THE ABC OF PROPERTY IN A LOCKDOWN
Category General News
At Wakefields, we've invested significantly in the technological aspect of our business. Our management, sales consultants and admin teams are geared up to deal with your property needs ...from a different perspective.
It's unprecedented. For most, lockdown is almost unthinkable, but it's absolutely the right thing to do. Short pain for long-term gain, and as South Africans, nobody is more inventive and resilient than we are. There are many stricken countries envying us and the decisiveness of our President's decree.
Working from home is not only possible, it often presents us with unexpected ways of doing things better. Millions, globally, work from home with a myriad of tools at their disposal. They became creative, learned new skills, and found new ways to do old tricks. They built up good, solid relationships with people across the globe...many they've never met in person.
Of course, some professions face massive challenges, but, we, at Wakefields, believe that much of what we do in the property world, can be managed remotely. Ninety percent of the transaction between buyers, sellers and our sales consultants is now conducted via cellphone, Whatsapp, email, and of course, the biggest resource, the Wakefields' website.
At Wakefields, over the past year or so, we've invested a great deal in the technological aspect of our company, and for the duration of this crisis and into the future, this investment will benefit our clients tenfold.
THE WAKEFIELDS WEBSITE
Today, most buyers begin their property journey online, and this aspect of property hunting will, as it has globally over the past decade, become your ally. This is how it will be for the next few weeks, as buyers scrutinize properties...put them under the microscope, examine them in fine detail, so that they're pretty sure which ones to discard, and which to focus on.
No more quick scans of a property online. Now you'll really look at the possibilities, watch the walk-through videos, and whittle down your list to the cream of the crop, saving you time and disappointment when it comes time to view.
PHONE OR MAIL OUR SALES CONSULTANTS
Our sales consultants are all working full-time from home, and will field your calls or emails about a particular property, or property in general. Just contact them. You'll have a swift reply.
If it's a specific property, just contact the agent whose listing it is - their details will be there with the listing.
They will have further information on the property you're querying, they'll be able to give you any back-story there might be, and they may even have more valuable insight worth considering. They'll be able to set up an appointment for you to view it, once the lockdown is over.
You, too, will be able to talk about your unique needs, and have the opportunity to forge a relationship with the property consultant going forwards.
They may also suggest other similar properties for you to look at online - one you might not have seen, or considered.
SIGN UP FOR OUR EMAIL ALERTS
If you know loosely what kind of property you'd like to buy, where it is, and so on, sign up for our email alerts by following the prompts on the Wakefields website.
Now, suitable properties will fall into your inbox, and you can look at the photographs, videos and information as soon as new listings appear on the market.
OUR BUYERS
This is a great time for buyers to get pre-qualified, and bond originators ooba are open for business. Our Wakefields sales consultant will put you in contact with one of their highly qualified bond consultants who will pre-qualify and discuss affordability parameters.
While ooba is pre-qualifying you, our property consultants can work with you digitally. By the time you have been pre-qualified, you'll have seen numerous properties online which suit your criteria, and you'll be ready to view them.
OUR SELLERS
There will be no Show Houses for the next few weeks, and that situation will be reviewed post Easter weekend.
However, that limiting of contact won't stop our sales consultants from putting in the work to find you the right buyer. They'll be working hard to ensure that buyers are pre-qualified, have seen a wide range of properties online, and have had the time to ensure the ones they plan to view, are the ones they feel strongly about.
When the time is right for viewings, you will benefit from targeted, pre-qualified buyers who've had the time to really examine your property online, interact with our sales consultants about it, and are committed buyers with serious intent.
The #WakefieldsWay
Buying or selling, leave your property concerns to us.
Author: Anne Schauffer
