It is important that the seller accepts the fact that the heady days of 2006 – 2007, when annual price rises in some regions were as high as 38% are over, and that current price levels are between 10% and 12% down on the previous peaks.

There is a lack of lending going on which is adding to the current market level – only between 30 -50% of loan applications are being approved and granted – YOU need specialist, informed agents working with you in this current market.

However – the market is looking more positive…………

Buyers who were not interested last year are emerging as they perceive that market to be at, or near the bottom of its cycle and set for an upturn –

The interest rates decrease will definitely assist in bringing about further improvement as it will enhance affordability for those who are keen to buy and their ability to qualify for home loans –

Sellers who are rational, and CORRECTLY priced, are finding that the deals are happening with no problems –

In order for the market to recover, prices need to stay at a realistic level –

Sellers should take this opportunity to conclude a “problem free” deal and move on, to benefit on their next home at a better more advantageous price!!!!!

Adrienne Hersch Properties is bringing fabulous new apartments to Morningside, Sandton in three separate developments that will see owners installed in top class living in 2009.

Tilden Place in Longdon Ave Morningside, is within walking distance of Sandton Synagogue, offers wonderful choices starting with fuss-free city living of two bed/two bath simplex with free flow kitchen dining and lounge areas plus the privacy of a study. The closed patio featuring a built-in braai and the open terrace combine the best of both worlds in outdoor living.  The duplex units offer three bed/three bath luxurious spacious living with high ceilings, walk-in closet, guest toilet, domestic suite and beautiful outside areas.  Or move to the top of the world in the simplex penthouses offering three bed/three bath and your own roof garden.

The high security complex, with guardhouse and electric fencing, offers all residents air-conditioning, built-in appliances including central vacuum system, top finishes, mist sprays, high quality tiles in all high traffic areas and luxurious carpeting in the bedrooms. The complex has two swimming pools and each of the four buildings has its own lift to each floor from the basement parking, which allows two bays per apartment. 

This exclusive standard of living developed by top-notch developer, Jordev Development, starts at R2.9 million all inclusive

Duncton Wood conjuring up visions of tranquil country living, is in the heart of Morningside in Ronmar Rd and offers eight freehold double storey cluster homes featuring the latest in design – exterior cladding.  Architecturally designed with superb finishes, the double volume entrance highlights the modern flowing rooms – combining kitchen, dining, lounge and family room into inviting living and adding on a private study/chill room.  Added benefits are the guest toilet, domestic suite and backyard.  A cascading staircase leads upstairs, where three/four bed/bath combinations with balconies and dressing rooms enable families to live comfortably apart.

This exclusive estate offers stands varying from 750 -1000 m2 with state of the art security in a cordoned off road.  Developed by Mark Pope, this superb lifestyle starts at R5 million including VAT and has no transfer duty.

Sunset View, also in Morningside in Vickie Ave, has space and luxury that only eight fortunate owners will indulge in – 450 m2 sectional title units with more than the norm, even for Sandton, make this an aspirational buy.  Revel in the downstairs living where informality and formality blend through open and closed rooms with three-metre high ceilings. Stroll from your enclosed patio to your timber-decked pool or enjoy your plasma TV and surround sound in winter with cosy underfloor heating. All the modern built-in appliances and separate scullery moves household goods and chores out of sight. And the convenience of the double garage, coming straight into the entrance area, means no more dashing in the rain.

Upstairs four bedrooms, each en-suite, give everyone the space they need with charming balconies and windows. The additional study allows everyone to access computers and Internet away from the distractions of downstairs life. The main bedroom has a superb bathroom featuring a steam shower and futuristic styles.
 
Designed by well-known architect Julian Michaels, these magnificent dwellings start from R4.4 million including all costs.

Some sellers begin with the assumption that the more agents they have working on their property, the greater the prospects of a successful financial conclusion.

However, the reality is that an open mandate generally leads to more but poorer offers, as each agent tries to beat the other to a sale without taking the time to negotiate for the best offer possible. This has the effect of pegging down the price of the property.  It almost certainly means greater invasion of the seller’s privacy by more conducted tours of buyers, many of them patently unsuitable.

It can result in over-exposure (giving the impression of an urgent sale) and impaired communication: for example, newspaper advertisements by different agents might even ask different prices and give different reasons for the sale. Open mandate agencies are reluctant to offer show days or extensive advertising because no mandate means no real motivation

You also run the risk of a double commission claim or at the very least inter-agency commissions. This is a shotgun approach, lacking precision and effectiveness. We at Adrienne Hersch Properties believe in the rifle approach or sole mandate.

