Michiel De Vogeleer has earned his position as one of the top realtors in South Africa. His two biggest passions are surfing and real estate. And what better place to live than Cape Town if those two things are what get you going in life. Cape Town is not only the place to be for surfers who enjoy the waves but those who love high end luxurious properties.
He is the founder of De Vogeleer Property powered by eXp Realty and leads a team responsible for representing both buyers and sellers in high-end architectural estates and luxury properties. He prides himself on running a business model that relies on innovation, collaboration, and transparency. In his spare time, you will find Michiel surfing the waves along the Western Cape or feeding his love of travelling and experiencing new cultures. Having been recently featured on GQ Magazine, let’s hear what more Michiel has to say:
When did you get into the real estate industry, and what was the driving force behind it?
“I got the taste of property throughout my tourism career. However, it was only when I arrived in Cape Town that the property bug really got me about 4 years ago. South Africa has just so much to offer from a property perspective: the lifestyle, the views, the investment opportunities. It was only when I started viewing properties for myself that I realized I was very passionate about real estate, especially in combination with business development.”
Where do you think the future of luxury estates and property investments is headed in South Africa?
“A lot of things are happening in the world right now, especially in the financial sector and the exponential development of technology. I believe in the short and mid-term, South Africa might sweat a bit but in general I have a very positive outlook for the South African property market. If you look at a city like Cape Town for example, you will find the quality of lifestyle far outweighs the political difficulties we often face. The influx of semigration and emigration into the city has only just begun. Location independency is strongly on the rise, and we already see that many developers are playing into this trend.”
What advice would you give a new agent aspiring to be a top luxury property practitioner in South Africa?
“If you don’t have a high-net-worth network, you’ll have to crawl through the dirt first and leverage innovation and collaboration to get momentum and trust of your clients. The luxury market is difficult to just jump into it. Innovation is about technology (systems) and creativity (business models and marketing strategies) to get a better reach. Cutting edge tech will allow you to compete with personal networks, as good as it gets until you have both. Collaboration is an immediate effect on reach. Build partnerships with industry leaders at 50/50 splits. You increase your network drastically and half your commission. It’s a no brainer. That is why my pillars of De Vogeleer Property powered by eXp Realty is: Innovation – Collaboration – Transparency. And it helps being part of the eXp Realty family to stand you in good stead for the road ahead.”
Why did you join eXp Realty South Africa?
“There are many reasons, I can write a whole book about it [he laughs]. However, the two main reasons; I am now an independent real estate entrepreneur. Meaning I develop my own business with minimum risk and without anybody telling me when or how to do things. I do much more than just sales to maximize my reach and to monetize my network. Secondly, De Vogeleer Property now falls under eXp Realty. A cloud-based company who is incredibly strong on developing the latest prop tech to get a competitive advantage in the international real estate industry. De Vogeleer Property powered by eXp Realty became an international brand that expanded to 4 countries with almost no initial investment. An incredibly lean and disruptive business model.”
Since joining eXp Realty, what has stood out to you most?
“eXp World Holdings Inc. listed on the Nasdaq is a real estate company which also owns tech and media entities. eXp World Holdings Inc. is a wealth builder through many revenue streams. You can also opt-in to build equity which I believe is a must when you work with a brand, but it also inspires a collaborative mindset. Secondly, you can build a team of independent real estate professionals. Making it easier to become a one stop shop in real estate which allows you to keep your network close while still delivering the highest quality of service by relying on the expertise of your team. Whether it is short term rentals, auctioneering, bond originating, and so on.”
