LIANE AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Category News
HOW LONG HAS THE MIDLANDS BRANCH BEEN GOING, WHERE IS IT, AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PRINCIPAL THERE?
I signed up with Owen Dormehl on July 21, 2011. Our office is in the centre of Howick at 50 Main Street, colloquially known as the White House Centre.
WHAT IS THE EXACT NAME OF THE BRANCH?
DPG Midlands (Pty) Ltd, trading as Dormehl Phalane Howick, Richmond, Greytown.
WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE JOINING THE BRANCH. DID YOU HAVE ANY OTHER JOB BEFORE JOINING THE DORMEHL PHALANE GROUP?
I started in real estate in 1998 in the Pietermaritzburg Fine & Country Office. I qualified in the old examinations, and then became a principal when the F&C office dissolved.
I started my own agency, very originally called LA Properties, and ran the business from home in Pietermaritzburg. I had never intended to build an agency, but found I had four or five agents by 2011, working between Greytown, Richmond and the Midlands, and I worked as far north as Ladysmith.
WHEN AND WHY DID YOU JOIN THE DORMEHL GROUP?
Owen Dormehl called me persistently and talked me into joining Dormehl Property Group in 2011. He was very charming and persuasive. He said Dormehl needed an agricultural agent in their stable, and that we would benefit so much from being part of a franchise. We have never looked back.
WHAT DO SEE AS THE STRENGTHS OF THE DORMEHL PHALANE BRAND?
Personal interest and communication. Always having somebody ready to help. A bunch of lovely people who share and care. In addition, we receive fantastic support from head office and the training we are offered is unsurpassed.
Also, we are the first (and only, I think) franchise to be 100% BEE compliant. This, together with the intern programme, will stand us all, as a franchise, in good stead going forward.
YOUR MAIN AREA OF INTEREST IS FARMS. TELL ME ABOUT RECENT DEALS AND WHY YOU CHOSE THIS AREA OF INTEREST.
I chose this area of interest because my passion is agriculture, and I would have loved to have been a farmer, on a large scale.
Secondly, we have lived and worked in rural areas most of our lives. We have a huge circle of connections in agriculture, right from childhood days, and often it is easier to get leads and referrals if you know who the right people are to ask.
In the last year I have sold a range of properties. I had a run of three lovely commercial sales within Howick, several smallholdings around the R3 million to R4 million mark, and then between Roy Emanuel, in the Estcourt Dormehl branch, and I, we sold some commercial farms.
HOW MUCH OF A HARD SELL IS IT THESE DAYS TO MOVE FARMS, ESPECIALLY WITH 'LAND GRAB' WORRIES FLARING?
The ‘expropriation without compensation’ talk has depressed smallholding sales very badly as people are very concerned that they will lose their homes/investments.
Strangely, it does not appear to have influenced commercial farmers too badly. There are several sectors in agriculture doing really well – dairy, beef has doubled in price, fertile eggs, broilers and table eggs. Forestry and cane have given long-term consistent returns.
Like all industries in this modern era, returns have become a factor of size and economies of scale, so successful farmers are expanding their enterprises and buying land.
So the large commercial farmers are looking to expand, and we have several serious enquiries in these fields.
WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOUR FACE AS AN AGENT WORKING IN THIS AREA OF INTEREST?
Some people believe that all they have to do is find a farm to buy and they will be lent millions of rands.
There is a general lack of experience among them, and we find it very difficult to explain that no commercial bank/institution will lend cash without significant owned assets, a minimum of a 10% deposit and a business plan explaining in detail how the funds will be repaid.
It is difficult to say no to some potential buyers who are not clear on the facts, and doubly difficult to explain to them that the investment of my time, experience, travel, and the like, is not worth it!
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST REWARDING PERSONAL DEAL WITH FARMS... AND ALSO YOUR MOST SUCCESSFUL RUN OF DEALS?
The most rewarding transactions are when all three parties are a little unhappy – the seller paid a little less, the buyer paid a little more, and the poor agent in the middle squeezed a little harder.
No, in all seriousness, the best deals are when the buyer knows what he wants, the seller is a real seller and has priced the property correctly, and I, as an agent, have done my work properly and can supply all the correct information at the correct times.
I don’t think I have ever had a “run” of deals – farm and smallholding transactions all seem to take quite a long time. I think the advertising only gets real traction after about six weeks, then we qualify the buyers and try to match people and properties.
Financing usually takes about three months before the transfer process can begin as, generally, we are talking about sums of money that the ordinary person does not have in a shoe box under the bed.
As a general rule, the conversion of stock into sales is poor in agricultural sales – I would say around 10% to 20% – whereas in residential sales I would be disappointed not to convert 50% of my listings into sales.
From the point of view of making consistent sales, I think the residential market would be more rewarding, financially.
WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE MIDLANDS BRANCH STRENGTHS - AND WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE BROUGHT TO THE BRANCH, AS ITS PRINCIPAL?
Our Howick branch is very strong because we have an excellent team, with a lot of experience between us. We are all local people and all involved in our community.
We have the most experienced residential sales person in Howick in our team, we have the best rentals department, and our admin people are very loyal, very committed and long-time members of our community.
I have brought an attitude of sharing – together we all win – to our branch. I believe the more sales we all make, across all the brands, the better it is for all of us.
I encourage sharing and referrals, and we actively endorse our service providers, the plumbers, electricians, handymen, draughtspeople, builders, etc.
WHAT DORMEHL PHALANE AWARDS DID YOU AND/OR YOUR BRANCH TAKE THIS YEAR - AND HOW DID THAT TALLY COMPARE WITH PREVIOUS YEARS?
