Those who enjoy trying to track trends in the property market – a group that is growing in size and becoming increasingly vocal these days, especially in social media – often overlook what is happening in outlying and country districts, says Tony Clarke, Managing Director of the Rawson Property Group.
“One only has to look at what has happened to property prices at Greyton in the Cape or Clarens in the Free State to realize that these out-of-the-way areas can very rapidly become the flavour of the month,” he said.
Right now, he added, an upgrading and transformation process appears to be taking place throughout the Hilton precinct in KwaZulu Natal. This is an area, he said, which has already attracted almost a dozen gated estates and which is particularly popular with KZN and Gauteng buyers because it has a delightfully cool, misty climate in summer-often 3° or 4° centigrade below that of Pietermaritzburg and perhaps 8° below the Durban ‘sauna’ belt.
At Hilton, two young Rawson Properties co-franchisees, Andrew Morphew and Alex Beadle, respectively aged 28 and 31 years, have had a surprisingly successful sales run since 1st June this year – and they are confident that it will continue.
Morphew, who was educated in the area (at Michaelhouse) and who did project management for a developer in Hilton,before establishing an in-house agency for him and then going on his own as a sales agent, said that he had always had confidence that the area would takeoff. The reason, he said, is not just that it is attractive (‘leafy’ and ‘fertile’) but because, too, the precinct is experiencing considerable commercial and industrial development and, in addition, is within easy commuting distance of Pietermaritzburg. Apart from these advantages, he said, it has also now established a name for itself as a good area in which to retire.
The two Rawson Properties Hilton franchisees are currently involved with the marketing and selling of two major new developments.
The first is Garlington, a 130 ha estate, which is made up of 350 residential opportunities - and about 90% of the general residential properties are sold. The Rawson Properties franchisees have been responsible for 60% of the sales here over the last two years and are now mainly involved with resales.
Garlington’s erven vary in size from 420m² to 19, 000m² and have been priced at anything from R350, 000 to R3, 4 million per vacant stand. Buyers are then allowed to build for themselves, but they have to ensure that the designs are approved by a Home Owners Association and conform to the architectural guidelines which are fundamentally Cape Vernacular in style. Morphew said that the completed values of the homes at Garlington tend to have values of R1, 65 million to R10 million. The estate therefore, he said, offers opportunities for a wide variety of buyers, in all income groups, to establish themselves in this very attractive project.
The second Hilton development that the Rawson Properties franchisees are involved in is at Hilton College and aptly named “The Gates at Hilton”. The Endowment Foundation here has set aside 44, 3 ha for a residential development which will have 81 erven (50 in Phase I). These are on average 2,000 m2 in size and they are being marketed at prices from R 940, 000.
Once again buyers can design and build for themselves (i.e. appoint their own architects and contractors), but again have to conform to design rulings which will help create a pleasing but not-too-strict uniformity in the development.
The development has attractive views across the Umgeni River Valley and to the Karkloof Mountain Range, as well as the Drakensberg.
The unusual aspect of this development is its close association with Hilton College and therefore its ability to allow residents to use the extensive Hilton College Estate with all its sporting amenities and its beautiful 550 hectare nature reserve.
The first sales have already been made here.
The Rawson Properties team will also be involved in selling a new retirement village to be developed here. This will probably come on stream in 2014, but, said Morphew, those wishing to be kept informed should contact him at andrew.morphew@rawson.co.za.
In the Hilton area, said Morphew, prices of freestanding homes can be anything from R1 million to R5,5 million and Rawson Properties are selling these at a rate of six or seven per month. Their only problem, he added, is finding enough good, well priced stock.
The value for money opportunities here, said Morphew are good. Right now, for example, Rawson Properties Hilton have a Tuscan style home in a 14 unit gated estate known as Villa Cortina on their stock list. This home has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a semi open plan living/dining/kitchen area. The asking price here is R2, 495,000.
Another good buy is at Merrivale Heights, which overlooks the Cedara Agricultural College. Here Rawson Properties can offer the buyer a four bedroom, three bathroom home for R 1, 250 000.
“However one looks at it,” said Morphew, “any buy in Hilton at this stage in its history makes good sense – it clearly is an area with a very promising future.”
