 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Private Property Podcast. I am your guest host this evening. My name is Hethi the Entrepreneur and I am super, super excited for this particular episode. And I must admit it's something that I am super interested in. We are talking about home improvements and DIY. So this is going to be absolutely fantastic. And I am joined this evening by Graham Steen, who is the COO of Candua.com. So I am really in good company this evening. And as a person who's currently undergoing some home renovations myself, I cannot wait to pick his brain. So very warm welcome to you. Let's sign the register, shall we? Let me know your name and where you are joining from. Let me know your name and where you're joining from within the comment section. This is the Private Property Podcast. And if you are already enjoying the show, then you're going to love some of our other shows that we host here on the Private Property page. We've got the Home Shoppers Show by Chad. We've got the First Time Home Buyer Show with Estee, as well as the Farming Podcast with Mbali Norku. So we have a show every single weekday evening at 8pm. And this is all for your viewing pleasure. So a very, very warm welcome to you this evening. I'm very, very excited for this evening's show. I see we've got Olavine who is joining us from Durban Case it in. Menzi, I see you. Good evening. And a very, very warm welcome to you. Glad to surrender. Familiar face. Lovely to see you. And thank you for joining us this evening. Good evening, Ayetu. Thank you for signing the register. And Hoso Shumelo. Good evening to you too. This is going to be a fantastic jam packed show. And I cannot wait to pick Graham's brain. So without much further ado, a very warm welcome to you, Graham. And which part of the country are you joining us from this evening? Hi, Esi. Great to meet you. Thanks for having me and hi to all your viewers. Yeah, I'm actually currently sitting in pretty warm jogging at the moment. So great to be here. That is absolutely fantastic. We've been having some warm weather and a cool down with some rain and thundershowers, which was very, very much welcomed. So this evening, we are talking about home improvements and DIY. Now I would imagine that the trend within this particular industry has seen some changes over the last 18 months, given the fact that we are spending more time at home. What is the current home improvements based looking like in South Africa? Sure. Yeah, we've actually seen amazing, amazing things happening. And just to kind of put myself in context and why I can talk about this. So CEO of Kandura, and basically what we do is we connect contractors or what we call service providers to homeowners or customers. So people who really want to get work done in their home come to us and come to our marketplace to find good quality contractors. And what we've found since the beginning of unfortunately the beginning of the pandemic, now two years ago, I can't believe it, but really since the lockdowns opened, we saw about a 700% growth in the number of jobs coming through our platform. I know it's a very big number. And a lot of those are coming from renovations, big renovations but also small renovations. And when we speak to our customers as you said, when you're sitting around, you're sitting in your home all day, you start to find the things that you want to make changes to and you're also not spending your money on other things. So we've seen huge growth in this area. Wow, that is absolutely fantastic. I see we've got quite a number of people that are joining us all across the country this evening. We've got Pooza who's joining us from Emondi. We have got Celani Pillay who is a regular, always fantastic to see you Celani. We have got Menzi who's here and Abeda who is here as well. Now one of the things that comes to renovations and home improvements is that we often rely on doing these things ourselves. And the danger of course with that is that we're subject to all kinds of myths when it comes to home improvement. First and foremost, let me just put you on the line here Graham and ask you, should we be doing our home renovations ourselves? Definitely not. So DIY can be do it yourself but it can also be damaged yourself. So we've seen numerous times where people have gone in to try and DIY a renovation. And unfortunately if you haven't done it before, if you're not trained, you can cause a lot more damage than you initially planned or budgeted for. So you end up spending twice. So we always recommend that if you're doing a renovation or doing some work at home, rather bring in a professional and let them do the job properly and do it once. That sounds like some sound advice to me. And speaking of budgets, when a person is budgeting, is it better to kind of overspend thereby appreciating the value of your property or should one actually be a little bit more cautious about not spending too much with their renovation projects? That's a great question. So another of what we kind of miss that we see is that really the money you put into your property is the money you get directly out. And unfortunately that's not always the answer. So really what we advise is not to always just go big, you