 |
| The Good Retirement Guide |
|
 |
 |
 |
Planning in advance for your retirement can not only save you a great of deal of stress, it can also provide you with financial security.
How will I spend my time?’ ‘Where will I live?’ ‘How much money will I have and how much will I need?’ ‘What do I want to do with the rest of my life?’ These are just some of the many questions that you might find yourself asking when you start thinking about your retirement. A bit overwhelming isn’t it? After all, this is totally unfamiliar territory. For this reason, it is vital to have a guide to help you navigate through this new terrain. You wouldn’t go to a foreign country without some kind of map, would you?
|
 |
| The Clarens Golf and Trout Estate |
|
|
|
|
Situated in the Eastern Freestate in the popular art orientated town of Clarens, the development covers an area spanning approximately 50 hectares.
Upon completion the estate will comprise 250 homes, including 15 two-bedroom rental villas. To date, approximately 70% of the plots have been sold and 80 homes have been constructed.
estata will market the estate’s remaining 80 plots which typically measure 700m2 on average. Architecturally, the homes resemble a “Colonial Free State” style characterised by low pitched roofs and sandstone exteriors.
Clarens has become something of a tourist hotspot with its artistic wares, quaint B&B’s, trout fishing and Swiss-like mountain backdrop. These factors, coupled with a low crime rate, has resulted in an increase of those looking to escape the rat race either permanently or just on weekends.
The estate is also appealing given its geographic position roughly halfway between Johannesburg and Durban.
The estate features an 18 hole golf course designed by golf course design company ‘Golf Data’. Property owners at the estate have automatic access to the course and clubhouse and can fish at the estate’s own trout dam.
|
|
| Retirement Living – The Right Way to Retire |
|
|
|
|
What’s the most important thing to retirees? Most likely the peace of mind to come and go as they please, the knowledge that they aren’t a burden to anyone and a sense of security.
That’s confirmed by Sally Birkett-Sharp, a 66-year-old retiree who, together with her husband Eddie, recently took up occupation in a retirement village on Johannesburg’s East Rand. ‘Moving into the village is the best thing we have ever done,’ she says. ‘We travel frequently, so we can lock up and go when we need to. Also, we know that someone is always on hand should we ever require assistance.’
Sally likes it that companionship is available should she require it, and that she and Eddie enjoy an active community life. They often attend socials, such as bingo and movie screenings in the communal hall, and there are always activities being planned for the residents.
Although there is no frail care on site, a nursing sister visits everyone in the complex and takes their blood pressure. Another convenience that she likes is that the units are all serviced by an external cleaning company, as is the garden, so the responsibility of cleaning and gardening is taken off the residents’ hands.
|
|
Wozani Ridge Coastal Estate is not your typical residential development. It’s not a super exclusive, mass produced golf estate. Neither is it a wine or olive estate. Rather it is a development that has been custom designed with quality construction and family in mind and an eco-friendly ethos at its core.
Situated on the outskirts of the popular seaside village of Hibberdene on KwaZulu Natal’s lush South Coast, Wozani Ridge covers an area spanning 24 hectares atop a sun-drenched ridge 90 metres above sea level, affording its residents unparalleled views over the sea and surrounding indigenous bush.
Ground was first broken at the site in 2004 and 86 stands were allocated. Of these, 41 have been sold and 15 homes have been completed and occupied.
Says Paul Lottreaux, the Developer of the estate: “In line with an eco-friendly ethos, each stand has been designed to blend as closely as possible into the surrounding vegetation.
“Approximately 16 hectares of the site has also been left untouched to encourage wildlife, create corridors of bush between the various homes and engender a feeling of peace and tranquillity.”
A plethora of indigenous animals and birdlife populate the area. Porcupine, genet, duiker and bushbuck are a common sight and over 350 bird species occur in the area.
|
|
| Foreigners Hungry for South African Properties |
|
|
|
|
Despite the precariousness of the world's economy, there is still a lot of foreign interest in South African properties, with investors from the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and even the USA eyeing property here.
A recent analysis of traffic on the Sotheby's International Realty shows that the number of international visits to the website is on the up. The French seem to be the most interested in property in South Africa, with the number of French visitors to the site up by 62%. The number of website visits from people in Australia, Canada and the UK is also up by 52%, 32% and 23% respectively. Visits by Germans have increased by 14% and American visitors have also increased by 10%.
