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PICS: Top 10 residential estates in SA

Residential estate living is on the rise, especially among the affluent in South Africa, according to real estate advisor Basil Weinrich.

He estimates that more than 40% of SA's super-rich live or have homes on residential estates. Weinrich assisted in ranking New World Wealth's top 10 residential estates in SA list for 2018.

For the purposes of ranking, residential estates include lifestyle estates, wildlife estates, golf estates, equestrian estates and parkland estates.

Ratings criteria include views, scenery and wildlife; communal gardens and parks; design and space; maintenance; location; security features; activities (gym, swimming pool, golf, walking trials, fishing, horse riding, polo and tennis); and facilities (shops, offices, parks, gathering places, children's playgrounds, schools and hospitals).

According to the report, houses and apartments on top-end residential estates in SA have outperformed the generally constrained local market. Another trend is that a large number of lifestyle and gold estates have started to add luxury apartments to their offerings. Previously, most of them had focused only on houses.

Estates with attractive parks, bird life, walks and trails are becoming more popular, according to the report.

"Most developers are now creating small neighbourhoods within the estates, as opposed to the old model where houses were spaced evenly around the entire property. The new model allows for more parkland and open spaces between the neighbourhoods," states the report.

It says SA is regarded as one of the global pioneers in residential estate living. The only country with more residential estates than SA is the US.

New World Wealth's Top 10 estates in SA for 2018 (in alphabetical order):

Arabella

(Supplied)

Located on the Bot River Lagoon, near Hermanus, the Arabella golf estate comprises 113ha of land and 1.6km of lagoon frontage, as well a top-ranked golf course. House prices on the estate range from R3m to R15m.

Atlantic Beach

(Supplied)

Atlantic Beach is located between Blouberg and Melkbosstrand in Cape Town. The estate features a highly-rated golf course, vegetation, views and scenery. It also operates as a wildlife sanctuary, with several wild animals such as antelope living on the property. House prices on the estate range from R2m to R20m.

Blair Atholl

Blair Atholl

(Supplied)

Blair Atholl is a golf and equestrian estate situated near Lanseria in Johannesburg. Like Waterfall Equestrian Estate, it has relatively large stands, with some impressive houses and gardens on the property. House prices on the estate range from R10m to R80m.

Fancourt


(Supplied)

Fancourt is located in George on the Garden Route. It is undoubtedly SA’s top estate for golfers, with three highly rated courses on one estate.

The two original courses (the Montagu and the Outeniqua) were built in the early 1990s, while the world famous Fancourt Links (the top-rated golf course in Africa) was added in 2000.

There are several different residential areas on the estate, with a new one launched in 2017. House prices on the estate range from R3m to R50m.

Pezula

Pezula

(Pezula website)

Pezula is located in Knysna on the Garden Route. The views and scenery are impressive, as is the golf course. House prices range from R5m to R50m. Pezula includes two sub-estates, namely Pezula Golf Estate and Pezula Private Estate.

Steyn City

(Supplied)

Steyn City is located near Broadacres in Johannesburg. It has large parklands between the various distinct residential neighbourhoods. It also offers a mix of houses, townhouses and apartments.

The communal areas, vegetation, nature and parklands there are impressive, as is the bird life. The parklands on the estate emulate parks such as Hampstead Heath and Richmond Park in London, where local residents gather during weekends and after work to meet, talk and walk their dogs. The estate is also very child friendly, with walking paths and underpasses under all the roads.

To promote bird life, Steyn City works with a local company called Ecosolutions to encourage owls to live on the estate. Wild finches and bee-eaters are also common on the estate. House or apartment prices on the estate range from R2m to R35m.

Val de Vie

(Supplied)

Val de Vie is located in the Cape Winelands, near Paarl. Highlights of this estate include vineyards, polo fields, an equestrian centre, a highly rated golf course (Pearl Valley), natural fynbos scenery, parks, lakes and mountain backdrops. House and apartment prices on the estate range from R3m to R50m.

Val de Vie contains a number of district and unique neighbourhoods, including Pearl Valley; The Polo Village designed by Stef Antoni; The Gentleman’s Estate where plots range from 3 to 6 hectares each; The River Club; The Reserve; the Evergreen Retirement Village and more.

Waterfall Equestrian Estate

(Supplied)

Waterfall Equestrian Estate is located in Waterfall City, Johannesburg. It is home to some spectacular mansions and stands are particularly large, starting from around one hectare each. House prices there range from R15m to R100m.

Whalerock Ridge

(Supplied)

Whalerock Ridge is located in Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route. The 100-hectare estate offers residents impressive views over the bay. The bottom gate of the estate is located approximately 100 meters from the beach. House prices on the estate range from R3m to R35m.

Zimbali

(Supplied)

Zimbali is located next to Ballito, north of Durban. It has its own natural lagoon and forest. The estate is home to several types of kingfishers, loeries, and bee-eaters, and even the rare Crowned Eagle is a resident. The estate lies right on the beach. House prices on the estate range from R5m to R75m.

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