RE/MAX HALF FRANCHISE FEES TO EASE BROKERS BURDENS

Our country is faced with an unprecedented situation following President Ramaphosa’s announcement of a mandatory nationwide lockdown for 21 days to curb the spread of the Covid-19 disease. It is going to be a difficult and long road ahead, with many having to face the additional burden of loss of income on top of fears surrounding this disease.

“The implementation of a lockdown is a decision which we all applaud. While we know that it will undoubtedly have a negative effect on our already ailing economy, we stand behind our President knowing that it was the right call to make to protect the citizens of this country. As a husband and father of two young children, who have grandparents who find themselves in the highest risk category, I can only thank him for his actions,” says Regional Director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, Adrian Goslett.

That being said, as the Regional Owner & CEO of the largest real estate brand in Southern Africa, Goslett also acknowledges the difficult financial position the property industry faces over this time. “The president explained some of the measures government would be implementing over the next few weeks, many which will affect property practitioners directly. These include but are not limited to the closure of the deeds office, municipal rates clearance services, non-essential banking services and the fact that no one may leave their home, bar for the very specific exceptions communicated by government.”

“The inability to meet with sellers and landlords face to face or show buyers and renters through a home means that the ability to earn an income is almost entirely halted for 21 days. Just like you, my first thought goes to the family I have to support and to keep safe. My responsibility, however, extends further than that, in that I have just over 30 staff spread across the country, as well as over 150 Broker/Owners & Managers, over 2400 agents and hundreds of support staff around Southern Africa. RE/MAX of Southern Africa understands the devastating financial effect this lockdown will have on its people and those whom they love. I have therefore taken the decision to cut all RE/MAX SA franchise and agent fees for the month of April by 50%,” Goslett announces.

“Although this decision will come at a significant cost to the business and dramatically impact certain services offered by our Regional Support Office, we feel that it is the right call to make to show solidarity with our people. We are all in this together. From the person who cleans the office to the CEO. The philosophy of RE/MAX is one of Everybody Wins.”

In the same vein, Goslett recommends that we all look at what we can live without in our personal lives for the short term and where we can make financial sacrifices in the form of our lifestyle choices. These include things such as cancelling any inessential subscriptions (for example, DSTV / Netflix / Spotify / iTunes / Showmax, etc.), purchasing more affordable brands when grocery shopping, finding ways to lower your water and electricity bills, and shopping around for better deals on the interest rate on your home loan as well as your life, home and car insurance policies.

“This is also a great time to work on yourself. Free skills training is available on many of our RE/MAX online platforms. You could update your client database and contact your clients to see how they’re doing. Take a personal development course. Do a push-up or two. Read a book – why not make it a business book? Begin learning a South African language. Don’t waste this opportunity. Just because you can’t work in your business does not mean you can’t work on your business and on yourself,” Goslett advises.

Lastly, Goslett promises that he and his team will continue to do everything within their means to support their network over this time and will monitor the situation daily to make adjustments and decisions accordingly to help their network endure through these challenging circumstances.

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