This allows the agent to devote time, energy and money to marketing your property to its best advantage, making buyers aware of its value. Once a prospective buyer realises that the agent will refuse to take “bargain basement” offers, and is personally convinced that the property is worth more, buyers often increase their offers.

Sole agency makes for a mutually beneficial relationship between seller and agent because:

• All buyers are channelled through one agent
• There’s a healthy platform for competition between the buyers
• Written intention to sell implies a serious seller
• Allows for generous advertising expenditure
• Viewing times are set and one reason is given to buyers why you are selling
• You can monitor, control and get constant feedback on the agent’s marketing plan
• Property will not be abused as a springboard for other properties
• Consistent advertising, consistent show houses lead to sales
• You can expect the best after-sales service

Finally, the seller who is concerned about not attracting enough buyers through one agent can rest assured that a number of agents are likely to have the same buyers on their lists. Success hangs on how they work with those buyers and this is where Adrienne Hersch Properties excels.

Adrienne Hersch, CEO of Adrienne Hersch Properties reports brisk trade in buying properties off-plan, but advises homeowners to do their homework before acquiring their new home or making a property investment.

The Gauteng property market has seen solid growth in buying off-plan which is still doing brisk business despite the upward cycle in interest rates according to Adrienne Hersch, Chief Executive Officer of Adrienne Hersch Properties.

“Buying properties off-plan remains in firm favour with consumers, but buyers are well advised to do comprehensive research on developments before committing themselves to what will be a significant investment. A good investment in off-plan developments can yield significant returns of as much as 20 to 35% of an increase on the original investment if you’ve done your homework correctly,” says Hersch who explains that buying off-plan simply means investing in property and a new home before it has been built by perusing drawings and architectural plans.

Adrienne Hersch Properties has earned a solid reputation for managing and marketing off-plan developments in the Gauteng residential property market because of their ability to deliver value. “We ensure that we work with professional developers and development teams with a solid track record and that we are well supported by established financial institutions,” says Hersch whose business has experience significant growth recently. In just short of ten years Adrienne Hersch Properties has grown from a one-woman-show to a a multi-million rand property business with twelve administrative staff and some sixty agents who serve the north, east and western suburbs of Johannesburg. The company specializes in satisfying the property needs of Johannesburg’s residential buyers and sellers with a strong focus on value and service delivery.

Hersch says that the Gauteng property market has reflected a big appetite for off-plan developments in all areas that she trades including the north, west and eastern suburbs of Johannesburg. “This hasn’t yet in anyway been affected by the recent interest rate hike with buyers continuing to show keen interest and developments and with our agents achieving good sales on new developments,” Hersch says. “This is a strong trend with buying off-plan continuing to curry favour with Gauteng property buyers as evidenced by a steady but sure increase in off-plan properties over the past five years or so.”

Another benefit of buying off-plan is the affordability of putting down a 10% deposit and the delay in bond repayments which usually only come into effect 18 months to two years after the initial investment in the case of sectional title developments. Hersch explains that Sectional Title Ownership means that the buyer owns their own unit (a section), and in addition is afforded ownership of a undivided share of the land and common property of the complex.  “Sectional title offers home owners an opportunity to save on bond repayments, as payments only become effective after the transfer is complete.”

“Always check the credentials of the property development by seeing what other off-plan developments they have done and getting advice and word of mouth recommendation. Reputation is everything when it comes to buying off-plan,” says Hersch.

http://www.myproperty.co.za/news/27801/Buying_Off-Plan_Booms.html

Kyalami Cluster Living Proves Popular

Adrienne Hersch Properties takes just four months to deliver a sell-out on Montrose, a free hold development in one of Sandton’s most popular suburbs.

Location, price, security, a large green lung and sassy marketing helped Adrienne Hersch Properties sell out Montrose, an off-plan cluster development by Berkeley Developments in Sandton’s Kyalami, in only four months.

“The sales success of this property development was driven by the fact that we worked with a developer who has an excellent reputation for delivering on off-plan developments,” says Adrienne Hersch, Chief Executive Officer of Adrienne Hersch Properties. A realty company that is rapidly creating a reputation as residential and off-plan specialists, dynamic growth has elevated Adrienne Hersch Properties to become one of Gauteng’s leading property companies.

“Sales were buoyed by the fact that the developer’s choice of area was astute. Kyalami is strategically placed between Midrand, Fourways and Bryanston with quick access to Sandton’s economic hub. The land was still reasonably priced and Kyalami enjoys large tracts of green land which gives the suburb a country feel.”

