The Rawson Property Group, which is expanding at an average rate of 1½ new franchises per month, has now established itself at Krugersdorp, an area already served by 72 registered estate agents. Nevertheless, the new franchisee, Ané Prinsloo, is confident that within six to nine months she will be selling seven properties per month.
Prinsloo, who took over the franchise in May this year, is a good example, says the Rawson Property Group’s Regional Manager for the Northern Region, David Jacobs, of how quickly a person suited to a career in property marketing can establish themselves.
“Ané trained for just six months at the Rawson Property Group’s Helderkruin franchise, owned and run by her mother, Estelle Schutte, who is still her mentor. She proved so suited to the job that we agreed to allow her to take on her own franchise.”
The new franchise has rented offices on Voortrekker Road opposite the Key West retail centre and will serve a very large portion of Krugersdorp, only three sections Chancliff, Rangeview and Featherbrook not being included in their territory. Prinsloo estimates that there are some 700 sectional title and 350 freestanding units in the area she serves, i.e. roughly 40% of the total are sectional title.
“The variety available to buyers in so large and attractive a district,” said Prinsloo recently, “is impressive. The prices can be anything from R250,000 for a 275 m2 apartment in Munsiville to R11 million for a five bedroom modern home in Noordkruin.”
The chief demand at present, said Prinsloo, is for homes valued fairly close to R1 million. Many of these homes are still available, but in most cases require a fair amount of upgrading – which the predominantly young buyers of today are usually happy to undertake.
Within ten weeks of opening her doors Prinsloo and her three agents signed up eight sole mandates and 13 shared mandates. They also processed seven offers to buy, all of which, it appears, seem almost certain to go through. This is an unusually high degree of success for a new agency.
“Price rises here,” said Prinsloo, “are not yet spectacular but they are above the inflation rate. Those waiting another year to buy could find themselves paying 8% to 10% more by the year-end.”
This franchise has taken a new approach to show days — they do Sunday show days from 11:00 to 15:00 from their offices on the corner of Paardekraal Drive and Voortrekker Road, to allow buyers to view all of the properties on their books and they then go to the home that potential buyers want to view.
