Harcourts News

The Harcourts Foundation, the charitable arm of Harcourts International, has reached the latest milestone of $5 million raised since its launch in 2008. South Africa's arm of the Harcourts foundation, launched in 2011, has already donated R1million to the foundation.

Internationally, this translates to 686 charities supported, 311 communities impacted and 851 grants made through Harcourts offices in New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa.

“The Harcourts Foundation in South Africa is making a significant difference helping communities across the country. 100% of Harcourts South Africa sales offices donate to the Foundation with the sale of each property, and through specially organized events,” said Harcourts South Africa CEO Richard Gray.

Of all the incredible efforts undertaken in the past six years to help disadvantaged families and children, one of the signature events is African Angels, Ride for Education.

The African Angels Independent School, established in 2012, provides a quality primary school education to some of the poorest children in the area. With 88 children attending in 2016, all are from local townships with both economically and socially challenged backgrounds, including orphans.

"Ride for Education is used as a Harcourts team-building exercise to give offices an opportunity to come together for Fun & Laughter, and raise important funds for the community. The 2016 event raised R60,000 and the 2017 event aims to surpass that number," explained Gray.

“The Foundation is funded through Harcourts employee salary sacrifice, ‘off the top’ contributions from sales commissions, and through organised fundraisers,” added Gray.

“The money raised is significant, but what truly is impressive is how Harcourts people are impacting our communities, from supporting programs to end violence against women, and aiding underprivileged families to create a network of financial support for hospice care,” said Jenny Swanson, The Harcourts Foundation Coordinator. “These grants support a wide range of local community organisations that are quietly going about their work, making a difference in the lives of those who need it.”

The Foundation operates as a 100%, charity with all funds raised going directly to grants due to the volunteer-run structure that sees Harcourts employees donate their time and expertise to oversee and administer the process. No management fees, salaries or running costs are taken from the donation account.

"We are incredibly proud of the work The Harcourts Foundation has done over the past nine years," said Harcourts International Managing Director Mike Green. "The Foundation is at the heart of our company's core values, and it is an important part of our success as an international network. Every location in which there is a Harcourts office, there are people in need. We are grateful to be able to give back and make a difference."

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Today's reports that fuel prices are expected to rise even further in October, largely due to the sharp rise in crude oil price, will definitely have an effect on the property market.

Sources are saying the department of energy published information today that the price of gasoline 93 ULP & LRP in Gauteng might increase by 26 cents per liter in the first week of October with the price of diesel expected to rise by 37 cents per liter.

Consumers who are already under financial pressure and in a price pinch due to food cost highs, transport cost increases, stricter banking lending criteria and other macroeconomic factors will feel it even harder.

The rental market might experience it directly as it is usually more prone to react to economic fluctuations. The difference usually comes in where people who rent are able to make changes to their financial situation by scaling down their home choices. Whereas a home owner’s process cannot be changed quickly.

The greater effect on the rental market in the past has been that the demand for rental properties close to business districts, schools and amenities also increases in an attempt to curb excessive transport costs.

The residential sale market is not usually susceptible to short-term changes like fuel price increases and decreases, however there are a percentage of buyers balancing on the decision whether to buy now or not who might be more hesitant to make a financial commitment now. However, short term cycles usually don’t play a major role.

Statement by Richard Gray

The Harcourts Foundation, together with five local Harcourt's offices; Mthatha, Queenstown and the three East London Branches, will be raising awareness and funds for the African Angels Independent School by inviting participants to ride the 72 km Kwelera to Kei Mouth fun mountain bike race on 25 November 2017. Harcourts aims to raise R60 000 for African Angels Independent School. It is the fifth consecutive year Harcourts has raised funds for this organisation.

There are many great investment opportunities in the local real estate market currently. Often during a bout of economic uncertainty, us as consumers keep our cards close to our chest in an attempt to mitigate risk. Which is always the wise option, however as the dust starts to settle the investment sprouts start to emerge from the now fertile soil.

The tough credit market is still making it difficult for some to secure loans however, when partnering with an experienced agent you ensure greater success as professional agents understand the process far better and deal with it daily.

This is why we emphasize agent support as a key strategic focus. Real estate offices need to put a lot of time and effort into continuously ensuring their agents are trained and equipped with the necessary skills. The market continues to evolve, at times exponentially fast, and successful agents are able to adapt and understand these advancements far better than those left in the dark.

Systems need be put in place that prepare the entire team with the knowledge and skills to develop their client base, build relationships and are able to create an open line of communication between office and clients.

Another essential part of a real estate office’s agent relationship understanding is that clients are people, usually making the largest investment of their life. Alternatively selling a part of their family’s history that has been the source of dozens of treasured memories. A certain amount of understanding of what the clients fears and hesitance are is incredibly important. Partnering with your client and building a trusted relationship almost always leads to success and an improved customer relationship.

At Harcourts we identified the necessity for this a long time ago and that is why we have the Harcourts Academy. Our training academy facilitated by industry experts with a full annual programme of courses. Agents and offices are always kept up to date on the latest legislative changes, advancements in communications and marketing tools, relationship building, leadership skills and other important knowledge.

