In 2008, Pieter and Ammie Aspeling were down to their last pennies. Their start-up property agency, ASAP Property Agents, was in need of the proverbial kick-in-the-butt. Their two employees were on the verge of leaving and, no matter what they tried, ends wouldn’t meet.
Meanwhile at Private Property, a decision had been made to expand the company’s focus. Estate agents, who have always played an important role in the property industry and the private seller market, would be included on the website. This decision would inadvertently completely revolutionise Pieter and Ammie’s business.
Enter Genevieve Du Preez, a regional sales manager at Private Property. Having seen one of ASAP Property Agents’ boards, she gave the agency a call to inform them about the inclusion of agents on Private Property’s website. At first, Pieter and Ammie were very hesitant, and understandably so, as money was tight. After much consideration, ASAP Property Agent bought 20 slots on the website, which were all filled after one month.
Since then, ASAP Property Agent has absolutely boomed. Becoming the number one agency in Centurion, with over R2-million in commissions for the last 12 months, is ample evidence of its growth spurt. The size of the agency has also exploded from just four employees to 20 agents at the branch, who are all kept busy from morning till night.
“We are struggling to cope with the amount of in-going and out-going sales, we work off our feet,” says Pieter, who is astounded at the turn-around of his business. ASAP Property Agents has since upgraded to the 300-slot premium package and employed dedicated video tour contractors to deal with the high demand.
Genevieve can confirm that including estate agents on Private Property’s site has had a positive effect on many agencies. Furthermore, the new Agents on Call box at the bottom of Private Property’s search pages has channelled many promising leads straight to agents that are registered on the website. “One estate agent registered for Agents on Call and had an influx of calls almost immediately as he was the only agent registered for that area,” says Genevieve.
Ammie mentions that ASAP Property Agents has secured the marketing of four new property developments in and around Pretoria. Candlewood Estate, Arundo Estate, Morgenhof Lifestyle Golf Estate and Orchards – Leroropa Estates are all under its watch, and are great options for investors. For more information on these estates visit http://www.propertyasap.co.za/
Ammie and Pieter have been through the notorious “richer and poorer, good times and bad” but, despite the demands of running a business together, their marriage is still as strong as ever. “Our lives are touching and exciting, and there is never a dull moment. We are running on full steam,” says Ammie.
Do you have a 'feel good' story you would like to share? Email us at douglasm@privateproperty.co.za.
