As any serious investor will tell you , your return on investment depends on some deft footwork . This isn ’ t just dancing - it ’ s tap-dancing . Not around issues , but straight at them - exposing them in the harsh spotlight of the stage .
Issues such as financial backing , progress , vision , track record and skin in the game . When it comes to real estate investment , the details matter . You don ’ t just want two out of five . Because houses are only as safe as the team behind it . At Crossways the financial backing , vision for a sustainable future and track record speaks volumes when considering who is driving it .
Stage left is Dr Chris Mulder . The man with the vision . Award-winning , internationally renowned landscape architect and the mastermind behind uber-successful Thesen Islands in Knysna , Dr Mulder and his team at CMAI Architects have created a vision as solid as the mountains circling the farm . As a testament to his dedication , Dr Mulder and his business partner and wife , Pat , have upped their roots at Thesen Islands and moved to Crossways , reiterating their passion for building communities from the ground up .
As an investor , you cannot ask for more than that . This goes beyond skin in the game . Dr Mulder is getting his hands dirty , every day , driving the vision forward . Of course , all of this is only possible through the correct financial backing .
Enter mega-farmer David Osborne , one of South Africa ’ s most successful agri-businessmen . CEO of Number Two Piggeries ( N2P ), representing more than 20 % of all national pork production in the country , David knows a thing or two about backing a winning … pig . And even though he stays mostly out of the spotlight , his more than 40 years of business acumen is always on tap when it comes to Crossways .
“ Back to the good life . Back to being neighbourly , to safety and security , to a lifestyle long lost in the city .”
“ It ’ s all about keeping an eye on the rands and cents , and at the same time keeping an eye on the macro-agri picture ,” he explains . “ But none of that means anything if you don ’ t have good partners , good managers and good staff at the heart of your business , and in whom you need to invest .
Following on from that , and staying with the triple-threat analogy , the second investment is that of sustainability . The ability to act in a positive and self-sustaining fashion . Not just because Crossways has upped the game by not being an estate , but a pioneering rural town - complete with its own municipal services such as sewerage , water and electricity - but because investing in Crossways is also investing in the nearby Thornhill community .
Acting deliberately by embracing the 3000-strong community through a community trust , Crossways was designed around the principles of food security , rural development , job creation , poverty alleviation and training . Which is why there are also commercial as well as light industrial opportunities available for the budding entrepreneur . It is an investment acting on your good conscience - for the betterment of all .
“ Crossways has upped the game by not being an estate , but a pioneering rural town - complete with its own municipal services .”
And finally , Crossways is not just about the dancing - or the ability to act . But also , primarily , the ability to sing . Because Crossways is first and foremost an investment in a lifestyle . It is not some numbers on a spreadsheet waiting to be analysed . It ’ s a working , living farm , with space to play and a community of similarly-minded individuals who all want to leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind . Who want to wake up every day with a song in their hearts .
And dramatic as that sounds , isn ’ t that part of the investment game ? The ability to resell the dream . Not just the ROI . Because the dream is the return of investment . It is , as their marketing says , not getting away from it all - but getting back to it all . Back to the good life . Back to being neighbourly , to safety and security , to a lifestyle long lost in the city .
You ’ re investing in your health , in the happiness of your family , in 520 hectares of a sustainable vision , divided into three nodes . One for conservation , never to be touched or developed . One for urban agriculture and the working dairy farm . And one for sustainable living , with a farmstead in your name and the opportunity to get grounded in nature .
With 660 erven ranging from 200 square meters to 8500 square meters and a choice of customised home designs for each erven , Crossways is an investment opportunity for everyone . Whether you simply want to invest in the vision or whether you want to invest in your lifestyle , taking advantage of the running , mountain biking , hiking , swimming or fresh produce gathered from all around - Crossways Farm Village is a solid bet .
To get in touch with the team at Crossways to see how you can invest in community , opportunity and lifestyle , or all three , please visit crossways . co . za or contact Mariaan Coetzee on 083 788 0926 .
What are you waiting for ? Break a leg !
SOURCE Crossways Farm Village
SA Real Estate Investor Magazine NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 11