 The world is slowly opening up and things are getting back to normal. So if you are wondering if it's a good time to become a real estate agent or even join the business, then tonight, we've got all of those answers for you. This is the Private Property Podcast. My name is Dummi. Welcome. So tonight, I'm joined by Ute Nkotsukwane, who is the director at Mzansi Homes. And she's going to be talking to us about her journey, becoming a director at one of South Africa's best real estate agents. She's also going to talk to us about her journey, as well as answering those difficult questions. Ute Nkotsukwane, good evening and thank you so much for joining us. Good, good. Thank you so much for taking our time to talk to us tonight and, you know, encouraging someone who's out there who's watching tonight who may want to become a real estate agent but is not sure where to start. So let's jump straight into the conversation and tell us about your journey. How did you become a real estate agent and work your way all the way up to become the director at Mzansi Homes? Oh, yeah. It started just like nine years ago. I worked for a well-known agency. I started, I didn't really know what to do. I thought to myself, OK, what, what can I do? What can I do? But I realized that my question was sales. So I thought I definitely want to be in something that has to be sales. I want something glamorous and something, something good, something that will motivate me, something that will inspire me. But most importantly, something that will add value in people's lives. So I joined an estate agency and it was tough. It was very tough because you think when you join, you think to yourself, OK, I'm going to earn a lot of money and it's going to be all big bucks all the way. And I'm going to just be rolling in it all this time. And then, boom, you realize it's commission-based and it's tough. It's not as good as you think. Because first of all, you start by, you need petrol, number one, to drive clients. You need to know what's happening. You need to first learn. So I started doing research, you think, to say, what is real estate? What can I do to get in this game and to make it in this game? So I started at a sales place and then I ended up making it big. And then I ended up making a decision to open my own agency after I learned as much as I could. And as I always say, the sky is the limit. So I let me just try and jump and see if I can swim. So that's how I was born. And it was the best decision I've ever made. Sure. It's 2020 now. And you know, the world has changed. We've seen COVID come and go. Would you still advise somebody who wants to become an estate agent to do so? Like with all that you have said, with all the challenges that you have encountered, would you still advise somebody to take that step? Yes, definitely. I always say a property or a home or a house is a basic, basic human need. You know, you need to have a place to put your head down. You need a place to go when it's rainy or when you need to be comfortable. So whatever happens in life, everybody's look is going to be looking for a property. So whether it be a rental or a property to buy or anything. So it's never going to change. You're always going to be looking for a property. So the best time to start is now. If you don't start now, when are you going to start? The sun shines for everybody every day. So it's not going to shine for me today and shine for tomorrow. It shines for everybody every day. So start now. Why not? And see where it goes. We're not in a competition. We're not in a race or anything like that. So you'll never know until you start. So I'm happy I started. It's been the best decision, as I said. So as I said, the sun shines for everybody. So I think it's possible for anybody to start. Even if you don't have a sales background or anything. The nice thing about real estate is that it's a career where you learn something every day. You go in, don't know anything. Just one of those people who watches those shows or these home channels and you look at these estate agents and you think, oh, wow, I can do this. You do your research, you check, you look around and you see. And then once you're in, trust me, you're in. You're not getting out. Sure, tell me a little bit more about your journey in starting Zanzi homes in terms of what are some of those things that you had to do? Some of those points where you were meeting hurdles and you were like, this I have to get over because moving from a well-known brand and starting your own thing comes with its own peculiar challenges. And as you are talking now, I'm thinking there's maybe somebody who's sitting there who's already a real estate agent who believes they're seasoned and wants to also start their own thing. What advice would you give them? And what would you say are some of those challenges that you go through? Yo, it's a lot of challenges. But I believe that if you've got a passion for something, push no matter what. I remember when I started, I thought to myself, I'm just going in. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm just going in. I did a bit of research. I didn't really, I knew the business. I said to myself, wow, I'm a good sales person. Let me just do this. I'll see where it goes. Then after I jumped in, I realized, oh, wow, what did I get myself into? Because you're not just a sales person anymore. You are more than that now. You have to look after other salespeople. You have to go through all the training, train other people, what you have learned. And there's so many challenges that you face. You have to now start paying rent. You never even got a pay rent in the previous company. Because you just thought, oh, let me just go sell a house and then get the money in the bank account. So it's a lot of challenges. But it's not something that is impossible. It's something that is doable. You see yourself as a game changer. Every single day, you see yourself as a game changer. You know, I'm going to do this no matter what. I'll change the game no matter what. And you look at your mistakes that you've