New map of St. Blaize Trail

The St. Blaize Trail

The popular St. Blaize Trail in Mossel Bay is a  13.5 km trail stretching from the St. Blaize Cave (in the cliff beneath the Cape St. Blaize Lighthouse) to Dana Bay. It usually takes about 6 hours to complete, and it is one of the many things to do in and around Mossel Bay.

Mossel Bay Tourism reports that a new map of the St. Blaize Hiking Trail has recently been published by the Garden Route Casino Trust. The map was produced by Sandra Falanga, with the help of Lucretia van der Walt and the surveying firm of van der Walt & Visagie. The new map contains emergency information, guidelines and rules, and the phone numbers of shuttle services.

It’s a moderately strenuous walk, and you do need a degree of fitness if you want to do the whole thing. However, nothing is stopping you from walking a few kilometres on the Trail, and then returning to your car. There’s ample parking at the Cave, and at Dana Bay.

The St. Blaize Trail follows a 30 metre contour above the coastal cliffs, and, besides magnificent views and interesting stands of fynbos, offers good bird watching and excellent prospects for sighting whales or dolphins.

The map is available from Mossel Bay Tourism, on the corner of Church and Market Streets, opposite the Dias Museum Complex in Mossel Bay. It can also be downloaded here.

Contact us if you’d like to make Mossel Bay your holiday destination soon.

Property auctions in Mossel Bay on 21 December 2011

Our property auction division, Terblanche Auctioneers, is proud to offer two good investment opportunities in Fraaiuitsig, Mossel Bay to our valued clients. Both investment opportunities will come under the hammer on Wednesday, 21 December 2011.

House on auction on 21 December 2011 - 16 Da Gama Street, Fraaiuitsig

One of the properties under auction is a 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom wooden beauty in the heart of the picturesque Fraaiuitsig. This home is situated only 15 minutes’ drive away from the centre of Mossel Bay and a mere 10 minutes drive from the Langeberg Mall. It has a lot of space, and the spacious flat offers the investor a number of income opportunities. Click here for more information and pictures of this home under auction. For more information on Fraaiuitsig, click here.

Land on auction on 21 December 2011 - 13 Mossel Street, Fraaiuitsig

The other property on auction by Terblanche Auctioneers on the 21st of December 2011 is a large stand in Fraaiuitsig. The stand is 1051 square meters large and fully serviced. It is ideally located close to the highway between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. For more information on and pictures of this stand, click here.

Both properties will be auctioned off at 11:00. The properties will be open for viewing from 09:00.

Address: 16 Da Gama Street & 13 Mossel Street, Fraaiuitsig, Mossel Bay.

For any further information, contact Okkie Terblanche at okkie@ttps.co.za or call Terblanche Auctioneers on 044 695 2871.

Terblanche Properties have moved offices

How to find the offices of Terblanche Total Property Solutions

You might have heard that Terblanche Total Property Solutions recently moved to bigger and better offices in Mossel Bay. You will now find us at Unit 1B, 4 Mascodor Street, Voorbaai, Mossel Bay, 6500.

Check out the handy map and directions above or just follow these directions:

Directions to Our Offices:

• On the N2 freeway, take the Hartenbos/Oudtshoorn offramp (Offramp 393)
• Turn left at the T-junction.
• Turn right onto the R102 (Louis Fourie Road) at the first set of traffic lights (opposite Langeberg Mall).
• Turn right again at the first set of traffic lights. The Toyota dealership will be on your right.
• Turn left into the first road (Mascodor Street).
• We are the second building on your left, Unit 1B, 4 Mascodor Street.

Call Terblanche Properties on 044 695 2871 if you need any assistance. You can also download a PDF version of the map and directions above here.

We hope to see you soon at our new offices. Pop in for visit!

How NOT to spend all your money this holiday

Don't break your piggy bank completely

Budget

• Write down your budget and make sure you will be able to meet all your usual financial obligations like your bond and car repayments, rates, and debit orders.
• Use only what is left for gifts and entertainment.
• Start buying your gifts and decorations now so that you can spread the cost over two months.
• Planning a holiday at the sea? Have a look at some affordable self-catering holiday units in the Garden Route.

Pace yourself

Most of us get paid early in December and there is always the temptation to spend your January money during the festive season. But this will mean that you can’t pay your bills and guarantees a bad start to the New Year.

