Lower interest rates don’t always mean that homeowners should upgrade to bigger and better properties. If they have built up substantial equity in their homes, it may be time to access some of it and make alternations or improvements instead.

That way, many believe, they can have a bigger and better home without having to go to the trouble and expense of moving.

However, says Martin Schultheiss, CEO of Harcourts Africa, homeowners should seek expert advice about home values and growth prospects in their area before making a final “renovate or relocate” decision.

“You need to be very careful not to overcapitalise. Prices in many areas are still at a low ebb following the recession, which might make it difficult to recoup your renovation expenditure if you suddenly had to change your plans and sell.

“And in any case most neighbourhoods will only support prices up to a certain level. After that, potential buyers with more money will be most likely be looking at a more expensive area, so if your home is already at the upper end of the price range for its area, you should probably move rather than spend any more on it.”

Schultheiss says homeowners also need to make sure that any changes they plan will comply with municipal regulations, that additions will match the style and décor of the original building and that any alterations make sense.

“You don’t want to end up with a four or five bedrooms and just one bathroom, for example, or spacious new reception rooms contrasting with a cramped, outdated kitchen.”

And lastly, he says, you must take into account the inconvenience and discomfort of living in a home while renovating it. “It is really only worth putting up with this if you plan to stay on in your home long enough after the work is finished to enjoy the improvements you’ve made.”

ISSUED BY HARCOURTS AFRICA

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL

MARTIN SCHULTHEISS ON

031 201 1060 OR VISIT

www.harcourts.co.za

Outdoors, the worst effect of damp is to cause walls to become waterlogged and collapse, but before that it usually also causes plaster and paint to bubble, burst and flake off. Indoors, it will cause a musty smell to pervade cupboards, rooms or even the whole house, and in severe cases cause unsightly mold and falling tiles in showers, bathrooms, laundries and kitchens.

Indeed, says Martin Schultheiss, CEO of Harcourts Africa, damp needs to be taken seriously and treated properly, otherwise it will be a continuing source of discomfort and even illness to the homeowner – and a severe deterrent to potential tenants or buyers of the property.

“Serious rising damp from the foundations will of course require the services of damp proofing specialists, but homeowners can do much themselves to prevent damp from other sources getting a grip.

“They can, for example, ensure that there is no loose flashing on the roof and that the gutters aren’t clogged up or broken. Downpipes must be angled to direct water away from the house and runoff from the garden should also be channelled away.”

Homeowners should also check for ill-fitting windows and doorframes, plumbing leaks and damp patches around small cracks in the wall, all of which can be relatively easily repaired with insulation, filler and damp-proof paint.

“Indoors, however, the biggest problem is like to be condensation rather than water seeping in,” says Schultheiss, “and the best course is to achieve better ventilation, perhaps by unblocking airbricks or installing an extractor fan to get rid of steam in a bathroom or kitchen.

“In South Africa we are also very fortunate in that our homes are generally not sealed up against the weather as they are in Europe or many parts of the US, so we can still open doors and windows to allow fresh air to circulate – and that is still one of the best ways to get rid of a musty smell and prevent mold from forming.”

ISSUED BY HARCOURTS AFRICA
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL
MARTIN SCHULTHEISS ON
031 201 1060 OR VISIT
www.harcourts.co.za

“On a local, national and international level, Harcourts has been keeping ahead of the challenges and maximising the opportunities presented by the 2008/2009 market by building on the strength of its people through the tools, support and training we provide them,” Mr Green said.

According to Mr Green, one of the main focuses for Harcourts International this year has been growing the strength, reach and size of its teams, together with the professional resources available to its people, and the organisation has succeeded in all three goals.

“The organisation has definitely grown in size, adding five new offices in Victoria, five in New Zealand, five in Queensland and six new offices in New South Wales over the past few months,” he said.

Mr Green said that feedback from new Business Owners was that they chose to join Harcourts due to the organisation’s commitment to continuous development of service and support to clients and its own people.

“Harcourts offers clients specialist divisions, global marketing opportunities and the latest cutting edge technology, together with teams who live locally and possess strong local market knowledge,” Mr Green said.

“I have always been a firm believer that a tighter economy separates the average performers in any industry from the very best. The fact that Harcourts has continued to grow in size has demonstrated to us that we are able to offer what both the market and those within the industry need in the current economy,” he said.

Harcourts is New Zealand’s largest and Australia’s fastest growing real estate group. Founded in New Zealand in 1888, the operation expanded into Australia in 1997. Currently there are over 600 offices in Australia, New Zealand, China, South Africa, Singapore, Zambia, Indonesia and Fiji.

Harcourts has four key factors which have contributed greatly to its ongoing success – the strength of the Harcourts brand, superior business and information systems, proven marketing tools and strategies plus incredibly talented, skilled and committed people.

Harcourts is also the exclusive South Pacific member of Leading Real Estate companies of the world™. This is the world’s largest Real Estate network with over 5,500 offices and 160,000 sales consultants operating in 25 countries.

And agency principal Marina Smith, who is well-known in the diamond city’s real estate market and heads up a dynamic team of seven agents, expects the conversion to attract quite a lot of attention.

“Kimberley is a relatively small place and any changes to its business make-up are picked up quickly. Such a significant shift from one brand to another will definitely not go unnoticed and that will of course mean good publicity.”

