The suburb of Beverley in Johannesburg is now at the top of many aspirant buyers’ lists. So says Cecile Leck of Lew Geffen Sotheby’s Lonehill which services the area.
Beverley runs adjacent to Lonehill and is sometimes mistaken for being a stand-alone suburb. Leck points out that it is in fact part of Lonehill proper and is affiliated to the Lonehill Residents Association which has earned a reputation for fostering a strong sense of community. The association has also implemented stringent neighbourhood security protocols which earned Lonehill the title of ‘Safest Suburb in South Africa’ in 2010.
According to Leck, Beverley actually falls under the banner of Beverley AH which stands for ‘Agricultural Holdings’. Like so many once far-flung suburbs, Beverley AH was originally an agriculturally orientated suburb characterised by smallholdings measuring approximately five acres each. Urban sprawl caught up with the area and the majority of these smallholdings have since been purchased, subdivided and developed but a few pockets featuring large homes, stables and paddocks remain and horse drawn buggies can still occasionally be seen in the streets. The suburb has also retained a decidedly bucolic air despite now being characterised in the main by cluster developments and estates.
Lonehill Koppie
‘Rockvale’ is one of Beverley’s most exclusive cluster developments. According to Leck the average Rockvale property measures approximately 1000sqm’s and sells at between R3,5 and R6,5 million. ‘Villeriche’ and ‘Timbali’ are other highly sought-after cluster developments. According to the latest Lightstone report on the area, these types of properties are currently selling for R2 million on average.
Leck explains that like-for-like, Beverley offers better value for money than some suburbs situated within close proximity of Sandton’s CBD. “The calibre and size of properties in Beverley are comparable to that of properties in suburbs such as Bryanston yet they are more affordably priced,” remarks Leck “As such, aspirant buyers are increasingly setting their sights on Beverley as they feel they can get more bang for their buck.”
Beverley also sports a smattering of Sectional Title properties. Properties of this nature can be found at ‘The Stables’ and ‘Tamchele’ and are currently selling at between R1,1 and R1,6 million. Lightstone statistics place current Sectional Title averages at R863 000, up from last year’s average of R773 000.
Appealing properties and active residents association aside, Beverley has a number of other factors working in its favour. It enjoys excellent access to William Nicol Drive and the N1 and lies within easy reach of a number of top notch schools including Crawford Preparatory and College, the American International School, St Peter’s Preparatory, Fourways High, Brescia House, Dainfern and Beaulieu College.
The nearby ‘Lonehill Koppie’ located at the heart of a nature reserve is arguably one of the area’s greatest draw cards though. In addition to the koppie, the reserve sports a small dam named Lonehill Loch and a children’s playground. It also plays host to a resident dassie population. Local hikers, picknickers and dog walkers are a common sight at the reserve on weekends.
Lake
Shopping-wise Beverley residents lack for nothing. Lonehill Shopping Centre offers a bevy of upmarket shops and restaurants while Fourways Mall, Fourways Crossing, Cedar Square and Monte Casino lie just ten minutes away. Several golf courses and Fourways Life Hospital also lie within close reach.
In closing Leck says property market activity in the area is brisk with demand for property up to the R2,5 million mark particularly high. She adds that despite the fact that developers have backed off from purchasing the last remaining large pockets of land in Beverley since the recession, she has no doubt that this scenario will change once the market turns again. After all, it’s not for nothing that Beverley was named ‘Best Performing Area’ in the country by Finweek in recent years.
