Over the past few years, major construction has occurred across Roodepoort’s property spectrum, making it possible for residents to effectively live, work and play without having to leave the suburb.
That’s the news from Marcelle Martin of Chas Everitt who says that many new residents have gravitated to the area given the close proximity of the suburb’s many amenities and wide choice of residential property.This trend has been driven in part by the desire of many to avoid spending hours in traffic commuting to and from their places of work and the associated stress and increased cost in living this entails.Says Martin: “Roodepoort is now a fully fledged suburb complete with high end shopping centres, quality schools, medical facilities and a number of commercial nodes. Recognising what this means from a lifestyle perspective has led many purchasers to buy into the suburb.”In terms of retail therapy options, residents can choose between Clearwater Mall which just recently expanded, the ever popular Westgate, The Hub or Horizon View to name but a few. Schools include Jozua Naud Primary School, Durban Deep Primary School and Laerskool Roodepoort amongst others while Life Healthcare and Helderkruin Clinic lie within close reach. On the commercial side, Constantia Park on 14th Avenue is arguably one of the most prominent office parks in the area. The inclusion of a number of restaurants and a Virgin Active gym within the complex has made the park highly popular not only with employees but with local residents alike.According to Martin, additional commercial development is in the pipeline for Roodepoort which will only serve to strengthen the area’s appeal still further. Also on offer within Roodeport are golf courses, the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens, a museum, a variety of upmarket restaurants and country clubs. Well maintained dual carriage highways ease transport issues. According to the latest Lightstone report on Roodepoort Central, freehold properties make up the bulk of this area’s property stock with a percentage of just over 95%. Typically these are selling for R479 000 on average. Just outside Roodepoort Central, Martin says freehold properties are selling for approximately R800 000. This is causing something of a conundrum she claims as many of the sectional title properties in the area are also priced at R800 000. Taking this into consideration buyers are opting for the freehold properties given the extra space and freedom that typically comes with such homes. Interestingly, despite this ‘competition’ many sectional title owners are refusing to budge on their asking price which, when coupled with the fact that many buyers are still bargain hunting and that stock is plentiful isn’t doing this sector any favours. Another fly in the proverbial ointment which could further aggravate this segment is the liquidation of managing agents Constantia Sectional Title Management. Martin remarks that this industry development could have significant ramifications for those in the sectional title market given that this company managed the affairs of many of these entities, not only in Roodepoort but in Johannesburg in general. With regards to peripheral market activity, Martin says that while there is sufficient movement, “a sign of the times” has manifested in the fact that people are erring towards refurbishing and upgrading their existing properties as opposed to buying new homes on a whim. “Would-be buyers are staying in their original homes longer and tend to move only if there is a really good reason for it such as a divorce or similar. The days of frivolous home purchases are over.” Negatives aside, Roodepoort has many positives working in its favour and, come Spring, Martin reckons that an upswing and change in attitude will prevail once again.
