Bafana Bafana soccer player Franklin Cale has joined a growing list of celebrities and investors who have snapped up bargain properties on the once-scoffed at East Rand.

Estate agent Nelson Ferreira, whose Pam Golding Properties branch concluded 64 sales valued over R57-million combined in just five months between January and May, said the market in the area was booming. Value for money has turned the East Rand, situated east of Johannesburg, into a sought-after area for buyers seeking bargains, said Ferreira. "Since the start of 2010, the residential property market in the area has seen a turnaround ... as buyers prioritise value for money."

The Pam Golding Properties branch sold a shopping centre to a local investor for R6.8-million.

Properties in the East Rand, according to Ferreira, remain on the market for three weeks before being snapped up. He added that several of his recent clients included buyers who had opted to trade in northern suburb homes for East Rand bargains.

"Homes in the East Rand offer far greater value for money than those in Sandton," said Ferreira.

Prices in East Rand suburbs vary from R500000 for a two-bedroom home to R5.4-million for a sprawling homestead.

"There's considerable movement at the top end of the property market and we recently sold homes for R4-million ... in addition, we recently sold a home in Kempton Park to Bafana Bafana player Franklin Cale," said Ferreira.