SA’s top property management company Trafalgar has now launched a real estate sales service, primarily to assist the owners of units in Sectional Title and other community housing schemes.

“The rental market has come under enormous stress over the past 18 months, with the result that many of those who own rental units in the schemes that we manage have decided to sell,” says Trafalgar MD Andrew Schaefer, “and our rental agents and portfolio managers have been getting more and more requests to assist in finding buyers for these units.

“At the same time, we are trusted by a very large number of tenants who we interact with regularly, and thanks to the very low interest rates since May last year, we have had an increasing number of requests to help them purchase the units they are renting and so become homeowners in the schemes where they already live.

“In addition, we manage the property portfolios of many long-term property investors who are always looking for good opportunities, so it was a natural evolution of our business to start a service that would enable us to bring our keen sellers and prospective buyers together and facilitate their transactions from start to finish.”

And, he notes, the initiative has really taken off, with more than 60 sales achieved in the past few months and at least another 50 transfers expected to register by the end of the year. “Sellers in Sectional Title schemes, in particular, seem to appreciate the specialist knowledge that Trafalgar agents have regarding this type of ownership, as well as our relationships with local and international investors, and are increasingly listing their homes with us as a result.

“Buyers, on the other hand, like dealing with Trafalgar agents because we are able to provide them with detailed, current and accurate information concerning levies, the financial health of any scheme they are interested in, management and maintenance, and the conduct rules – before they sign any offer to purchase.”

Indeed, says Schaefer, agents selling property in Sectional Title and other community housing schemes need to be familiar with all sorts of legislation and several processes that the average agent does not commonly deal with. “In short, it’s a specialist service, and we are perfectly placed to provide it.”

*Trafalgar has highly-qualified and experienced sales agents at all its branches around South Africa, and prospective buyers and sellers can also contact them through their Trafalgar rental agent or portfolio manager, or by calling 0861 66 44 44.

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