Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa Real Estate Investor Magazine - September 2017 | Page 18

FEATURE ARTICLE
are priced from around R1, 8 million for stands. Eye of Africa
Golf and Residential Estate, financed by Irish billionaire Da-
vid Nagel, in the south of Johannesburg is another new golf
and lifestyle estate that has sprung up. It is a busy residential
estate with several villages, a golf course and top of the line
lifestyle amenities. Prices start at R900 000 for a piece of land.
Silver Lakes Golf estate, situated in Pretoria, is one of the
largest of its kind in the country. Coming in at more than 334
hectares, the estate is set out in such a way as to offer residents
a chance to be in nature. The nature reserve, located in the
estate, is home to a wide variety of birds and small game. As in
all the estates mentioned here, security is of high importance.
Electric fencing, armed patrols, security forums, and profes-
sional security personnel manning entrances, aim to give resi-
dents peace of mind. Property prices in this estate range from
R670 000 to R30 million, offering a property for any budget.
Also in Pretoria, Lombardy Estate is a solution for the en-
tire family. Situated on 100 hectares of land, greenery and lakes
make up a large part of the landscape. The estate is also home
to a boutique hotel and spa, offering a dedicated conference
centre as well. In keeping with the offerings from other estates,
Lombardy has a wide range of homes for each type of buyer.
Starting at R1.7 million, the top-of-the-range homes sell for
about R7.2 million. The estate also promises a healthy rental
return, with monthly rates ranging from R17 000 to R35 000
a month.
While the actual estate is important in deciding whether or
not it’s a good investment, as with anything relating to proper-
ty, location should be at the top of your list. By knowing which
areas are primed for expansion or development, investors are
able to identify the best opportunities. As Myles Wakefield of
Wakefield’s Real Estate says, buyers “want to be close to work,
play, retail, schools, you name it – they don’t want long, expen-
sive, fuel-guzzling commutes.” In general, this is something
the estates we’ve been looking at get right.
In keeping with this trend, The Islands Estate is located
within 35km of Pretoria, on the banks of the Hartbeespoort
dam area. While this translates to a 30 minute drive to the
nearest large city, the area is also filled with its own medical fa-
cilities, schools, restaurants and stores, meaning residents don't
need to travel far for daily conveniences. The estate consists of
two distinct developments - comprising 168 fu