The top lifestyle estates in the world for 2023 have been reviewed by wealth intelligence firm New World Wealth (NWW) as a follow up to the USA Wealth Report.
South Africa secured two positions, while the United States is leading with four estates on the NWW list.
New World Wealth analyst Andrew Amoils, says having two estates (Val de Vie and Steyn City) on the worldwide top 10 is no surprise.
"South Africa is a global pioneer in estate living and is home to many of the world’s best lifestyle estates. Also, most of the top-end sales (R10 million+ homes) in South Africa take place on lifestyle estates - South Africa is probably the only country in the world where this is the case, along with Mauritius," says Amoils.
Amoils says Estate living is on the rise in USA and globally, especially among the wealthy. New World Wealth estimates that by 2050 over 50% of the world’s centi-millionaire population will either live or have second homes on lifestyle estates.
READ: 2021 Top 10 lifestyle estates in the world | And what to expect from SA's top estates
New World Wealth’s top 10 lifestyle estate picks for 2023 include:
• Bighorn Golf Club in USA.
• Estancia Club in USA.
• Jack’s Point in New Zealand.
• Madison Club in USA.
• Millbrook in New Zealand.
• Predator Ridge in Canada.
• Steyn City in South Africa.
• Toscana Castelfalfi in Italy.
• Val de Vie in South Africa.
• Yellowstone Club in USA.
Note: The above estates are listed in alphabetical order.
"Highlights of the Val de Vie Estate include: a wellness farm, vineyards, polo fields, a top golf course (Pearl Valley) and beautiful mountain backdrops. It is highly rated by both local and foreign buyers," says Amoils.
Amoils says, Steyn City is probably the best designed estate in South Africa, with large amounts of beautiful indigenous parkland between the various distinct residential neighborhoods. It offers a nice mix of houses, townhouses and luxury apartments. "The facilities & clubhouse there are world class, as is the new 300 meter swimming lagoon. The birdlife on the estate is also very impressive," he says.
These 10 estates all score strongly in the following areas (New World Wealth’s ratings criteria):
• Location, views and scenery.
• Environmental awareness - our ratings favour ecologically friendly lifestyle estates with natural indigenous wilderness areas, and diverse flora and fauna.
• Safety & security.
• Maintenance of estate.
• Communal gardens and parks.
• Popularity among centi-millionaires and other high net worth individuals.
• Privacy – very important for high profile individuals.
• Activities and facilities available on estate.
• Design and architecture.
Possible reasons for the rising popularity of estate living globally include:
• Birdlife, wildlife and scenery.
• Safety and security, with limited and controlled traffic making them safer for children.
• A sense of community, enhanced by communal parklands and children’s playgrounds.
• Top-end facilities and activities, such as gyms, jogging paths, golf courses, tennis courts, shops, and restaurants.
• The combination of safety and shared facilities make estate living particularly convenient for affluent expats that travel a lot and have homes in several countries around the world.
Some of the more eco-friendly estates also have several environmental benefits, including:
• They protect river systems that flow through the property.
• They favour indigenous plants and trees.
• They promote environmentally friendly solutions such as sustainable energy and water recycling.
• They preserve old big trees with cavities, which are very important to nesting birds, especially birds of prey.
• They have bio-corridors and wilderness zones that preserve dead and dying trees. Many of the world’s rarest birds including woodpeckers, barbets and kingfishers depend primarily on dead trees to nest. This is because the wood is softer and therefore easier to dig holes into than live trees.
• They promote organic forms of pest control, most notably through the installation of owl boxes which encourage owls to live on the estates. Notably, one owl can kill up to 10 rodents a night, and this reduces the need for dangerous pesticides. Owl boxes are especially common on estates in South Africa.
"Going forward these environmental benefits could become increasingly more important, especially as sustainability, species loss and deforestation come into sharper focus," says Amoil.
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