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Rawson franchisees partners in last Hemel en Aarde development 2008-04-21
Rawson Properties’ Hermanus franchisees, Peter Noel and Peter Greyling, have teamed up with a group of Cape Town investors to develop 24 erven in the highly successful Hemel en Aarde Estate, four kilometres on the Cape Town side of Hermanus, at the entrance to the now famous wine growing area.

The new joint venture has bought a 1,6ha parcel of land in the estate and will now apply for planning permission to develop it.

Peter Greyling said that both he and Noel already live in Hemel en Aarde and both are building there in their own right.

“We can testify that the Hemel en Aarde Estate offers people a really pleasant, totally secure lifestyle with a wide range of extra-mural facilities. The estate has a full time support staff controlled by the Estate Manager and its own large clubhouse with a fully equipped gymnasium, saunas and steam rooms, swimming pools, tennis and squash courts, putting and chipping green. Walking trails have been laid out throughout the estate and the landscaping is of a high standard. Noel said that Hemel and Aarde is the pre-eminent Hermanus project but prices are in many cases lower than those of older homes in the longer-established and central parts of Hermanus.

The levy paid to the Home Owner’s Association for a typical 750 square metre property in the estate is about R450 per month. This covers all aspects of estate living including full use of the recreation facilities, 24 hour security and estate maintenance.

The ground to be developed by the Rawson franchisees and their partners is very close to the clubhouse complex and high enough to offer panoramic views of Onrus, the adjoining coastline and the ocean.

It is in fact the last parcel of land still awaiting development in the estate where, to date, some 210 homes have been completed and where right now work is proceeding on 45 new homes. The price of home re-sales at Hemel en Aarde has, said Noel, risen to an average of over R2 million. Smaller two and three bedroom homes (called ‘Streetscapes’) currently sell for between R1,4 and R1,8 million while other homes in the estate market prices range from R1,9 to R6,0 million.

“Much of the success of the development,” said Noel, “stems from the strict application of the architectural design rules. Although there is a subtle diversity in styles across the estate, all conform to a Cape Vernacular appearance. This ensures that the homes have a pleasing uniformity and no one unit can let down the standards of the estate.”

The section to be developed by the Rawson franchisees and their partners will, as mentioned, have 24 erven. These will on average be 500 sq metres in size. Most of the homes will be double storey and floor areas will vary from 250 to 300m2 – which means that most of the homes will have three or four bedrooms.

Special attention, said Greyling, will be paid to creating large patios and balconies and all the homes will be eco-friendly, making use of solar power, heat retention techniques and water saving systems.

The prices are likely to be in the R2,5 to R2,8 million range but could go higher if buyers make the most of the wide range of more upmarket fittings and fixtures on offer.

Although the launch is still almost a year off, Greyling said that word of the project has leaked out and Rawson Properties is now accepting enquiries and reservations.

“I do not,” said Greyling, “want to go overboard in my enthusiasm but I can honestly say that in my view right now Hermanus and especially the Hemel and Aarde Estate offer the best property investment opportunities in the Cape Province. Everyone expects the market to turn within the next year and capital appreciation in this area is likely to be at least 15% per annum.”

The town, he said, rivals Knysna as the most popular in South Africa and has seen phenomenal growth for at least five years. This growth, he said, is set to continue, making the entire Fisherhaven to Hermanus coastal belt sought after and increasingly affluent.

For further information contact Peter Noel or Peter Greyling on 028 313 1870.