Seeking more security, residents in boomed-off suburbs are said to be loyal, buying with long-term intentions. Allen Grove in Kempton Park is no exception, with two enclosed portions where the demand currently exceeds supply.
Although not entirely boomed-off, Allen Grove offers two enclosed areas and a number of secure complexes. This factor acts as a drawcard for buyers, with one of the enclosed areas being adjacent to another securely closed Kempton Park suburb, Glen Marais. "Allen Grove has two very nice secure areas and I've found that people that buy there stay and are not planning to move," John Matthews, Chas Everitt's area agent, points out.
Allen Grove resident's hesitance to sell is evident in the deeds office records; in November 2006, only three properties were sold and in December a total of five, these are often considered busy months in the property arena. A glance over transfer records dating back to 1997 reveals that the highest number of transfers achieved is 10 in December 1999, the rest comprise a range of single digits.
The rest of Kempton is said to be a buyer's market due to an excess of available stock.
Nicola Van Dyk of Seeff Kempton Park notes that on the RNS listing alone, there are 900 properties for sale, sole mandates and other listings excluded. Allen Grove on the other hand, is a seller's market which tends to lead to sellers pushing up their asking prices.
One agent in the area remarks that seller's prices are often 10% to 15% too high and Van Dyk confirms this by saying they "constantly have to negotiate as sellers have unrealistic expectations. They push for high prices and even play up agencies against each other".
Based on deeds office data, the average property price Allen Grove recorded in 2006 is R864, 607. Van Dyk does stress, however, that full title houses under R900k are hard to come by.
"If you find a freestanding house for less than R900k in Allen Grove then you should know it needs some attention."
She says most freehold properties are priced at R1,1m, but can go as high as R1,6m. In smaller complexes, sectional title units' values start at the R680k mark, "otherwise they are mostly in the R800s in the bigger complexes", Van Dyk explains.
Another common occurrence in Allen Grove is that of sub-division. Stand sizes, on average, are around 1,500sq m and about 10% of Allen Grove properties have been sub-divided. "There are various sub-division cases in the area because sub-dividing cuts down on gardening labour and maintenance."
This suburb is particularly attractive to families with school-going children, as there are a number of English and Afrikaans educational institutions across the board.
Allen Grove is also close to the R24, which makes Pretoria easily accessible. – Bavani Naidoo
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