Freestanding House vs. Estate Living - Which is Better?
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- Freestanding House vs. Estate Living - Which is Better? 🏡
Last week, we debated blasting music when driving into an estate, and that sparked a bigger convo… Is it better to live in a freestanding house or in an estate? 🤔
💰 Money vs. Safety - which matters more?
🚧 Estates come with security, but are the levies worth it?
🏠 Freestanding homes offer freedom, but what about safety?
We’re chatting to Nazira Muamba to break it down! What’s been your experience, Joburg? Drop your thoughts below! 👇 #EstateVsFreestanding
This topic should be expanded. I am currently gatvol of levies I wouldn't advise anyone to move in an estate or complex this levie thing is just a scam. I am currently on the market for a stand alone I will just pray for my house guys because WOW!
look for a standalone in a gated community. We pay R600 levies a month and have a great life here
Gated street, stand alone house
I've always preferred stand-alone. I don't know what was motivating me because I didn't know anything about the facts that are stated here. But stand alone has always what I want
Sisi kumnandi kwa standalone... we live by prayer and are kept by His grace... Estates are a scam...
@yr2180 yjoooo where about is that complex??
I am gravitating towards a gated stand alone. But my ideal is a farm.
Thats what i resorted to and its the best. I just let my neighbors theres gonna be a bit of noise and that it.
What’s a gated stand alone
Farm 👏
Gated stand alone, all day every day!!!
Same here…
Yess me too
The best! I hate living on top of people and everyone is always in your business.
How do we find these gated stand-alone?
@pyrodellaqua2918 Get an agent. They've got the intel.
As a person who stays alone, definitely estate. I can’t be worrying about a weird sound at night, the garden being sorted & other communal maintenance and the security is a plus for me.
And yes someone will always check on you when you are quiet.
Facts...peace of mind is important. We have different priorities.
And different pockets too. @@kimkaans1072
I also love estate living, locking my door is optional
Heyi can be your male friend for moral support😅
@@Sensational_Gambling_Lawd sensational gambling lawd??? No thank you, my neighbours got me 🙏🏾
Lived in an estate, worst experience of my life apart from the added security, Been on a standalone for about 4 years now and its such a breath of fresh air, so peaceful and so worth it.
Let me guess, you get a kick out of people unwittingly listening to your choice of music and general ruckus?
@@sihlemanda2194 there s a difference between an estate and a townhouse brotha, one has music and ruckus, the other has rules ;)
I live in a standalone and manage an estate with tenants. Standalone has so much freedom in terms of rules, and with minimal costs. I pay my bond to the bank, and home insurance. Then there's the security armed reaction company, rates & taxes, water and electricity. All renovations are on me. I can do whatever I want with my garden. My next door neighbour likes flowers so has that. I live growing things to eat, so I have a veggie garden and trees: a mango and avocado that give me delicious food. I would not be able to do this in an estate!
My tenant who lives in the estate had to buy pot plants to experience just a bit of this. I can have visitors over and enjoy braais or anything. With my tenants in their estate, there are rules on this. Like they need to generate codes for the gate for each vehicle, and the visitors can't stay there forever like in my freestanding house.
Obviously as mentioned a million times in the video, the extra costs with estates is another thing.
I'm not sure that if I were going away on holiday I'd want to inform other people. I have heard of robberies at some of the fanciest golf estates. The residents go away for the festive and come back to their TVs and other things gone missing. And the security guards claim to not have seen a thing. Maybe it's those criminals who move in with no furniture and move out with other people's stolen stuff.
For me estate living is the way to go, I travel a lot for work and leaving my wife and child at home in our estate while I travel for 2 weeks at a time gives me so much peace of mind. The levies are not bad for the type of estate we live in, clean, safe, quiet, estates po po po poooo 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Just make the country safe.
Simple!!!
😂
Big facts!!
