Neighbourhood 14 APRIL 2019
PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE
On the wild side Be truly one with nature in a luxury estate with every amenity and outdoor activity on your doorstep – secure living, only better, page 2
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PROPERTY FOCUS: INLAND ESTATES
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14 APRIL 2019
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Inland living Estate living inland in South Africa offers more choice of lifestyle than ever before WORDS: KIT HEATHCOCK
BLAIR ATHOLL, LANSERIA
IMAGES: SUPPLIED & SHUTTERSTOCK
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he dream of escaping the city, living close to nature but still having security and convenient infrastructure is at the heart of the huge growth in popularity of the new generation of secure estates. Whether they’re on the urban edge or deep in the bush, lifestyle is the primary attraction. “Today, homebuyers are increasingly focussed on living in a secure environment while having easy access to amenities and outdoor and sporting activities,” says Dr Andrew Golding, CEO, Pam Golding Property. “Wellness, equestrianism, fishing, walking, and other sporting pursuits are all used to differentiate the product offering from one estate to another. The fact that more and more estates are including a wider range of accommodation – sectional title and retirement villages – suggests that demand is across the board, not just from the high-end buyer.”
SADDLEBROOK ESTATE, MIDRAND
Sustainability is becoming more of an issue – rising costs of utilities, inconsistent service delivery and climate change are making people aware of the need for a water and energy-efficient home and for self-sufficiency in terms of solar, boreholes and grey water. Often these are easier to provide in new developments – and many of the new estates are focussing on that – and not just at the top end.
Game estates The term game estate usually refers to fully-fledged private game reserves that earmark a section of securely fenced wilderness for residential or holiday home development. Gondwana Private Residences inland from Mossel Bay offers freehold ownership of a safari home in five separately fenced residential camps deep within the 11,000ha Big Five reserve. Forty minutes from George airport these luxury homes can be a primary residence or holiday home.
DR ANDREW GOLDING, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, PAM GOLDING PROPERTY GROUP THORNY BUSH ESTATE, MOKOPANE
PUBLISHED BY TIMES MEDIA PROPERTY PUBLISHING 1st Floor, Block H, Sable Square cnr Bosmansdam and Ratanga roads Milnerton, Cape Town
The types of estates on offer can be bewildering – game estates, eco-estates, country living and golf estates, and often the distinctions are blurred with many embracing elements of each.
At Mjejane Lifestyle, part of the Greater Kruger, freehold ownership of stands within a Big Five game reserve is also an attainable dream. Private game reserves in the Waterberg where
you can own a piece of the safari bush lifestyle include Mabula Game Reserve and Welgevonden Game Reserve. With full and fractional ownership options, these are more often weekend and holiday homes.
Eco-estates
Often also termed wildlife estates, eco-estates make conserving nature a priority. They might be close to a city or deep in the bush and generally offer large plot sizes, low housing density, indigenous landscaping or unspoilt bush, and a large section reserved for wildlife conservation. Due to the conservation goals there are usually restrictions on domestic pets. “Buyers investing in wildlife estates in Mbombela (Nelspruit) are usually family buyers who reside in their homes themselves rather than buying for investment purposes,” says Carien Brink, Seeff, citing The Rest Nature Estate just outside Mbombela as one of the top performers in the area. Bird-watching, indigenous trees and plants, small game, dams, cycling and running trails are the appeal, with an extra drawcard for families being a Curro school within the estate. “Good pricing, excellent security features, quality finishes, a secure investment, and a relaxed lifestyle all within reasonable proximity to activities and amenities, play a big role when purchasing property in an eco-estate,” adds Carien. In Hoedspruit the Southern Cross environmental school is a factor in families moving to nearby ecoestates such as Raptors View, Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate and Zandspruit Bush and Aero estate – which has its own runway. Near Pietermaritzburg, a new ecoestate development, Intaba Ridge, markets itself to families with a similar lifestyle appeal, close enough to the city’s excellent schools, with wildlife and open views of grassland and bushveld.
