, so it shows up in your monthly cost as well as your risk.

Levies vary widely with staffing, security and how much common property there is — a scheme with 24-hour manned access, lifts, a gym and a pool costs more to run than a small block. Ask for the last two years of financials and the reserve fund balance. A low levy in a scheme with almost no reserve is a special levy waiting to happen. Ask separately about the CSOS levy, whether there is a pending special levy already approved, and what the scheme's rules say about pets, short-term letting and renovations. Municipal rates are billed by eThekwini on the municipal valuation, not the price you pay, so check the current valuation roll figure rather than working off the purchase price.

Budget eight to twelve weeks from acceptance to registration in a normal transaction, and longer if a bond, a rates clearance certificate or a body corporate levy clearance is slow. In eThekwini the rates clearance figures are the step that most often adds weeks. The single biggest thing that shortens a transfer is preparing the seller's documents before the property goes on the market — title deed details, the approved building plans, the electrical and, at the coast, the beetle and plumbing certificates.

Get these together before the first viewing: the title deed, municipal approved building plans for everything standing on the stand, a valid electrical compliance certificate, a gas certificate if there is a gas installation, and — standard in coastal KZN — an entomologist's beetle-free certificate and a plumbing certificate. If the property is in a sectional title scheme or an estate, you will also need the levy clearance and the estate's own consent or clearance. Missing or unapproved plans are the most common reason a Durban sale stalls after the offer is signed.