Rookie agent shines in first five months
Category Advice
One of the attractive things about a career in residential property selling, is that those with a talent for it and a willingness to work hard, can do surprisingly well right from the start.
Anna-Marie Smalberger, who joined Alexander Swart Property's administrative division in March 2017, when they were still a franchise in a national group, asked in August last year if she could be more involved with front-line customer interaction - and from September she has been a full time agent in the rental division.
What is more, she is already up with the top performers in her division. Operating mainly in Brackenfell, Kraaifontein, Kuils River and Durbanville, she is signing up new tenants at a rate of three or more per month. This is by no means an easy task.
Protecting their landlords as they are obliged to do, the Alexander Swart Property rental team will never take on a tenant until he or she has been accredited by the credit bureau and agents with whom they might have been involved previously - a great many applicants do have tarnished credit records.
On the other hand, Alexander Swart Property is one of the few agencies which will, on occasions work with a potential tenant who is under debt review to help them get out of their predicament.
Once approved, these tenants can be among the best because they are prevented by the debt administrators from spending their income on less important matters.
What does make Anna-Marie's job easier, is that Brackenfell, Kraaifontein and Kuils River still offer real value for money in all rental brackets.
Anna-Marie has signed up monthly customers at rentalsbetween R6,500 to R22,000. In many of these areas a rent of R12,000 or less can get the tenant a complete two or three bedroom home with one or two garages.
In Kraaifontein it is even possible to find substantial, freestanding homes to rent at R8,500 per month.
A big advantage of the areas in which she operates, is that suitable homes are available to rent, to a very wide range of middle income groups. At the lower end of the rental scale most of her tenants are in the 28 to 35 year age group, she says. As rentals rise higher the typical tenant is in the 40 to 55 year age group.
Her dedication to her task has already won her an impressive collection of complimentary letters from clients. A recent one praises her for being contactable at almost any time of day or night and over weekends.
"I learned very early on that in this career there can be no such thing as "normal" working hours. Many potential clients are only available after the working day or over weekends. Very often one's admin work has to be done late at night-because there is no free time in the day.
The satisfaction of finding a good tenant a home he can afford, in an area he already likes, or renewing a lease that is going well, is great-and of course, it is always gratifying to please good landlords, many of whom cannot afford to have their properties standing empty for even a week or two."
For further information contact Anna-Marie Smalberger on cell phone number 084 941 1879 or by email: admin.rentals@asproperty.co.za or Rowan Alexander on rowan@asproperty.co.za.
Author: Independent Authour
