When she one day looks back on her career in residential property marketing, says Lizette Joubert, franchisee for the Rawson Property Group’s Paarl franchise (where she has been established for ten years and has won the prestigious Rawson Property Group Chairman’s Award), it is probable that one of the achievements of which she will be most proud is that in 2014 she and her team were able to get their franchise recognized as one of the few carefully selected accredited agencies that are mandated to market property at the Val de Vie Wine and Polo Estate. This is sited southeast of Paarl in an area already famous for such upmarket estates as Boschenmeer and Pearl Valley.
“The development is close to reaching full sell out stage,” says Ryk Neethling, Marketing Director for Val die Vie, “but there are always a few resale plots and houses on the market. The demand for these has tended recently to exceed supply and is gaining momentum.”
Last year, a total of 130 properties worth just over R200 million were sold. Included in this list were developer plots, houses and resales. Neethling says that the value of property in Val de Vie continues to increase steadily and developer plots in particular over the last year have risen some 50% in value. In the last three months of 2014 alone, 17 developer plots were sold, a big increase on previous years.
“Anyone contemplating buying at Val de Vie,” says Joubert, “must realize that it is today perhaps only one of half a dozen gated estates in the whole of Southern Africa which can claim not only to rival the best estates in Europe but also to be the leading country estate in Southern Africa. In every possible way this estate sets new benchmarks in rural residential development and continues to do so.”
This very bullish opinion is shared by many others: Val de Vie has garnered a number of international awards, perhaps the most prestigious being two International Property Awards. There were 140 entries for these awards, but Val de Vie took the prize for the Best Development (multi units) and also received a highly commended in the Leisure Development category.
Local property journalists have often asserted that Val de Vie sets a new benchmark in country estate developments.
Established on what was formerly farmland, Val de Vie is set against the backdrop of the beautiful Drakenstein and Simonsberg in the Paarl-Franschhoek valley. The 18 ha estate was a long held dream of Martin Venter, who after a ten year search spotted what he considered to be the ideal site for a development of this kind while flying over it in an aeroplane. He then soon decided that this would be the ideal place not only for others with similar taste but for him and his family.
The estate’s architectural rulings and building regulations have ensured that every home there conforms to high standards and has the prescribed French Provencal and Cape Colonial design guidelines for which Val de Vie is now famous. Val de Vie is, too, one of the few country estates in South Africa with many hectares of wide open spaces complemented by extensive vineyards (laid out in the Rhone style) and in addition it now has the famous world class polo field on which international matches are regularly played, some of these being sponsored by the prestigious champagne company Veuve Clicquot. It is also one of the very few estates in South Africa to have its own preschool.
Lizette Joubert has emphasized that the state-of-the-art security arrangements implemented at Val de Vie have been one of its big attractions.
“People will go a very long way to find a truly safe home for their families,” she says.
These security features have attracted buyers from all over South Arica and some 10% of today’s buyers at Val die Vie actually commute from here to other major South African and overseas cities – in the sure knowledge that their families are safe.
All homes built at Val de Vie have, as indicated, conform to strict guidelines and controls. Roofs must be at a certain pitch and both roof and walls have to abide by colour codes and other design rulings.
By controlling these aspects of the development, the Val die Vie management ensure that no one unit can break the harmony or lower the standards of the estate as a whole and this in turn, says Joubert, safeguards any investment made here. The professionals involved in this are the architects Boogertman and Krige and the landscape architect is Kobus Meiring. The Val de Vie Home Owner’s Association has to vet and approve all plans before they are sent to the municipality.
In addition, the building contractors accredited to work at Val de Vie all have to be approved by the management and only those working to high standards have been accepted.
Another of Val de Vie’s big attractions, says Joubert, is that the new owners are encouraged to participate in the ongoing programme of upgrading the landscaping. All owners are, in fact, issued with a list of indigenous plants which they are allowed to use in their gardens and are taught how and nurture these.
A further big attraction, says Joubert, is that Val de Vie is, in many ways, the front runner in the facilities it provides. All owners and their tenants are given access to the polo club restaurant, the polo pavilion, several squash and tennis courts, a gym with state-of-the-art equipment and a heated 25 m indoor pool as well as to the polo field and stables.
“It may surprise some people,” says Joubert, “to learn that in a relatively new development like Val die Vie, agents such as myself can survive and do well on resales. However, when one takes note of all that Paarl itself can offer in addition to what Val de Vie can, i.e. beautiful surroundings, vineyards and mountains, excellent dining and entertainment facilities, very good schools and a wonderful climate, it comes as no surprise that this area is attracting people from all over South Africa and indeed from overseas.”
Joubert says that Rawson Paarl’s goal in all the estates it serves is to extend its footprint with the existing client base and in this case that means the residents of Val de Vie itself.
“Our aim is to make our franchise the preferred choice on all property related issues,” she says. “To achieve this we are more than willing to partner with other agencies so as to ensure that the clients’ best interests are served – even if this does mean that they finally select their property from another agency because it suits them better.”
Val de Vie will soon be expanding: having acquired a portion of the farm Kliprug and Levendal Development from the Power Development Group. They are now in a position to erect another 1,904 residences. This development will be linked to and incorporated with Val de Vie and will be rolled out in phases over the next ten years, thereby enhancing Val de Vie’s already good reputation.
“In view of the high standards which have been set and maintained ever since Val de Vie kicked off, “ says Joubert, “and the magnificent facilities that it offers, this is one property development which I feel I can recommend wholeheartedly.”
For further information contact Lizette Joubert on 021 872 8385 or paarl@rawsonproperties.com.