Hersch explains that brisk trade on Montrose was secured by aggressive marketing and the realty company’s ability to demonstrate that the clusters would appreciate, given that there is an ongoing demand for Kyalami cluster living. “The units at Montrose were luxuriously spaced free hold titles, with lots of landscaping and beauty. South Africans appreciate our ‘great out doors’ with most buyers telling us they want properties with gardens, greenery and outdoor vistas. Spaciousness, gardens and Montrose’s perfect location combined with a high, ongoing demand for clusters in the area, saw us sell off the development quicker than anticipated.”

Sales at Montrose started in May, with all 51 units sold in August 2006. Ground is currently being broken on the site and it is anticipated that the complex will be completed by the middle to end of next year. “What was smart is that the developers offered accommodation to suit most people who were looking at the units. There were more than dwellings for couples and small families,” explains Hersch. “The project was well considered and had a good mix of homes with simplexes for older people and singles as well.”

“The fact that all the units were sold before we broke ground attests to the fact that a French provincial architectural style remains popular in the northern suburbs,” says Phillip Schutte of Berkeley Developments, developers of Montrose. “The clusters were well priced between R699 000.00 and R1.3 m, which is excellent for their size and location and the fact that the clusters will be furnished with state-of-the-art finishes like granite kitchens, porcelain tiles and a strong accent on luxury and quality,” he adds. Schutte explains that the northern suburbs off-plan market is fiercely contested, and that they needed and estate agency that would confidently achieve on the developer’s sales plan. “Adrienne Hersch is a highly experienced marketer, and we’ve worked well with her in the past and didn’t hesitate when she indicated she was available to promote this new development. In a saturated market, one has to deliver quality, which we did and which Adrienne Hersch Properties translated into sales success by giving buyers what they want. High value, quality homes in the right area at the right price.”

http://www.myproperty.co.za/news_item.aspx?news_ref=29810

With over 60 000 estate agents registered at the Estate Agency Affairs Board (EAAB) it might seem like a tough task choosing the right person or company to sell your most precious asset. Here’s the inside track on how to make a choice that will realize value from Adrienne Hersch, the CEO of Johannesburg’s fastest growing realtor company, Adrienne Hersch Properties.

The growth in the South African property market has seen a proliferation of estate agents, which can be confusing for you if you want to maximise the value when selling your biggest asset - your home.

The good news is that increasing consumer sophistication and savvy has seen estate agents shift from a pure sales role to a service role, which means they are working a lot harder to earn their commission than they have been before.
Here are some top tips when it comes to choosing the right realtor to work with.

1. Accreditation:
The first and most obvious step is to ensure the estate agency you want to work with is registered with the Estate Agency Affairs Board (EAAB). By going to http://www.eaab.org.za you can look up whether the realtor is certified with the EAAB.

2. Word of mouth
The best verification of credentials is word of mouth. Work with a group you can ensure will offer brilliant service and solid marketing support. If you are new to the market, ask around your neighbourhood and canvas experience. Find out who is the most active and hard working realtor in your neighbourhood because you want someone who will advertise aggressively, has hands-on experience of the property market and has a strong and steady stream of buyers to bring to your home.

3. Response:
Buyers and sellers are the lifeblood of any agency, so it goes without saying that estate agents should respond very quickly to any calls for information, advice or a request for a meeting.

4. The Interview:
You need to think of engaging an estate agent as a business partnership that will realise value through the sale of your home. Do an in-depth interview with the agent to find out whether the person has sound local property knowledge and knowledge of comparable properties in the community. Trust and comfort is crucial, and you must ensure the value you receive from the agent is comparable with the commission they will be earning from the sale of your home. Check the profile of the agency, the extent of their network, as well as the advertising and marketing clout they offer in terms of promoting your home to buyers.

5. Valuation:
Do some research on the sale of properties in your neighbourhood before the interview. This will give you a realistic idea of what your home is worth, and you will be able to test the realtor’s assumption of the selling price of your home. An estate agent will use their experience of similar properties in the area to suggest an asking price.

6. Maximising value:
A good estate agent will help you to secure the best value for your sale and will offer ‘house doctoring’ tips. These are suggestions about how you can present your home to appeal to the right buyer so that you secure full market value. This should involve repairing parts of your home. You might not always want to follow their advice, but doing so will probably result in a better offer and a quicker sale.

http://www.myproperty.co.za/news_item.aspx?news_ref=28609