But even more important, she says, is what the changeover will mean to the city’s real estate consumers. “With 600 offices internationally, Harcourts has the experience and know-how to equip its people with the training, systems and technology that makes it possible to deliver stellar service at a completely different level than SA consumers have previously experienced.”

The transition to the Harcourts name follows last year’s partnership deal between Harcourts International and South Africa’s Homenet group, which has now been renamed Harcourts Africa and is in the process of re-branding all its offices around the country.

Harcourts Africa CEO Martin Schultheiss says the group represents the ‘next generation’ of estate agency practice and is creating huge excitement in the SA real estate industry. “We see this in the volume of enquiries we are getting from both independent agencies and disillusioned members of other real estate groups, and in the fact that we have added 18 brand new offices to the group since the start of the year – making us by far the fastest-growing group in the country at the moment.

“We have also now rebranded more than 40 of the old Homenet offices that formed the basis of the group, and are on track to have the whole rebrand exercise completed by March 2010.”

Harcourts is also the fastest-growing real estate group in Australia and the biggest in New Zealand. It also operates in China, Fiji, Indonesia, Singapore and Zambia and has been rated by world real estate authority Stefan Swanepoel as one of the top five international real estate brands.

The global group’s 600 offices employ 4000 sales consultants who sell more than $19.5bn worth of property every year.

Aaron Hodson, International Franchise Development Manager, Harcourts International

Mr Hodson says Harcourts, which is the largest real estate group in New Zealand and the fastest growing in Australia, is rapidly expanding in other existing markets, in discussion with potential franchise owners in both India and Brazil and continually receiving genuine enquiry from many other countries.

“In South Africa for example, where last year we entered into a joint venture with the high-profile Homenet group, Harcourts South Africa is now the fourth largest and fastest growing real estate group in Africa

“As well as progressively rebranding their existing offices they have also opened more than 20 new franchises since April and also just acquired a substantial stake in a new property management company, enabling Harcourts South Africa franchises to access that company’s systems to manage and grow their rental property portfolios through either co-branded or stand-alone Only Rentals outlets,” Mr Hodson says.

“With strong, ongoing interest in South Africa from independent operators and realtors within other franchise groups who are interested in joining our group and benefiting from our world-class systems and support, along with genuine enquiries from Nigeria and Ghana Harcourts’ presence in Africa looks set to increase.”

Mr Hodson says Harcourts’ presence in the People’s Republic of China has also grown since the first Harcourts China office was established last year, with further expansion happening soon.

“Harcourts China now has 10 offices and 130 staff across Shanghai with four additional offices in the city due to open shortly, offices in Beijing and Hong Kong coming soon and expansion elsewhere in China set to follow,” he says.

“Meanwhile, the Harcourts Indonesia team is busy recruiting new office owners and following a recent research trip to India we are now in discussions with several parties there with a view to entering the Indian market in early 2010.

“In addition in Brazil our representatives Global Franchise Consultants are talking with several large real estate groups interested in progressing further with Harcourts, we are dealing with genuine enquiries from Uruguay, Romania and Japan and getting continued interest from the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Europe.”

As Mr Hodson explains, founded in New Zealand in 1888, Harcourts expanded into Australia in 1997 and now has more than 600 offices in nine countries and is also the exclusive South Pacific member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World™ – the world’s largest real estate network with more than 5000 offices and 150,000 sales associates in 35 countries.

Earlier this year leading world real estate authority Stefan Swanepoel noted Harcourts in his 2009 Swanepoel Trends Report as one of four international real estate brands that best exemplify the race towards becoming a global real estate company.

Mr Hodson says the strength of the Harcourts brand, its superior business and information systems, proven marketing tools and strategies plus the group’s talented and committed team have all contributed to Harcourts ongoing success.

The international Harcourts real estate group now has two offices open on the West Rand, thanks to the rebranding of leading local agencies Homenet Jon Rosenberg and Homenet Rhino.

This follows last year’s partnership deal between Harcourts International and South Africa’s Homenet group, which has now been renamed Harcourts Africa and is in the process of re-branding all its offices around the country.

The newly-named Harcourts Rhino is continuing to serve homebuyers and sellers in Roodepoort and Krugersdorp, where it has operated for the past 19 years. Principals Louis Barbosa and Mauro Mosca are however excited about the transition to Harcourts which, they say, will place their real estate group in a much better position than other SA groups in that it won’t have to play “catch-up” after the recession.

“Harcourts Africa is effectively being boosted to a whole new level through the international group’s branding, marketing, training and IT systems. These tools will give us a huge head start in the struggle that local real estate companies will soon be facing if they want to compete in an increasingly multinational business that has been made even tougher by the credit crunch.”

Jon Rosenberg expresses similar sentiments, saying that Harcourts has brought much needed energy to the old Homenet group and noting that many other real estate agencies are joining Harcourts Africa as it offers an exceptional value proposition geared towards bettering agents in all spheres of industry practice.

Rosenberg, who has 27 years of industry experience, employs 12 agents and says his office, now named Harcourts Jon Rosenberg, serves homebuyers and sellers in all the areas from Auckland Park to Ruimsig.

Harcourts is the fastest growing real estate group in Australia and the biggest in New Zealand. It also operates in China, Fiji, Indonesia, Singapore and Zambia and has been rated by world real estate authority Stefan Swanepoel as one of the top five international real estate brands.

The global group currently has more than 600 offices employing 4000 sales consultants, and sells more than $19,5bn worth of property every year.