estate agents

Plot twist

Posted on August 11, 2025August 11, 2025

Look at this beautiful plot for sale in Suiderstrand, Cape Agulhas. Doesn’t it look idyllic?

And doesn’t sales agent Richard Pratt (stop it!) make it sound idyllic?

Situated within the Agulhas National Park, this vacant stand in Suiderstrand presents a rare opportunity to construct your coastal retreat. The land is level—ideal for straightforward construction. Lush fynbos to the rear boundary, offering a serene backdrop of indigenous flora and the soothing sound of the ocean. The clear sightlines to both the front and back of the plot make it possible to plan your home that captures sea views with clever orientation.
Approved house plans included.
Suiderstrand is a sanctuary for those drawn to serenity and natural fynbos.

Stunning, doll! Stunning!

What Richard has failed to mention here is that while this plot absolutely backs onto lush fynbos at the moment, that won’t be the case for very long, with 15 houses being built all over that very same lush fynbos in the new – and rather controversial – Moquini Bay housing estate, in the very near future.
And then this plot will back onto first a building site, and then a security estate, and not lush fynbos.

But then, I wouldn’t want to accuse Richard of being slightly disingenuous with his description of this place. After all, how on earth would he know about that new development?

Oh yes, now I remember.

He’s selling the houses there too.

Right.

IF YOU LIVED HERE…

Posted on March 3, 2017March 3, 2017

I’m no expert at house marketing. I know some people who are, but they’re not me. I saw some house marketing while I was sitting in the traffic this morning, and it confused me.
I may be no expert at house marketing, but logic is one of my stronger points, which is why it confused me.

Obviously having spotted the long queues of stationary traffic outside the property each morning, agent Anton du Plessis has apparently aimed his ad at those already weary drivers, but does it really make sense?

IF YOU LIVED HERE YOU’D BE AT WORK ALREADY

he shouts.

Well, maybe, but since I am here, reading your house marketing sign, I’d only actually be at work already if I worked here.
And that’s a bit of an assumption, Anton.

Are you suggesting that this is like a work-from-home thing (even though I don’t live here)?
Are you trying to tell me in some cryptic way that this property has an office, Anton?
It seems a bit over the top to advertise a home office that way. After all, you can just convert any bedroom into an office by removing the bed and replacing it with a desk. (I saw something similar done on Grand Designs once.)

Or is this perhaps a very niche Public Service Announcement aimed at people who do actually work here? Although, since they are here, and therefore at work, they had probably worked it out already. I hope they have business zoning for the property.

I can’t actually believe that you’re suggesting that anyone living here is constantly being at work, already.
No-one wants that. That’s not a good way to sell a house.

I’m confused. Buy this house and be at work. Already. What?

Estate Agent Photos

Posted on November 18, 2015November 18, 2015

House prices are going up. I think. Sales have likely recovered from the 2008 slump and are (possibly, at least) breaking records. Estate agents are probably doing ok – more than ok – financially. [did you research this post at all? – Ed.]
And, in other news, technology is getting better, cheaper, easier to use and more accessible.
For estate agents and house buyers alike.

At least, oooh, at least a percentage of people looking to buy a house now look online. And with reading skills at an all time low and a picture infamously worth a thousand words, you’d be daft as an estate agency not to be exploiting the power of digital photography and modern web design to sell more property.

If only… if only they could do it better.

Beautiful garden (may need some slight attention).

Some rooms are more difficult to get a clean picture of than others.

But it’s not always the estate agents fault. I mean… what exactly is going on here?

I have it on very good authority that at least one of our local estate agencies are clamping down on dodgy photos making it as far as the pages of their esteemed website. And that sort of approach will worry the guys from Terrible Real Estate Photos dot com, whose business model is based almost entirely around sharing such imagery.

Get there while you can.