With the demand for homes within easy reach of the Sandton CBD continuing to grow, Douglasdale has become one of the most popular suburbs in northern Johannesburg for young professionals and families.
“More than 150 homes in the area were sold in the first six months of this year,” notes local Rawson Property Group franchisee, Taryn Steven, “and almost half the buyers (46%) were people in their 20s and early 30s.
“The biggest draw card for such buyers is the relative affordability in Douglasdale with the average apartment sale price here currently standing at just under R1 million, and the average for clusters and houses at R2,23 million.
“This compares well with other suburbs close by, that are popular with younger buyers, wanting to live as close as possible to work in Sandton, such as Rivonia, Parkmore and Morningside. For example, the current average asking price for one bedroom apartments in Douglasdale is R830 000, while that for one bedroom units in Rivonia is about R1,1 million – despite all the new developments in the area that are keeping prices down.
“Similarly, the advertised prices for three bedroom houses in Parkmore currently start at around R2,7 million for older homes, while Douglasdale has three bedroom houses with modern kitchens and bathrooms, pools, garages and staff quarters available at prices from R2,2 million. In Morningside, a three bedroom, two bathroom cluster home currently starts at around R2,5 million, while in Douglasdale, similar units start at around R1,5 million.”
Although it lies north of the Western Bypass, Steven notes, Douglasdale is actually only about 13km from Sandton via the William Nicol Drive/Grosvenor Road route – and is also handy for other office and commercial nodes such as Fourways, Woodmead, Bryanston, Randburg and Midrand.
“Meanwhile Lanseria Airport, which offers regular flights to Cape Town, Durban, George and even Upington (see http://lanseria.co.za/pages/flight-schedules) is just 20km from Douglasdale, which is a big attraction for people who often have to travel around the country on business, as well as executives who live in Johannesburg during the week and go home to their families in the Western Cape or KwaZulu Natal at the weekends.”
For families, Steven says, proximity to top schools such as Bryandale Primary, Crawford, Fourways High, Brescia House and St Stithians is another big attraction – as is the easy access to major retail and recreation venues such as Fourways Mall, Montecasino and the Bryanston Country Club.
The Douglasdale Dairy, after which the suburb is named, is also still very much operational – supplying a large percentage of Gauteng’s milk and other dairy products – and offers free educational tours that are always a hit with children.
“Douglasdale also has a host of convenient restaurants, pubs, shops and fast food outlets in its own shopping precinct along Leslie and Douglas Avenues - and since most homes in Douglasdale are located in access-controlled apartment, townhouse and cluster complexes, the area offers a high level of security.
“This has definite appeal for executives who travel extensively or require small lock-up-and-go city residences for weekly use, and for corporate tenants that often rent cluster homes here for their executives working in SA on contract.”
However, she says, there is also increasing demand for luxury homes in Douglasdale. “The area boasts some magnificent four, five and six bedroom homes on very large stands and some in exclusive estates. These are steadily attracting more attention from high-end buyers who appreciate both the location of the area and the value it offers. Prices for these upmarket residences range from around R2,8 million to R4,8 million.”.
