Neighbourhood 7 JULY 2019
PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE
The right mix Bustling Eastwood boasts a combination of stately living, young energy, and tourists from all over, page 2 2
SUBURB FOCUS: EASTWOOD
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PROPERTY NEWS
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PROPERTY NEWS
7 JULY 2019
Neighbourhood
Suburb focus
Eastwood
Eastwood is a lively suburb in the heart of Pretoria’s embassy hub, close to the magnificent Union Buildings WORDS: BETSIE LOOCK-VAN DER MERWE IMAGES: RENE WALKER & GOOGLE MAPS *Map not to scale
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estling southeast of Pretoria’s well-known Union Buildings in the shade of beautiful jacaranda trees and charming old buildings, the bustling suburb of Eastwood boasts a unique character and vibe. Lying in such close proximity to the national seat of the South African government and the office of the president, the suburb also boasts a high presence of foreign missions and embassies. Eastwood borders on Hatfield where the main campus of the University of Pretoria and many other private learning institutions are situated.
In Eastwood everything is close to everything: one can either walk to school or work, catch a bus, or board the Gautrain at the nearby Hatfield Gautrain station. Residents have easy
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Property
There’s limited real estate on the market in this sought-after neighbourhood as many properties are bought up by investors turning them into student accommodation, guesthouses, business premises or use them for other shortand long-term rentals.
Adding some extra buzz is the neighbourhood’s central location to many well-known tourist attractions, not to mention the fact that Eastwood is the domicile for the notorious Loftus Versfeld Stadium, which is proudly called the home of the Blue Bulls rugby team. This suburb has several luxurious hotels and many of the beautiful old homes and buildings have been turned into enchanting guesthouses or premises for professional businesses.
VOVO TELO
access to several top hospitals, an array of schools, great shopping malls, different church denominations as well as a host of entertainment options.
Most of the homes in Eastwood is in mint condition and beautifully restored to their former glory of an erstwhile era. Typical features would include lovely high-pressed ceilings, oregon floors, wooden door and window frames, fireplaces full of character as well as well-kept gardens and large trees. There are also several modern, lockup-and-go townhouse complexes and apartment blocks ideally suited to the lifestyle needs of young professionals, diplomats or government officials. Property prices varies between just under R2m to well above R3m and those closer to the Gautrain, the embassy hub and Loftus Versfeld are usually the more expensive ones.
Schooling In line with its cosmopolitan and multi-cultural community, Eastwood and surrounds boast a wide diversity of schools and educational facilities. Arcadia Primary School was established in 1903 already and today is the oldest public school in the city that’s still located on its original grounds. The nearby Laerskool PretoriaOos opened its doors in 1928 in the neighbouring suburb of Brooklyn. Secondary phase learners living in Eastwood can also opt to attend the prestigious Pretoria Boys High School or Pretoria High School for Girls. Their Afrikaans medium of instruction equivalents – Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool and Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool – are also situated close by. The esteemed TuksSport High School is located a few minutes’ drive from the suburb at the university sports grounds. Private schools in the vicinity include British International College, St Mary’s DSG, The Capital Hotel School, and a few other.
Explore
Stroll down one or more of Eastwood’s tree-lined streets and get acquainted with all the great places of interest in this neighbourhood. A sight-seeing stop at the Union Buildings offers spectacular views over Pretoria’s skylines and the garden terraces below as well as the the 9m-tall statue of Nelson Mandela. This terrain is also home to several other statues and memorials including the statues of Gen. JBM Hertzog and Gen. Louis Botha as well as the SA Police Officer’s Memorial, the Delvile Wood Memorial, SA Heavy Artillery Memorial and other. If you are interested in seeing a great collection of South African Art, stop by at the nearby Pretoria Art Museum. Make time to watch a theatre production at the South African State Theatre, an art movie at Cinema Nouveau in Brooklyn Mall, or the latest block buster at Ster-Kinekor at Sterland Mall.
