We had a welcome visit yesterday from Jonathan and Wendy, realtors who facilitated the purchase of our new home. I wasn’t surprised to hear Jonathan’s business, Homes of Distinction, is having its best year by some distance. Their pre- and post-sale service has been superb. Hence my reluctance to call them estate agents, a term best suited to the pond life that operates in the UK property sector.
Homes of Distinction’s success is partly testament to rewards accompanying professionalism. But may also have something to do with a quietly creeping confidence in SA. Something increasingly evident for those prepared to look. Especially after learning how to compensate for our species’ hard-wiring that gives nine times more attention to negative news than positive.
If that’s too esoteric for you, consider my low expectations ahead of CR’s second Investment Conference held last week. Yet the President shared in his latest newsletter that commitments of R363bn were received – comfortably surpassing last year’s hype-filled R301bn – and putting his ambitious Five Year R1.2trn Project ahead of target.
Ramaphosa said the most important aspect of the 2019 conference was a surge in investment commitments from South African companies – up two thirds from the R157bn of 2018, to R262bn. He’s nailed it. The world over, offshore investors to look to locals for direction. With SA businesses starting to open the taps at last, a foreign flood cannot be far away. Hope springs.
