Exhibitions do bring home the buyers
Overseas exhibitions are not just a mandate-getting ploy by SA estate agents, according to Chas Everitt International, which recently took part in several such showcases.
MD Berry Everitt says: "Despite the recent claims of some of our competitors, our participation in overseas expos is not just a listing tactic. We have proved that they definitely do bring in buyers - if you do them right.
"And it seems we have achieved that again with our recent participation in the Earl's Court and Utrecht expos, as we now have dozens of confirmed buyer visits to SA as a result."
At Earl's Court, he says, the group found that Garden Route and Western Cape properties - especially wine farms and golf estates - were still getting a lot of attention, but that visitors were also starting to look at KZN and inland.
"It was also interesting to note the shift away from pure holiday-home buying to residential/retirement and investment buying. The most popular price range was R600 000 to R1-million, while at Utrecht, host to Holland's Second Homes show, buyers were hunting in the R1-million to R2-million bracket."
Most of the Dutch buyers, he says, were seeking coastal holiday homes that they could let out for the rest of the year, "but still a significant number of visitors to the exhibition were thinking of actually immigrating to SA and looking for inland properties close to work and business opportunities.
"We also took note of the fact that prospective buyers don't seem to like face brick properties as much as plastered ones. They prefer clean lines, neutral colours, big living spaces and easy to maintain gardens. Views and easy access to shops and activities are much in demand."
All of which, Everitt notes, are useful, practical insights for the group's franchisees and their clients, as well as the developers they work with - "which we would also not have gained had we decided to stay home".
Issued by Chas Everitt International
For further information call Brenda Smith at
Chas Everitt International Bryanston on 011 463 2033
or visit www.chaseveritt.com