know, go big or go home. It's really about spending wisely. So when you're looking to go into your property and you start to do renovations, your best bang for buck is always going to be kind of your kitchen or your bathroom, right? If you're really looking to sell a house, that's where you're going to get your money back. And even then to be honest, you should still budget to only be getting about 70 to 80 percent of the value that you spend back in the increased value in your home. So it's really important not just to overspend and think that that's going to increase the value of your home. The other part that is really important that people don't always think about is kind of over capitalizing your home. And what this means is that when you are spending money on your home, there's generally a feeling that gets hit based on the area that you're in and the current value of your home. So if you are going to be spending, our rule of thumb is you shouldn't be 10 to 25 percent. If you're spending any more than that, you really should be rethinking how much you're spending. And even then, you should be looking at the homes around you and say, okay, what is the average selling price of the property? And where do I think my home is going to be after this? Because unfortunately what we've often seen is people throwing a lot of money at a house, but ultimately, because of the area they're in, not being able to recoup that when they try and sell it later on. Very, very valuable advice that you're giving us there, Graeme. And I see that Vanessa Nell within the comment section is in very, very firm agreement with you. Now, I know most people are probably like me. When we're looking at home improvements, we go on to Google, we go on to Pinterest, and we see all of these fabulous trends. Should we really be renovating based on trends? What are the pros and cons of that? Yeah, again, it's a very interesting one. And just like you said, I'm also going through, through a renovation. So I'm experiencing that. And Pinterest is always an interesting one, because it sucks you into these beautiful pictures and you want to recreate that. And what we see with trends is it's something you just have to be very wary of. Obviously, we all want beautiful homes, and there's certain things that we want. But again, when you start thinking, am I going to recoup this value, there are already two different things that can hit you. So the first one is, if you step into a home that was built in the 80s, you know it was built in the 80s. Well, if it was on trend. So understanding that what is trendy today won't necessarily be trendy in 10 years or even five years with the rates we're going. So that extra money that you spend might not be recouped is super, super important. And secondly, things that are on trend today generally have a premium for that trend. So black taps at the moment are very, very trendy. You're going to be paying about a 30% premium on that. And really, when you look at a Chrome tap versus a black tap, and I know it's getting to detail, but do you really want to spend 30% more because it can add up if you're doing a whole home. So thinking about those trends and really being very wary of what the implications can be further down the line. Absolutely, that is so true. What is cool today is not necessarily cool in five years time. And when you're in a home and having to look at a bad decision every single day, you can certainly regret your decision. Private property spam. We really wish to thank you for your loyalty to this beautiful community that we built because of your constant engagement. We have reached 1 million followers. Now that is no small feat and certainly wouldn't have been obtainable without your loyal support. So we really do thank you. If you head over to our Facebook page, you'll see that the very first post at the top is pinned at the very, very top. Go ahead, share it and let us make our Circle Pro so much bigger. We really do appreciate you. Now Graham, when we are looking at home renovations and we are also looking at the types of areas that we want to renovate, are things like swimming pools really adding that much more value to our properties? Or is that a myth? Yeah, that's a big one. It's a big one in Alaska as well. And it's a very heartbreaking one, right? Because we all, well, a lot of us love swimming pools and it's generally quite a big expense. So naturally what we think as well, if I put in a pool, I mean, that's definitely going to increase the value of my home. And unfortunately, that isn't that not true. Often what we actually see is that a swimming pool can decrease the value of a home. Why is that? Because sometimes it decreases your pool of buyers, because some people look at a pool and the first thing is they think liability, right? Or I have very small kids, I don't want to go there. And we actually see people sometimes buying a home and spending a lot of money filling in that pool. So again, I'm not saying don't don't build a pool. But I am saying that if you're building a pool just to try increase the value of your home, you're unlikely going to be able to recruit that. Fantastic. I see Menzee is asking within the comment section, what should the average spend a person