Looking ahead in gratitude

At the end of February, which is the halfway point of our financial year, the value of sales achieved by the Chas Everitt group is 28% ahead of budget and the number of homes sold 22% higher than projected.

However, as remarkable as these numbers are, they are only partly a reflection of the general improvement in the residential property market since the Reserve Bank started cautiously lowering interest rates a few months ago and more first-time buyers started stepping on to the property ladder again. (See the latest buyer statistics below.)

In fact, our outstanding results are mostly due to the exceptional group of agents, agents and leaders that have been brought together at Chas Everitt and the real sense of purpose that informs everything we do. I'm immensely grateful for this community of very special individuals, for the new heights they continue to reach both professionally and personally and for the new ideas and solutions they continue to create to enable us to delight our clients with service that is not just "next level" but truly memorable.

I also want to take a moment to appreciate the longstanding and deep relationships that have been built up in the group, and for the level of trust placed in us by those who are succeeding under the Chas Everitt banner to build and maintain thriving businesses and careers that can endure even the toughest times.

My friends Charl and Adel Louw, for example, have just celebrated an incredible 21 years as the leaders of our Cape Town North and Atlantic Seaboard operations. It's also 13 years since Allan Hunkin and Marvelous Mahlangu took over as the "new" leaders of our Glenvista operation in Johannesburg and 12 years since Keith Chetty in Durban joined the group. 

Other recent major milestones include 11-year anniversaries for Maryke and Hardus van der Westhuizen in Vryburg, Bennie Kasselman in Emalahleni, Rose White in Hoedspruit and Sandra van der Merwe in Polokwane, all of whom I applaud for their loyalty and inspirational leadership.

But we're not just celebrating the past. We're also building the future as we continue to attract top talent to the group and provide opportunities and support for expansion into new territories. Dean Meijer has recently extended his footprint to include the Garden Route alongside his Whale Coast and Winelands operations, for example, while Jan van Eck from Hout Bay has opened a new office to serve clients on the Western Seaboard.

In a bold and exciting new step, we will shortly also be launching in Zimbabwe! With growing demand for both residential and commercial property that is being driven by increased mining activity and a booming tourism sector, this is a market full of potential, and I'll share more about that next month...