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Customer service is undoubtedly one of the most pivotal arms of any business. Especially in the modern age where we see how bad customer experiences can go viral and do terrible damage to a business' reputation. However you feel about this modern-day practice, it is important to know, that spending time taking your clients opinions seriously should be very high on your priority list.

In real estate terms, this is no different. We’re blessed with assisting many people in making the largest investment of their lives, we help them find a home that will become a part of their family. It is a place where the longest lasting, greatest memories linger in our minds forever. Therefore it is imperative that agents, whilst partaking in this beautiful transaction, maintain a professional line of communication too.

The best real estate agents are the ones that continually keep their client and potential buyer informed on all the processes during the transaction.

In a service environment when consumers are dealing with an agent it is of utmost importance they know they are dealing with someone that is transparent and helpful. A friendly estate agent with a good grasp of their market that takes good care of their clients will always be a busy agent.

At Harcourts we put people first. It is part of our highly regarded value system. We know that at the end of every sale are people, making a commitment.

Buyers and sellers should never be left in the dark about the advantages and potential risks. My advice to buyers and sellers is to ask as many questions as possible. Your agent should be patient and insightful, offering you continuous assistance, every step of the way, to ensure you are making the best possible investment choice.

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We get a lot of enquiries, both internally and externally, about the validity of the for-sale sign. Agents and clients alike at times challenge its effectiveness and enquire about whether they work in a modern society and digital age. The short answer is yes, they still work.

Despite the evolution of the property market entering skyrocket mode daily, with client interactions highly active, ranging from digital engagement to physical contact, there is still an element of legitimacy in tried and tested practices.

The reality of the for-sale sign is that people still notice their presence.

However, each market is different. We’ve found that some areas have a very low interaction rate on for sale boards and some of our agents use these boards sparingly, largely because they’ve evolved to implement alternative marketing strategies that are just if not more effective.

But, on the flipside, there are definitely areas, like the northern suburbs of Cape Town, where for-sale boards do wonders for the exposure of the home. A recent study of four show houses over a Sunday showed that 90% of buyers that attended originally noticed the for-sale board, and then made after they had seen a second advert online or in the print, but still cited the board as the initial spark.

The for-sale board is a necessary medium for both home owner, buyer and estate agent. It exposes the home to the direct target community, with ease to direct contact details and for the agent they also get the necessary exposure for the property and in turn they promote their own services as well.

There are a lot of advantages to technology, I would be the first to admit, but we’ve proven that an integrated approach remains the best way forward.

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The short answer is no. If you have the financial means and qualify then investing in property in your early 20's & 30's might be one of the best decisions of your young adult life.

There is no doubt the market is under pressure. Expendable income for consumers seem to be diminishing and the overall economic climate, interest rates and ratings agencies downgrades are filtering through to the man on the street.

Despite the doom and gloom outlook FNB’s latest property barometer on residential maintenance and downgrades explains that there is only a slight weakening levels of home maintenance and downgrades.

The FNB Estate Agent Survey has recorded a very mild weakening in agent perceptions of home maintenance and upgrades in the 2nd quarter of 2017, after a brief prior 2-quarter strengthening.

This is not surprising as recessionary conditions were imminently going to influence this sector of the market. As I’ve explained in the past investing in a home is a long term commitment but home maintenance is an area subject to short term economic fluctuations.

This weakening might reflect less on home investor confidence and more on retail price increases. Home-owners investing in upgrades on their home are to a large extent reliant on affordability. In our experience most home-owners know that upgrading their home will add value to the property and often a very good return on investment decision.

Yet, households are less likely to spend, as budgets are tightening during this economic cycle. What then happens is that any expenses seen as unnecessary over the short to medium term are not a priority, this sort of activity spills over to upgrades and maintenance.

It is difficult to predict what is going to happen over the next two quarters. There are a lot of variables influencing our macro- and micro economic conditions, and whilst consumer confidence continues to remain under pressure this cycles term is uncertain.

The green revolution has become widely popular, and for good reason, with retail outlets offering organically grown food, businesses installing solar panels for residential purposes and a major surge to reduce wastage by on natural resources, it will continue to become a part of our everyday lives.

This has influenced many of us to examine our own carbon footprint. Especially from a food perspective and its role in this cycle. The knock on effects of this has caused a trend whereby families produce their own food, therefore investing in fresh produce gardens.

But can this addition add value to your home and increase demand when selling?

An aesthetically appealing garden undoubtedly adds value to your home. In the UK it is estimated that a well maintained garden can add as much as 20% to your property’s value. Taking this into consideration the added benefit of producing highly nutritious food in a garden that looks appealing to the eye will definitely add a sparkle to many buyers.

As consumers continue to educate themselves on the benefits of this lifestyle the demand for these features will continue to rise. We’ve already noticed a trend by millennial buyers for homes with improved energy efficient systems and grey water installations.

This being said, a few guidelines that might be taken into consideration so your fresh produce garden is more appealing.