Neighbourhood 21 JANUARY 2018
PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE
Lynnwood Local financial guru Busi Selesho shares her wealth of knowledge on this family-friendly suburb, page 2
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SUBURB FOCUS: LYNNWOOD
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BUSINESS Q&A
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PROPERTY NEWS
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PROPERTY NEWS
21 JANUARY 2018
Neighbourhood
Suburb focus
Lynnwood Money coach and speaker, Busi Selesho, tells us about her neighbourhood WORDS: BETSIE LOOCK-VAN DER MERWE IMAGES: RENE WALKER, GOOGLE MAPS & SUPPLIED
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nternationally accredited money consciousness teacher, Busi Selesho, loves living in Lynnwood in Pretoria East. She’s as passionate about her neighbourhood as she is about
her profession as founder and MD of Odel Coaching, where she teaches individuals how to have a better relationship with money, get out of debt cycles and enjoy financial wellness and abundance.
*Map not to scale
Home sweet home
Busi spent her childhood years in Mpumalanga in a township called Mayflower, with the nearest “big” town being Ermelo. Although the grown-up Busi enjoys big city life, she still adores being out in nature. She also loves outings, socialising and doing things with her young family. These are the reasons why this energetic mother of four and her husband chose Lynnwood as their place of residence when they moved here in February last year. “Lynnwood is close to great pubs and lots of entertainment venues. It’s also quiet, with a nature reserve close by that I can walk to and hike on a weekly basis.” When asked what she loves most about the look and feel of the neighbourhood, Busi doesn’t have to think twice. “It’s lively, it’s big, it’s accommodating and it’s modern.” She says they’re blessed PUBLISHED BY BLACKSTAR PROPERTY PUBLISHING Unit G04, Old Castle Brewery Bldg 6 Beach Road, Woodstock Cape Town, 087 828 0423
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with lovely neighbours and that most Lynnwood residents are friendly. She enjoys being part of the community. She says the reasons which make Lynnwood a great place to invest in are the suburb’s location in the middle of Pretoria East, within close proximity of all the highways (N1 and N4), and the many schools and essentials close by – all of this in a tranquil and peaceful setting with beautiful natural surroundings.
Neighbourhood gems Busi loves spending time at home. “The people in the house and the love among them make it a home,” she says. She has a favourite spot where she goes to gain strength and calmness. “My pool and the garden – I work there, I meditate there, I watch the moon there, I do everything there.” Busi prefers the quiet streets and serene ambiance of Lynnwood, but also appreciates the suburb’s proximity to
I love the nature aspect of Lynnwood. There are many green areas and natural surroundings and I thrive in nature. Likewise, whenever I need a break there are some lovely coffee shops which are always great places to chill and relax or meet up with friends. BUSI SELESHO
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Hallisham Lane & Daventry Road, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria
21 JANUARY 2018
Neighbourhood
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PROPERTY NEWS
SHOP:
natural escapes such as the botanical garden, Struben Dam Bird Sanctuary and Faerie Glen Nature Reserve. She also likes the easy access to all the amusement, recreation and nightlife on offer just across the road in the East’s entertainment hub, Menlyn. “We never have to drive far to enjoy the movies, go shopping or eat out.”
Perfect Sunday Busi says that as a young family, one of their favourite pastimes on Sundays is spending the day together at the Safari Gardening Centre in Lynnwood Road. She says it’s the perfect place to take a safe family stroll, have lunch, enjoy rides on the Safari Fun Tractor, play on a jungle gym or just watch marmoset monkeys, pot-bellied pigs, rabbits and other animals. Often just being at home, entertaining friends or watching the kids play with their dog and appreciating the space and their garden makes for a perfect Sunday, she says. “It’s also a safe place. It always just feels safe.” In her downtime, Busi likes to go for long afternoon walks in the neighbourhood.
