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+27 (0)11 955 9100 |
Newsletter - 28 August 2008
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| Word from the editor |
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Dear CyberAgent user, Growth in the finance and real estate industries slowed to 2.3 percent from 4.9 percent in the first quarter. While there’s no denying the current property downturn, there are several reasons for real estate agents to be positive about the future. So says Berry Everitt, MD of the Chas Everitt International property group, who believes current tight conditions are actually working to the advantage of real estate agents prepared to stay the course. “The ratio of agents to sales is improving by the day,” he says. “Every week another real estate office seems to close and the industry has also finally introduced new measures that require agents to be more comprehensively trained - making it more difficult for anyone to gain entry to the industry.”
On the other hand, he says, now is the time for strong agencies to beef up their teams even further. “Recruitment opportunities abound, thanks to the fact that while established companies are lowering operating costs by sharing overheads and maximizing discounts, smaller companies are floundering. “Strong individuals who are labouring under weak brands and operators are being obliged to look elsewhere.”
Now is also the time, Everitt says, for real estate agents to show clients how much value they can add. “There are many creative and innovative ways to gain exposure without spending a fortune. The most important aspect in these times is awareness.” In short, he says, there are many opportunities open to agents now. They just need to be brave enough to seize them. We get numerous calls from CyberAgent users requesting advice on the current economic situations. Our advice to you, make sure that you get maximum exposure for your properties on the Internet. With CyberAgent we offer you updating to 20+ affiliated websites a fee as low as R 7 per property per month (based on 30 properties). The following was send in by one of our CyberAgent users;
I am sure that after reading this you must be smiling! Greetings! |
| It's here! |
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| Website Marketing |
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| What's new |
| Database
Cleanup Utility
The database cleanup utility has been revised - it no longer populates the drop-downs (containing the invalid locations) automatically. You now have to click a button ("Check Database") first. This has a great advantage regarding the speed at which the form opens. We have also added a facility whereby you can request Regions. The Regions are used mostly on the websites - those of you who have the Keep Me Informed facility activated on your website, will definitely know what I'm referring to. Those of you who have visited the CyberProp.com website and have tried out the Keep Me Informed facility will also recognize the Regions concept. The Regions make it simpler for the website users to find listings in a certain area, the trouble is that there's still a lot of places that have not been divided into any specific Region. We'd like to get you, the users, involved in the definition of the Regions and that's why we've added the module to the Database Cleanup Utility.
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| SA agents qualify as global property experts |
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Congratulations to our CyberAgent clients;
Thanks to the Institute of Estate Agents of South Africa (IEASA), 12 local agents can now lay claim to the prestigious CIPS designation that signifies their expertise in working with international clients.
Recognised globally, the Certified International Property Specialist qualification is awarded by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), which represents more than 1,2-million realtors in the US and has IEASA as its SA associate.
To earn the CIPS designation, agents have to go through a rigorous training programme – which was offered for the first time in SA late last year alongside IEASA’s annual national conference. Of the 40 students who attended that course 12 have recently been officially acknowledged by the NAR as global real estate practitioners.
They are now also members of an exclusive database of agents that can be searched by foreign buyers looking for expert assistance in acquiring SA properties, or local buyers seeking to invest abroad.
IEASA president Dr Willie Marais says the organisation is proud that it has been able to bring the CIPS course to SA, thanks to its association with the NAR and its acceptance last year as member of ICREA (the International Consortium of Real Estate Associations).
The CIPS course covers marketing to diverse cultures, finding international clients, and the development of an international referral network as well as all the practical aspects of international brokerage such as capital flow, currencies and government regulations.
Those attending the course also learn how to make their websites more attractive to culturally diverse clients, whether they are from the Americas, Europe or the Asia/ Pacific region.
The first group of SA agents to obtain the CIPS qualification are: Anne Porter of Anne Porter Properties, Adriaan van Heerden and Leon Oosthuysen of Densen Properties, Berry Everitt of Chas Everitt International, Natasha Swanepoel of Seeff Properties, Jenny Seaton-Smith of Eve Properties, Riana Venter of Property Excellence, Dr Willie Marais of Homenet Maxima, Nerina Kritzinger of Kibo Properties, Leslie Grobbelaar of Global Village Properties, Gavin Ferrier of Cool Group and Charmaine Moore of RE/MAX Toti.
