Country living, city proximity
South Africans are still opting to buy homes in secure estates and apartment units. Of SA’s nearly 6.7-million residential properties, Lightstone Property reports that secure estates still hold nearly 20% of market share. Sectional title also has significant appeal, with just less than 15% of the total housing market.
It is also indicative of the growing demand for residential estates, more of which are now developed in semi-urban locations. The appeal is about rural living with city proximity: homes in estates that offer the benefits of the countryside relatively close to major urban centres.
Many of these secure estates consist of houses, townhouses and apartments, attracting a range of buyer types enticed by properties that suit their life stages and affordability levels.
PERFORMANCE
Sitari Country Estate executive director Claudius Combrinck says South African estates typically perform better than residential suburbs as they tend to offer higher security and more lifestyle perks for residents’ enjoyment. “These additional benefits allow owners to enjoy a way of living that is different to that of living in a residential suburb,” he adds.
Sitari is a good example of an estate offering a tranquil countryside setting with modern conveniences at nearby Somerset West, and Cape Town only a short drive away. For professional couples and investors, there is a good selection of apartments (one-, twoand three-beds) with two sets of finishes (luxury and premium) set over eight developments within the property.
The estate offers plot-andplan homes, turnkey Village homes for young families and turnkey Trinity Country three- or four-bedroom homes for larger families.
SECURITY
“We believe it is a combination of factors,” says Multi Spectrum Property spokesperson Werner Scheffer, summing up the appeal of popular Buh-Rein Estate in Cape Town’s Northern Suburbs. “A big driver is that people would like to stay in a safe environment that gives them great potential on their investment as well as the lifestyle they or their families would like to enjoy.”
Multifaceted security measures are what you’d expect of a modern estate. “Security requirements are still the most important differentiator for estates fetching higher prices than homes in suburban areas because you can live carefree,” says Jessica Hofmeyr, sales, rentals, marketing and operations executive at Century Property Developments in Gauteng.
Many estates now include multiple property types within their estates to suit buyer flexibility. Rabie Property Group marketing and communications representative Natalie du Plessis says Durbanville’s Clara Anna Fontein Lifestyle Estate offers three distinct development approaches: a plot-and-plan family home within design guidelines, smaller lock-up-and-go homes by the developer at The Village, or Oasis Life retirement homes. At the latter estate, retirement options start with a onebedroom, one-bathroom home for R2.3m.
A Reddam House school, a clubhouse with tennis and squash courts, a 25m pool and a gym are among the amenities. There are also “social hub” facilities, including a separate offering for teenagers, available to all estate residents. Oasis Life residents will also have an exclusive clubhouse and amenities.
MULTIFACETED
“Space and nature form an important part of the lifestyle we offer and therefore we preserved greenery, wildlife and water bodies when planning these multifaceted estates within the larger estate,” says Du Plessis.
At Century Property Developments’s The Hills Game Reserve Estate in Pretoria East, residential stands within this five-star development are listed from just more than R1m,