Market report: Nelson Mandela Bay

For a few years after 2008/ 09 recession, the golf estate property market went into something of a decline, due to a lack of affordability and a decrease in the number of people playing golf.    

But in the past few years it has been on the rise again, helped by the fact that developers and course owners are starting to redesign these enclaves to make them accessible to broader range of potential buyers and also starting to employ more sustainable and eco-friendly maintenance and management practices.
    
So says Charlotte Vermaak, principal of Chas Everitt International in Nelson Mandela Bay, who says this approach is clearly evident, for example, at the beautiful Wedgewood Golf and Country Estate on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth, close to the new Baywest Mall.
    
“This development will ultimately consist of over 840 houses located within three villages on a championship 18-hole golf course, and although it is also within easy reach of the international airport, several excellent schools such as Curro Westbrook and Woodridge College and the stunning beach at Blue Horizon Bay, it is extremely well-priced.  
   
“Stands of about 600sqm in this estate are available at prices from R275,000, or buyers can opt for spacious plot-and-plan homes starting at around R1,3m including the stand. There are also some resale homes available now at prices ranging from around R1,2m to about R2,4m.” (See https://www.chaseveritt.co.za/results/residential/for-sale/port-elizabeth/wedgewood-golf-estate/vacant-land/13389906/)
   
The estate is adjacent to the Hopewell Nature Conservancy, she notes, and large parts of the site will remain undisturbed in order to protect the local fauna and flora. In addition, most of the water used for irrigation of the golf course is recycled and re-used effluent water, and several lakes on the front nine holes of the golf course promote a natural eco-system and attract a wide variety of birds.
    
“There is an energy-efficient clubhouse that is home to the popular Wedgewood Family Market, a monthly event featuring handcrafted goods and artisanal food, and the developers plan to add a community centre and sports centre as the development grows.”
    
Other golf estate options in Nelson Mandela Bay, Vermaak notes, are:    

• The new Sardinia Bay Golf and Wildlife estate, where stands are available at prices between R595 000 and R895 000 and fully-inclusive building packages for three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes start at around R2,2m; and
   
• The exclusive Little Walmer Estate built around the historic Little Walmer golf course in the heart of the city. Home prices here start at around R3m, but can range all the way up to about R11,5m.See https://www.chaseveritt.co.za/results/residential/for-sale/port-elizabeth/walmer/house/13372800