should be looking at when it comes to installing burglar bars? They've been given quite a high quote. And I would imagine that this is something that can do it.com would be able to assist Menzee with. Am I right? Yeah, you definitely are right. So yeah, it can do it. We have 100 different services across the whole country. So we do everything from flammers, electricians, builders, architects, all the way through to mobile beauty, if that's something that you're interested in. And burglar bars, again, it might not be the ideal answer, but it's kind of like how long is the length of the string. So when you are installing burglar bars, you really can go for the top of the range where it's clear burglar bars, or you can go for something a little bit cheaper. My advice on that is, again, thinking about your home value. Ultimately, you're likely to, if you're looking to increase the value of your home, if you go top of the range, you probably won't always recoup that value back. So the average spend could be anything, but really look at the value of home and think about how many winners I'm going to do, and what am I going to be recouping back from that spend? Fantastic. I think that is a great answer to Menzee's question. Private property fam. Now, you know that our grand prize and competition is standing at 1,500 grand. That is nothing to sneeze at. Let me know in the comment section what you would do with 1,500 grand. Let me know within the comment section what you would do with 1,500 grand. Now, Graham, when it comes to home renovations, we've all been there before, going out there trying to look for a service provider. You don't have a way of vetting them. You don't know if they're actually going to do the job satisfactorily. But what Candua has done is actually set up a marketplace that allows service providers and people looking for services to actually be able to meet together. Can you tell us a little bit more about this process? Of course. And I guess, really, just to think of what the founding vision of Candua, why does Candua exist? Why did we make it exist? What we saw is that you had homeowners on one side who are going through what generally is, if you're doing a renovation, but any kind of work is a relatively stressful process. And it's been really, really hard for them to easily find quality service providers. It's often through word of mouth, or you might have used someone before who did your tiling, so you're like, oh, well, maybe I can bring them in and they can do my carpentry, which is not really how it works. You have specialists in each area. And then what we saw on the other side, which is also a little bit disheartening when we started, was you see these amazing service providers who do amazing work, but they weren't able to find the work or the homeowners. So you had qualified electricians, qualified plumbers, amazing carpenters who just didn't know where to find these homeowners. They potentially weren't in those word of mouth groups. So what we said is, why can't we just bring those two together? And ultimately, what brings those two together is trust. So we can do a sit in the middle to make sure that there's trust in this marketplace. So how do we do that is, on the service provider side, every service provider that comes into our platform, and we now have 30,000 service providers across the country, goes through a vetting process. So from criminal record checks all the way through, which is probably the most important, to customer reviews. So service providers provide us with reviews from previous customers, we phone them, we speak to them, we say, okay, what is the work that was done? Were you happy with the work? Not only on quality, but on timeliness, on pricing and all of that. And then each service provider gets a page on kandua.com. So you can go and read the 100 reviews on a service provider that there is a person for me. Because there is sometimes a balance between someone who might be a little bit more expensive, but has a five out of five stars, or someone who's cheaper and has four out of five stars. A little bit like all the other marketplaces, and one of the ones that drives you around, there's a certain level where if you get too low, then the service writers are removed from our market. So that really solves the, do we have quality contractors? The answer is yes. And then the other side is contractors spend a lot of time and money finding homeowners. So what we've done is, if you go on to kandua.com, we have a process that you go through to really understand the work that you need to be done. So we will, for example, if you need a Sir Legiza installed, we will ask a number of questions that we've set up to really understand what that work is. So a service provider can look at that and say, you know what, this is a job for me, I'm going to get in touch with this person, because again, and I'm sorry, this was a very long speech, but again, there's a service writers who specialize in different areas. So we need to help them find those jobs so you get the right person for you. Ah, fantastic. Sounds like a win-win situation and definitely provides peace of mind, especially by way of the bidding process, which is absolutely fantastic. I see Nkateko is saying