Not simple because crime is a huge business, it gives certain companies which government officials benefit from it
I love listening to a convo tht I can learn a lot from 👌👌
For me, I go for community based estates. That is where the community is together and is on the same goal against criminals and not where I don't know who my neighbor is. We do have our gate security that we got ourselves, but we are also our own security for each other.
As someone who once lived in an estate, I actually never knew my neighbours , we actually got robbed in the estate . I live in a standalone now and the security cost is once off , then a subscription to the security company is less than a R1000 . I know my neighbours, and know what is happening in the neighbourhood .
Each house has their own security , including cameras. We have a community group where we communicate any issues , or if you want camera footage . The security companies patrol frequently .
For security reasons I would go for an estate but all other reasons I choose a stand alone. My neighbour collapsed in 2016 from a cardiac arrest trying to unlock his door. We heard it and got help from him.
Estate all the way unless if you are in KZN. Jozi is rough extra security is a must.
I’m gravitating towards stand alone full title stands. Estates are expensive, sectional titles are an issue, consider rates, levies or body corp - someone’s salary, electricity, strict rules and regulations, limited garden space, long term it’s a no go. The only thing they offer is safety and community but I’ve lived in Estates where burglaries still happened. New estate living is no longer the same where neighbours are friends, instead, they act like they are strangers. I love stand alones that organise themselves together and have night guards and boom gates or full fence around their properties and contribute to their security together. Those are just perfect 👌🏽
That is where I stay at currently. We even contributed towards building the surrounding wall and pay security. Estates are expensive! For the first property, I couldn't afford to pay levies close to my installment. It's now two years and I'm happy with my choice.
i wanted to stay in an estate for safety reasons ... but i made a decision to rather buy a house in the kasi so far the best decision ive made but i plan on moving out later on when im stable financially
And ekasi, your neighbours are your security lol. In my area, when we hear a whistle being blown, we know to go out ready to chase after a criminal
Definitely stand alone. We just spent alot on our security systems. It was 100% worth it.
In a village i want my stand alone, but in a city i prefer estate
The village is the best place to live
I feel safe at my complex.. but ai I wish i bought in a stand alone.. the only pro is the security
I live in a complex with 4 houses, my neighbour left his front door unlocked and it swung open while he left for holiday... called him, went to close the door and we guarded the door like hawks, even when I would go to the loo at night I'd check. I like that we only have 4 houses, decisions are made quickly and it’s just less people to deal with so it’s best of both worlds.
Laughing as I live in a stand-alone and there are a few Afrikaans guys driving a Hilux😂 around our area and Anele is right, it is safe.
Standalone in a community with boom gate and a security subscription
For youth (remember we still young and hardly in the house)or someone with kids , it's a bit safer in an estate or complex ....but for a stand alone house it'll need someone to be in the house more often, because even the armed respond might get to the house after everything is stolen....one thing I can say about stand alone it's just the freedom that comes with it,but honestly speaking your safety should be your priority
.
Get the best of both. If you can then get a stand alone within a gated community. You'll still have to deal with the HOA but there's security and amenities that make it worth it. I live alone so I will always say gated, however if I had a family I would definitely prefer uMuzi wami! 😅
What is HOA
@@giaunderwood8960home owners association
Most estates have big stands even bigger than stand alone houses . And by the way you also stay in a stand alone house but just in an estate, it’s not that they are sectional titles. For me, I don’t compromise on safety.
Now that is a blatant lie, definitely not most. A R1.5m spent on a sectional title vs a house will almost always produce more square metres in a freestanding house
When you have an appartement that you bought cash levies shouldn't be a worry but when you have it on bond that's where most people struggle
100%
I agree
Cash? In Cyrils economy?
Oh really? I didn’t know this
@@mpilomwandla6883 lol 😂 yes people have money. I worked with a lady who had like 23 million which she got from her grandparents after they passed on. She bought a house cash and she’s a teacher by profession. Very young white lady
Stand alone in a gated estate....safety first
Stand alone in a complex! is where it's at! Own space and minding your business with a safe community for peace of mind.
