Classy, rustic Philadelphia Village - Building land with architect designed plans for sale. R415000

The Village of Philadelphia- quiet, safe and tastefully rustic. With only about 30 properties in the oudorp, your chances of getting a house here are slim and the prices can be steep.

If you are after real country life but need to be within close proximity to Cape Town (40km), Durbanville (22km), Melkbos (22km) and Table View (30km) then Philadelphia is the perfect mix of unspoilt farm hamlet and easy access to work and urban convenience.

We have 1000 square metres of land in the old part of town and live in the landmark "Klipdakhuis". 400sqm of the original plot plus architect designed house plans are now being released. Currently the land is planted out with a micro olive grove. The new house has been designed with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, open plan living area and a massive outdoor entertainment zone. Total area of the house is approximately 125sqm. Ownership would be via a close corporation structure. Note that the 3D computer design shows the new house positioned in front of the existing double storey house.

Facts about Philadelphia-

Just off N7 and on Swartland border

Founded in mid- to late 1800's as church and farming town

Restaurants: Pepper Tree: doubles up as art and craft venue (Pottery, gallery, hand made knife workshop, leatherware); De Malle Meul- functions, shows, Sunday buffet, home to lots of Pieter van der Westhuizen art

Wine- great vineyards and 2 good estates: Capaia and Havana Hills

Large police station in village, 24hr Plaaswag available- added safety

Plenty of space for walking and mountain bike riding

Pony and horse riding

Excellent broadband internet (better than Telkom ADSL and iBurst) available by local service provider

Telkom, Vodacom and MTN coverage

2 General dealers, and a gem and crystal and gift shop

2km from the Engen Swartland 1 Stop for petrol, 24hr shop and Wimpy and ATM

Good primary school in the heart of the village

Look at the Philadelphia Village Bugle- a blog about the village- philadelphia-village.blogspot.com

How does the purchase and ownership structure work?

Usually a freestanding property is owned outright- the land and the buildings on it are yours and this is noted on a title deed stored at the Deeds Office. A modification of this concept is sectional title ownership- if you purchase a flat with a garage in a block of flats then the portions you own are clearly described on the sectional title plan. There are areas you share with other owners and you all contribute to the upkeep and maintenance of the parts of the scheme not owned specifically by owners/residents of the block: from public gardens and driveways to lifts and the roofing protecting the entire block.

The usual route taken when wanting to sell off a piece of your land is to obtain permission for subdivison. An application is submitted to the municipality, they circulate it through their departments and notify the community and neighbours for their comment. This is can be a lengthy process. Once approval is obtained and the relevant conditions fulfilled then the new plot gets its own erf number and diagram and becomes an independent piece of property that the owner can sell.

It is permissible in most suburbs, including Philadelphia, to construct a "second dwelling" on a plot- building plans have to be submitted and once approved construction may begin. The process is fairly straightforward. Usually the second dwelling is used by the owner of the primary dwelling on the same plot as a granny/teen flat or rented out to generate extra income for the owner. One way of selling off a portion of a property without going through the lengthy subdivision process with its uncertain outcome is to form a close corporation. This entity owns the entire property and members/shareholders own shares within the CC structure.

The most basic scenario would be a piece of vacant land of 1000sqm in a CC structure with 2 members each holding a 50% share corresponding to 500sqm each of land. This simple set up can be extended to our situation where there is one existing building and a planned second building. The crucial point is that all members enjoy real ownership of their own properties through the vehicle of a company structure governed by a founding constitution that caters for all (or most imaginable) eventualities in a joint residential situation.

A logical and legal company constitution will allow maximum freedom and independence for the owner/members and set out up-front guidelines for shared factors. An example would be municipal rates/sewerage/refuse removal: the council would still see one erf and issue one bill which would be split as per the CC guidelines. Electricity and water could be individually metered .

The good and the bad of property in a CC structure?

Cons:

1) Lack of access to conventional loan/financing: unlikely that a bank will give you a bond

2) Insurance/safety measures required to protect property owners'/members' interests

Pros:

1) No waiting period- once plans are approved you can build

2) Subdivision is more expensive (with costs passed on to the buyer); very long-winded and with an uncertain outcome

3) Shared infrastructure- lower building costs, less monthly costs.

4) Your shares (and therefore your property) can be sold

5) Allows ownership of scarce rural, serviced property that would otherwise be inaccessible to the market

6) Possible tax benefits?

7) Lower land/house cost- prices for freestanding erven in Philadelphia are well over R500000. Houses start at R1.25million. It is feasible to purchase and buy for less than R1million.

Ultimately the plan would be to subdivide the property but this would be a mid- to long-term goal dictated by market values and subdivision costs. The CC structure could hold indefinitely until subdivision or even converting to sectional title was realised.