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| In residential property marketing nothing can replace the good agent and the show day |
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Hits on Rawson Properties’ website have risen by 30% in six months – but, while this is gratifying, buyers and sellers should realise that nothing will ever replace the show house and the good agent when marketing a home. This is the view of Tony Clarke, MD of Rawson Properties.
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| Properazzi: Online real estate globe-trotting |
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The properties of all our clients are updated to www.properazzi.com Company name: Properazzi Company description: Properazzi.com is an international real estate portal that displays for-rent and for-sale properties. Over 1 million home seekers use Properazzi every month. Properazzi currently holds around 4 million listings from 58 countries. Launch date: Founded in March 2006; launched to the world in March 2007. Current number of employees: A mixed-nationality team of 30, with expertise in software engineering, user-experience design, product development, and client service. A total of 15 languages are represented among the company's staff...
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| CyberAgent Training and Info Sessions |
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We now provide you with FREE training session in the following areas;
During these training sessions more information will also be provided on:
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| PropertyTrader |
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Your properties are now advertised online with Property Trader as part of your monthly CyberAgent subscription! |
| News |
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A warm welcome to all new Agencies July 2008: We trust that by now you are well aware of what CyberAgent can do for you. If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at support@cyberprop.com or phone us at: +27 (0)11 955-9100 or 086 112- 9237 Most Internet enquiries July 2008:
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| SA Hometraders |
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Now you can update directly to SAhometraders when you do a property update in CyberAgent.
USP Designs (Pty) LTD and SAhometraders have formed a working relationship that now allows CyberAgent Users to update to SAhometraders without double property capturing.
USP Designs have negotiated a reduced monthly subscription of R250.00 excl. VAT to SAhometraders for all CyberAgent users.
If you are interested contact Sandy on 011 955 9100 or complete the form on this link and we will contact you shortly.
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The qualification requirements for estate Agents - EAAB The EAAB has announced that the new qualifications dispensation has come into effect on 15/07/2008, at last! The syllabus will hopefully be available soon. The EAAB has neglected to inform the real estate industry in clear terms what the requirements and frameworks of the new dispensation are, with the result that there are quite a few “snake-oil salesmen” going from door-to-door and peddling their non-accredited training material to estate agents by preying on their uncertainties and fears. These peddlers are offering accredited training when they are not in fact accredited by SETA, and their training material is not accredited either. There are no accredited training providers at the moment. So where does this all leave you? You have until 2011 to comply with the new dispensation if you are an established estate agent. My advice to estate agents is simply this...
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| Top speakers lined up for IEASA conference |
Paul du Toit, Bill Gibson, Gcina Mhlope and Gordon Battersby are among the speakers lined up for the forthcoming IEASA conference, which will be taking place at Emperors’ Palace in Johannesburg from 31 August to 2 September The best response to difficult trading conditions such as those currently being experienced worldwide is to trade yourself out of your problems. |
| Quotation of the month |
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"I have learned many things about leadership. Leadership is a responsibility, it isn't a right. I have to earn the support and the loyalty and the respect of the people - I can never demand it.
I have to earn it on an ongoing basis: the moral right to lead. Leadership is not about ego and authority, it's about results and achievement. Leadership thrives on results, and not on salutes. Leadership is not about how many people we control, it's about how many people we liberate, so that they can achieve their own potential. Leadership is not about instructing, but about coaching and encouraging. It is not about taking, but about giving.
The new tendency of leadership is all about the strength of your spirit, the power of your ideals, your humanity and your ability to win the hearts and minds of your team members. Servant leadership is the future and is about leading people to a better tomorrow.” Juan Glaubitz |
With
the latest innovation from USP Designs, you can expect your office
to be a little quieter from now on. At USP Designs, we understand
that time spent behind a desk, is money lost, therefore we have
invested a great deal of time in developing software that allows
the agent to spend less time in the office, leaving more time seeing
clients and the office in full control at all times.
Property
trader is a free real estate magazine, targeting all sectors of the South
African residential property community. The publications provide compelling
local market editorial with informative national features and columns
delivering a truly unique perspective for those of you interested in the
property market. As a group we currently publish in excess of 60 million
pages of advertising per month via more than 400 000 issues weekly in
the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Kwazulu Natal and Mpumalanga.