Just also mention you pay quite a higher premium for those houses coz of the demand for it
Hey Anele & The Club, I stay at Waverley it’s situated by Melrose Arch. Waverley is a gated community and we all benefit from CAP security. I do not have any complaints but happy with the place, and the neighbours around me.
Everyone is complaining about levies in estates or complexes. But remember, in a standalone, you must pay for a security company, gardening services, pool maintenance, exterior maintenance like painting etc. Those are things a levy covers. When you add up those additional costs of a standalone you may as well pay a levy which includes all that in one. It's the same thing. You can't not pay a levy but then get gardening services, security, maintenance etc all for free....
Stand alone house in an estate doesnt get taken care of by the levy. People should just live where they can afford. Just make sure you read the estate's financials before you buy
You still have to pay for a gardener for your space because estate levies only covers the communal arears. You also pay maintenance and painting of your house because the levies won't cover that. There's a recent court ruling which allowed an estate to sell someone's house only because they owed R50k levies, so while enjoying security you must keep that in mind.
@ i think people are generally talking about apartments or cluster town houses in a complex, that's where levies take care of all maintenance; you can even find these complexes within an estate. Having a big stand alone home in an estate is a good setup if you can afford.
Estates / Complex give you a false sense of security 😢 I’ve had things stolen from my patio, a neighbour had a break in and they stole his TV, a friend had a car stolen in her old complex, a whole car! My next house is definitely going to be a stand alone
But the same stuff can happen there.
But that's an issue of that specific complex. How does someone get in and out. It's an inside job then. Most complexes they'd need to call the resident to open and need a code to leave. So that makes no sense. Inside job.
@@tshabalala7 exactly but at least I’m not paying for ridiculous levies that are meant to keep me safe. I want value for my money
@@SDav21 definitely an inside job. For 3 months straight we were terrorised by people breaking in, somehow they knew who was not home, turns out a thief who was a “resident” was getting ready to move out and he made sure he would move out with our stuff. He was breaking in and storing the stolen goods at his house.
Must be in Midrand lol I hardly lock my doors in my apartment
Levies will humble you
As a black person, I have cultural and traditional practices that are important to me. Living in an estate or complex can be limiting in these aspects. For instance: when a loved one passes away, it's customary to hold a funeral at home, but estates often have restrictions on hosting large gatherings. During holidays like Christmas, it's traditional to slaughter livestock and share meals with extended family, but this isn't feasible in a complex setting. These cultural practices are essential to my identity and sense of community. Living in a more traditional setting, like a freestanding home, would allow me to honor these customs and connect with my heritage.
Thats me. I need to appease my ancestors sometimes.
The problem is when people don't pay levies , it affects everyone. I thought the house we're in is forever but No. We're going for standalone in 2 years.
For safety and peace of mind, thumbs 👍 up for estates.
To each their own. Best of luck to all those deciding 🎉
I live on a farm in Pretoria, all maintenance and security costs fall on us. So we have had to just budget for these costs
Been staying in a free standing house. I could never stay in an estate, looking for a boomed off community. I need my space where I can make my own rules without neighbours being nosy and stupid rules. I love it. We have paid for good security and armed response. Our street is also quite safe and we haven’t had any serious crime. You can also do walks and runs. Estate houses are over priced and you live on 500m2.
Eish, that's me.
And that's what motivated my decision to go stand alone.
After being in estates for years, can't take people's noise, drama and and and.
Love my peaceful living with my dogs
The greatest challenge living in a gated estate would be having to monitor your teenage kids a little bit more because they gain more friends, the good and bad. Other than that, it's bliss.
Standalone because I love to be on my own in the quiet ,I once stayed in a complex I had anxiety because of all the people I get to see in a day. I have enough security in my house, and I stay peacefully with no fear.
