Good high end property agents are rare, says Alexander Swart property director......
Category Weekly Advice
Good high end property agents are rare, says Alexander Swart property director
One of the most significant signs of an estate agency’s general competence and competitiveness is its ability to attract high end properties. Even if the bulk of its sales are in the middle or the lower middle brackets, a good agency says Rowan Alexander, Director of Alexander Swart Property, should always have some high end specialists capable of performing successfully in the upper bracket despite the many challenges that face agents here.
What are these challenges?
Firstly, says Alexander, is the fact that at the Cape, with the obvious exception of areas like Clifton, Llandudno and Upper Constantia, not only is high end stock likely to be limited but the number of buyers will also be fewer. What is more, in most cases they will be more discerning and in less of a hurry to buy. They have, he says, been known to take a year or more to make up their minds. Also, as they are highly unlikely to be given a 100%, 90% or even an 80% bond on their relatively expensive properties, they have to be affluent.
“This type of buyer,” says Alexander, “will usually be fully aware of the performance/intrinsic value of the property he is looking at and the neighbourhood in which it is sited. Furthermore, he will be looking for a home which in some way reflects his personality: it must be a statement, possibly a quiet statement, of who he is and what he stands for. In one way or another it has to be different, maybe even unique. For this reason many high end buyers alter their homes quite radically soon after moving into them.”
The mind-set of such buyers, says Alexander, has to be understood and empathised with – and that is where a good high end agent will show his or her worth.
“Such agents have realised that the successful goal-orientated upper- end buyer will almost certainly be aware of a whole variety of factors, including the political and economic factors, which influence any investment. The agent has, therefore, to be able to discuss these matters intelligently and objectively. The last thing a high end buyer wants is a ‘hot,’ over-eager salesperson. What he is looking for is the assurance that he and his needs are understood.”
The number of agents who can really do this are rare, says Alexander, but if an agency has them in area like, say, Durbanville they are worth their weight in gold. Having satisfied one client, they will often then find themselves recommended to his colleagues, family and acquaintances and in the best cases they will come to be seen as friends of their clients.
For further information contact Rowan Alexander on cell phone number 082 581 3116 or by email rowan@asproperty.co.za.
Author: Independent Author
