Neighbourhood 24 JUNE 2018
PROPERTY & LIFESTYLE
Bridge the gap The leafy suburb of Zwartkop offers something for everyone, page 2
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SUBURB FOCUS: ZWARTKOP
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PROPERTY NEWS
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PROPERTY NEWS
24 JUNE 2018
Neighbourhood
Suburb focus
Zwartkop Here’s what’s happening in property in the area WORDS: BETSIE LOOCK-VAN DER MERWE IMAGES: RENE WALKER & GOOGLE MAPS
*Map not to scale
Commuting to and from my work place in Sandton via the Ben Schoeman freeway is a breeze under normal traffic conditions. Zwartkop’s central location in Centurion makes getting around to school, church, doctors and shops in the area equally easy and convenient. JULIAN DU PLESSIS, RESIDENT
Z
wartkop is a well-established, trendy suburb wedged between the N1 and N14 highways in the hilly south-western parts of central Centurion. Also offering quick and easy access to the Gautrain and the R21 to the OR Tambo International Airport, the suburb is the ideal location for residents working in Pretoria, Centurion, Midrand, Joburg, Ekurhuleni and Krugersdorp. Due to its elevated location and boomed-off nature, this leafy residential area in the middle of the bustling Centurion offers a surprisingly tranquil lifestyle close to all the city’s conveniences. This includes an array of shopping, business and professional amenities; schools, colleges, hospitals and churches; health, wellness and sport facilities, as well as a multitude of restaurants, leisure and recreational venues and clubs.
Property One of the area’s best features is that the property mix offers buyers of all ages, tastes and most income groups the opportunity to live in this well-established, modern, secure and excellently-located suburb. The neighbourhood comprises several entrance-controlled residential areas offering a wide range of dwellings, from entry-level, lock-up-and-go apartments to colossal luxurious dwellings catering for the top end of the market, and everything in between. Several commercial properties are also up for sale. These gated communities, monitored by private security institutions, offer a tranquil and secure lifestyle in the middle of a big city. Several established PUBLISHED BY TIMES MEDIA PROPERTY PUBLISHING 1st Floor, Block H, Sable Square cnr Bosmansdam and Ratanga Roads Milnerton, Cape Town
community initiatives and associations promote community participation and cohesion in the neighbourhood. Stable real estate ownership in this suburb is currently dominated by property owners in the age groups of 36 to 49, which owns almost 39% of property in the area, and property owners between the ages of 50 and 64 owning approximately 42% of real estate in Zwartkop.
Schooling Zwartkop and its neighbouring suburbs boast some superb creches and preprimary schools. Its central location in Centurion also offers easy access to most of Centurion’s top primary and high schools. A rich diversity of further education and training facilities are present in the area. Laerskool Swartkop, established in 1969, was the first primary school to open its doors in this area. Rapid development of the adjoining rural area and small holdings in the 1970s led to the founding of neighbouring Laerskool Hennopspark in 1981. Both these schools today serve the suburb of Zwartkop, while Lyttelton Primary School and Doringkloof Primary, a parallel-medium school, are situated only a few kilometres from the suburb. Zwartkop Christian School is an independent school offering biblically integrated education to learners from pre-school level to Grade 12. Hoërskool Zwartkop is a topachieving secondary school at all levels – academics, sport and culture – and offers a bus transport system to and from surrounding areas. Both Lyttelton Manor High
School and Hoërskool Centurion are situated about 5km from Zwartkop. Hoërskool Eldoraigne and Sutherland High School are options that can be considered as well. Over the past decade or two the budding hub of Centurion became home to many post-school training and education facilities such as the Technicol SA College, Centurion Campus – Tshwane South TVET College, The Open Window Institute for Arts and Digital Sciences, Centurion Academy and Prue Leith Chef’s Academy.
Explore Even with Zwartkop being located conveniently close to Centurion’s Central Business District and Gauteng’s freeway network, the area offers more than ample opportunities to get in touch with nature. Families can enjoy a day out to the beautiful Rietvlei Nature Reserve situated about a 15km drive from the suburb. The reserve offers hiking, fishing, bird and game watching and many more outdoor activities. Birding enthusiasts will enjoy spending time at Bishop Bird Park that forms part of the Rooihuiskraal historical terrain situated to the west of Zwartkop. This venue offers an animal farm, kids’ playground and a picnic area with braai facilities. Other nature and outdoor areas in close vicinity are Irene Dairy Farm and Smuts House Museum, or drive out to the Hennops hiking, mountain biking and 4x4 trails located on the banks of the Hennops River about 35km west from Zwartkop.