I have been placed in the Top 10 sales people nationally for the past six years. This year I was placed third. (In my first year I was 17th, but did not work a full year for DPG).
We have been the top office for agricultural sales, nationally, for the past 7 years.
We placed third nationally in rentals and Pippa Griffin was placed third nationally as well (Rental Agent). Also, our residential agent was second top agent nationally this year.
Our intern, Sindi Ngwane was top intern nationally, for the most sales.
Our administrator, Liana Powell, was recognised as being the best in the group.
We have won many awards each year we have been part of DPG. I believe that it is very motivating for mey team to be recognised publicly, and we appreciate the effort that Head Office goes to, to make our events successful.
YOUR VIEWS ON WHY DORMEHL AND PHALANE ARE GOOD LEADERS OF THE GROUP?
They are both inclusive and inspirational leaders. Owen is very involved in real estate and stays current with trends and changes in the market. Tau ‘Daniel’ Phalane is a highly experienced and successful attorney in his own right, and he brings a wealth of connections and legal experience to our brand. In addition, his lovely wife, Bongi, is a KZN girl.
WHAT VIEWS ON THE GROUP'S PLEDGE TO GET MORE BLACKS INTO THE COMPANY?
Their attitude of inclusiveness and training is admirable. The real estate sector has to transform and fast.
The area in which there is most disposable money is the growing middle-class, who are all rapidly moving up the ladder in terms of moving from suburb to suburb as their wealth increases.
If DPG can position itself as the most professional and inclusive agents in this market, I have no doubt we will become a force to be reckoned with.
At present. I have one qualified black agent, with many years experience, and an enormously positive black intern, Sindi Ngwane, who astounds me with her energy and focus. She has already made seven sales this year!
HOW MANY AGENTS ARE AT YOUR BRANCH, AND ARE THERE ANY OTHER PRINCIPALS?
I am the only qualified principal, but Pippa Griffin needs only to write her PDE exam to be the second qualified principal. We are a team of six qualified agents, five intern agents (four of whom will be qualified this year) and two office administrators.
WHAT AREAS OF PROPERTY DOES YOUR BRANCH COVER?
We handle bodies corporate (we have the only fully qualified manager in this area), commercial and industrial sales, residential, commercial and industrial letting, farms and smallholdings.
WHAT GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS DOES THE BRANCH SERVE?
We serve the greater Midlands areas in terms of agricultural sales and letting, and specialise in residential, commercial and industrial sales within the greater Howick area.
We have an agent who services the Richmond area and surrounds, and another who specialises in the Greytown, Wartburg area. In the larger commercial farms, we are active between Ladysmith in the north and Eston in the South.
HOW HAS BUSINESS BEEN IN RECENT TIMES?
Our residential sales are steady, our rental department is growing and incredibly busy. Howick is apparently the fastest-growing small town in KwaZulu-Natal, and we see a constant demand in all areas, going forward.
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND QUALIFICATIONS
I am a dyed-in-the wool Natalian. I think we are incredibly fortunate to live in KZN as we have the friendliest people, a wonderful climate, excellent services and are two hours from the beach and two hours from the mountains. What more could you want?
I have a B Com from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg, and experience in many facets of business. I am very connected to the agricultural markets through my husband, whose company runs most of the livestock auctions throughout KZN.
I have learnt many skills in negotiating and finding solutions for problems.
CHALLENGES AND PLANS FOR THE BRANCH?
I would like to see our market-share in the residential retirement estates expand. We find that the unqualified “in-house” agents do many of the sales in these developments (amounting to around 2000 homes in Howick), and we feel that this is not right.
We, as qualified agents, spend a lot of time and money in staying qualified and up to date. We actively participate in the Continuous Professional Development programmes and attain all our annual points. We pay to be members of the Estate Agents Affairs Board and the have Fidelity Fund Certificates.
We believe that we are the most successful and professional franchise in Howick, and we plan to stay there!
WHAT VIEWS ON THE SOUTH AFRICAN PROPERTY MARKET IN GENERAL? AND IF THERE ARE ANY CONCERNS, HOW PREPARED ARE YOU TO FACE THEM?
The SA property market will always be exciting, as we have such diverse markets. I would like to see Government, together with the EAAB, finding a solution to get title deeds for all the property “owners” on communal land.
My concern is the huge population of South Africa who have built their homes on land they don’t own. If they could get title deeds for that land, I am convinced we would see a huge improvement in people’s lives.
They would then have access to the formal sector and could use their asset to access finance, education, self-reliance and improvement.
AWAY FROM THE WORLD OF PROPERTY, HOW DO YOU RELAX AND UNWIND?
We live on a smallholding in the Dargle Valley. I absolutely love coming home to my livestock. I have some laying hens, a flock of sheep (all lambing at present), a herd of Zulu goats with plenty of small kids, and a herd of magnificent white Brahman cattle.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR HUSBAND AND CHILDREN
I am married to Rolf (30 years this year) and we have four children. Our eldest is a civil engineer, our second is a chartered accountant, our third is a copywriter in the advertising industry, and our forth is also a CA. Rolf also has a B Com and is in business with his sister, who is a CA. They co-own and run a large livestock auctioning business.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT WORKING IN PROPERTY?
The property market is generally quite stressful and I am always mindful that I am dealing with a person’s most significant investment. I derive huge satisfaction from successfully concluding a sale, where we have had to find innovative ways to make a sale work.
YOUR MOTTO IN PROPERTY?
Nothing is impossible!
Author: Billy Suter
