Although some 90% of the members of the Western Cape’s Institute of South African Estate Agents work in the residential sector, it would be wrong to think that the Institute works only on their behalf – a tremendous amount of effort and time are put into protecting and supporting the commercial and industrial brokers and managers who comprise the other 10% (or less) of the Institute’s membership.
So said Mark Marks, a long-serving director of the Institute who has also for the last ten years been chairman of the Finance Committee.
“The brokers on the commercial and industrial side tend to relate strongly to SAPOA (the SA Property Owners’ Association) – but it is the Institute which time and again has lobbied the Estate Agency Affairs Board and government departments to bring about changes in property legislation, which have made life easier for the brokers and managers.
"SAPOA itself, while doing good work on behalf of property owners, has never really worked for the brokers and managers that support it." The managers’ category, Marks said, includes those who manage sectional title developments whose members usually belong both to the Institute and to NAMA, the National Association of Managing Agents.
Although, said Marks, unpaid and often unrecognised, Institute directors and committee members, have been highly effective in this role of supporting the broking and management fraternity – for example recently, in assisting Services SETA to draw up the guidelines for training and examinations that the brokers now have to write.
“The brokers themselves do not know about or acknowledge what we do on their behalf but without the Institution’s intervention over the years their role today would be far less viable,” said Marks.
For more information contact the Institute of Estate Agents on 021 531 3180 or send an email.
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