WORDS: GEORGINA GUEDES & KIM MAXWELL IMAGES: SUPPLIED & SHUTTERSTOCK
If there’s a growth push in local property, it’s in modern retirement estates that are designed to please.
Developers have researched the market and upped the ante, responding to technologically savvy future retirees who travel, enjoy active, fulfilled lifestyles and pursue varied social activities and personal interests. And they want to live well too.
Western Cape
Offering a “five-star lifestyle for the over 50s”, the award-winning De Plattekloof Lifestyle Estate, between Bellville and Bloubergstrand in the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town, caters to luxury buyers in the R7m price range. A full ownership model buys great views and urban proximity.
At Evergreen Lake Michelle, you can expect tranquil views of mountains and water in this board-walked multigenerational estate on 90ha in rural Noordhoek. It borders Table Mountain National Park, is surrounded by wetlands, and has a lake for swimming and sailing.
“Evergreen offers residents the option of ageing in one place – we match lifestyle to life stage. We have a flexible pricing option and can even look at liberating emergency capital from the agreement should the need arise. These are some of the unique qualities that Evergreen offers to ensure relaxed living in later life,” explains Prieshka Taylor, marketing manager, Evergreen Lifestyle.
Set in picturesque surroundings, Zevenwacht Lifestyle Estate provides everything a mature resident may want or need in a full title or sectional title model, so investors can benefit from property capital growth. Adjacent to the vineyards of historic Zevenwacht Estate (residents’ discounts on wine and spa treatments are a plus), it offers Winelands views and comfortable accommodation options ranging from lifestyle homes and independent living apartments to assisted living suites and frail care rooms.
ZEVENWACHT LIFESTYLE ESTATE, CAPE WINELANDS
More than 100 apartments have been sold at Buh-Rein Retirement Village in the Northern Suburbs of Cape Town. “Many retirement schemes cater only to the upper market. Buh-Rein Retirement Village addresses this issue by offering well-priced sectional title ownership properties,” says Riaan Roos, CEO, Multi Spectrum Property (MSP). Both the independent living and assisted living apartments are priced from R919,900.
Within the larger estate of Clara Anna Fontein Lifestyle Estate in rural Durbanville, Oasis Life’s retirement option offers retirees one- to three-bedroom single-level homes with garages, gardens and braai areas. “Oasis Life’s key focus is on creating a lifestyle choice like no other,” says John Chapman, director, Rabie Property Group. “We realise that retirement is about embracing a new chapter in your life rather than necessarily slowing down.”
Situated near the West Coast National Park, Langebaan is a popular attraction for sailing and kiting. Its birdlife is another draw card. The Village at the Langebaan Country Estate is only a few kilometres from the lagoon and offers great spaces and a fantastic community. “Its peaceful environment with roaming wildlife is perfect for those looking to sit back and relax, and for those who want a more active lifestyle, there is plenty to keep you busy, such as bowls, tennis, running paths and mountain bike trails, driving range and 18-hole golf course” says Craig Scott, Developer at The Village.
CLARA ANNA FONTEIN LIFESTYLE ESTATE, DURBANVILLE
Garden Route
The Plettenberg Manor in Keurboomstrand offers a clubhouse for socialising and access to a private beach, hiking trails, a wetland, bird hides and bowling greens. Sectional title apartments with fibre connectivity start from R1,55m and luxury units from R2,695m.
Amble Ridge in picturesque Knysna is an established and spacious village with views over the Knysna Lagoon. It’s a mere 1,5km from the Knysna Golf Club and within easy reach of Leisure Island and the Knysna Heads.
Groenkloof has retirement villages in George, Great Brak River and Rheebok. Its developments boast a spectrum of retirement offerings including own-title houses, assisted living flats, frail care units, sub-acute care facilities, community centres, and a multitude of services for seniors.
THE PLETTENBERG MANOR, KEURBOOMSTRAND
Eastern Cape
The Westbrook lifestyle development in Port Elizabeth puts a different spin on retirement with its “live, work, learn, play, shop, retire” hub on a 128ha piece of land. The secure estate features 3,500 residential homes across nine residential villages, including a community-oriented central space with commercial and retail elements.
With plots and lifestyle homes built in a 2,500ha nature reserve stocked with non-predator game, Hopewell Conservation Estate in PE is an attractive option 20 minutes from town. Eventually 330 units will be available to retirees (the purchase model is not defined).
“Our target market of early retirement buyers will be spending in the R800,000 to R1,5m sector,” says Hopewell GM Kevin Taylor. “Guys selling up in Joburg can’t always afford Franschhoek or the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal.”
WESTBROOK, PORT ELIZABETH
KZN
From first-time buyers looking to put down roots to retired couples seeking an active, outdoor lifestyle, Kindlewood Estate is designed to meet multigenerational living requirements.
The sectional title luxury development Lazuli Lifestyle & Retirement Estate in Port Zimbali offers residents panoramic views of the ocean and an indigenous forest and Zimbali Country Club golf course on their doorstep. “The North Coast of KZN, and more specifically Port Zimbali, has been identified as a true gem on our coastline. It really does present a unique way of life, especially for those entering or in their retirement years,” says sales agent Kevin Fisher.
Shoreline Sibaya is billed as the “ultimate coastal retirement opportunity” for active over 50s. Located in the Sibaya Coastal Precinct commercial and residential node, it’s five minutes from 6,5km of beach and close to Umhlanga Village.
Renishaw Hills is a mature lifestyle village on the rolling hills overlooking Scottburgh on the South Coast. It provides reasonably priced, upmarket homes set in indigenous gardens, with surrounding forests, grasslands and wetlands, and a beach nearby.
LAZULI LIFESTYLE & RETIREMENT ESTATE, PORT ZIMBALI
Inland
According to Ashika Veerasamy, head: marketing and sales, Calgro M3, their La Vie Nouvelle Retirement and Wellness Village in Midrand was designed with four primary value propositions in mind: a safe environment; a world-class, modern medical care centre; an environment that creates high demand, therefore proving to be an excellent investment; and a lifestyle that creates an enhanced sense of freedom and quality.
Celebration Retirement Estate is situated in a prime location in the Northern Suburbs of Joburg, close to shopping centres, sport and medical facilities, and Lanseria Airport.
Here residents have access to a restaurant, library, communal hall for social activities, hair and beauty salons, doctors’ consulting rooms, and a heated indoor swimming pool, as well as frail care facilities.
Heritage Estate in Modderfontein, Gauteng, provides a superior community lifestyle for residents over 50. Common areas include a lounge, home theatre, a wellness hub, a library and a business centre. This sectional title estate offers 126 stylish, secure lock-up-and-go units.
Often retirees have limited funds available to purchase a home in an estate or village, so purchasing a unit to rent out has become an attractive investment option KEVIN FISHER, SALES AGENT, LAZULI LIFESTYLE & RETIREMENT ESTATE
HERITAGE ESTATE, MODDERFONTEIN