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Neighbourhood
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MORE ESTATES IN SA Western Cape • Le Parc: park-like surrounds, recreational facilities for the whole family • Groot Parys: country retirement lifestyle for over-49s
Country estates
Country estates are often on the urban edge or within commuting distance of the city, offering a secure green village community and catering to a live-workplay lifestyle. “Lifestyle estates are one of the fastest growing property trends that we’re seeing in SA,” says Samuel Seeff, chairman, Seeff Property Group. “Living in a secure estate where you can enjoy space and a quality lifestyle brings peace of mind, and buyers are prepared to pay a premium of 20% to 40% for a luxury home in a country lifestyle estate. Capital growth tends to outstrip that of other freehold property in an area and these properties are regarded as excellent investments.” In the Winelands outside Cape Town, Val de Vie provides the complete luxury lifestyle, with golf course, polo and equestrian facilities, fynbos reserve, spa and restaurants, and
office facilities, as well as residential. Its latest development, The Reserve, comprises 1ha stands with irrigation, allowing buyers a boutique farm lifestyle growing vegetables, olives, citrus or paddocks for horses. VAL DE VIE, PAARL
Blair Atholl near Lanseria outside Joburg, offers a luxury country lifestyle with excellent golf and equestrian facilities, as well as extensive nature parks with trails and small game, mountain biking, and fishing in the Crocodile River that runs through the estate. “Secure estates are a property type that has historically been restricted to the major cities, but the desire and intent to reside in such secure environments has shown strong growth in smaller towns,” says Christine McGrath, Seeff, Mokopane. She cites Thorny Bush Estate outside Mokopane, which offers golf and free-roaming wildlife, and which is adjacent to a 300ha wildlife reserve to which residents have access for walking, mountain biking and fishing on the dam. Christine concludes, “Owners describe it as living on an upmarket holiday estate, but full time.”
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Gauteng • Eagle Canyon Estate: golf, parkland, wetlands, dams and birdlife • Saddlebrook Estate: equestrian, bridal paths and natural wetlands • Fourways Gardens Estate: parks, dams, walkways adjacent to nature reserve • Irene Farm Villages: parkland, conservation areas and views • Serengeti Golf and Wildlife Estate: golf, leisure, and the best in lifestyle Durban • Simbithi Eco Estate: golf course, community centres and a familyoriented restaurant EAGLE CANYON ESTATE, JOBURG
WELCOME, YOU’RE HOME COME AND
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Pretoria • Silver Lakes Golf & Game Estate: rolling hills and equestrian facilities • The Hills Estate: game reserve section, private school and nature walks • Willow Acres Estate: walkways, tennis courts, clubhouse and kids play areas • Clearwater Fly Fishing Estate: large green parks, kids play areas and fly-fishing dams. • Woodhill Golf Estate: golf and a country club
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14 APRIL 2019
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Waste not, want not To fashion a one-off creative space, why not save money, do the planet a favour, and make items – or have them made – and create a look which involves recycling? WORDS: ANNE SCHAUFFER IMAGES: SUPPLIED & SHUTTERSTOCK
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ecycling encompasses a range of concepts, from buying second-hand, repurposing furniture, to giving existing favourites a new lease on life. As Beverley Burne of Fat Flower Upholstery says, “Recycling gives a home a unique quality. There isn’t another person on the planet who will find an old piece and recycle it the same way you do. It’s the total opposite of waltzing into a chain store and picking up four chairs out of 100 identical rowed up in the showroom.” She adds, “Recycling is not only an amazingly rewarding, often emotional journey, but it’s also brilliant for nature and Planet Earth.”
Emotional
Recycling can be an emotional trip, as artist and owner of retail outlet Anthology, Terry Angelos, explains, “My favourite item is my grandmother’s wingback chair... it was faded and
outdated, so I recovered it, but patchwork-style with mismatched fabrics. I was able to use some of her original fabric that was still good, and added other sentimental fabric pieces. It’s not only preserved some sentimental fabrics, but it’s a real statement piece now.” Burne says she’s often asked to rework a piece which has sentimental value. “My clients are often given pieces by parents or grandparents due to downsizing, so we take care to keep the original shape and energy of the piece, while simultaneously transforming it into a bespoke item that fits into a usually more modern environment.
Can recycled look chic?
“Absolutely,” says Burne, “In my opinion, brand-new, contemporary furniture and art – or one composed of 100% recycled decor items, art and furniture – doesn’t have the correct energy. It’s all about the art of blending and combining old and new. It’s critical to include in a room – like a bold statement wall and fresh contemporary frames wrapped around old ‘found’ paintings. Using a bold print on a Biedermeier sofa creates a magical energy in one’s home. By the same token, taking gran’s collection of velvet and transforming it into a pair of soft ottomans for the playroom works wonders too.”
