Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Country’s top 10 estates and why they’re so special
RESEARCH conducted by New World Wealth, and sponsored by global bank AfrAsia, shows there has been a rise in demand for retirement estates in South Africa.
Demand for wildlife estates is also on the rise while, overall, there is a move away from traditional golf estates.
According to the research, developers are now creating small neighbourhoods within estates, as opposed to the old model where houses were spaced evenly throughout the property.
“The new model allows for more parkland and open spaces between the neighbourhoods.”
The duo also released its list of Top 10 estates in the country, and based its results on a number of criteria, including:
Design and space.
Communal gardens and parks.
Maintenance.
Location.
Security features.
Views, scenery and wildlife. Activities – gym, swimming, golf, horse riding, polo, tennis.
Facilities – shops, offices, parks, gathering places, children playgrounds, schools, hospitals.
These are the 2017 Estate Ratings:
Top residential estate in the country for the second year running.Highlights include its beautiful vineyards, polo fields, an equestrian centre, a highly rated golf course, natural fynbos scenery, parks, lakes and mountain backdrops.
House/apartment prices on the estate range from R3 million to R50m.
Val de Vie has several districts and neighbourhoods, including:
The Polo Village – one- to two-bedroom apartments.
Pearl Valley – houses along the Pearl Valley Golf Course.
The River Club – large plots along the Berg River.
The Reserve – large plots bordering on a fynbos reserve.
Evergreen Retirement Village – new 600 unit retirement village (400 homes, 200 apartments) with frail-care and recreational facilities.
The Gentlemen's Estate – the top neighbourhood offering residents their own stables, gardens and vineyard. Properties here range from three to six hectares.
Several other neighbourhoods including La Vue, the Vines and the Oaks.
Steyn City, ranked fourth last year, includes an equestrian centre, a golf course, and over 250 hectares of landscaped parkland.
The communal areas, vegetation and parklands are particularly impressive, as is the bird life.
The parklands emulate parks such as London’s Hampstead Heath and Richmond Park, where residents gather at weekends and after work to meet, talk and walk their dogs.
The estate is also child friendly with walking paths and underpasses under all the roads. To promote bird life, Steyn City works with a local company, Ecosolutions, to encourage owls to the estate. Wild finches and bee-eaters are also commonly seen.
The estate is still being developed and there are plans to add two private schools, offices, convenience shopping, a retirement village and a private hospital.
Once complete, Steyn City will be the most extensive estate in the country in terms of facilities and activities.
House/ apartment range from R2m to R30m.
prices
Zimbali is next to Ballito, 45km north of Durban. It is arguably the most picturesque estate in the country, being right on the beach and having its own natural lagoon and forest.
The estate’s bird life is impressive, and it is home to several types of kingfishers, loeries, bee- eaters and even the rare Crowned Eagle.
House prices range from R5m to R50m.
Fancourt is on the Garden Route and is undoubtedly South Africa’s top golfing estate with three highly rated courses.
The two original courses (the Montagu and the Outeniqua) were built in the early ‘90s, while the world famous Fancourt Links (the top-rated golf course in Africa) was added in 2000.
There are several different residential areas including Links Ridge, Links Avenue, Cape Dutch Village, Oakland’s Village and Montagu Ridge.
House prices range from R3m to R50m.
Waterfall Equestrian Estate is in Waterfall City in Johannesburg, overlooking the newly built Mall of Africa.
It is arguably the most exclusive estate in the country with stands starting from around one hectare each.
House prices range from R10m to R70m.
Steenberg is one of the pioneer estates in South Africa. Originally a vineyard, Steenberg was redeveloped by JCI in 1990 to include a golf course, hotel, spa and housing estate.
The estate still contains a large winery and vineyard.
There are relatively few houses at Steenberg, when one considers the size of the estate. House prices range from R10m to R30m.
Mjejane is the only wildlife estate in the top 10. It is on the banks of the Crocodile River, bordering and open to the Kruger Park. It has access to the Big Five.
The estate offers 200 stands (around 50 houses have been built to date), over 4 000 hectares with 10km of river frontage.
House prices range from R5m to R30m.
The 100- hectare Whalerock Ridge offers residents impressive views over Robberg Beach.
One gate is just 100m from the beach. House prices range from R3m to R35m.
This estate, in Waterfall City, is the only retirement estate in the top 10.
Retirement estate living is on the rise in South Africa and this estate has definitely set a benchmark others will look to follow.
House prices range from R3m to R6m.
This is a relatively new estate situated in the fine food capital of SA.
It has its own private vineyards and fruit orchards. All the houses have lovely views of the surrounding valley.
House prices range from R10m to R60m.
Source: New World Wealth and AfrAsia 2017 Estate Ratings