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24 JUNE 2018
Neighbourhood
PROPERTY NEWS
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DO: • Catch the latest movies at Ster-Kinekor Centurion Mall • Enjoy cricket at SuperSport Park • Play golf at Zwartkop Country Club • Watch motorsport at Zwartkops Raceway • Get pampered at one of many spas in the area • Visit the Society of Model Engineers for train fun with a difference
FAMILY CYCLING CENTURION
EAT: • Rhapsody’s Centurion: for coffee or breakfast meetings, weekly entertainment shows • Bosvelder Pub & Restaurant: for South African dishes in a relaxed setting • Mehak Indian Restaurant: for authentic Indian cuisine • Fishmonger Centurion: a sushi and seafood family restaurant • Zagora Grill Room and Wine Cellar: for a menu including Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food • Industrial Coffee Works: to relax with great coffee and good company
CENTURION LAKE
SHOP: • • • • • •
and ns
Centurion Mall Centurion Gate Centurion Lifestyle Centre Eco Boulevard Oriental City Centurion Centurion Crescent
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CENTURION SOCIETY OF MODEL ENGINEERS
INDUSTRIAL COFFEE WORKS
For sale
For rent
Median asking price:
Median asking price:
R2,6m
R6,950
Monthly bond repayments
For a typical property (four-bedroom house)
For a typical property in this area
R1,06m
R675,000
R2,45m
In a complex
For an apartment
For a house
You’ll pay
R25,090
For a typical property (two-bedroom in a complex)
R7,000
R6,300
R14,498
In a complex
For an apartment
For a house
per month
Property type:
63% house
11%
apartment
26% complex
Property type: Based on
18% house
R2,6m
39%
median asking price
over a period of 20 years at 10% prime
apartment
43% complex
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PROPERTY NEWS RETIREMENT FOCUS
24 JUNE 2018
Neighbourhood
My business neighbourhood WORDS: ZENA LE ROUX
Bark Avenue offers an extended range of grooming options for your pet in Monument Park
IMAGE: SUPPLIED
B
ark Avenue has been wowing customers and their furry friends for a bit over three years. They have a friendly, well-trained and experienced grooming team. Owner Rochelle Viljoen tells us more. Q: How did your business start? A: We’ve been renting out the premises as a veterinary clinic for quite a while. When the vet decided it was time to move to bigger premises up the road, my mind started working about what we could do with the open space. It was already zoned for an animal clinic and therefore it made sense financially to continue running an animal business as we didn’t have to change a lot. I also love creating jobs and jumped at the opportunity to open my third business. We opened our doors in September 2014. Q: Why did you choose this area to set up shop? A: A s I already owned the property, it was an obvious choice. I also saw a gap in the market, as, personally, I wasn’t happy with the service I got from other dog groomers in the area.
Q: How did you find your premises? A: I noticed that the house was for sale and I decided to buy it because of its location. It also has business rights – so it was the perfect fit. Q: Why are they ideally suited to your business? A: I thought that the area had a lot of potential when I first bought the property in 1996. I had a feeling that business-wise there might be a lot of expansion in this area. Here I can also have the washing and kennel areas separate from the grooming area, which provides a more relaxed environment for both the groomers and the pets. Q: Who are your neighbours? A: We have an office block on the one side and on the other side, we have a residential area that is currently being zoned for a future apartment block. Q: What are the shop rental/sales prices like in this area? A: We’re very lucky to have business zoning rights for this type of business on our residential property. Rental prices in the area would be around R10,000 for 80m2.
Q: How many people visit your business each day? A: We have around 20 to 30 customers per day. Q: Do you have any expansion plans? A: We don’t have any expansion plans because the business is doing well and we’re happy with what we’ve achieved. Q: Do you operate online as well? A: We have an active Facebook page (goo.gl/jh6chc), but no website. This is just because taking bookings over the phone works better for us at this stage. Q: What’s your most popular service? A: Grooming for all dog types is definitely our most popular service.
SEE FOR YOURSELF: Bark Avenue 012 460 5422 / 060 743 1901 goo.gl/jh6chc
19880
GET A HOME LOAN
AND SAVE UP TO R6 000 With a home loan from Nedbank you could qualify for a 100% bond. And, if you earn R23 300 or less a month, you save up to R6 000 on upfront fees. You also get a 30% discount on the attorney bond registration fee. ANOTHER WAY WE GET YOUR MONEY TO BACK YOU Visit Nedbank today.
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PROPERTY NEWS RETIREMENT FOCUS
24 JUNE 2018
Water savings for One&Only
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he installation of aboveground HDPE wastewater treatment plants has been completed by SewTreat at the One&Only Resort in Cape Town. The initial Phase 1 plant will remove 40kl of sewage from the hotel’s plumbing system per day and purify it to product-water standards. The purified water will then be used in the hotel’s cooling towers. “The current cost of potable water from the Cape Town Metro is R57 per 1,000 litres and the cost of sewage disposal is R38 per 1,000 litres. In One&Only’s case, because the first plant recycles 40kl of sewage waste per day, the hotel no longer has a need to pay for 40kl of water
or for the sewage discharge. This can be calculated as a total saving of R3,800 per day or R114,000 per month. Annually they save R1,368m from Phase 1 alone,” says SewTreat spokesperson Theunis Coetzer. Phase 2 involves the installation of a second plant that will be used to treat sewage to potable standards for re-use in swimming pools, general cleaning, washing machines and the flushing of toilets. “Phase 2 will see an additional 80kl saving for the hotel per day. Taking into account the total saving offered by both plants, this translates to an incredible annual saving of R4,104m. This means that the One&Only will see a full return on investment for the project in just eight months,” Coetzer explains.