that Nkateko would buy two buckets of paint with 1500 rand. Nkateko, it sounds like you're looking to do some home renovations. You might want to head over to kandua.com. So Graham, when it comes to identifying a service provider, now you've spotted them, you've been onto their page, you've read the reviews, and you've decided to make use of their services. What are some of the relationship must-haves and do's that one should establish with a service provider to ensure that both sides' expectations are managed? Yeah, it's a very, very important question. Thank you for asking about Hedgie. And I think the setting back a little bit, and the most important, and it's almost the myth that we have, is work is unfortunately not ever easy. It's not quick and easy. So just understanding that especially a renovation is the start of a process that's going to take time is important in the first step. And then really you're going to be establishing a relationship, a very close relationship with this person for potentially the next, if they're doing a big renovation, the next six months. So what you need to do is first, when you obviously read through all the reviews of the service provider and understand that they can do the work that you want them to do. But then what we always advise is meet with a few service providers, right? Don't just go with one. So what Candua does is we put you in touch with up to five different contractors, and you can speak to each one of them and understand whether they understand your vision. Because ultimately it's their job to realize your vision. So you should have a conversation with them, talk them through what work you want done. And ultimately, they will come to you with different ideas. Because they will have done this, you will probably be doing it for the first time. They will have done it 50 times and say, I know you and I know you wanted to do this, but how do you sort of it this way? And generally you'll feel that kind of that click. So that, so if you feel comfortable with that person and they're able to do the work, that's super, super important. Then obviously, when we get into different areas such as electricians or plumbers, you should always ask them for their qualifications or their certifications. So you need to, or gas, of course, if you need someone coming in, they need to have the right certifications, just because you need to be comfortable that they can do that work. And one final thing on this, and I think I've mentioned it three times, but it's always good to keep saying it, is that a contractor generally they specialize in different things. And we don't always understand this because we don't work in the business, but someone who is good at doing carpentry isn't necessarily good at doing tiling. So you need to say, if you want a tiling job done, you should make sure that they have pictures and they have reviews of tiling. They might have 100 great reviews of doing carpentry, but that's a completely different service. So just because it's with your hands doesn't mean it's the same thing. Wow, goodness. This has really been quite highly informative. Thank you so much for that, Graham. And Martha, you, my dear, are an absolute star. Thank you so much for giving 200 stars to private property. Remember, private property family, you can support us by giving us some stars within the comment section. Now we've reached that time of the night and I know you know what time that is. It is time to find out this evening's winner. Now the amount is rolled over to 1,500 rand. Could it be going to you? Let's find out by rolling the random selector. And our winner this evening is Nombu Melelongovou. Nombu Melelongovou, a very, very big congratulations to you. As you can see, it pays to be part of the private property family. Now Nombu Melelongovou, all you need to do to claim your prize is simply to leave a comment in the comment section for us to know that you are live with us this evening. Let me know in the comment section, Pam. Do you think Nombu Melelongovou is here with us? Let us call her out. Call her if you know her. Let's ensure that she claims her prize this evening. 1,500 rand is not bad. I see some people want to buy buckets of paint and others want to go on holiday. So let's find out and see if Nombu Melelongovou is here. All you have to do is leave a comment within the comment section in order to claim your prize. All right, Graham. So talking and going back to renovations and DIY. You know, there's some problems within a house that I sometimes wonder if it really can actually be fixed or if it's probably worthwhile to just start all over again. What is your view on that? In terms of, I think there's always going to be a time where again, we just not professionals, right? So what I would say is that often there are things that you don't realize that can be fixed that could be fixed if you just get in the right professional. So always kind of beating on the same drum, but always bringing someone who really knows what they're doing. And if you have this problem or if you have an electrical fault, bring an electrician and tell them kind of also your difficulties in the budget that you have, because often there are different fixes that can be done depending