done previously. And you look at the company's previous mistakes. And you think, this is how I'm going to change. So the main issue is that they're very big, especially in area like Rustenburg. There's many other big estate agencies. So a lot of people want to associate themselves with big brands. They say, oh, wow, I want to buy in a big brand. I won't see myself buying in a small brand way. The person maybe doesn't have experience or anything like that. So you end up wanting to be the best you can be, giving people the best service that you can give them. Because the main thing that makes the real estate market good is that you get referrals. If you give somebody good business, if maybe they say, I sell a property to you and I give you the best service that I can give you, you're definitely going to say to a friend, oh, wow, go to a Danish, give me the best service. And I would definitely refer her to anyone. So I think that's the main thing that made me realize that being in this game is about giving people good service. So even if you are a remax or whatever, you can end up giving people the best service and be the best agency. Sure. Talk to us a little bit more about how technology is helping you or if there are any systems that you are employing currently in your organization or even as a real estate agent to say, to make things better and to make doing business better. I mean, COVID-19 came in and forced us to adopt technology. I mean, right now we are having this call via Zoom and traditionally you would have had to drive all the way from Rustinberg to Johannesburg for us to have this interview. So what are some of those things that you have taken advantage of in the real estate space that have helped you? You know, everybody has a smartphone these days. Even if I am doing homework for my son or something and I don't know something, I'll just Google. Or he'll say to me, mom, let's just Google it. So everybody is using a smartphone. So we cannot run away from technology's life. We have to just use technology. So it's helped us in a way that we can't imagine. So let's say, for instance, today, I take a photo of the property. I take very nice photos and I don't have technology. What am I gonna do with those photos? Am I just gonna go and go, print them and run around and show them to everybody? It's not gonna happen. So things like private property, they help us to take the photos that we have taken and then we can share them to the world and to say this is the property that we're selling. And even if it's somebody from Cape Town or somebody from Joe Burke or anybody, they can see the property and easily say I'm interested because a lot of people buy property for investment purposes as well. It's not just buying a property to your family to stay. People go all over the show looking for properties to invest in. So they won't see the properties and they won't be interested if there was no technology in the sense. So it's the greatest way to share everything in life. Yeah, no, true. And it's great that we can use it in that way. Just talk to us about the hardest things rather that you have seen in the space or the things that you would like to change as an estate agent, somebody who started as an estate agent nine years ago and who is now a director of a company. What are some of those things that you would like to change in the industry as a whole? And I know that some of those things you might not be able to change, but vision is very good. So you've seen them as challenges or you've seen them as opportunities for anybody to change and to actually make the industry better. Do you mind taking us through some of those things? Okay. The challenge, the most difficult part about, like today you sell a property and it takes three, four months for the property to register. So that is the main challenge that the estate agency is faced because remember it's a commission based industry. So you don't just sell a property today and then you get the money today. It takes a full three months. So because technology has helped us to market and all those things, I think if we, we try and use technology as well to see if we can fast track the process not just take a full three months you just try and fast the process so the property cannot take so long to register. I think that would be a wow factor for us it will make everybody want to join the industry and it will change the game. Yeah, no, definitely. And it's us using different, there's now PropTech and the beautiful technological advancements that are coming into the space that can help us to do that. Any last words before I let you go? I believe the industry is a great career. I would advise anybody to join the estate. It's a fulfilling career, imagine. We see beautiful homes and we are not just estate agents, not estate agents, property professionals, property practitioners now. We are also electricians and planters and cleaners and all those things. So you end up learning so much. You end up, it ends up opening a whole new world to your life. So I'm in love with this environment and it's a great environment and the good thing also about it is that you've got your own flexible time, own working hours and you also set your own pace level, your own commission. You decide what you want to end, which is also great. No, definitely. Thank you so much for staying with us today and just taking us through your journey and inspiring someone out there tonight to take up that challenge and become a real estate agent. Thank you so much and enjoy evening. Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure. Thank you. We have reached the end of tonight's episode and thank you so much for staying till the end. I hope that if you are sitting at home and you have been considering becoming a real estate agent, you are going to take that plunge and do the needful. Thank you so much for tuning in. Until the next time we see you right here in the Private Property Podcast. Remember, a good dose of property information might just be what you need to get yourself on that A game. Have a good night.