Plett, Knysna estates ranked in SA top 10
Plettenberg Bay and Knysna have become premier holiday destinations over the years, but the coastal holiday towns now boast another feather in their cap after an announcement this week that they are also home to some of the country’s top residential estates.
The announcement was made by New World Wealth (NWW) after extensive research into the subject.
Over the past year, the NWW research team visited top-end residential estates across the country to compile the report, and the rating criteria included views, scenery and wildlife; communal gardens and parks; design and space; maintenance; location; security features; and activities and facilities.
“Residential estate living is on the rise, especially among the more affluent. We estimate that over 40% of South African high net-worth individuals live in or have homes on residential estates,” says SA real estate adviser Basil Weinrich, who assisted in compiling the ratings.
‘Impressive views and scenery’
Making the top 10 list is Pezula in Knysna and Whalerock Ridge in Plettenberg Bay. NWW researcher Andrew Amoils says it is Pezula’s “impressive views and scenery” as well its top-quality golf course that gives the estate its edge. He adds that house prices in Pezula range between R5-million and R50million and include two sub-estates – Pezula Golf Estate and Pezula Private Estate.
The views from the 100ha Whalerock Ridge estate is a factor that makes it stand out, says Amoils, adding, “The bottom gate of the estate is located about 100m from the beach,” Amoils says. House prices on the estate range from R3-million to R35-million, he points out.
Other estates that made it onto the list include Zimbali near Ballito, Steyn City located near Broadacres in Johannesburg, Fancourt in George, Waterfall Equestrian Estate in Waterfall City in Johannesburg, Atlantic Beach between Blouberg and Melkbosstrand in Cape Town, Arabella on the Bot River Lagoon near Hermanus, Val de Vie in the Paarl winelands, and Blair Atholl near Lanseria in Johannesburg.
‘Top-end estates outperform’
Amoils says although the residential market in South Africa has come under strain over the past year, homes on top-end residential estates have outperformed the general market.
“Another trend is that a large number of lifestyle and golf estates have started to add luxury apartments onto their offerings. Previously, most of them had focused only on houses.”
He further says that estates with appealing parks, birdlife, walks and trails are becoming more popular and that most developers are now creating small neighbourhoods within the estates, as opposed to the old model where houses are spaced evenly around the entire property. The new model allows for more parkland and open spaces between the neighbourhoods.
“Notably, South Africa is one of the global pioneers in residential estate living. In fact, the only country with more residential estates than South Africa is the US, mainly in the Florida area.”