Put away the money you will need for your January expenses, or pay your January bills early.

Stick to cash

• Work out how much you can afford to spend on gifts and stick to it.
• Put the money you plan on spending into an envelope and make sure this is all you have on you to spend. This will help you avoid the temptation of using your credit card once you’re in the shops.
• Do your shopping early so you are not rushed and pressurized into spending more than you initially budgeted for.

Be innovative

When it comes to gifts, think about small luxuries that people have stopped buying for themselves during these tough times, like a bunch of flowers or bath salts.

If your family is going to get together for a celebratory meal, let each family member contribute to the meal as their gift.

Have a serious look at your current expenses. For example, can you still aford your current rent or do you need to consider down scaling?

Be generous

The economy is struggling to recover so even if you are feeling the pinch there are others who are struggling to put a meal on the table. Give donations like food, clothing and toys to those in need so they can also feel the spirit of giving.

Original article

The basics of being a good neighbour

Are you a good neighbour?

 

Living next door to someone doesn’t make you a neighbour.  It makes you an adjacent homeowner.  One of the great opportunities we have in our communities here in Mossel Bay is the chance to build real, meaningful relationships with the people who live closest to us.

While I understand the desire for privacy, I think it’s important we realize that regular, helpful communication with our neighbours makes us both safer and paves a smooth road for difficult conversations we might face with our neighbours in the future.

Small gestures such as a nice note about landscaping, an invitation to a street barbecue, or an “all hands on deck” community improvement project allow us to get to know our neighbours.  This is vital when you consider the people around you are the most likely to spot smoke when your house catches on fire while you’re away, clue you in to suspicious activity, and have the opportunity to share vital local information.

What’s more, if you build a positive base with your neighbours, when the time comes to have a difficult conversation (such as a barking dog, kids running amok, or intrusive lighting issues), you’ll have a buffer of mutual respect and goodwill to draw on.

If your opening conversation with a neighbor is a complaint, you’re setting yourself up for a long, antagonistic relationship.  Who wants to live next to that?

It doesn’t take much to start off the right way.  Consider leaving a nice note in their mailbox, a small “thank you” gift for looking out for the neighbourhood, or some other “olive branch” act that will build rapport. My wife and I were pleasantly surprised when our neighbour brought us a homemade milktart when we had moved into our house in Dana Bay. From that day on we have not complained once about her noisy little dog.

I think a civil community depends upon our connection to our neighbours.  We all benefit when we depend on and trust one another. Mossel Bay will be better place for us to live in because of it.

If you like this blog post, subscribe to our blog posts or like us on Facebook for more.

Guess where Terblanche Properties are moving to

Artist's impression of new TTPS offices at night

The current Terblanche Total Property Solutions office in Mossel Bay is a buzz of activity these days. Some would call it “noisy”. We just think we’re popular.

See, we have grown so fast that our property consultants and staff are packed very tightly into the Mossel Bay office these days. Phones are ringing, clients are visiting, meetings are held and properties are shown. It’s a lot of fun, but just a tad… “noisy”… uh… popular. Our directors knew we needed room to expand, and they found the perfect spot for the new Mossel Bay offices.

Now you stand a chance to win! All you need to do is enter the “Guess Where We’re Moving To” Contest on our Facebook Page and put your guess (where our new Mossel Bay offices are located) on our Wall. Don’t worry. There are some clues on our Page already. Tip: it’s much closer to the Langeberg Mall…

So, don’t delay, enter now! Who knows, maybe you could win with our Terblanche Properties “Guess Where We Are Moving To” Contest.

De Rust Farmyard Spring Market

Check out the De Rust Farmyard Spring Market in October 2011

A few creative ladies of De Rust decided to do some creative marketing for their town. They contacted us recently to let us know about the De Rust Farmyard Spring Market.

For those who didn’t already know this, De Rust has recently been crowned as Kwela (KykNet) and Rapport newspaper’s Town of the Year, 2011.

The De Rust Farmyard Spring Market will be held on 7 and 8 October 2011 (from 10 in the morning to five in the afternoon) at the farm, Aangenaam, which is about 11 kilometers  outside De Rust on the R341. Proceeds of the event will be donated to CANSA.

