Three People, Two Plots And A Plan

While dreaming up ideas for their eventual retirement, an intrepid trio stumbled upon a rural Stanford property they now call home.

- Dina Venter

The discussion started on a sunny Friday, while on a road trip to a friend’s wedding in Baardskeerdersbos.

Pretoria residents Paul and Loraine Bewsher and their friend Karin Sfredo left Cape Town airport and took the scenic route via Clarence Drive, meandering through Rooi Els and Betty’s Bay to see if they could find the answer to a hypothetical question they’d been discussing for years: where would they ultimately retire?

They stopped in all the villages en route, from Gordon’s Bay to Hermanus. But it wasn’t until they took a turn into Stanford that something clicked into place. “We really liked the vibe and returned the next day to visit a local market,” recalls Paul. Enchanted by the town and its surroundings, they decided to look for property and found a beautiful empty stand for sale. When they contacted the estate agent later, they discovered that the small vineyard across the street was also on the market – but by then they were already on the road so viewing it wasn’t an option. Making a big decision requires careful consideration, so on their return trip to the airport early on Sunday they also explored Elim, Napier, Caledon, and Grabouw. But nothing matched up to Stanford.

A big decision

“On the plane home, we decided to make an offer on the vineyard instead,” says Loraine. “We joked about developing a retirement village for the three of us; Karin was adamant that she didn’t want to grow old alone and we loved the idea of co-living as cantankerous geriatrics.”

On Monday, Loraine made a formal offer and by Wednesday they owned a property they’d never actually set foot on. “I flew down a few weeks later to inspect the vineyard stand only to find the adjacent property was also for sale. So we made another successful offer!” says Karin.