Angela is a holder of the Estate Agents Board Certificate, having successfully completed the examination in 1989. She is also a Certified Residential Specialist, one of very few in the Southern Cape coastal area.
In the past Angela has consistently achieved in excess of a 90% success rate in selling sole mandates in the first 25 years as an Estate Agent. Nowadays, after 30 years, she has chosen to specialize in the much needed holiday rental market between Glentana, Great Brak River, Southern Cross and in particularly the Island where there is a heavy demand.
Of British origin, Angela is widely travelled, having lived in England, Canada, and the USA before South Africa. Superb personal service to clients has been the key to Angela’s success, and her regular feedback to the people she helps has assured her of an extremely high rate of referrals by satisfied clients.
For Rental property owners, Angela has earned an enviable reputation as a listing specialist through her thorough knowledge of comparable properties currently being rented in the area. This expertise, combined with her success in ensuring the best fair rentable value within the shortest time possible, has helped many owners achieve their goals. Her communication style is gentle, open and honest. Let Angela take care of the responsibility for the rental of your property whether it be a furnished, self-catering holiday home or long term.
For Buyers and Sellers, Angela works with people from different sources, especially referrals from previously satisfied clients. Angela easily establishes a rapport and an understanding of a buyer’s needs and property profile. Her tendency is to work with fewer clients on a more personal level, so providing the personal quality service she feels is essential in helping you to make that important buying or selling decision.
When planning that exciting family holiday, Angela’s website offers photos from all angles, including the views of each individual property. There is no chance of arriving for your special holiday and finding the house not as expected. This service has been met with outstanding success.
So, if you’re thinking of planning your next important holiday, for friendly, personal and professional service, call Angela, at Angela’s Real Estate. Happy browsing and happy house-hunting.
Home ownership on the coast in the Southern Cape provides the magic of the world’s prettiest garden for both local and overseas investors. For the nature lover, the Garden Route is a feast.
The major lakes in the area from George to Knysna, Groenvlei, Swartvlei, Langvlei and Rondevlei are, with the exception of Groenvlei, saline to varying degrees.
Given the wealth of food in the lakes, it is not surprising that more than 150 different bird species can be seen.
The forests of Knysna and the Tsitsikamma are awe-inspiring and unforgettable. They combine to create a vast forest extending almost 180kms along the coast and up to 18kms inland, up to the foothills of the Outeniqua mountain range. The forests cover over 40 000 ha of indigenous trees, including Blackwood, Yellowwood, Stinkwood and Cape Chestnuts. Many of the trees, particularly Yellowwoods, reach a great age and height, and have become popular tourist attractions.
On 3 February 1488 Bartolomeu Dias, the Portuguese explorer, made a landing near what is today known as Mossel Bay. He named the bay “Angra dos Vaqueiros” or the “Bay of Cowherds”, because of the Hottentot herdsmen he and his crew had seen on the shore. Attempts at trading for fresh meat were met with a hail of thrown stones, resulting in a hasty retreat. Later explorers were more fortunate. Vasco da Gama landed in the same spot on 20 November 1497 and managed to trade without any bother.
For several years the Bay, with cattle and fresh water springs was used by the Portuguese as a stopping place to the Far East. In about 1500, Pedro de Ataide set a precedent by leaving a letter in a large Milkwood tree close to the shore. The letter was collected the following year by Joao de Nova when his ship put ashore for water. A later refinement to this Portuguese Postal system was the introduction of a boot, dangling from the branches of the Milkwood, in which letters could be “posted”. So was born the “Post Office Tree”, and today a postbox in the shape of a boot has been erected on the site, next to the original tree, now over 500 years old.
In 1767 the first tiny settlement was begun at Mossel Bay, with a wheat granary for storage from local farms. Today the town is a bustling, friendly small port with important fish product factories. It is also home to the “Mossgas” project which has had a major impact on the local economy. The climate in Mossel Bay is acknowledged as being one of the most moderate in South Africa.