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7 JULY 2019
Neighbourhood
PROPERTY NEWS
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EAT • Skyline Pretoria Rooftop Restaurant, Bar & Lounge: something smart to do • Harrie’s Pancakes: enjoy delectable fillings and pancakes • Eastwoods: well-known local sports pub serving grills and pizza • Salsa Mexican Grill Loftus Park: Pretoria’s hottest quiz night venue • Café 41 Eastwood Village: something for everyone • Vovo Telo: great breakfast spot • RocoMamas: burgers, ribs and wings
SLEEP • Ca Ira Wellness Retreat & Guesthouse: four stars • Court Classique Hotel: four-star hotel • Loftus Lodge: three stars • Meintjieskop Guesthouse: three-star guesthouse • Pretoria Backpackers
SHOP • • • • •
Eastwood Village Shopping Centre Sterland Mall Loftus Park Shopping Centre Brooklyn Mall & Design Square Hatfield Galleries Shopping Centre
Eastwood is a friendly neighbourhood with lots of things to do and lots of pubs and restaurants and clubs where one can make new friends DANNY MCCABE, RESIDENT
You’ll pay
R20,615 per month
R2,1m
For a typical property (three-bedroom house)
R1,795m In a complex
over a period of 20 years at 10.25% prime
For an apartment
R2,58m For a house
For a typical property (three-bedroom house)
8%
R12,750 In a complex
88%
R1,225m
COMPLEX
R6,125
R16,000 For a house
10%
40%
50%
For an apartment HOUSE
median asking price
Median asking price
R16,000
Based on
R2,1m
4%
APARTMENT
For a typical property in this area
Median asking price
APARTMENT
Monthly bond repayments
For rent
HOUSE
For sale
COMPLEX
ROCOMAMAS
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PROPERTY NEWS
7 JULY 2019
Neighbourhood
Secure the right tenant People are feeling the heat as SA’s living costs increase. Smart landlords know how to minimise the risk of a defaulting tenant WORDS: SUPPLIED
IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK
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onsumers are continuously under more pressure – rent, petrol, and food prices continue rising as incomes struggle to keep pace. So, whether letting first-time apartments or luxury rental properties, as the owner of a rental property, you have to be that much more careful about finding a reliable tenant.
Secure
Your tenants may be worse off now than when you first secured them. And presuming that’s the case, it pays to be sure they’re still financially secure. In tougher markets, a consistently effective way to manage the risk of a non-paying tenant is to make sure you place (and keep) good, financially secure tenants with a good rental track record. Your risk as a landlord in the luxury sector will generally be much higher than in lower rental brackets, although the returns are also bigger. “Affluent tenants can experience rising debt-toincome ratios and affordability problems just as easily as anyone else,” says Berry Everitt, CEO, Chas Everitt International property group.
Statistics
affluent tenants prefer, what might make them choose one over another, and what will make them stay.” Everitt cautions that credit, income and tenant record checks are as important for high-end tenants. He says the most affluent tenants increasingly favour apartments and penthouses in high-end buildings that offer facilities associated with a luxury hotel. These tenants will readily pay up to R65,000 a month for luxury two-bedroom apartments that offer the right location, facilities and views in areas such as Sandton, Rosebank and Melrose Arch in Joburg; the CBD, the V&A Waterfront and De Waterkant
in Cape Town, and Umhlanga Rocks near Durban. Penthouses with private outdoor terraces or rooftop entertainment areas fetch even more.
Five steps to securing the right tenant Vetting
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It’s vital to screen potential tenants, with their permission. A thorough credit check shows if the tenant is employed and if the job is likely to be long term. Most estate agents can conduct checks or landlords can use good credit checking facilities directly, such as Tenant Profile Network, Rentmaster and landlords.co.za.
2 Rental history checks
The previous landlord’s glowing report of prospective tenants is not a reliable recommendation. “Landlords may lie to get rid of a tenant by singing their praises,” says Natalie Muller, head of rentals, Jawitz Properties Western Cape and Gauteng. Request landlord references from two previous properties a potential tenant lived in.
3 A signed lease
Never commit to anything verbally. Consider all requests and record them in a written and signed lease agreement. Many standard
lease templates available online won’t necessarily protect landlords adequately. Agents can draw up a professional lease agreement for a nominal fee — landlords are under no obligation to also hire the agent to manage the property.
a 4 Consider managing agent
“Landlord responsibilities are eased – from avoiding difficult conversations with tenants, to ensuring rental income, to making sure the deposit is in an interestbearing account,” says Muller. A managing agent is on the landlord’s side and will choose a tenant without letting emotions come into play. “A managing agent will find the best tenant from a solvency perspective,” she says.
