Not your usual real estate company

Originally from Hout Bay in Cape Town, Piet and Ray made the move to Yzerfontein about two years ago after successfully selling their real-estate business. “We used to own and operate a very successful real-estate franchise in Hout Bay and Llandudno. At our peak, we employed 15 sales and rental agents, and we were one of the top three agencies within the area,” says Ray. “After selling both the business and our family home we then embarked on a comprehensive exercise across the Western Cape to research and identify both the best place
to live and start our new business. It didn’t take much to convince us that Yzerfontein was the one and only choice,” says Piet. “At the time we also realised that the real-estate industry was undergoing some significant changes and we needed to adapt and gear our business model to accommodate these technological changes. Internet marketing had now replaced traditional media and the days of the real-estate office were over. Your online exposure and the quality of your property listings now determine your position and presence within the local property market.”

So, how did Piet and Ray manage to work their way into such a close-knit community where outsiders are often referred to as inkommers? It wasn’t easy at first, says Piet, but they had the determination to make Yzerfontein their new home and the primary focus area for their new business, a boutique real-estate agency. “We really believed in the value of the local real-estate market. Yzerfontein is considered to be the ‘Clifton’ of the West Coast, property prices have either maintained their value or have, in fact, increased in most cases, this despite the challenges facing our economy.”

Ray emphasises that their approach to their clients has also been very different. “Instead of simply listing properties to build our brand, we instead focused on marketing the seller’s properties with 100% effort and attention to details. It wasn’t about us; it was all about uniquely marketing the seller’s property. We avoided overpriced properties with unrealistic asking prices and instead focused on what buyers were looking for, which enabled us to source the key stock on the market.”

According to Piet, most current buyers are looking for three-bedroom, two/three-bathroom family homes with a double garage, open plan living, modern finishes and views all within the R2,5m – R3,5m price range. Ray, who primarily deals with most of the upper-end properties, adds that another key market segment is the beachfront in Pearl Bay. “We currently have a number of buyers exclusively seeking beachfront property but there are only a few vacant stands (starting prices - R4m) and a handful of beachfront homes on the market (starting from R6m an R7m right up to R15m and R20m).”

In terms of their outlook for the local property market, Piet and Ray firmly believe that both demand and prices will continue to rise, as more people seek to relocate from the cities and adapt their lifestyles to the “new normal” of working from home. “We have also noticed a rapid increase in the sale of vacant stands and the development and construction of new homes. To this end, we also have a new and exciting venture called plots4yzer, which will cater exclusively to the vacant land/plot and plan market and is due to launch in December 2020.”

“Yzerfontein is a real haven. It offers an unparalleled quality of life with its beautiful coastal scenery, all within the convenience of an hour’s drive of Cape Town.”