In Johannesburg, estate living...no questions.
Estate living is the best for me, definitely for security and I don’t have a problem with rules , my husband travels a lot.
Great topic Anele👌 and really cannot be on the far of both spectrums.
Small town: Stand alone
City: Estate
Once you lived in a stand alone in a city, you will never do so again.
I'm so offended by the yellow paint.😂😂😂 It is my favourite 😅😅
😂😂😂😂😂
Been living in a stand alone house for 22 years now. Had the privilege to get the feel of complex life, which for me is a no-no. Love my garden too much and the freedom.. not being surrounded by concrete & feeling closed in. Difficult to get used to complex life, & yes, levies would be an absolute killer for me.
Security is the most critical aspect
Most estates and Complexes have rules and penalties for breaking these rules. In terms of persons renting and then stealing within the estates. This is a HOA problem which needs a rule amendment to state 12 month minimum rental one could also limit the number of rentals in a complex.Levies the levies depend on sectional title or freehold I do not know much about sectiona But in non sectional title the levies will pay the rates water and electricity on the common grounds maintenance of the electric fence the insurance of the common grounds including the external walls and of course security Some have clubhouses golf courses gyms etc all of which would be included. Security Estates provide a reduction in your insurance premiums Well run estates also provide assistance on loud music or general rowdiness problems too. You are more in a community in a complex/estate. In some of the bigger estates you have the school on site so another huge benefit.
Levies are crazy but security and peace of mind
Stand alone...you have no control over levies in a estate, the body coporate will shock you meanwhile you have signed your rights away. I work for a tribunial that handles these disputes.
Stand alone...trust me.
My main driver is this. Levies. I had a bad experience as a new homeowner years back and promised myself that I would never. Rather secure my standalone home
Freestanding house all day, everyday
Cul de sac living is the best! raised in one, and even in the estate life, i had to live in a cul de sac ;-)
In Joburg? I’m going for an estate.
As I’m typing, Thembekile takes the words out of my mouth…
I had a friend whose home was broken into broad daylight at a boom gate stand alone in Sandton, security got shot and criminals just drove in.
Yho!
🥺woow wow wow. Enjoying the conversations such an eye opener. So in inspiring that i know one day i will be making the decision of bieng a home owner. 🤣🤣🤣level of safety seeing a hilux
She also had me stressed when she said she pays the gardener R350😭😂😂😂
Why do I feel like that's still too little?
Fo me it depends, In Joburg definitely estate for safety reasons, In Limpopo definitely stand alone
We are in a stand alone in a safe neighborhood. All you need is invest on your security. Fence, cameras etc. I wouldn't have done it any other way. I love being in a stand alone.
So even within estates there's sectional title (where the complex is responsible for the upkeep of all outside areas and the levies tend to be the most expensive) and freehold houses where you're responsible for your garden pool etc (levies tend to be cheaper, more privacy and apartness than sectional titles) standalone Boomed off areas seem to be the way to go.
R 15k levies are wild!
That's Blair Atholl. People who live there are dollar multi millionaires, so the 15k is nothing considering that the levy covers garden maintenance for the 3000 - 5000 sqm stand. Once i make 2 million dollars in savings I'd move to Blair Atholl.
Having said that, i have my own stand alone 1 hectare plot / farmstead in Harties where there's own private security and armed response as well.
And yet you still have to pay for water and electricity
@ it think high levies is also a good thing bcoz it discourages people with affordability issues from staying in such an estate.
@@ToxxicMafiayes definitely it has to be Blair Atholl
In the makhayas/rural, it's better to have a freestanding house then in the city, rather live in an estate. But if you are willing to cough up security costs then stay in a freestanding.
I sold in the estate and went for stand alone, happy thus happy
Honestly as a black person gated just doesn’t work for me but unfortunately I live in South Africa! I love to host and be merry but a neighbour complaining about me making noise once a month annoys me
Do you know the pain of running after the garbage truck?! 😢😅
Estates take care of all of that and more, you just need to pay for it.
