If you are set on remaining socially distant in the "new normal" and have R19.9 million to spare, then buying your own island in Knysna on the Cape Garden Route might be just up your alley.
The state-of-the-art home is part of the Thesen Island marina complex, which is situated within the Knysna Estuary. The complex has its own beach and clubhouse. There are only six individual islands of which Num Num, the property for sale, is one.
Num Num is reached by a private causeway.Num Num is surrounded by water and is reached over a private causeway. It also has two private jetties and its own private beach.
"If the exclusivity and uniqueness of this luxury home doesn't win you over, just one look inside will quickly change your mind. The main house has sliding stack glass doors in all the rooms, opening out onto the decks and overlooking the water," says Sue Abernethy of RE/MAX Coastal.
The lounge.
The large kitchen has a separate laundry/scullery and pantry. It opens to the lounge and dining room.
Downstairs there are three spacious en suite bedrooms, while the main bedroom is upstairs and has its own separate lounge.
One of the bedrooms.To accommodate guests, there is a separate entrance to a large self-contained flat above the garages.
There is air-conditioning and underfloor heating throughout the home, as well as a modern sound system linked to all the rooms in the house.
If you are not on the private beach, you can dip in the pool.The Thesen Island complex offers sports of all kinds, including cycling, water sports, tennis, squash, a putting golf course and walks around the island. It is also within easy access to Thesen Harbour Town, with its quaint shops and restaurants, farm-to-table produce, artists, artisans and crafters.
"Knysna is a wonderful place to live, work in and bring up your family," says Abernethy.
The global "cacooning" at home trend, enabled by technology, has been accelerated by Covid-19, which forced people to spend more time at home, according to Dawn Bloch, area specialist for Lew Geffen Sotheby's International in Zwaanswyk, Lakeside and Kirstenhof in Cape Town.
FNB senior economist Siphamandla Mkhwanazi, there are early signs of "behaviour shifts" as homeowners reassess their housing needs and preferences as a result of life in lockdown. Anecdotal evidence indicates rising demand for freestanding homes in less crowded "second-tier" cities where one can still find value for money.
According to the recently released FNB Residential Property Barometer, annual house price growth increased to 1.4% year-on-year in July, from 0.7% in June and 0.6% in May.