You can expect to find locally produced products, ostrich leather products, Christmas gifts, toys, paintings, plants and freshly baked treats at the market. The De Rust ladies have promised something for everyone. They’ve even managed to arrange with a local wine cellar for some wines to taste and purchase.

Don’t worry about getting hungry. A tea garden with homemade beverages, cakes and light lunches will ensure that no one goes hungry. You will also be able to see how to roast coffee beans, drink your roasted beans or purchase a bag of roasted coffee beans to take home.

The guys are more than welcome too. They can entertain themselves with fishing at the farm dam, target practice at the shooting range, mountain bike trails or a challenging 4×4 route close by. There is no need to stay home.

For more information, contact us and we’ll get you in touch with these dynamic ladies. Make your way to De Rust and enjoy the day at the Farmyard Spring Market.

Census 2011 – Important information

From 10 October, 2011, more than 140,000 Census workers will traverse all areas such as the Garden Route to count every person in South Africa and will gather information about every person living at each address including names, age, gender, race, and other relevant data.

We advise our clients in the Garden Route area to be cooperative but cautious. All Census workers knocking on your door will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice. You may ask to see their identification and name badges before answering any questions.

Please do not give your identity number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the Census. The only information a Census worker needs, is how many people are living at your address.

Government uses the information from the census to help plan for future projects. These include the building of schools, hospitals, roads and other public infrastructure. Many government departments and municipalities also use information from the census.

The first census after the 1994 democratic elections took place in 1996. The last census took place in October 2001 when South Africans were counted for the second time as citizens of the new democracy. In 1996 the population was over 40 million (and increased to almost 45 million in 2001.

Do you have any questions about the census? Contact us and we’ll assist you, if possible.

All listings now also on Property Junction

Property Junction

Properties listed on our world-class website, are now also fed to the new and exciting South African property portal, Property Junction.

This is great for sellers in the Garden Route who want to list their properties for sale with a company who is able to give the best exposure to their properties. Buyers will also get access to a much wider variety of properties when they search. Property Junction is part of the Avusa Media stable and is bound to be a very busy and useful website for sellers and buyers alike.

Here below is a screenshot of a property listed on Property Junction:

A property advert on the Property Junction website

Terblanche Total Property Solutions are constantly improving and expanding the property marketing services available to our clients. Just over two months ago, we announced that many listings on our website would also be fed to Private Property. Coupled with our already-existing property marketing offering, sellers will enjoy excellent exposure for their properties for sale.

Contact us today to discuss a tailor-made marketing plan for your property for sale.

 

Lipton Cup to be held in Mossel Bay

Sailing in the Bay

Mossel Bay, which boasts some of South Africa’s best sailing waters, will welcome the 2011 Lipton Challenge Cup, arguably the most prestigious sailing competition in the country, when the opening ceremony takes place this Saturday.

Entries have come from as far afield as Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Gauteng. With most of the boats having already arrived in town, excitement is reaching fever pitch.

South African Sailing’s training manager, Mossel Bay-based Rob Holden, says, “Mossel Bay offers good winds and good swells, with interesting currents and eddy currents which will challenge the crews in the week to come.”

Chick Ramsay, Commodore of the Knysna Yacht Club (the organisers of the event), said that pilot charts for the Southern Cape showed that “the most likely winds for August are westerlies of about force 4, south westerlies of force 3, or north westerlies of force 4.”

“If this year’s winds follow this general pattern, it will make for ideal sailing.”

Registration, boat scrutiny, and weigh in will take place on Friday and Saturday the 19th and 20th of August. The opening ceremony will begin at the Mossel Bay Yacht and Boat Club at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, 20 August 2011.

Racing will begin daily at 12:00 from Sunday 21 August, with one race per day until Friday 26 August. A final prize giving ceremony will be held in front of the replica of Bartolomeu Dias’ caravel in the Dias Museum Complex’s Maritime Museum.

“Satellite tracking of the races will be relayed to screens in the tent that’s been set up at the Yacht Club, and everyone is welcome to come down and learn a bit about sail boat racing,” said the commodore of Mossel Bay Yacht and Boat Club, Mike Keet.

A full programme is available on the race’s Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/liptoncup. If you are coming to support your yacht club and need a place to stay, check out our website.

More information:

• Lipton Challenge Cup: www.liptoncup.org.za
• Original article – Mossel Bay Tourism: www.visitmosselbay.co.za