For sale
For rent
Median asking price:
Median asking price:
R4,35m R1,3m
R3,63m
In a complex
For an apartment
For a house
You’ll pay
R42,701
EAT: • • • • •
LM in the East: for great seafood Hillside Tavern: for fine dining and amazing steaks LeSi Restaurant at Casa Toscana: for Tuscan dining in a beautiful setting Lone Hawk Spur: for family-friendly dining TriBeCa Standard: for some of the best coffee in town
SEE: • •
• • •
Shows and dinner at Die Blou Hond theatre Musical productions and shows at the state-of-the-art Atterbury Theatre Classical music at Brooklyn Theatre Lovely restaurants and the casino at Menlyn Maine Central Square Bird-watching at Struben Dam Bird Sanctuary
For a typical property (two-bedroom apartment)
For a typical property in this area
R2,7m
Lynnpark Centre Greenlyn Village Centre Lynnwood Bridge Shopping Centre Glenfair Boulevard Menlyn Park Shopping Centre
R9,200
Monthly bond repayments
For a typical property (four-bedroom house)
• • • • •
R14,000
R6,450
R18,000
In a complex
For an apartment
For a house
per month
Property Type:
81% house
11%
apartment
8%
complex
Property Type:
35% House
Based on
R4,35m
41%
median asking price
apartment
24%
over a period of 20 years at 10,25% prime
complex
Dining at Lynnwood Bridge 1855 Café Beyritz Col’ Cacchio
Rhapsody’s Stephnie’s The Famous Fishoek
Tiger’s Milk Tribeca Standard Vovo Telo
THEATRE SHOWS at Lynnwood Bridge
www.atterburyteater.co.za
www.lynnwoodbridge.co.za | Daventry St, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria
21 JANUARY 2018
Neighbourhood
My business neighbourhood Aura Aesthetics is a new spa and beauty salon in Sandton, Joburg WORDS: DENISE MHLANGA
IMAGE: SUPPLIED
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ura Aesthetics offers a variety of treatments that will leave you feeling refreshed and energised. Owner Joanne Penprase tells us more. Q: How did your business start? A: I’ve been in the beauty and spa industry for many years and have managed spa establishments at Melrose Arch and Sandton Emperor, among others. The opportunity to open Aura Aesthetics spa came up when my husband started design work on the wellness centre at 61 Katherine Street office building and they needed a spa supplier to service tenants in the building. Q: Why did you choose this area to set up shop? A: The corporate market is relatively untapped when it comes to professionally run upmarket spas, with mostly individual operators working on an ad hoc basis. I wanted to take this to the next level and create an exciting space that males and females would be drawn
PROPERTY NEWS
to and, most importantly, feel comfortable in. Q: How did you find your premises? A: My husband was awarded the contract to design and run the wellness centre and he then approached me to set up the spa facility. Q: Why are the premises ideally suited to your business? A: We work closely with the fitness centre and have a great working relationship with the canteen supplier – all service providers that have forged good working relationships. Q: What are the shop rental/sales prices like in this area? A: Sandton is quite an expensive place to set up shop. I’m lucky in that my husband has a unique offering that sees landlords and tenants benefitting, so our deal is structured a little differently from your typical tenant’s. Q: How many people visit your business each day? A: It really depends on where we are in the month and how close to payday we are, but during the day our busiest time is mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Right now, we get about 10 to 15 people, but we haven’t launched all our services yet, so we’re expecting an increase in the year.
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Q: Do you have any expansion plans? A: Yes, once I see success in this concept, I plan to move into the corporate sector quite strongly. My husband has set up more than 30 corporate wellness facilities in leading blue-chip companies. My plan would be to then take this proven concept and implement it in these facilities. I also plan to upgrade my facilities from a standard aesthetics centre into a holistic integrated aesthetic offering that includes all elements of beauty. Q: Do you operate online as well? A: Currently, we just have social media pages, but we plan to launch a website with an online system for bookings, product sales and services this year. Q: What’s your most popular service? A: Our manicure treatments are most popular; however, our signature Aura Fire and Ice facials are also popular with most clients.
