Top Alexander Swart estate agent says Vredekloof currently offers the best value

Jason Blight, Alexander Swart Property's Brand Ambassador for 2018 and so far in 2019 their top selling agent, has announced his intention of focusing this year on the Vredekloof area of Brackenfell.

"I believe, after serving the area for  eleven years, I understand the Brackenfell residential property market as well as anybody can," said Blight this week, "and I am convinced that no other section of Brackenfell offers such good value as Vredekloof does at present."

Vredekloof, says Blight, is already  known for its larger-than-usual family homes (often with three or four bedrooms and well-kept gardens), its good, newly established primary school and its close proximity to the Stellenberg high school . Although not a rural suburb it has three attractive dams with  green lawn surrounds, and, says Blight, has "really good" security. Over ten years ago its residents initiated a Community Improvement Programme which is recognised as one of the most successful at the Cape. Vredekloof also has its own small shopping centre, Glengarry, and is just five kilometres from the state- of- the art Cape Gate centre. Few Cape precincts, says Blight, are as centrally and conveniently situated.

The safety of the  area, he says, is enhanced by the fact that it has only two entrance and exit points and these are guarded (and monitored by CCtv) round the clock and every day of the week, the operators being  a security company funded by all Vredekloof residents. As a result, crime in Vredekloof is rare and very few Cape residential areas enjoy such a calm and trouble free lifestyle.

According to the property analysts CMA there are in  Vredekloof currently 878 freehold  title homes and 125 sectional homes . As the area is fully developed and has no vacant erven, says Blight, demand for existing homes there has risen steadily over the years: in 2016 the area saw 32 sales with an average price of R I, 995, 000 and a top price of R3,2 million. By 2018, when there were 31 sales, the average price had risen to R2,425,000 with a top price of R3,6 million. In the March to May period this year the average price was R2,288,000, a slight drop but typical of all SA residential property in the run-up to the election- and the highest price was just over R4 million.

"On average," says Blight, "freehold homes in this relatively inexpensive area have risen by about R200,000 per annum -and I predict that they will continue to rise. As I have said, the value for money in Vredekloof is outstanding, especially if one looks at the bigger family homes which have recently been selling at prices of R2,2 to R2,6 million while sectional title homes are selling at average prices of around R1,3million and town houses at around R1,8 million." These sales, he adds, are complemented by regular ongoing sales of homes priced at over R3 million. Andre Swart., one of Alexander Swart's principals, in 2003achieved the highest sale price ever in Vredekloof with a price of R5,5 million.

Blight says that he is working long hours and most weekends to maintain his leading position at the moment at Alexander Swart and is available at almost any time to do free valuations or simply give advice on the property market.