There are many areas that you discover because you are on your way to somewhere else. In my experience Wilro Park is not one of those areas. Just brushing against Ontdekkers Road – the main thoroughfare through the west rand – on its southern border and bordered by a range of hills on the north, it straddles the valley that has Wilgerood Road at its heart.The road, which my mother always refers to as Robert Broom, even though it only becomes Robert Broom later on links Christian de Wet (the end of Witkoppen Road) to Sterkfontein Road in Mogale City , providing an alternative to the madness of Ontdekkers and Hendrik Potgieter Roads.Wilro Park, is a model of west rand suburbia, with freehold prices sitting around the one million rand mark, the suburb is accessible for both people trading up from starter homes as well as those looking for a little bit of quiet in the middle of suburbia.With many of the houses on the larger side, with four bedrooms (instead of the default three) the options for families looking for reasonably priced accommodation.The average price in 2010 was R990 000, but in the first few months of 2011 this average was higher at R1.1 million, but this may average out lower for the rest of the year. For sectional title the average for both 2010 and the start of 2011 has been around the R620 000 mark, a level that has held steady for the past four years. Good news for buyers , but not necessarily for sellers and investors. The breakdown of the suburb between freehold and sectional title is about 80% freehold and 20% sectional title, but some of those sectional-title may come from retirement complexes in the area. Retirement complexes may also account for another anomaly in the demographics of the area where the number of property owners in the 65+ years old age group is relatively consistent across the recent buyers, recent sellers and stable owners sectors. Normally pensioners form a higher proportion of the stable and recent sellers sectors but form only a small part of the recent buyers sector, this is not the case in Wilro Park. Stable owners (those that have owned their properties for 11 years or more) make up 44% of the total market, indicating that there is a strong community in the area. While there are no large shopping centres in Wilro Park, it is well positioned for access to Westgate, Princess Crossing and Clearwater Mall. Freeway access is not a strength of the area with residents having to brave Hendrik Potgieter to gain access to both the R24 Krugersdorp Highway or the N1 at 14th Avenue.From an education perspective Ridgevale Primary and Laerskool Helderkruin are in the area and Westcliff High is within close reach, but just over the mountain in Ruimsig there are a plethora of private schools catering for the estates in the area. These include Maragon, The Kings School and Trinity College (opening next year in Little Falls).There are reportedly issues with crime along some of the busier roads, but you would be hard pressed to find a suburb in Gauteng where this isn’t an issue.
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