Local estate agent Dawi Viljoen raised the Dundee flag high at the recent 2022 Dormehl Phalane Property Group South Africa annual awards ceremony. At the event, Dawi took 16th place in the ‘National Agent of the Year category and eighth place in the ‘KZN Regional’ category. As the principal agent for the Dundee office, Dawi began his career as a real estate agent in 2008 while working for Max Prop.
Three years later, he joined the Dormehl Property Group and hasn’t looked back since. “The winnings are based on actual sales, so office performances in terms of real estate sales and rentals are done at a national as well as a regional level (which consist of the urban and countryside categories),” he explained
. When asked how he felt about his exceptional performance, Dawi remarked that it’s wonderful to be acknowledged. “Getting a certificate of achievement means that my hard work and efforts have not gone unnoticed,” he added. He further explained that because being an agent is difficult, he values being honoured.
Janine Combrink, who is also an agent, recently made it to the company’s March monthly rankings, where she claimed second place in the national category.
She said that accomplishments like these ‘encourage you to perform better, and competing with agents from different towns and provinces within our organisation is enjoyable’. She concluded by saying that she genuinely enjoys her work, and it is a passion of hers. The Dundee office also claimed third place in the ‘Franchise of the Month’.
Dawi cautioned anyone who wants to buy or sell their property to be wary of people going around claiming to be property professionals, but are not qualified or registered with the Estate Agents Affairs Board (EAAB) and don’t have a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate (FFC). “An intern estate agent can not complete or draft any documents relating to buying or selling property, “explained Dawi.
He further explained that the principal or a licensed estate agent must attest on the relevant documents that the transaction was performed under their supervision. “In order to ensure that real estate agents and firms enforce industry compliance through effective regulation, a qualified estate agent must be registered with the Estate Agents Affairs Board (EAAB) in order for all qualified estate agents to be able to lawfully conduct business. “The EAAB is therefore responsible for ensuring that they are issued with a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate on time.” He continued by saying that if the seller’s agent is not registered with the board, they risk suffering financial loss and will not be able to collect from the Fidelity Fund.