In 1776 Commandant Mulder and 16 assistants set up a woodcutters post where the town of George was eventually established. The settlement’s formal establishment took place in 1811 when the Earl of Caledon, British Governor of the Cape, declared a new magistracy. The new town was named “George Town” after King George 111, and the first plots were given to six woodcutters whose task it was to supply building materials. The town of George was laid out in generous scale with the main street and the other major streets all being over 80 m wide. The streets were also all lined with trees, and the result was a pleasant, leafy village which had become a staging post and administrative centre. In 1837 it was elevated to the dignity of a municipality.
In 1850 George achieved the distinction of becoming probably the smallest city in the world, when Bishop Robert Gray consecrated the Cathedral of St Mark.
In 1867 work was begun on a new route through the forests between George and Knysna, by the famous engineer, Thomas Bain. The result was an 82 km mountain road which even today remains a remarkable feat of engineering, and, like so many of the mountain passes in the area, affords many scenic splendours, including the Phantom Pass down into Knysna.
George has a modern airport and several of the better golf courses in South Africa, including the famous “Fancourt”.
South Africa represents an outstanding property investment opportunity to potential buyers operating in Sterling, Euros or US$. Not only is the investment sound from a financial point of view, offering excellent financial returns on your investment, but a holiday home investment also provides the opportunity to escape the miserable cold Northern Hemisphere winter each year and provide your family with an annual sunny vacation.
Angela’s Real Estate is ideally situated in the warm heart of South Africa’s Garden Route, approximately halfway between the cities of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, and serviced by the modern airport in the town of George. The Garden Route is arguably one of the most beautiful parts of South Africa, with stunning sandy beaches and a very moderate climate. Property values have increased favourably each year, making an investment in this area a smart decision.
Buying property in South Africa as a foreigner is not a problem, and is made comforting by the fact that South Africa has one of the most sophisticated and professionally administered property registration systems in the world. This assures a high degree of certainty regarding ownership, description of the extent of the property and the limitations or rights regarding the use of the property.
Property in South Africa is normally transacted through an Estate Agent who must be a registered member of the Estate Agents Board. Such membership provides protection to both buyer and seller as certain rights are guaranteed by a Fidelity Fund Certificate.
Transfer of Funds
Having concluded a successful offer to purchase, as a foreigner, you will need to provide the necessary payment from your source country. South African law dictates that all foreign exchange must be approved by the SA Reserve Bank.
As a “foreigner” or “non-resident”, you may borrow a portion of the purchase price of the property in South Africa, the deposit having been brought into the country from source. The total amount borrowed against the purchase is at the discretion of a commercial bank, and is subject to normal credit approval criteria.
The approved “Bond account” would be serviced either from rentals received, or funded from source. In this regard, Angela’s Real estate is ideally situated to offer a full service management of the property, which includes rental and maintenance management.
Security of your investment
South African banking and financial institutions systems are at least as safe as any other banks in the western world, well established and dependable. Any transfer of funds through the correct institutions are secure, safe and guaranteed.
Repatriation of Funds
South African foreign exchange regulations are under review with the objective of deregulation to make it simpler for both the inflow and outflow of funds. The law states that funds invested by a non-resident may be repatriated at any time, including any capital gain, and this situation is highly unlikely to change as the South African authorities seek to encourage foreign investment.
“Transfer Duty” is a government tax and is applicable in every case excepting where the seller is registered for VAT, and the property is classified as “stock in trade”. Transfer Duty is calculated on the following scale for “natural persons”
0% on the first R750 000 of the purchase price.
3% on R750 001 to R1 250 000.
R1 250 001 – 1 750 000
R15 000 + 6% of the value above R1 250 000
R1 750 001 – 1 250 000
R45 000 + 8% of the value above R1 750 000
R2 250 001 – 10 000 000
R85 000 + 11% of the value exceeding R2 250 000
In the 2006/7 budget it was announced that a 2% reduction (from 10% down to 8%) in the flat transfer duty rate charged to companies and trusts. This is necessary for investors who place their properties in trust and company-related structures.
Call us on: +27 (0) 44 620 2661 or +27 (0) 83 252 4343
Email enquiries to: angela@angelasrealestate.co.za
Physical Address: Dapplemere Lodge, OP10b, Old National Road, Near Great Brak River
Postal Address: PO Box 322, Great Brak River, 6525
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