5 Ongoing checks
Continued vetting of a tenant is important. When a tenant gives permission for a credit check, it means their financial status can be verified at any time in the lease period. Muller says a tenant’s credit profile could change overnight.
Statistics show that only about 7% of tenants in SA rent for more than R15,000 a month, but this percentage is growing – and that about 2% already rent for more than R25,000 a month.
Data on recorded payments is sent to the credit bureau constantly, so agents can flag if any of a tenant’s other accounts have become problematic or if they’ve defaulted.
“Our best estimates are that the number of high-end households for landlords to target is around 280,000 and rising,” says Everitt. “It’s of course more costly to acquire luxury rental properties, so landlords who wish to operate in this sector need to do careful research to establish what type of home
“This makes a decision to renew the lease easier or helps highlight any issues so that a landlord can prepare,” she says. Consider insurance policies that can protect rental income and provide a buffer for landlords and tenants. Finally, re-read the fine print before renewing a lease.”
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7 JULY 2019
Neighbourhood
PROPERTY NEWS
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PGP does it again F
or the 12th year in succession Pam Golding Properties has been recognised as South Africa’s “Best Estate Agency” at the prestigious International Property Awards (IPA) held in London recently. The awards celebrate the highest levels of excellence and achievement globally by companies operating in all sectors of the real estate industry. Competing against real estate agencies from around South Africa, the company was also awarded Best Real Estate Agency Marketing South Africa and Best Real Estate Agency Website South Africa. This makes the Pam Golding Property group the most highly awarded real estate company in the country, winning no less than 55 International Property Awards, and the only
South African real estate company to have achieved “Superbrand” status consecutively over four years. Pam Golding Properties now goes forward to compete for the regional award for Best Real Estate Agency Africa, and, if successful, as a contender for International World’s Best award in this category. The IPA awards are judged by an independent panel of over 80 industry experts, focussing on criteria which include service, innovation, quality, design and originality. Says Dr Andrew Golding, chief executive, Pam Golding Property, “Scooping highest honours once again for these three coveted awards reaffirms our ongoing commitment to providing our clients with a worldclass standard of differentiated
service, while upholding our reputation for developing longterm customer relationships based on the cornerstones of knowledge, experience, integrity and empathy. “In this highly competitive, everevolving industry, coupled with ongoing technological advances, retaining a leadership position requires constant innovation, dedication and flexibility across all spheres of the business. “Winning these awards is also testament to the important role of our estate agents, who are at the rockface of the business interacting with clients and bringing to each transaction their own unique and considerable experience, knowledge and interpersonal skills, combined with all the extensive benefits of the Pam Golding brand,” Golding concludes.
GOOD, better, Exxaro’s new Centurion best corporate headquarters S completed G rowthpoint Properties has completed Exxaro’s new head office, a R600m green building opposite the Centurion Gautrain Station.
Exxaro, a leading South African producer of coal, commenced its long lease in the new development’s 18,500m 2 of gross lettable area in May after six weeks of early occupation. It will relocate all its operations to the new headquarters, consolidating its current offices in Pretoria and Joburg. The building has five storeys of office space above four levels of basement parking.
A major challenge in the building’s construction was the site’s dolomitic bedrock. More than 100 boreholes were drilled to create a threedimensional model of the bedrock. High-lying dolomite pinnacles were blasted and drilled down, upper layers of soil were compacted and a steel reinforced concrete raft foundation with sensor monitoring was laid. Organic dolomite also inspired some of the design elements. “The building is in tune with top commercial buildings in the world’s most prominent urban centres,”
says Growthpoint head of asset management Paul Kollenberg.
