Offering oozes that Cape charm

In 2005 a property on the exclusive De Goede Hoop Estate in Noordhoek was sold for what is believed to be a record price paid for a property on the Cape Peninsula. Lea Jacobs finds out why

SITUATED below what is arguably one of the world’s most spectacular drives and one of Cape Town’s most famous landmarks, Chapman’s Peak, Noordhoek and the upmarket estates that surround it have much to offer the discerning investor.

This beautiful part of the world, renowned for its stunning coastline, is a mere 35kms from the centre of Cape Town.

Knowledge Factory’s SAPTG says that there have been a total of 38 sales in the area over the past 12 months. The predominant price band is between R2m to R5m. The 2011 figures are not yet recorded, but the highest price paid for a home in this exclusive suburb in 2010 was R5m. In 2009 a property achieved a price of R15m while in 2005 one investor paid close to R107m for the privilege of living on the nearby De Goede Hoop Security Estate.

Set in an amphitheatre at the foot of the eastern reaches of Chapman’s Peak, the estate occupies the site of the original De Goede Hoop farm, once owned by Sir Drummond Chaplin, a member of Parliament and a protégé of Cecil John Rhodes. The estate is distinctive, not just for its location but for the plots of five acres or more, each with building permission for stables, a second dwelling and other outbuildings.

“No other security estate with- in an hour of Cape Town can boast plots of such magnitude,” says Greeff Properties consultant Anne Rattle, adding that the estate has its own bridle paths, including a private-access equestrian trail to Long Beach. Walkers can take their pick among numerous hiking paths in the surrounding 300ha fynbos reserve.

Greeff Properties, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate, has secured a mandate to sell Pine Ridge Farm, a doublestorey thatched homestead on more than 2ha at the end of a culde-sac in the De Goede Hoop Estate in Noordhoek at an asking price of R22m.

Designed in 1996 by architect Wynand Wilsenach, the Pine Ridge Farm homestead is a blend of colonial features and rustic charm, with a gabled, thatched roof that has been constructed with dowels. It has exposed timber beams with Kershout fittings and finishes throughout. A spacious farm-style kitchen/family dining room houses a built-in Esse stove and a log-fire hearth.

Large, custom-made sash windows and French doors topped with wooden framed fanlights provide spectacular views of the fiveacre landscaped gardens, stables, paddocks, a river, fruit orchards and surrounding woodland.

Accommodation in the main house includes five bedrooms, three bathrooms, five reception rooms. There is a temperaturecontrolled wine cellar with space for more than 1 000 bottles of wine. There are also two separate, two-bedroom self-catering guest cottages, a thatched lapa, an undercover braai area, a private dam and a swimming pool.

“Properties in De Goede Hoop estate range from R9,5m for a five-acre plot of land to just under R107m, which was the price fetched by the Manor House in 2005 and possibly one of the highest prices yet reached for residential property on the Cape Peninsula,” says Rattle.

“By comparison, residential property prices in the surrounding Noordhoek area are generally listed from between R2m to R25m, depending on the size of the home and the grounds, but anything over an acre typically starts at R4,5m,” she says.

Pine Ridge Farm and other select properties around the Cape Peninsula are being marketed internationally by means of the Greeff Properties Christie’s International Real Estate bespoke marketing strategy.

“With the weakened rand, we’re starting to see an upturn in interest from foreign investors and our affiliation with Christie’s grants us access to programmes finely tuned to target qualified buyers globally,” says Mike Greeff, Greeff Properties CEO.

Price: Contact:

R22m Greeff Properties Anne Rattle 083 456 7772 Office 021 785 7222