on ultimately what you want to get. So and a good example of this is we also have appliance repair pros on our platform. And I happen to have my dishwasher and my washing machine break at the same time, which is always great. And the service provider came in and he looked at me and said, well, you know, to be honest, there is a lot that's broken in here. I can fix it for you, but it will probably only last you another year, right? So they're having an honest conversation with him. They said, otherwise you can replace it. And I said, well, another year buys me good time, fixes for me, I completely understand. And then when we get that year, hopefully I'll have saved enough money to replace that appliance. So it's really, you can be a little bit either or just having that honest conversation with a professional and saying, well, what can be done with this? Absolutely. Just getting that professional advice and review really does actually go a long way or lets you know how much more shelf life the actual appliance or home renovation has that can actually buy you some time. So as a way to recap Graham, please just refresh us in terms of the range of services that are provided by contractors on can do it.com. Of course. Well, as I said, there are 100 different services that will be here for a while for when through all of them. But really, what it is anything that can be done in the home. And starting from all of your anything that's connected to kind of renovations or so painting, builders, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and all the way through. So you can also find architects, literally anything that centers around the home, you can find that can do it. And I would be surprised if you if you looked for it and you wouldn't be able to find it. Wow, that's absolutely fantastic. I just love the concept so much, especially when it comes to just alleviating one's stress and anxiety around renovating their home. I'm interested to find out Ray and when it comes to like major home renovations, perhaps in the kitchen or the bathroom. And what are some of the things that one can do to ensure that the process and the length of time to do the renovation isn't unnecessarily lengthened, you hear these horror stories of someone who says, Oh, I'm just doing some minor renovations. And then 16 months later, they're pulling their hair out. How do we avoid situations like that? Yeah, that's very important. There are a number of ways that we can do it. I know it's something that scares everyone before the beginning of a renovation. So really, there are a few things that you need to do just to make sure that you have the right quality. So ultimately, whenever you're doing a larger innovation, it is tempting to try and make trade-offs in terms of saving the odd ran here and there. And what I would say is always make sure you're getting quality material and quality service providers. Why that saves you is because if you have any problems that can really delay the work that gets done. And I can do actually what we found an interesting data point is generally, even when you have the quality service providers through our platform, they do come in about 30% less. And then also what's really important is budgeting. And I don't think I went on enough in the first myth is that your budget needs to have some wiggle room in it. If you have 100,000 round to spend and you plan for 100,000 round kitchen, you're going to be in trouble. You really need to have about 10% leeway for any unforeseen costs or breakages. And again, if you don't do that, that can really lengthen the time of your renovation because you just can't afford to ultimately pay for that kitchen. And then finally, it's what I mentioned, just find the right contractor and align on your vision because if you and align upfront, because what increases budget and increases time is any changes that get made during the build. So you really need to say, this is what I'm going to do. Once you put the pen down, that is what's going to be built. And if you have a good contractor and someone that sees your vision, they'll be honest with you and say, well, this is going to be best case, a three-month job, worst case, a six-month job, but you know it's not going to be a nine-month job. Fantastic. This has been such a highly informative session. And I see Boucher in the comment section agrees with us. Thank you so much, Boucher. Graham, it's been an absolute pleasure. Thank you for imparting knowledge with us. It's been really fascinating to hear about the myths and debunking some of them that comes to home renovations and DIY. Very informative indeed. Thank you, Graham Steen, COOofcandua.com. All right, private property fan, it seems that Nonpo Melelo has not claimed her prize this evening. That means that we are going to have a roll over. Now that is sad for Nonpo Melelo, but it could be good news for you. Perhaps you will be the next winner. Now this brings us to the end of the show. I have had an absolutely fantastic time. And if this has been interesting, then you certainly want to stick around for 8 p.m., where we have the farming podcast with Mbali Norku. Now on that note, private property family, my name is Hetty, the entrepreneur, and I am signing out.