Upmarket homes, botanical gardens, a temperate climate and situated a mere 27km from Durban’s city centre are to name but a few of the attributes and attractions that lure residents to the leafy suburb of Kloof in Kwazulu Natal.
At the turn of the century, many of Durban’s wealthier businessmen built country mansions and homesteads in Kloof as weekend getaways and the area soon gained a reputation foreputationhe right address. Today, property in Kloof offers some of the most sought-after real estate in the eThekweni Municipal area, displaying the bravura of some of the finest architecture in the country.
The Kranskloof Nature reserve borders the town and offers locals and tourists the most magnificent views of the indigenous forest, Molweni streams and cascading waterfalls. The Valley of 1000 Hills tour, which remains a popular attraction for visitors, starts in Kloof, and the nearby Everton Conservancy offers visitors a view of the abundant nature and wildlife that has been so carefully preserved by town planners.
Regarded as one of Natal’s finest golf courses, the Kloof Country Club has a picturesque 18 hole course and for those who believe in “life after golf” the country club offers a variety of other sporting and recreational activities. The area encompasses the very finest that suburban living offers; upmarket shopping centres such as the Field’s Shopping Centre or the Village Mall cater to the needs of those that have the pleasure of calling Kloof home. Umhlanga is an approximate 26 km from Kloof and is domicile to the expansive Gateway Shopping Centre .
The all-important schooling factor has always played a role when considering an area to live with families that have children of a school-going age. The prestigious St Mary’s Diocesan for Girls is one of the finest all-girls private institutions in the country and is located in Kloof. The school caters for children from grade R to grade 12, with boarding facilities available to pupils from grade 8. There are also a number of government schools in the area: Kloof Primary , Senior and Kloof High School, all of which have excellent reputations in educational standards.
Property sales in the area have remained fairly buoyant and recently released statistics from Lightstone indicate that there were 208 residential sales concluded in Kloof in the last 12 months. The average price paid for a freehold property was R1 731m and the average price paid for a sectional title property was R1 417m.
Of the 208 sales that took place, 14 of these sales were greater than R3m. The average price paid in this price category was R3 875m. Although sales volumes have dropped from 289 sales concluded in 2005 to 208 concluded sales in 2010, prices have steadily increased from R1 260m in 2005 for a freehold property to that of R1 649m in 2010. It remains to be seen if the general property slowdown will affect these figures for 2011, however, indicators reveal that prices attained should remain steady. Banks seem to find the area favourable, and have approved 214 bonds in the last 12-month period with the total Rand value coming in at a colossal R247 178m.
Kloof certainly seems to have stood the test of time in the upper echelons of the Durban elite. Whether running through the town in an effort to get your medal in the Comrades Marathon or taking a special excursion on the Umgeni Steam Train Trip from Kloof’s railway station, the area is sure to enchant those who have never had the pleasure of visiting this flourishing suburb.