We live our entire life in places . All physical places are real estate . Our response to a place , how we design and plan it , and the frequency and manner in which we use it impacts its value . If you do not use the land then , it has no value ,” says Dr Mulder .
“ Rural to urban migration uproots people from places which they love , disrupts their lives , and creates ongoing liabilities , not assets in rural South Africa . Almost 40 % of people in this country live outside of the urban edge , in rural South Africa . And no one is doing anything in rural South Africa ”.
He adds : “ That ’ s why I ’ ve dedicated the last 15 years of my life to developing rural South Africa . I ’ m passionate about this country . That ’ s why I decided to go into rural new town developments .”
Crossways Farm Village prides itself in not being just another ‘ cookie cutter ’ rural village , but a strategically planned smart rural town , outside of the conventional urban edge . Consisting of prestigious village houses , small single-family homes , commercial properties and senior living developments in a safe and secure natural environment .
In fact the entire town , the first proclaimed rural new town / smart village in South Africa will be managed and run on a dedicated fast fibre network installed and owned by the Developer . Similarly all the bulk services ( water , sewer , electricity and infra structure ) are installed as per the Zoning and EIA approvals by the Developer .
At Crossways , the track record is the way forward . Consider the effort to establish a new town . The infrastructure , the planning , the zoning , the transfers and the endless administration . These are not the actions of a developer not invested . It speaks of vision , grit and knowledge . “ There is an art and science and requires a dedicated design team and responsible developers to create real estate of enduring value ”
According to Dr Mulder , enduring value in real estate with a high investment grade is made up of four key aspects :
1
Economic Value
One of the most important key factors is economic value . Which manifests in the form of strong and consistent rental income streams , absorption and occupancy rates , premium sales price and performance , capital growth and above all tax return .
2
Socio-Cultural Value
Socio-cultural value distills the contribution that a place makes or reinforces in our positive social interaction and socialisation with the place . The cultural heritage , education and development that the place engrains and encourages that plays a role in our identity and sense of worth .
SA Real Estate Investor Magazine NOV 2021 7