An influx of buyers from around the country is boosting sales, particularly on estates.
Well-priced properties and a bucolic setting are just two of the reasons property sales in Somerset West are thriving. The area is proving to be a popular choice for those relocating from other parts of the country and, while the region was once dominated by the freehold sector, this has changed of late and the suburb now boasts an impressive array of estates and sectional title developments.
Beatrix Joubert, Winelands Regional manager, Lew Geffen Sotheby’s International Realty, notes that the influx of buyers from Gauteng looking for a secure lifestyle has brought about a shift in focus to estate living. This, she says, has greatly contributed to the tremendous growth in Somerset West in recent years and had led to the mushrooming of many new sectional title and cluster home developments, two retirement villages and various shopping centres.
Local families looking for a quieter, more secure lifestyle are also moving out of Cape Town and Somerset West is very popular because of its proximity to the city and its excellent schools
she adds.
Louise Varga, area manager for Somerset West, Pam Golding Properties, says the price of freehold and sectional title property averages out at about R2,2m and R1,5m respectively, although there are areas of the town that command higher prices. Homes in an upmarket security estate, for example, can fetch as much as R18m. The choice of sectional title homes is wide, and one- and two-bedroom units in a decent area can still be purchased for about R700,000.
“The town is ideally located for commuting to Cape Town while still living in the country,” she says. “Some people even commute to Johannesburg for the working week while the family enjoys the peace and lower traffic volumes in the town. The whole family then spends the weekend together in a desirable environment. The beauty of our ‘basin’, which is surrounded by the Hottentots Holland mountain range, and the close proximity to the sea at Strand can prove to be irresistible when one is looking for a home.”
Take a trip through Somerset West here:
This article originally appeared in Neighbourhood, Sunday Times.
