Pearl in the golfing crown
Residential sales soar at Pearl Valley Golf Estates in the Cape Winelands. Michelle Funke finds out more
SET beneath the Drakenstein Mountains between Paarl and Franschhoek in the Cape Winelands, Pearl Valley Golf Estates is not only one of South Africa’s top golf courses, but also a premier residential estate.
Designed by the legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus, and opened in 2003, Pearl Valley Golf Estates was variously named best new golf course of the year in 2005, third best golf course in South Africa by Golf Digest in 2011, a five-star experience by Compleat Golfer 2011 and best conditioned golf course in Western Cape by Golf Digest 2012.
With its numerous awards, Pearl Valley Golf Estates continues to be one of the most outstanding golf clubs in the country, consistently attracting local, international, amateur and professional golfers.
Pearl Valley Golf Estates has seen a spectacular upturn in the residential property market in the last 10 months of last year, with sales achieving a record value of over R100m. Four more properties have been sold this month to the value of R19m.
Last year house prices at the estate ranged between R3.5m and R15m, with plots selling from R1.5m-R3.1m.
“We have seen a trend of clients with school-age children looking to purchase property at Pearl Valley due to various factors including high levels of security and five-star facilities along with the proximity to the winelands and Cape Town. The quality of schools in the area and the estate school for toddlers are also key reasons families choose the estate lifestyle here,” says Pearl Valley Golf Estates’ property manager, Leigh Robertson.
Robertson adds that three of the house sales have been to international buyers and include some of the Signature Series properties available directly from the developer, which are used primarily as holiday homes.
Another revealing pattern is the number of re-sale properties to families relocating from other areas of the country who desire larger, investment properties at Pearl Valley as their children at- tend local schools. The balance of sales has been of vacant stands with all the buyers being South African, from areas such as Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, Durbanville and Jeffery’s Bay.
Pearl Valley Golf Estates offer a variety of lucrative real estate investment opportunities, including the purchase of vacant land directly from the developer or the purchase of an existing home from either the developer or a resale. Plot sizes on the estate range from 500m² to 2,800m² and are positioned to capitalise on the natural surroundings.
Available directly from the developer, the Signature Series homes make optimal use of the plot sizes and orientation on the estate and are completed with fin- ishes of the finest quality.
The newly-released North Bridge Golf Lodges, meanwhile, offer a lock-up-and-go lifestyle with two- or three-bedroom apartments in the development. Along with en-suite bedrooms, with their own balconies, each unit has an open-plan living area with a kitchen and a lounge-dining room that features a fireplace and opens onto a patio with outdoor braai.
Apart from its internationallyrenowned golf course, facilities at the Pearl Valley Golf Estates include a luxurious clubhouse, spa, advanced wellness gym, equestrian centre, nature trails and a stateof-the-art security system. Contact: Pearl Valley Golf Estates 021 867 8000