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MAGNIFICENT UPPER CLAREMONT HOME IS THE BEST THAT HE HAS EVER HANDLED, SAYS VINEYARD ESTATES CEO
When the principal of an estate agency with 22 years’ property marketing experience says that a home recently listed by himself is far and away the best he has ever been involved with, property watchers should take note.
This is the position in which Anton du Plessis, Chief Executive of Vineyard Estates, has recently found himself. He has been awarded the sole mandate for a magnificent triple storey slate roofed period home (with Georgian features) on which the asking price is R8,9 million.
The home is sited in the upmarket ‘Hen and Chicken Estate’ of Upper Claremont and, says du Plessis, is in every respect more tastefully and better finished than any handled by him in his career.
The property has been owned and lived in for some eight years by a retired Dutch executive in a highly regarded international banking operation, but he and his wife are now downscaling as part of their retirement plan.
The building, says du Plessis, probably dates back to as early as the 1920s, but the only documentation from this period is a newspaper article dated 1940 and plans for an alteration dated 1936.
The current owner has carried out a series of upgrades and modernisations, all, says du Plessis, in ‘impeccable good taste’ and these, while modernising the home, have enhanced its air of ‘regal distinction’.
Among the more striking features of this home are an ultramodern, freestanding spiral staircase which appears to float in space, double volume vertically sliding sash windows (some in bay window configurations) and lead paned windows (in the study and upstairs bedroom). All window glass in the home has bevelled edges. Many of the floors are beech wood and the kitchen and other cupboards have solid Canadian cherry wood fronts.
Further attractive features are wood burning fireplaces in the lounge and TV room, a gas fireplace in the 100m² study, and an attractive ground floor wraparound verandah. The kitchen has wooden floors and is magnificently equipped with two Gaggenau ovens with curved glass doors to match the curvature of the joinery, a restaurant grade stainless steel extraction fan, and Gaggenau griddle and deep fryer. There are as well two Gaggenau refrigerators and freezers. Adjacent to the kitchen is a scullery, separate laundry, separate pantry and an attractive breakfast area with under-tile heating and double doors to a completely protected and spacious patio garden, in addition to the main garden.
The home has four bedrooms in all, the main with a dressing room and its own bathroom. Other accommodation includes a guestroom/staff room, a sauna, and large study which could serve as a home office.
The garden has been exceptionally well maintained and has a swimming bath and garaging for two cars.
The lighting throughout the house, says du Plessis, is extremely sophisticated and can be controlled from a central point with remote controls, as can the entrance gate to the property. The high boundary wall is topped by electric fencing, making this a very secure property.
Du Plessis says that prices in Upper Claremont have been consistently good, despite the recession, because the area has such an exclusive reputation and is so conveniently positioned for UCT, several good schools and for quick easy access to the central business district.
“This property ticks all of the boxes in terms of fundamentals – it is on a double stand of just under 1000m², is sited on a corner which affords extra privacy, and the house is well positioned on the erf, enjoys excellent views, and is in one of the best streets in the area,” he said.
“Had this particular home followed the generally accepted annual escalation formula for the Cape metro issued by FNB’s John Loos, we should be asking over R 11 million for it.
Sales in the Upper Claremont area, says du Plessis, have this year been in the R7 to R 19 million bracket. In October 2009, on an identical stand two houses away, a house was sold for R5 million and then almost completely gutted. This places the relative land value at just under R5 million with no buildings at all.
“If one were able to source the appropriate craftsmen, I would estimate that this house would cost nothing less than R7,5 million to replicate. It is clearly an exceptionally good buy at under R 9 million and the seller is also willing to negotiate the sale of many of the antique pieces throughout the home, many of which were especially sourced to match the lofty interiors and large rooms.”