A Nelson Mandela family were sold on their new Linkside home the moment they took in the spectacular view of the Baakens Valley below.
Vanessa Catterall, her husband Kent and their 15-year-old daughter Caitlin moved from Glenhurd to the Bibury Avenue property at the beginning of May.
Though the house needed some work, the panoramas of the valley, a multitude of balconies, a viewing deck as well as classic high ceilings were simply too good to pass up.
The couple, whose eldest daughter is currently overseas, felt the time had come for something different after 18 years – including a three-year break to explore their options in Scotland – in the suburb of Glenhurd.
“It was definitely the view that sold us, but I also really needed a change,” Vanessa said.
“It is bigger than our old home, yet all our furniture fitted in perfectly. I think it’s the high ceilings that make the difference.”
Aside from the stint in Scotland from 2015 to 2018, they have been in Gqeberha all their lives.
Kent, a branch manager at logistics company DSV, matriculated from Victoria Park High while Vanessa, the bursar and treasurer at Erica Girls’ Primary School, completed her schooling at Harvest in Walmer.
Vanessa, Kent and Caitlin Catterall are thoroughly enjoying the view of the Baakens Valley from their new home in Linkside. Photo: Full Stop Communications
“We’re making the house our own,” Vanessa explained shortly after they had secured the property with the assistance of well-known Remax agent Alan Moore.
“It needed a bit of paint, which is understandable since I’m sure the previous owners lived there a long time. We’ve painted the entire interior, put new built-in cupboards in two bedrooms, ripped up carpets and sanded and screeded floors.”
Kent has become something of a “fixture” on the roof, making sure all is in order. He has also installed new gates on the flanks of the house and retiled part of the braai area.
Vanessa said her family were thoroughly enjoying life in Linkside.
She loved that their daughter could take walks at the nearby Port Elizabeth Golf Club, and that there was a real sense of community among residents.
“Our neighbours are really friendly. When we moved in, a lady who lives across the road brought me a bottle of jam.
“And, as soon as we were added to the WhatsApp crime group, I got a call from another to welcome us to the neighbourhood.”
On one occasion Vanessa – who had soup on the stove – found herself locked out and with Kent unavailable.
The same lady whose jam gesture had left such an impression invited her into her home so that she could make the necessary calls.
Vanessa praised Moore for always being available during their homebuying journey.
“I can even message him now and he would help me,” she said.
“I am pedantic about what I want in a home, because it’s a big decision to buy. But Alan goes the extra mile and makes you feel comfortable. It really does make a difference.”
As much as they enjoyed the Scots, Vanessa acknowledged that Britain’s notorious weather – as well as missing their family – had played a major part in their decision to return home.
“We are lucky with the weather and space we have in South Africa.”
Vanessa’s sister recently visited from Cape Town and noted that properties in Gqeberha offered great value for money compared to those in the Mother City.
“She said Cape Town was becoming like Spain. People can’t afford to live in the city anymore, so they are moving to places like Somerset West.”
It is a point Moore makes often – Nelson Mandela Bay has the potential to explode as a destination of choice because of its excellent return on property investments.