SEE FOR YOURSELF: Aura Aesthetics 082 757 6799 facebook.com/auraaestheticscentre
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21 JANUARY 2018
Neighbourhood
Firdale in Newlands
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ith an increasing number of property buyers seeking homes in secure estates, the new development Firdale in sought-after Newlands will answer this demand in Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs. Marketed by Greeff Properties, Firdale is priced from R8,95m to R9,45m and includes three freehold south-entry, north-facing homes, each with three spacious bedrooms, two full bathrooms
and a guest loo, a second full lounge on the upper level, a wood-burning fireplace and a double lock-up garage. “We’re extremely excited about the launch of Firdale. These homes are a fantastic addition to an already established area,” says Mike Greeff, CEO, Greeff Properties, Christie’s International Real Estate. Firdale is expected to be completed by December 2018.
Areas which are performing well in terms of demand and trading activity include Morningside and the Durban beachfront. I believe in the long term we’ll see even more interest in people moving to the beachfront for the lifestyle on offer and convenience of location. MICHELLE BURGER, AREA PRINCIPAL, PAM GOLDING PROPERTIES DURBAN
Growthpoint converts warehouse to retail park
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rowthpoint has undertaken an R85m revamp of M1 Place in Marlboro, Sandton. The ageing retail warehousing property nearing the end of its life cycle has been converted into a modern retail park. The one-year upgrade and expansion project has modernised the retail park and increased its size from 13,800m2 to 23,000m2. The revamp has also enabled each of its trio of original tenants to expand into bigger spaces and add three new names to its mix.
Internally, the building was completely gutted and renewed, with everything refinished to modern specifications, from lighting to tiles. Externally, the building’s glass façade was fully upgraded and modernised, as was the brickwork on the façade of the property. This ensured the existing main property matched the façade of the new building created for The Galleria. Also, the M1 Place’s resource efficiency was boosted by installing energy-efficient lighting and some lower-energy air-conditioners.
Cool ideas We bring you a few tips on how to keep your home cool this summer
Influence of social media on property W
WORDS: ANNE SCHAUFFER
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aul Stevens, CEO, Just Property, has noted how social media impacts public perception of an area. “This is a little-explored driver of demand for property and therefore the value of your property. It’s also something that the man/woman in the street can influence, unlike fiscal policy.” While traditional media may focus on the “bad news” in areas, social media community groups tend to amplify the “good news”. Consider a Facebook group of mothers where a member posts that she’s moved to a new area and asks other members which school nearby would suit her particular child. If the overwhelming responses from mothers living in the area favour one particular school and trumpet its academic, cultural and sporting successes, that school’s standing will rise in the eyes of all the other
members. What’s not so apparent, says Stevens, is that the area is also promoted. All the members of the parenting group realise that there’s an excellent school in the area and it becomes more desirable to them. Similarly, a Facebook community page for a particular residential node fosters a strong sense of safety and belonging between residents. Security companies are held to higher standards through the pressure of numbers, neighbourhood watch patrols are organised, funds are raised for the installation of cameras and it becomes a selffulfilling prophecy. The area actually is safer. Word gets out and the node’s reputation improves. It would not be surprising to hear that as an area becomes more desirable, house prices also improve.
IMAGE: ISTOCK
e’re all used to switching on the air-conditioner on hot days. So much so that even though we’re keen to save electricity, we don’t give much thought to supplementing that costly cooling with common sense. Here are a few ideas on how to keep your home cool – some you can apply instantly, others need a little cash injection and others are long-term solutions. If you plan on staying in your home a while, you should get out there and try them now.
them – all the better, they’ll insulate the room. You know which way your house is positioned, so screen the sun-facing sides of the home.
Block out the sun
If the temperature drops at night, open the windows to create a flow of air. Open the top section of windows on the downwind side of your home and the bottom section on the upwind side. You can accelerate the flow of air by creating a wind tunnel with well-positioned fans.
