If 2016 caught us on the back
foot with fee protests and
few-would-have-predicted local and
international political developments, there
is no reason to think 2017 will lose pace.
In our cover story, Anne Schauffer canvases
opinions on what the pertinent issues could
be. Undisputed is that South African real estate
will hold challenges and attract debate, be it
migration trends or dominant portal spaces.
Moving to the role-players … we know
various property organisations exist but how
do their functions diff er? Turn to page 14.
Unscrupulous practices damage reputations
and hurt the industry (page 30). In a recent
survey, only 16% of home owners said they
trusted estate agents when selling their
properties. What can agency heads do to
build professionalism and improve service
delivery and channels of communication?
Still on the trust theme, US realtor Ed
Hatch’s column reminds us that a proper
marketing strategy is relevant when defining
2017 goals, but we should not ignore the
value
