If there is one thing a prospective home buyer visiting Kuils River should never do, it is to judge the area by its long, always busy but not very attractive, heavily commercialized main street.
This was said last week by Noelene Snyder, Rawson Property Group franchise principal for Kuils River and adjacent areas. Snyder has held this position now for 11 years and continues to be one of the top performing franchisees in the Western Cape.
“Kuils River is still one of the best kept secrets of the Cape residential market,” she said. “It has all sorts of special, semi-rural areas which only local people know about and which are genuinely attractive to live in. Nevertheless, prices continue to remain very reasonable and I think will continue to be so for a few more months despite certain sellers always trying to overprice – a practice which simply does not pay dividends.”
Demand for homes in the district, said Snyder, increases month-by-month and in many cases is driven by young couples moving in from other areas or middle aged couples seeking to upgrade.
“Once people have lived at Kuils River they are very unlikely to want to move to another area,” she said.
There are, said Snyder, four main categories of housing in the district:
· Those in the R380,000 to R550,000 bracket (primarily in areas such as Eerste River and Highbury Park and surrounding areas).
· Homes priced from R550,000 to R800,000 (in Sarepta, Marinda Park, Jagtershof and Vredelust).
· Homes priced from R800,000 to R1,5 million (which are some of the most attractive in the area and which are generally quite close to the Kuils River central itself).
· Homes priced from R1,5 million to R3 million (which are mostly in the prestigious vineyard-related areas associated with Zevenwacht wine estate, Zevenwaght country estate, Zevenzicht, Zevendal, Zevenwaght village and surrounding areas. In certain of these precincts even a plot can cost as much as R1 million.
“The fact that this franchise is able to sell between10 to15 homes every month without fail,” said Snyder, “gives some idea of how active the residential market is here.”
Demand is strong across the board, she said, but is particularly noticeable in the R550,00 to R950,000 bracket. There is an urgent need for more homes in this price range.
“Any home below R1 million, if correctly priced, will find a buyer within 30 to 45 days and correctly priced homes in the “affordable market” have often been snapped up within a week,” she said.
Repeating a theme which she has expounded on previous occasions, Snyder said that she could double her sales if only potential buyers were not so frequently unable to qualify for bonds on account of tarnished credit records.
“About 90% of our clients ask for 100% bonds, but the sad truth is that less than 20% of these are eligible for this sort of loan. Even among those that are able to put down a 10% or 15% deposit, we still find that, despite careful counselling and pre-qualification discussions, we get a high rejection rate from the banks.”
Excellent examples of what is on offer at the moment (and the value obtainable in this district) are shown by the following examples from the Rawson stock list:
· A three bedroom Sarepta home with an open plan lounge and kitchen, carport and a garden wall. The plot covers 210 m2. The price is R500,000.
· Another Sarepta home with three bedrooms, an entrance hall, a lounge, a dining room, a fully equipped kitchen and a carport. It also has its own borehole. The list price is R850,000.
· A Soneike home with a green IBR roof and cream coloured plastered walls giving it an attractive Cape Vernacular look. This home was sold for the asking price of R850,000 just before this article went to press.
· A triple bedroom home in Vredelust with a tiled roof and plastered façades. The home also has an outdoor entertainment area including a patio and a big braai facility. The price is R930,000.
For further information contact Noelene Snyder on 082 415 7982 or email kuilsriver@rawsonproperties.com.
