The demand for luxury estates, including golf estates, is at the highest level in three years, driven by the desire to enjoy a better lifestyle closer to home so that you do not need to be so confined indoors, says Gerhard van der Linde, managing director for Pretoria East.
If we look at the example of the Woodhill Golf Estate in Pretoria East, Lightstone data shows that activity this year is the highest in five years, such is the demand for homes in the estate, he adds.
The trend is also not just peculiar to South Africa. A recent article on golfweek.usatoday.com for example highlights that the desire to live in an estate with a golf course has increased dramatically in the USA since the onset of the Covid pandemic. Pre-COVID, only 42 percent of people preferred to live within the estate where they play golf. This has since increased to 61 percent.
Golf estates offer a lot more than just security and come with a host of amenities and facilities, says Van der Linde. Top-class security is the first vital aspect that buyers look for as they want to know that they can live and enjoy leisure activities in a secure environment.
In terms of amenities, the high-demand Woodhill Golf Estate in Pretoria East offers an 18-hole Peter Matkovich golf course regarded as one of the best in the country. Residents also get to enjoy recreational facilities such as tennis and squash courts, lovely gardens with walkways and a play area for children.
There is a top-class clubhouse with venues for private functions, meetings, and boardroom facilities, and a restaurant and bar. Additionally, there is the Woodhill College on-site which offers schooling from Grade RRR to Grade 12.
Van der Linde says golf estates such as Woodhill cater to a broad buyer base, from young professionals to families and older buyers.
Property in these estates is considered excellent investments and buyers are prepared to pay a bit more for the security and luxury of having all of these amenities on their doorstep. Once people move in, they often tend to stay. Lightstone for example shows that 62% of owners in Woodhill have owned their properties for more than 11 years, reinforcing the excellent investment value, he says.
Deeds office data for Woodhill also shows that there has been an increase in younger buyers with under 35-year-old buyers representing 19% of recent sales compared to just 1% of current owners falling into this age group.
What can you buy in the estate?
The estate caters to both sectional titles, priced from around R2 million, and freehold homes, priced from around R5 million.
The houses are generally luxurious and spacious and can range to around R9 million for a unique top-end home overlooking the golf course which represents one of the finest homes in Pretoria on the market right now, says Van der Linde.
The home overlooks the golf course, but the real story is the exquisite architecture which creates an ambience of living in the African bush with high ceilings and natural finishes, a thatched entertainment area, and floor-to-ceiling windows for an indoor-outdoor feel complete with a wooden deck surrounding high trees.
Features include four living areas, a fireplace in the centre of the home, four spacious bedrooms, a wine cellar, two studies which are ideal for WFH (work from home), staff accommodation, a triple garage, swimming pool, air-conditioning and a generator.
It is a spectacular home, says Van der Linde. From the moment you walk in, it feels as if you have entered a guest lodge somewhere in the African bush with an interplay of glass, views and vegetation and some of the most unique finishes and layouts in a home.
It provides the ideal escape and lifestyle that buyers would want, yet with access to the Pretoria metro. The Pretoria East area is popular with luxury buyers and home to some of the most sought-after estates including the Woodhill Golf Estate.
Luxury homes in estates achieve some of the highest prices in the Pretoria area as well as elsewhere in the country. Estates are also popular for rentals and often achieve higher rentals compared to houses outside of estates.