Plant a tree or a shrub or two (indigenous to your area, naturally, so it’s also water-wise) to shade rooms from the sun. If you’re not an expert, get advice on what is dense and would grow best in that particular spot on your property. Keep your curtains and blinds closed. It’s reported that 30% of heat in the home comes in through the windows, so shading can lower temperatures considerably. If you have block-out curtains – or are prepared to fit
Window insulation film will also keep your home cool, as will window awnings.
Improve air flow
Partitioning the house is a smart move. Close the doors to unused rooms – some people even suggest closing the windows first thing in the morning.
And talking of clever fan tricks, here’s a simple one which works well. Fill a bowl with ice, place the bowl at an angle in front of a large fan. Switch on the fan and feel the difference in the air temperature when the air flows over the ice. It works.
If you have ceiling fans, take note. To cool your space, you need to change the direction of your fan so it rotates counter-clockwise and turn it to a higher speed. Do the opposite in winter.
Change light bulbs
If you haven’t done so yet, get rid of your incandescent bulbs; they waste most of their energy in the heat they emit. Switch to the low-energy bulbs, which will lower the room temperature along with your electricity bill.
Stay cool
There are a host of ideas on how to keep your bed cool. You can fill a bottle (a hot water bottle or a simple plastic bottle) with water, leave it in the freezer and then place it at the foot of your bed. Another favourite is the highly praised Chillow – a comfy cooling pad insert for your pillow.
Eat outside
If you can’t take the heat in the kitchen, get creative with your barbecue or braai. Whatever you like to call it, do it outside.
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Neighbourhood
PROPERTY NEWS
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Make the most of your space With urban densification on the rise, the global trend is towards smaller living spaces with multipurpose furniture WORDS: ANNE SCHAUFFER
IMAGES: SA WALLBEDS
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here are so many reasons why we need to live in more minimalist, less cluttered and smaller spaces, and the cost is only one factor. You might prioritise location over size because being in a good area, close to work and play, matters. However, smaller spaces will be a greener solution because, among other elements, you’ll need less heating and cooling. Having a smaller space doesn’t need to affect your lifestyle, nor should you settle for cheap furniture. In fact, the reverse applies; you’ll need less furniture, so choose really clever designs and great quality, balancing superior functionality with good looks. In a smaller space, multifunctionality rules, so if you can have a single item of furniture with more than one function, you’ve hit the jackpot. Likewise, furniture which folds away and almost disappears when not in use frees up space for your yoga mat or easel. So many furniture items are used for a single purpose for only a few hours a day. If you think about it, many of those items can double as storage space or have other functions.
One obvious area where you can save space is the bed, which could be a sleeper couch or one which can stand against the wall when not in use. Once packed away, it can become a dressing table, desk, full-length mirror or storage unit. Murphy beds were the original multipurpose furniture, but as technology has improved, so have the options. You might prefer a bed which can be raised to lie flat against the ceiling. Anton Niemand, owner, SA Wallbeds, says the company traditionally focused on space-saving with a range of wall beds. The latest bed can be rolled up into a cupboard, taking up a third of the space. Given the increasing need, SA Wallbeds has extended its range to other standard and customised space-saving furniture. There’s a nifty coffee table and desk combo – effectively a movable coffee table, a section of which can be raised and converted into a sturdy desk. Modular furniture is particularly great for children’s rooms. Whether
it’s a cot that becomes a bed or double bunks, a raised single bed on large cubes for storage, or a single bed with an invisible pull-out bed stored underneath, there are a host of space-saving ideas. There’s a nifty baby-changing station which, when pulled down to provide a surface, exposes a good-sized cupboard on the wall with shelves that can hold all the necessary baby items. Clever table designs have also moved from the simple additional leaves, which can be extended or made smaller, to a range of other possibilities. A stylish table can slide or flip up into a slim cupboard on the wall. Some tables can be raised
or lowered, folded up or expanded. A desk can become a shelf, coffee table or capacious dining space. When you look at that small space you call home, forget your existing furniture. This is a whole new world, and you need to plot and plan it stylishly.
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