Second-hand shops
Angelos grins, “My husband jokes that when I take things to donate to charity shops I probably
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bought it there in the first place!” For her, “Recycled and found objects are very much part of my art work, such as the art plates I do with illustration and collage on vintage plates. I think we are drawn to things that have a sense of story and history.” As always, paint is a cost-effective way to update second-hand furniture. “Do something unexpected like painting an old chair bright yellow. If you paint unmatched items the same colour, they start to look like they belong together,” says Angelos.
Recycling fabrics
Putting together unrelated fabrics on a chair or couch can look sensational – like an artwork. “We transform old fabrics into teddy bears, fabric offcuts into rope to weave lampshades, sentimental clothing and fabric into quilts and throws. Each piece is unique. Who wants their home to look like everybody else’s?” shrugs Burne.
Money-savers?
Burne says, “Unless you are committed to using Christian La Croix fabric to recover your found object, recycling always ends up being economically worthwhile. Having said that, many of my regular clients use the money they have saved buying good secondhand pieces, and spend more on the fabric. The results are gorgeous!” Angelos suggests, “If you don’t feel creative but want to decorate with recycled items, there are so many talented artists, craftsmen and empowerment groups making incredible things. Support them and buy something with heart and soul, and that will make a difference.”
14 APRIL 2019
Neighbourhood
PROPERTY NEWS
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Keeping up with real estate trends Balize Private Estate on the KZN North Coast has reconfigured its offering to include freestanding villas into the mix of cabanas and penthouses WORDS & IMAGES: SUPPLIED
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n response to current market demands, Balize Private Estate now offers more real estate options. “Our trend analysis has shown that a large portion of the South African real estate market is asking for the privacy and comfort of a freestanding home, but also the peace of mind that comes with being within a secure estate,” Neil Slatter, development representative, Balize Private Estate, explains. “Part of the appeal of Balize Private Estate is that it offers something for families at different life stages – from young families with small children to retirees – all facets of the market have been considered in the design of the estate and facilities offered. That is, however, not to imply we have overlooked anyone, much to the contrary. As a boutique estate centred around an alfresco, coastal lifestyle, Balize is also very much angled at families looking to scale down in terms of home size, but not lifestyle,” adds Butch James, sales director, Balize Private Estate. Economically speaking, Balize Private Estate is placed within one of the country’s key “growth nodes”. The
Sibaya coastal precinct has seen unprecedented growth over the last 12 months to become one of the most sought-after nodes in the country. A total of R3,2bn worth of sales have been transacted within the precinct, and based on current growth, these figures are only set to rise further with the completion of key infrastructure and retail and commercial nodes. From an investment perspective, the Sibaya coastal precinct, and moreover Balize Private Estate, offers investors the potential for strong capital appreciation. The fact that Balize is a low-density boutique estate only adds to its appeal and forecasted value. Statistics show that sectional title price growth is stronger than other options within residential estates.
ongoing development within the Sibaya coastal precinct, homes are looking to appreciate in value even further over the next decade,” Slatter says. Adding to the secure surrounds of the estate, its location and the views and facilities on offer, the developers of Balize have taken their offering a step further to include customisable options from home interior packages and smart-ready homes. Empty-nesters
can now amp up their living space to create connected and integrated comfort and functionality with a touch of individuality. Looking long term, the developers of Balize Private Estate are cognisant of the fact that although the estate may attract empty-nesters, it also needs to cater to families and the coming generation of grandchildren. Another key trend in this market centres around the demand for homes
in mixed-use developments. As part of the greater Sibaya coastal precinct, Balize Private Estate offers its investors the benefit of being within the Sibaya coastal precinct and with that comes quick and easy access to its amenities. One of the most formidable features of the Sibaya coastal precinct is the retail piazza which will be within a few hundred metres, on foot, from Balize Private Estate.
“With an enhanced offering, Balize Private Estate brings a range of opportunities to the market – from grand penthouses to lock-up-and-go cabanas and freestanding homes. The multitude of choices will ultimately benefit the investor as the demand for sectional title homes in residential estates increases. It’s this demand which will push home values up; and with the
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