Residents in Pretoria East would be forgiven for thinking that the Rawson Property Group had single-handedly overtaken the entire area’s property market on the first Sunday of April 2019. Street signs were plastered with countless yellow sign-boards pointing the way to a simply astounding number of local show houses.
As it turns out, the curious reason behind this phenomenon lay in one particular Rawson franchise’s determination to push limits, break records, and hold 40 show houses in a single day.
“We originally came up with the idea to hold 40 show houses in one day as a way to stimulate market activity and buyer enthusiasm in our area,” says Rawson Properties Faerie Glen franchisee, Bertie Lombard. “We put a huge amount of effort into planning the event, and made sure it was well publicised online, in local newspapers and to our Rawson buyer network. As a result, we had a really wonderful turnout, and our sellers got some great exposure.”
All 27 Rawson Faerie Glen agents (including Lombard himself) plus additional Rawson representatives dedicated their entire week to hanging posters, prepping properties and sitting show houses. Properties were divided into morning and afternoon viewing sessions to allow agents to do double-duty, ending with an astounding total of 48 successful open houses held on a single Sunday.
“It was always supposed to be a challenge, but it also turned out to be an amazing teambuilding opportunity, with all of us working together to achieve something extraordinary,” says Lombard. “We had a wonderful response from our buyers and sellers – everyone really embraced the spirit of the event – and a lot people were reminded of the power and the value of show houses.”
In order to be able to show 48 houses on a single weekend, it stands to reason that Rawson Faerie Glen needed at least that many properties listed on its books. Thankfully, Lombard says the Pretoria market has plenty of activity both on the seller and buyer side of the equation.
“There are a lot of properties on the market in Pretoria East at the moment, but we have a huge number of buyers looking as well,” he says. “Buyers are definitely taking their time to make purchase decisions, however, and are thinking long and hard about value. This dynamic has increased the time-on-market for most properties – particularly if they’re over-priced – but means well-priced homes are spotted very quickly and are often snapped up in a matter of days.”
Typical price ranges in Pretoria East range from R750k to R1.8million for sectional title properties, R1.2million to R1.8million for duets, and R1.5million to R3.5million for conventional freehold homes. Properties in the area’s popular lifestyle and security estates start at around R3million, although a few offer sectional title opportunities between R1.6 and R2million.
“In terms of value, buyers are very aware of price per square metre,” says Lombard. “Spacious homes with good gardens are very popular, and can persuade buyers to look beyond the typically smaller properties inside estates.”
Average freehold stand sizes in Pretoria East range from 1200m2 to 1500m2 – plenty of space to raise the kids and play with the dogs. Even the smallest duet stands tend to be at least 500m2, while estates typically offer 800m2 to 1200m2 – albeit with access to sizeable common play areas and outdoor activity space.
“Our market is largely family-oriented, although we do have a lot of investors and young executives buying into the sectional title side of things,” says Lombard. “The one thing all our buyers have in common, though, is that they’re well educated and well informed on market conditions. That makes it more important than ever for sellers to partner with an agent who knows their neighbourhood and its price trends, and can help them position their home to sell well.”
Speaking of sales, Rawson Properties Faerie Glen has already received two offers as a direct result of their show-house event and expect more to be coming in over the course of the month. To find out more about buying or listing with them, or to book a complementary valuation of your home, get in touch on 012 991 0439.