Jst take the bin out on time😂😂😂😂 this comment klkd me😂😂😂
😂🤣 This is sometimes me mo kasi
😂😂😂😂😂😂
My truth 😂😂😂 I’m currently in the market for a house want to move out of kasi and my house in kasi is a standalone and it is safe because you know kasi everyone knows each other and we look out for each other, but I’m scared to go to another standalone outside Kasi so it’s a battle 😅
😂😂😂😂, I know
Maybe stand alone a in urban areas don’t have community but in the rural a there’s way more community and caring for thy neighbours
I stay alone, so the complex worked for me until it didn't. I want to be further away from my neighbours but still have the amenities that comes with sectional title living.
Stand alone period!
Brilliant 👏 Thank you 🎉
Free Standing vs Estate Living, having noted the comments especially the costs, if you are staying a town or city, there is no running away from security costs, upkeep costs because you will pay it eiether way... The only thing that is impacted is your freedom in doing things. So that what will influence your decision at the end of the day.
I also don't know where the cost of levies is going to end up if we're already on R3000 plus...
Excluding Rates and Taxes
The estate where are planning to buy firstly is cheap at 800pm, covers grass cutting both inside and out, security predominately... For me that makes it worth while, garden maintenaince will be minimum, security taken care off to a degree.
Currently building in an estate, do not buy in any of these fancy estates they are very expensive (country, golf, lifestyle, equestrian....). Am enough with the stand-alone, for every 2nd house there is a municipal non-approved structure for rentals emerging and the level of noise is just disturbing.
Levies cover maintenance items especially in common areas, building insurance, CCTV and private security.
I'm a millennial soooooo ready to move into a retirement estate if they'd have a younger person tbh.. the problem is not the neighbour's children playing, its the neighbour's children playing right outside your bedroom window at seven on a Sunday morning. It's not your car starting in the morning, it's your raucous drunk 30 something husband, starting his car at 2am and causing a scene at the boom gate with security. I love pets, so my problem is not your dog, it's you letting him out at 5am then going back to bed while he performs to be let back indoors for an hour. My home is my sanctuary, I want piece and quiet when I'm offline. Millenials and Gen.Z tend to be inconsiderate and self absorbed neighbour's all while filming their "cosy morning reset tiktoks". Thats why I'd rather kick it with the geriatrics as young as I am lol. I love me some cozy slippers and pudding. That being said I grew up on a country estate in honeydew and you couldn't get more zen. So a few large stands, well spread across a fairly large estate like ours. Turned out to be the perfect living situation for our family.
Stand alone all the time for me, it has less regulations, Levy's for life in an estate
Also, people must not forget how easy a target teenagers become for drug supplies in estates😢. I see it in ours and a boy I Tutored who lives in another shared how they got recreational substances from an old couple that no one would suspect.
Eish
I am all for the stand alone but my only worry is security.
I can never choose stand alone. My safety is my priority. Its number 1 on the list. I can never compromise my safety. Ive heard horrible stories with stand alone. So ill learn from other peoples mistakes and not test God!
Estate is the way…peace of mind..in South Africa, 3k Levi is worth it looking at the crime statistics
Stand alone gated street is the way..preferably south east of Johannesburg have very much secured beefed up security systems in stand alones,i think people should try unpopular suburbs the system is much safer there and public schools around, the quality is top tier...oh! yes Afrikaans area even better.
Cost of levies beginning to exceed utility bills
Stand alone that is gated is great. Stand alone that's not gated is tricky. Unless if you have proper security.
