It’s been a very busy winter (winter’s a joke down here – it’s the best kept secret) and it’s nearing time for us to get back to Cape Town for a spell with the African branch of our family. We still have Dads, our younger son, my sister and her family and numerous cousins, mostly in the Cape.
And then of course there’s the Two Oceans on Easter Saturday as usual!
Here is an MP3 sent to me by a friend. Only really worth listening to if you know about things South African and the personalities there … but if you do … ENJOY!
Vicky and I have arrived back in Cape Town to celebrate Christmas, the New Year and a family wedding but will be back in Cannes on 10th January. It is beautiful here, and lovely to get a “whiff of Africa”, even if the Cape isn’t “real Africa”.
We would both like to wish all of you a very happy Christmas and festive season, and we wish you a happy and successful 2008.
The Market:
Last week Sylvana (who so many of you have met in the Agency Azur Eden) had an Italian client with €3 million to spend on an apartment, and they wanted it right on the Croisette. For that price it had to be spectacular of course, spacious, with big views and terraces and very well appointed. She couldn’t find one. Needless to say she was very highly motivated, and phoned or visited every agency she could think of, but nobody could help her. Can you believe that?
Whilst thinking about Video Posts, and to temper the previous one with a dose of reality (never a bad thing) I came across this video … makes you think, if its stats are true, and I suppose they are …
In terms of running their rentals, Property Owners can play it one of 2 ways.
1. They can take a direct and hands on interest in their rentals
Using an assorted mix of agencies, personal contacts and their own marketing to get their apartment rented as much as possible.This approach necessitates getting operationally involved in the rentals since sometimes you will be dealing with the Guests directly (From contract/ finance through to servicing & support through check in/ checkout etc) and where there is an agency, you are responsible for the state of the apartment anyway, and liaising re. keys/ calendars/ double bookings etc.
2. They can engage in a Management program,
designed to keep the benefits of the above, and take out the negatives. Added to that, there is the benefit derived from the program in its purest sense (apart from rentals) which are significant.
Regular Property Inspections,
Preventative Maintainence Plan,
Use of network of suppliers/ tradesmen at better than normal rates,
Project management of any improvements/ renovations/ redecorations
Usually I include photos, and convert this to a PDF file which is more professional. However we are preparing to go to Amsterdam for the marathon this weekend and we have people visiting so I’m going to send the Property Letter as it is this time. I’d prefer it gets out sooner rather than later.
Looking for an argument?
I’ve enjoyed the controversial statements that Sky News has been putting out in the last few months, followed in each case by the question « Looking for an argument? » Then they invite you to go to their website to express your own views on:
I was racking my brains about how we, as a company, can do something about Carbon Emissions.
(We already do a bit. We print nothing we don’t have to, we produce no printed marketing material and only provide electronic invoicing, for example. Small stuff, but we DO think about things like that and do what we can)
Carbon Offsetting seems to be all the rage. I was never kinda comfortable with the whole concept. I just don’t really get it.
To me it was always a bit like that experiment they did with imposing a fine on Parents who don’t pick up their kids on time from school (and hence not inconvinience the teachers/ school). They THOUGHT it would incentivise the parents to be on time … but the OPPOSITE OCCURRED! Since Parents considered that they were now paying, it was suddenly okay to be late to pick up the kids, and incidences sky-rocketed!
See Here for the best reference i can find to this experiment. Best I can find in 20 Seconds anyway. I think it was reference in Tim Hartfords book “The Undercover Economist” or “Freakonomics”. One of the 2. Could be wrong. Good books anyway!
So I did a bit of research and came up with this video which put the nail in the coffin of that thought! Ha ha!
We were all a bit stunned by reversals in world financial markets (once again). Headlines announced the biggest 1-day fall (16th August) since March 2003, and the FTSE hit its lowest level since September 2006. To my simple brain that meant that anything I may have made on my funds and investments in the last year just disappeared, and we don’t know what it will look like tomorrow. It could get worse again - we hope not, but it actually could! On the other hand, it might continue to drag itself back up again, but if past experience is anything to go by, then “slowly” might be the operative word.
They say that we (novices like me) should diversify our investments, and that the stock exchange has made money for those who have invested for the long term. I don’t have a hundred years, or even 50, or 25!
There are some excellent properties at the bottom of this letter. Please have a good look at them. This is a very interesting market, and an exciting part of the world to be involved, at whatever level.
I have in front of me the Knight Frank annual report for 2006 - For anyone interested in property anywhere it makes interesting reading and I will quote parts of it:
Their opening statement reads:
“Demand for overseas property is increasing by as much as 20% per annum - a significant figure.”
