SA Affordable Housing September / October 2020 | Page 20

PROJECT
Another prominent trend they are noticing in this affordable
market is the need for security, which has already been a
longstanding trend in South Africa’s higher cost property market.
Vorster describes it as “the single biggest selling point” on this
mass estate and the reason why the term ‘security’ features
in the development’s name. The estate has an HOA which is
successfully collecting levies which covers the security and the
upkeep of the common areas and facilities.
Senior project manager, Leroy Coetzee, says Westview 2 is
also their first development offering fibre internet connectivity
(10Mps uncapped), and the take-up by the market has
outperformed expectation. This tailored fibre deal is a first for
the affordable market, he claims.
The popularity of these features shows a steady market shift
for the more decerning buyer and higher income earner in the
affordable sector. This is also reflected in the changes they have
already made to their designs: one being the inclusion of Juliet
balconies with sliding doors, and another towards open-plan
living. “Public sector employees make up a large portion of our
target market and most of these individuals’ income was not too
severely impacted by the national lockdown. After the easing of
lockdown level 5, we experienced a surge in interested buyers at
income levels of up to 30% above the minimum qualifying criteria.
This trend that we are seeing here at Westview is not only due to
the interest rates cuts,” says Vorster. “The larger, more expensive
houses are more popular than the smaller lower priced houses.”
There are several lifestyle features, such as parks with
outdoor gym equipment and children’s play areas including a
COSMOPOLITAN PROJECTS
An aerial view of Westview 2 Security Estate, with its scenic
location.
18 SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2020 SAAffordHousing saaffordablehousingmag SA Affordable Housing www.saaffordablehousing.co.za