Can someone please explain to me why a boomed area is safe? I've been to various boomed areas in Gauteng randomly and the guards always just open the boom for me to enter. Some boomed areas just have the electronic touchless entry thing so you just wave and drive
Legally boomed off areas are not allowed to block anyone. Booms deter criminals
Its probably, the restricted entrances so its easier to know and monitor your entrance/exit points like estates without the restrictions. If there is a theft, probably it will make it difficult for them to escape as they will put cameras in all intersections
@m2ngwa89 I hear you, but there's only restricted entrance in theory because I've been to so many boomed areas, including in affluent areas, and the guard just asks me where I'm going (that's if they even ask) and most of the time I'm just following Google Maps to someone's house or it's a shorter router to where I'm going, so I'm not even clear with my response and they let me in.
I could have armed people in my boot, they commit a crime and I drive them out again before anyone's the wiser. I think boomed access is overhyped. It's really not restrictive but it gives residents a false sense of security, which is scary if you let your guard down thinking you're secure.
Haha, although what's scarier is the level of security we have to consider on a daily basis just to live normal lives and that's it's second nature to us now that we're not even conscious of it
@@dinopadayachee8289 that's true hey...it's just useless in some cases whereas estates are more secure in that sense
@dinopadayachee8289 Legaly no one is allowed to block access to a boomed off area. The aim of a boomed off area is to let criminals know that they won't enter and exit without being noticed. This deters criminals because they need to strike unseen
Stand alone in a gated street, for sure…
I'm stay in stand alone gated boom community and I'm happy with in December went home left the house alone our security is very tight to a point no car can come in without making sure they going where they say
We all know each other by my street we don't chill and all but we know who stays where we look out for each other when I'm gone my neighbors keep an eye even if I didn't say anything I do the same too
We just pay for one security company to take care of us
I have stayed in both stand alone and estate, I prefer stand alone in a boomed off community or secure location.
Never met neighbours after 2 years 😮😂I can see that happening with me.
Free standing is the best. No levies no rules and peace.
So I bought a house in an estate for reasons that I love traveling so I don’t want to have to worry, and I also stay alone so there is that
These days we are on our own crime rate is very high and the country is full of foreighners, a security estate good for me because when I retire I will be going to stay at my own land in rural areas
Standalone all day !!! Gated of nie. Complex living is too complex for me.. once my friend with his R8 comes to visit me body corporate will be on my neck and levies ..aowa 😅
Too many restrictions
I prefer places like Westcliff where it is boomed and there's a sense of community and is not an Estate. I hate the ridiculous rules that some estates have. Westcliff has a 24/7 armed patrolling vehicles and people there can safely walk within. I love that type of a setting
you will pay levies either ways. they just have different names depending on where you are
As a 1st time mum, my biggest concern was safety so we moved into an estate. Absolute horrible decision! We have a garden unit for the sole purpose of having a yard for our baby, but its more like a museum! The rules are not practical! They are more worried about aesthetics than creating a space where people can live happily
I live in an Estate and regret it. The property managent company charges crazy levies and they do nothing, the gate is always broken, intercom is not working, the park looks like a bush. They don't respond to emails. This is a new development so the property managent company was signed on by the developer and we can't get rid of them until 80% completion. It's a nightmare. We bought property in Pomona because it was reasonable but, worst mistake ever
11:30 I pay my gardener R350
Everyone.:👁️👄👁️
Try having or ask for permission to hold a funeral in a security estate. Will you be able to pay for levies when you are on pension and sustain the current lifestyle? For me, standalone is the way
There is ALWAYS a group of people that don’t pay their levy, which the rest of you basically subsidise for free. Trying to get them to contribute to their fair share of the costs, often results in more legal costs for everyone else who pays their levies.
… in an estate
Estate for safety
Trust me, there is just as big of a community in standalone neighborhoods. You not meeting your neighbors is on you. I live in a community where we engage with each other and look after the community through WhatsApp groups, play dates for the children, security forums, etc. Standalone over estates any day.
...Afrikaans guy and a Hulix!! 🤣🤣
Complex and Estate the best safety more than anything ❤❤❤❤