Fisantekraal at a glance
Fisantekraal is the umbrella name for the huge area to the north-east of Cape Town that is steadily becoming the focus of new development in the "land-locked" metro.
It is located to the east of what remains of the original Groot Phesantekraal farm, which was given to its first owner, Olof Bergh, by Governor Simon van der Stel in 1698, and currently houses a popular boutique winery and the award-winning Phizantekraal restaurant.
Also identified as the North-East Corridor in terms of the metro's long-term spatial planning, the development area is roughly bounded by the R302 (Malmesbury road) to the west, the R312 (Wellington road) to the north, and the R304 (Stellenbosch road) to the east.
And it has been in the news lately as the site of the massive new Greenville project by Garden Cities - the company that originally developed Pinelands, Sunningdale and various other suburbs in Cape Town.
However, says Egbert Meyer, area specialist for the Chas Everitt International property group, the developments for homebuyers and investors to really watch currently are those concentrated along the area's southern edge.
These include luxury Durbanville estates such as Graandendal and Welgevonden as well as the suburb of Uitzicht, the Buh-Rein precinct, and the Joostenberg Vlakte agricultural holdings.
Graanendaal, which also occupies a portion of the original Groot Phesantekraal, offers residents spectacular mountain and vineyard views and a "country" lifestyle combined with easy access to top schools and business and medical facilities. It also has its own convenience shopping centre.
According to property data company Lightstone, the average price of freehold homes in the estate is currently around R2,2m and the average price of stands is R1,425m.
The developers recently also launched the Graanendal Lifestyle Village, which offers upmarket townhouses at prices from around 1,85m to R1,95m.
The neighbouring Welgevonden estate offers spacious three and four-bedroom family homes with private gardens and pools, in a secure environment with 24-hour access control. The average price is R2,825m, according to Lightstone, and many of the homes also offer lovely mountain views.
Meanwhile in Uitzicht there is a wider variety of homes, including sectional title apartments at an average price of R675 000, suburban houses at an average of R1,8m and homes in security complexes and estates such as Avalon ranging from around R1,7m all the way up to around R3,8m.
To the east of that is Buh-Rein, the very large multi-spectrum development by MSP which offers modern apartments, townhouses and freestanding homes in a series of secure "villages". The estate contains a plethora of sports and recreation facilities for residents, and will soon boast its own shopping centre. Prices range from around R520 000 for one-bedroom apartments and R650 000 for two-bedroom apartments all the way up to around R1,7m for three-bedroom townhouses and houses.
"Then for those who hanker for the country life and a property where they can keep horses and livestock or grow their own food," says Meyer, the Joostenberg Vlakte area to the east of Buh-Rein offers a selection of family homes on smallholdings ranging in size from around 0,5ha all the way up to 5ha. Prices start at around R3m and range all the way up to around R6,5m, depending on the size of the land and any other improvements made as well as the size and condition of the house on the property and any business that is being run from the property."