The development team garnered fivestar Green Star SA Design certification from the Green Building Council of SA. Energy-efficient measures include a performance-glazed façade, zoned lighting, water-efficient fixtures, rainwater harvesting, water-wise landscaping, and a hydro panel that generates water from air. The building has dedicated parking for hybrids, electric cars and scooters, and secure bicycle racks. Innovative bathrooms include waterless urinals for women.
ituated in the thriving development hub that is Woodstock in the old Iron Works building on Sir Lowry Road, GOOD is a modern multi-layered new space in Cape Town offering a mix of co-working space, health and wellness, retail and marketplace (with micro-retailers). The team at GOOD plans to reinvent physical and commercial developments to benefit the communities in which they operate. GOOD strives to consider the environment, what sustainable business practices look like, its impact on people and communities, and what it means to live a conscious life. GOODWoodstock comprises the following layers: • GOODFood: not a market but rather a food hall with a collection of food and beverage businesses
• GOODWork: a workspace where members have access to Wifi, a meditation room, a wellness centre, food hall, phone booths, and meeting and board rooms. Day passes, hot desks, dedicated desks and two- to six-person private suites are available. • GOODStore: built to assist independents establish a presence in the retail world • GOODBalance: The space offers a beautifully designed studio, seven suites for health and wellness practitioners, and a high designed common area. Daily yoga classes are starting on 15 July. • GOODCoffee: collab between Rosetta Roastery and Nuude Studio to provide coffee, coldpressed juices and smoothies • GOODBar: provides a platform to showcase exceptional makers in the beverage industry.
New luxury hotel brand launches in Cape Town A
new luxury hotel is set to open in the Mother City in August. Labotessa, on Church Square, is the debut project of first-time hoteliers Jan Fourie and Johan du Plessis. Situated in a 17th-century former church, this landmark property blends luxury and personal service with the independence of residential living. “Labotessa is a culmination of our affinity for exceptional design, relaxed hospitality, and our connection to the city of Cape Town,” says Du Plessis. The founders conceptualised every design element in the hotel to evoke 17th-century grandeur fused with a relaxed atmosphere. Commissioned works by local artists and antique
furniture weave a narrative inspired by the city’s European influences. For organic and ethically sourced meals there’s Starling’s café on the ground floor, which spills out onto the square and sits adjacent to the hotel’s Diptyque boutique, a public concession for the revered international perfumery whose range of toiletries can be found in every room. Labotessa is home to one of Cape Town’s largest penthouse suites: the Governor Suite. Named after the first governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel, this 300m 2 three-bedroom suite spans two floors and has views of Signal Hill and Table Mountain. It also features modern touches like a floating staircase and
private plunge pool encased in the balcony’s glass walls. There’s a fully equipped kitchen with two ovens, a 10-person dining table, two lounge areas and a fireplace. The en-suite bedrooms each have freestanding bathtubs overlooking the city. The six 65m 2 suites, accessed via private elevator, feature living and sleeping areas (en suite) separated by glass panelling. Each suite has a minibar, Smeg appliances, cocktail table, sofa and balcony to create multi-use spaces for dining, lounging and relaxing. One of Cape Town’s newest and most popular fine-dining establishments, FYN, is located next door and features a menu of Japanese-inspired cuisine fused with South African dishes.
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Neighbourhood
stneighbourhood.co.za | 7 JULY 2019
Your Home, Our Core Business
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WEB REF: AP 12912 HANNELIZE WILKEN - 084 580 8700
NEWLANDS
R1 500 000
WEB REF: AP 12806 ESTE MOOLMAN - 083 268 0736
NEWLANDS PIERRE VAN RYNEVELD SOLE MANDATE
WEB REF: APD45 PETRO - 082 551 7990 & ANDRE - 082 930 7386
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WEB REF: AP 13263 PETRO - 082 551 7990 & ANDRE - 082 930 7386
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R790 000
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VERSATILE FAMILY GEM!
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Spacious unit offering an open-plan kitchen / lounge. 2 bedrs, 2 bathrs (MES). Open-plan dining & living areas lead onto the balcony where you can enjoy relaxing afternoons with family & friends.
WEB REF: AP 13496 ANTIONETTE JONKER - 083 321 6715
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TO HIGHVELD
R2 750 000
THATCHFIELD SOLE MANDATE
R2 184 500
WIERDA PARK
R1 780 000
GREAT VALUE - PRICED TO SELL!
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WEB REF: AP 10979 MAGDE MEYER - 083 387 3437
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WEB REF: AP 12799 ELMARIE HUMAN - 082 774 7088
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