Neighbourhood
First-time homebuyers
We asked the experts what the top pitfalls are for first-time homebuyers and how to avoid them
WORDS: ANNE SCHAUFFER IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
I
t should be a really exciting time! Your first home, or at least, first purchase, but there are mistakes to be made which, with prior knowledge, can be easily avoided.
Financial readiness
The concept around lifestyle villages or estates is that you grow old while living there. These are not assisted-living facilities for the frail, but rather estates with onsite medical facilities that allow its residents the freedom and peace of mind to live out their mature years in a tranquil setting. LOUA BOSHOFF, BROKER/OWNER, RE/MAX BUSHVELD
Retiring in Amanzimtoti A 4,100m2 KwaZulu-Natal residential site is on the market for R7m and has plans drawn up for a 60-suite retirement home. The Amanzimtoti site which features river and sea views, is being marketed by Seeff Properties. “This plan may be made available to serious potential buyers,” says Seeff Amanzimtoti sales agent Gavin Parkins. According to him, the site which is located next to the Amanzimtoti Golf Course in Athlone Park, is perfectly positioned for a retirement development and is close to core amenities such as beaches,
the golf course, hospital and other medical facilities and retail areas. The suites proposed for The Executive Retirement Hotel are each about 58m², with a large bedroom, walk-in dressing room and en-suite bathroom. They include a large open-plan living room and dining room plus a covered balcony or patio. The units are designed for one or two people. Planned amenities will include a restaurant, lounge, library, laundry, gym and doctor’s room or nurses’ station, while the grounds will feature a landscaped garden with seating and a braai area, swimming pool and two-lane rooftop bowling green.
New headquarters for Barloworld Logistics
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ork has begun on the new headquarters of Barloworld Logistics in Irene, south of Pretoria. The company will vacate its Sandton offices to occupy the site, a mixed-use precinct named Irene Boulevard, developed by Abland with Giflo Developments and architectural services company Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. According to Abland development director Thinus Delport, the precinct will comprise a 16,000m² lifestyle and shopping centre. Barloworld Logistics’ headquarters will be a four-star, green-rated building. It will make up 5,500m² of the property. “We broke ground mid-March this year and are aiming
for completion of the Barloworld Logistics headquarters in April next year,” Delport says. The mixed-use precinct on Alexander Road just off the Botha Avenue interchange is close to the N1 highway. There are plans for a Gautrain station in the vicinity. “Barloworld Logistics’ new headquarters is a physical embodiment of our vision for the company – modern, future focused and fit-for-purpose,” says CEO Kamogelo Mmutlana. Phase 2 of the development will begin in Q3 this year. This will offer retail and lifestyle amenities that include a leading national grocer, new and existing restaurants, and beauty and health facilities.
When you apply for a home loan, there are certain things which need to be taken into consideration. Chris Tyson, managing director, Tyson Properties, believes the biggest mistake made is not prequalifying yourself with a bank, prior to finding the right property. “Often a first-time homebuyer will try to purchase a property they can’t afford and end up disappointed when their home loan application is declined. This is mainly because other costs related to running a home haven’t been taken into consideration, such as rates and maintenance.” Richard Gray, CEO, Harcourts SA, concurs, “Your monthly calculations need to be accurate, and they must accommodate budgetary fluctuations. We often find first-time buyers over-extend on affordability and, in the end, lose a home they have sacrificed so much for.” Dr Andrew Golding, chief executive, Pam Golding Property group, suggests first-time homebuyers
obtain prequalification from a financial institution or mortgage originator such as Ooba. It can be done online in a few minutes.
a regional perspective. Take a look and gauge your requirements against the market average.”
“This ensures you are looking for a property in the right price range and not setting yourself up for disappointment if you see the house of your dreams and are unable to afford a large enough bond.”
Property isn’t a short-term purchase or investment. Golding suggests you ensure that the property caters for your longer-term needs. “It is always advisable to buy the ‘cheapest’ house in the best area you can afford, as the cost of moving is high. Transfer duty and agent’s fees are sunk costs and eat into any capital gain you make with the sale of your property. If you intend having a family, be sure to choose the area zoned for the schools you want your children to attend and be aware of the cost of travelling to work, including both petrol and time.
Hidden costs?
Not really hidden, but some you may not know about, and others may be forgotten in the excitement of purchasing the property. Golding says, “Consider all the financial implications of buying and owning a home. There are the initial costs of transfer duty and legal fees as well as factors like connecting your electricity, the cost of the move, and monies that need to be spent on the house such as curtains. Then there are the usual costs as well as budgeting for maintenance.”
Regional insight
Gray believes it’s imperative that firsttime buyers make use of technology to gain a deeper understanding of the regions in which they wish to purchase. “Property portals, print media and other resources give great insight into the property market from
Think long-term
Partnering with a local expert
As a first-time buyer, it’s ideal to have somebody to rely on. Gray suggests you partner with somebody who really knows the area and the industry, “Your local real estate expert with an extensive footprint in your target areas, will have an in-depth understanding of your main challenges and queries. I suggest you play open cards and build a relationship with the agent, and that way, avoid some of the major hurdles.”