Betty’s Bay on the Cape Overberg coast is seeing a surge in demand for both vacant land and properties in need of renovation.
This modern home has four bedrooms, four bathrooms and is situated on the mountain side. It has a beautiful landscaped garden and is on the market for R2.5 million - click here to view.
Pam Golding Properties’ local office reports that sales of vacant land in the town have increased from September 2011 to June 2012. PGP has also sold a number of older homes that have been modernised and upgraded, some of them totally remodelled by local architects.
Betty’s Bay lies on the R44 coastal route from Gordon’s Bay to Hermanus.
The town is ideally placed for residents of Somerset West and Cape Town to use as a weekend getaway, being just a 45 minutes drive from the former and a little over an hour away from the latter.
It also has a growing, permanent population, with its proximity to Cape Town making it possible for residents to work from home and simply commute into town for meetings and airport access.
This conventional home has three bedrooms and beautiful seaviews. It has a two bathrooms, a built-in braai room and a small study. It is retailing for R2 million - click here to view.
The residential area lies beautifully sandwiched between mountains and ocean, adjacent to the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve, and there are over 15km of coastline including two large beaches.
This tranquil environment is a haven for nature lovers, with extensive dune and fynbos surroundings, a magnificent botanical garden, three wetlands and its own penguin colony, as well as seasonal whale-watching.
PGP agent, Mary-Louise van Rooyen says the area around Silversands Beach in the western section of the town has been particularly popular with those looking to build or renovate over the past year.
PGP sales from November 2011 to June 2012 included a seafront plot of 1350sqm, sold for R1.5 million, as well as an 1800sqm erf set just a few properties back from the sea that was sold for R625 000.
Five bedroom family home with four bathrooms and four garages. It has an indoor braai and hobby room and is on the market for R1.64 million - click here to view.
The Capetonian buyers of the latter property have already begun building their weekend home on the plot.
They recently sold a three-bedroomed home on the front row, set on over 1200sqm, for R3.4 million, says van Rooyen, and the Cape Town family who bought it also purchased the adjacent 1300sqm plot for R1.5 million, chiefly to secure their views.
A number of these buyers are using local resident architects, designers and builders, and carrying out extensive renovations or even total rebuilds, explains van Rooyen.
It has been quite a revelation to see some of the dated, older buildings being completely transformed into attractive, modern holiday homes, she says.
“Inside, the reception rooms are generally being opened up to create open-plan living areas, with cosy fireplaces to enjoy in winter. Outdoor areas are also being modernised and upgraded, with timber decks, shady stoeps and sheltered patios being created. Maximising ocean views and modernising finishes, especially in bathrooms and kitchens, are also a common strategy,” she says.
Two bedroom home with seaviews is on the market for R1.45 million - click here to view.
As for the exteriors, dark walls and heavy brickwork are generally giving way to timber frame housing that is particularly in demand due to its ecological friendliness and its suitability to the surrounding environment, says van Rooyen.
The overall aim has been to improve these homes’ suitability for all-year-round living, and many of them are now being offered as weekend and holiday rentals, if they are not being used by their owners on a full-time basis, she says.
PGP’s area manager Mike Bisset says Silversands is a highly sought-after section of Betty’s Bay, due to its powdery white beach, magnificent ocean views, and its position slightly away from the village centre – which means it is generally quieter than the rest of town, even in peak season.
Many of the seafront homes in this area face west and enjoy magnificent sunset views over the ocean, he says.
This three bedroom, seafront home has beautiful ocean and mountian views and a well maintained garden. It is selling for R3.8 million - click here to view.
Pricing varies according to the age of the home, quality of finishes and distance from the beachfront, he says.
Bissets says there are some extremely competitively-priced properties in the sections further back from the beach, located closer to the wetlands – for example, PGP is marketing a four-bedroom family home on over 1300sqm, at R1.53 million, and a newer three-bedroomed home on a similar-sized plot for R1.64 million.
More compact homes on smaller erven can be obtained just under the R1 million mark, while plots are generally priced from R350 000 to R980 000, depending on position and size, he explains.
At the other end of the pricing scale, newly-built or extensively-renovated luxury homes on the front row can fetch well beyond R5 million – on the rare occasion that they come onto the market.
One such property is currently for sale through PGP on the Silversands beachfront, priced at R8 million.
The elegant home offers relaxed yet stylish living and magnificent ocean views. Stackable doors allow for easy flow from the high-ceilinged interiors onto a deep veranda, ideal for outdoor dining.
The home has four en suite bedrooms, and the master suite has its own fireplace, as well as French doors leading onto a Jacuzzi deck.
Features such as under-floor heating, a modern country kitchen, spacious open-plan living areas and a built-in braai make this an ideal home for both permanent or holiday use.
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