House Zai tops Constantia prices at R107 million

House Zai, the most expensive property in Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs, is on the market for the first time at R107 million (USD5.69M, GBP4.5M, EUR5.26M). It is located in Bel Ombre Estate, one of the most desired addresses in South Africa where property, according to Lightstone data values, have doubled over the last 10 years.

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Francois Venter, luxury market specialist for Seeff Constantia, says properties above the R100 million mark are exceptional and few compare to House Zai. The ultra-modern home is the first in the Southern Suburbs which was designed by world-renowned Cape Town architect, Stefan Antoni from SAOTA who is revered for the design of most of the exclusive homes on Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard and across the globe.

The home is a showcase of spectacular contemporary architecture, built and crafted with imported materials by a Belgian master builder to European standards of finishing, insulation, energy efficiency, and eco-friendliness.

Stunning Constantiaberg views

The house itself covers a spectacular 1407sqm, and it is set on 2 acres (8094sqm) of land with stunning north-facing views of Constantiaberg. It is characterised by clean lines and seamless flow to the outdoor entertainment areas, swimming pool and large, landscaped gardens.

There are six bedrooms including a luxurious 140sqm main suite and two guest suites along with an additional guest apartment with a living area, kitchen, private entrance and garden.

The interior boasts a fully imported Bulthaup kitchen, Schüco windows and sliding doors, and double-glazed fenestration imported from Belgium.

The furniture and décor throughout is from Roche Bobois Ltd Edition Hero Collection and are also available for purchase, which is often the case with high-end buyers, says Venter.

Beautiful House Zai is designed by renowned architect Stefan Antoni of SATOA.

Fully self-sufficient

He says House Zai is also a home of the future, fully self-sufficient, and offers the perfect climate controlled Cape Town lifestyle on top of fully off the grid water and power technology (including a full solar installation), airtight security, and high-tech, but intuitive infrastructure for uninterrupted comfort and connectivity.

This includes EU-standard thermal insulation of walls, floors, ceilings and even the swimming pool along with Schüco windows and sliding doors, and double-glazed fenestration, also imported from Belgium.

Ultra-high-net-worth homes

Additional features include high-speed fibre connectivity, Bang & Olufsen surround sound and a state-of-the-art home office with seating for up to six people, fully kitted out with custom-made fittings from SAOTA.

The superior security measures include advanced alarm systems, biometric access, electric shutters to isolate the ground floor in an emergency, CCTV surveillance, and powerful perimeter fencing.

Venter says these  quality ultra-high-net-worth homes and exclusive Cape Town locations tend to attract a mix of local and international buyers who are prepared to invest in the quality lifestyle. The area attracts entrepreneurs and executives, and also falls in the Ambassadorial belt.

International buyers from Germany, the UK, and more recently also from the USA among others are very attracted to the Cape. The quality of homes, weather and lifestyle, value for money and access to top schools are among the reasons for the area attracting such high value purchasers, says Venter.

Active market

A number of high value homes have sold in the Constantia area over the last three years. The market has been very active, and surprisingly, there is a shortage of high-end properties to meet the local and international demand for quality homes, he adds. The Constantia area in particular has seen a notable uptick in high-end property sales above R20 million.

Since the onset of the pandemic, almost R2 billion in sales above R20 million have been concluded in Constantia alone. This is higher compared to Clifton in terms of overall value and topped only by Camps Bay.

Venter says that many high-end buyers prefer the leafy suburbs of Constantia with its bigger plots and spacious homes, proximity to beautiful historic wine farms, some of the best restaurants in the Cape, top schools, and good access roads.

Residents are also able to enjoy the green surroundings as there are many green belt and forest areas and locations for hiking, cycling and even horse riding. Constantia is an oasis, yet it is located in one of the top cities in the country.

Another advantage is the close proximity to the airport with direct flights to major centres in the country, regional flights as well as direct flights in under 12-hours to Europe.