Leapfrog has opened a new franchise real estate agency in Woodstock under the ownership of Justin Marshall from July 2007. Woodstock is one of the Cape’s oldest and most enchanting suburbs and is currently undergoing a revival and transformation that is bound to earmark it for settlement by the young and trendy jet set. Business owners and residents have banded together to upgrade and revitalise the district to restore it to its former Victorian glory and by all accounts Marshall believes the investment property prospects in this historic area are excellent.
‘Over the past 2 years Woodstock has been undergoing an incredible transformation and is already attracting a new generation of young, upwardly mobile property investors and buyers. The value of transfers registered for the greater Observatory and Woodstock area in 2006 topped R600million after making allowances for commercial transactions and refinancing. If one considers that over the next 18 months in excess of R500m worth of new property development will be completed and that the rate of existing residential property regeneration has increased significantly, we could easily see the annual value of transfers reaching in excess of R800m per annum,’ explains Justin Marshall, Principal of Leapfrog Woodstock.
‘For the first time buyer working in the CBD or Southern Suburbs, Woodstock is a viable option with a two-bed, two-bathroom semi-detached home priced in the R750-R850 000 price bracket depending on location and condition. This is a great buy when one considers that the night life of the CBD is only three minutes’ drive away. Going forward, I believe that the changes in transport infrastructure leading up to the World Cup is also going to have a phenomenal effect on Woodstock, with increased and better quality public transport,’ explains Justin.
With the focus being on a new breed of property buyers, Justin believes that partnering with a fresh, innovative property brand such as Leapfrog was a natural choice. ‘My early property beginnings were in our real estate family business on the East Rand of Johannesburg. Being a small business I quickly learnt the value of quality service and the importance of integrity in the real estate industry. After a stint traveling the world I headed back to Cape Town in 2005 which is when the real estate bug started to bite again. Read on.
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