Properties in the bracket of between R3m to R12m get the most hits from international visitors showing that it's mainly up-market holiday homes that foreigners are after. There is also growing interest in smaller, lock-up-and-go properties in metropolitan areas suggesting that corporate travellers want a little place to call home when they are in the country on business rather than staying in a hotel.
| Sotheby’s International Realty, 23-06-2010 |
Read more |
|
|
|
| Top 20 Millionaire Property Suburbs |
|
|
|
|
South Africa's wealthiest citizens favour golf estates, property value statistics provided by data service provider Lightstone show.
Golf estate suburbs dominate a list of the country's most valuable residential areas. Even "top 20" suburbs that aren't best known for their golf courses are in close proximity to well-groomed fairways. Yet, ask any golf estate home owner how often they trammel their home fairway and the chances are good the answer will be "never". Anecdotally, golf estate residents seem to favour these exclusive enclaves for security reasons. Most have high-tech security features and entrances manned by security guards and with procedures to sign in visitors.
|
|
| Property As An Asset Class |
|
|
|
|
Any comparison between investment outlets, today increasingly referred to as asset classes, has to take into account whether the sum invested is paid upfront by the investor or whether he can arrange a deferred payment. It is for this reason that comparisons between asset classes are often difficult to make.
This was one of the key points made by Rob Lawrence, National Manager of Rawson Finance. "Property," wrote Lawrence, "is still the only asset class where an investor can take advantage of gearing. This makes it particularly suitable for the smaller investor with limited resources.
"Supposing," he said, "you had R1 million to invest. You might consider putting it as a lump sum into a government stock or JSE shares - or you could buy two properties, each worth R1 million.
"This is possible because a R1 million property should give you give a net rental yield of ± 6% (i.e. some R5,000 per month), which would probably enable you to approach the banks for a bond of R500,000 on each property.
|
|
| South Africa Property Investment Atlas 2010 |
|
|
|
|
2009 was clearly one of the more difficult years for property, South Africa however appears to have weathered the storm rather well in comparison to some other global economies, due in particular to the introduction of the National Credit Act and relatively conservative bank lending policies with respect to property investment.
2009 investment volumes were boosted by
some large transactions, in particular the merger of Redefine
Income Fund, ApexHi Properties and Madison Property Fund
Managers Holdings that transacted for close to €600mn.
Yields have reached their peak and blanket compression is not
anticipated to feature strongly unless bank lending criteria are
relaxed. However, with demand exceeding supply for quality
property assets select areas may see yield sharpen.
|
|
| Property Still Number One for World’s Wealthy |
|
|
|
|
Property beat other asset classes to the title of most popular among the world’s wealthiest individuals reveals the Global Wealth Report.
Conducted among Citi Private Bank's international high-net-worth clients - those with assets worth more than $10 million (R72.2 million) - showed that the bulk of their portfolios (33 per cent) were invested in property.
The next biggest chunk was Equities at 24 per cent followed by cash at 17 per cent and finally bonds at 13 per cent. Gold, despite its reputation as the safest of havens in turbulent economic environments, can claim only a 0.5% share of the average High Net Worth Individual's (HNWI) investment portfolio.
Furthermore, of those who have invested in property Residential property was the clear favourite accounting for 50% of the typical portfolio - this does not include investors own homes. Commercial was next at 30% but property funds and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) were still being treated cautiously with a combined allocation of under 5%.
|
|
| South Africa Direct Property Good Asset Class |
|
|
|
|
When compared with other asset classes, South Africa direct property was trumped by equities and listed property in 2009, but it outperformed the bond market.
These findings emerged from the SAPOA/IPD South African Property Index for 2009, which also showed that over three years, direct property outperformed all other major asset classes. The index showed that long-term property returns are still in double-digits, with three and five year annualised total returns at 16,2% and 21% respectively. Over the full 15-year history of the index, annualised total returns now stand at 15,9%.
The SA commercial real estate market delivered a total return of 8,7% in 2009.
| IPD South Africa Property Index, 31-03-2010 |
Read more |
|
|
|
|
|