Edible hats and accordian licks- La Masseria, Durbanville

The courtyard gently reverberates with the metallic wheeze and drone of the accordian - the player looks like he is gently wrestling with an old fashioned cash register thats trying to eat his hands. The restaurant owner does the vocals to this languid battle at a hen party table: all amor from here to eternity.

Where else, I ask you, as I pour half a cup of grassy fresh olive oil over the stretchy, crusty, celestial, thickly sliced bread; where else but at La Masseria, Evertsdal, between Tyger Valley and Durbanville Town? Set in an old mill or wine cellar adorned with early industrial age implements like mangles and grape destalkers and an old Multichoice decoder. As I pondered all of this and chewed on oil soaked bread washed down with pink De Grendal wine the duo came over to our table and filled the night with an earthy version of The The's "This is the Day". We let the music wash over us and just sort of grooved out for a couple of minutes.

The bit about the The The song at our table is fantasy- we like our live music to stay on stage or intrude on other diners. We use special repelling tactics like hiding behind the menu, climbing under the table or looking deranged to discourage table serenades. And off they drifted.

I had calf's liver with onions because it was cheaper than all the veal options whilst holding promise of more flesh mass. If you want something to accompany your dish is costs extra- I had the spaghetti in olive oil and garlic. The side dishes aren't expensive and are generous: R13 for the spaghetti and R8 for an extra serving of bread which would work well with some of the dishes. Rose had a custom built dish of ravioli with a creamy black mushroom sauce. They specialise in hand made pastas in various shapes: hats, ears, quills and the stuffed ones. The ravioli was a very good: super fine filling of what must have been pork and the mushroom sauce was rich and tasty. We stayed with the Durbanville wines because its sort of our neighbourhood: a glass of De Grendel pink was R20 and R29 each for the Altydgedacht merlot and Diemerdal pinotage: good prices- you would be paying nearly double that in Cape Town.

It is a long drive if you are not based in the northern suburbs of Cape Town for the night. Make a weekend of it and book a couple of nights in the farm village of Philadelphia about 24km away. Nice safe drive along farmy backroads. Try Die Blikhuisie or Die Malle Meul- both options are in the old village and very well priced. And the many charms of Philadelphia Village are another story altogether.

greg@rentalscapetown.com

Dazed, dejected, evicted- Somerset squatters' last stand

From the window of a moving car the scene looked like a street sale: furniture, appliances, clothing, bric-a-brac. Then the details of the image solidified- the clothing on display was laundry drying on the fence, the browsers were passers by on the pavement moved along by its anti-merchandise. The vendors inert on the chairs and boxes or asleep in their beds could have been another second-hand item on display.

Homes and shelters now replaced by the exposed open plan of Portswood Rd pavement, linking the bustling and totally rejuvenated Green Point to the glossy V & A Waterfront. BMW and Aston Martin showrooms providing some browsing relief 200m away.

Danny Khobo, one of the residents of the Somerset Hospital Complex, had been living there for 2 or 3 years. A neighbour of his for 10 years. Their dwelling had been a backpackers hostel until it had closed down and they continued to live in what appears to be City of Cape Town property until now. With the construction of the Green Point Stadium and the opening of Granger Bay Boulevard the old buildings in this neighbourhood have have finally come up for renovation. And with no lease or ownership in place Danny and the rest of the complex community live next to the busy road until the elements and municipal forces inevitably disperse them.



Danny Khobo

Death of the Flower Girl

She comes towards the table, smiling, just-brushed hair and party frock, a wicker basket of red red roses clutched closely.

By the Saints, its the roving restaurant Flower Girl and she is about to dampen the next few moments of your evening. You might be in the middle of declaring undying love or a bitter argument, a punchline of the worlds best joke, the crucial stage of an invention. But that all becomes secondary as your new reality fills with roses, roses with LEDS flashing, Roses with teddies hugging their stems, roses off the cover of a Mills and Boon book (The Pregnant and Surgically Enhanced Mistress of the Gentle Arms Dealer Billionaire From Steamy Sorrento).

She's telling you that its for charity, that the proceeds of your purchase will go towards a child or animal or hospital for dolphins. The rose will cost you R30. Her face is a thin skin mask and there is something horned, fanged, primeval and writhing beneath it. Your freshly baked bread roll that's just soaked up the grassy olive oil feels like sour asphalt in your throat. The bill, a tip, parking, petrol and now this.

Is there a happy ending? Maybe not tonight- you sent her off like a leper, bought a rose or took the in-between chicken road and gave her 5 bucks for the baby dolphins.

Restaurants take heed: you don't let insurance and medical aid companies rove your shop looking for business; defend your patrons from the girl bearing flowers.