Top Prices for Homes in Capes Welgedacht Estate

Such is the demand for homes on the well-established and upmarket Welgedacht Estate bordering Tygerberg Hills Nature Reserve in Cape Town’s Northern Suburbs, that homes are being acquired at high-end prices only to be demolished to make way for luxurious new houses at an additional investment from R3 million to R6 million or more.

This four bedroom house in Welgedacht,Bellville, offers an open-plan kitchen, study and covered patio. It is available for R5.2 million - click here to view.

This is according to Annien Borg, MD for Pam Golding Properties in the Boland and Overberg regions, who says comprising some 568 homes in a tranquil, park-like security estate with extensive open spaces and vistas to vineyards and the Overberg Mountains, entry-level homes currently available are in the region of around R4.5 million.

Borg says with landscaped parks and luxury homes, prestigious Welgedacht Estate has a special country-living feel, despite being only a 25 minute off-peak drive from Cape Town.

“With no stands left, it is remarkable how much people are prepared to invest purely to acquire a stand and secure their spot to build a brand new home. In October 2014 a house on a stand of 2 153sqm sold at R7.371 million to be completely demolished,” she says.

“As the stand was at quite an incline, soil was brought in to create a level stand and a completely new home was built from scratch. In effect, one could say the buyers bought a stand at R7.371 million plus demolition and levelling costs - such is the high demand for this prime estate, considered one of the most sought after in Northern Suburbs.”

Borg says a more recent sale to secure a ‘plot’ occurred in September 2015. In a prime position overlooking the dam, the 430sqm house and 1 200sqm erf sold for R8.441 million. The house was completely gutted and is being rebuilt more or less with only the foundations retained along with one or two walls.

“Currently there are many other homes on the estate being completely renovated - either for existing owners or buyers moving onto the estate and carrying out their own renovations to suit their own requirements and taste,” she says.

This home in Welgedacht, Bellville, has five bedrooms, open-plan kitchen, wooden floors, playroom, patio with braai and landscaped garden. It is priced at R10.95 million - click here to view.

“As a result, a lot of the older homes are being snapped up as they are ideal for this purpose.”

She says with 19 properties changing hands in 2015, the two highest prices achieved on the estate for the year to date were concluded for R11 million and R10 million respectively. The highest price ever achieved on the estate was for a spacious family home set on three consolidated stands, which fetched R12.5 million in 2012.

In 2015, the lowest price for a property in Welgedacht Estate was R3.8 million. During the three-month period from August to October 2015, the average selling price was just over R5.15 million, while in the price band over R3 million, the average selling price was slightly in excess of R6.3 million.

Established over two decades ago on 134ha of land on the northern slopes of Tygerberg Hills on what was originally a wine farm, Welgedacht Estate offers an eclectic mix of architecture and languorously sprawling grounds interspersed with established trees, dams, natural wetlands and trails.

Welgedacht, which is Dutch for ‘well thought out’, aptly describes the impressive array of uniquely designed homes which have sprung from the ground over the years.

Now a thriving community with a wealth of diverse birdlife, evidence of residents’ contentment with their location lies in the statistics, which, according to Lightstone, show that just over half the homeowners have lived on the estate for 11 years or more. Younger buyers too are embracing this way of life, with 57% of recent buyers over the past year in the age bracket from 36 to 49 years.

Buyers come from provinces around the country, from nearby suburbs in the Western Cape and Gauteng, as well as further afield, including expatriates returning from abroad - all seeking the security and appealing lifestyle which Welgedacht offers in generous proportions.

This four bedroom house in Welgedacht offers open-plan living areas, high ceilings and covered patio. It is on sale for R6.5 million - click here to view.

Borg says with a number of head offices in the vicinity such as Sanlam, Cipla and Foschini, the estate is ideal for executives as well as doctors and medical specialists working at PanoramaMediclinic or Tygerberg Hospital.

Other professions easily accessible include attorneys and magistrates, with Bellville Magistrate’s Court close by, while others are retirees escaping the buzz of city life.

“Once people live here they tend not to want to move away. When children grow up and leave home, many relocate to a smaller, single level home, of which there are too few to meet the great demand,” says Borg.

“Often these smaller options may not even come onto the market, being bought privately among neighbours.”

With three designated children’s play parks, family life is complemented by six high quality schools within easy reach: Kenridge, Welgemoed and Durbanville Primary Schools and DF Malan, Durbanville and Fairmont High Schools.

In addition, a shuttle service makes schools in Paarl, Stellenbosch and the Southern Suburbs highly accessible, she says.

The University of Stellenbosch Business School and Satellite Campus are just over 3km away, and the Academy of Advanced Technology less than 4km.

Borg says these are arguably the best schools in the Northern Suburbs, catering for co-ed and both English and Afrikaans medium.

Shopping amenities include Tyger Valley, Willowbridge and Van Riebeeckshof shopping centres, while there’s an abundance of good restaurants and easy access to the Cape’s renowned wine farms.

“Sports activities abound, with the Bellville 18-hole Golf Club, Majik Forest and Nature Reserve great for walking, and mountain biking trails extending into the surrounding farmland and vineyards,” she says.