Charles Turner is one of the company’s longest-serving agents, working for Engel & Völkers in both sales and rentals in the City Centre and City Bowl for the past 12 years.
I am originally from London, where I went to school. I studied at Leeds University in the North of England, and have lived in Cape Town since 2012. I originally came here planning to stay for just a few months with my family, who had emigrated. However, not long after arriving I completed an internship with Engel & Völkers and haven’t looked back. I had an interest in property and the business of property from a young age, watching my parents invest into and develop property themselves. For me, real estate is a non-stop networking job. The bigger your personal and business networks are, the more you can push yourself and your day-to-day activities. You must immerse yourself in the industry with passion, and that includes meeting new clients every day, walking your areas of specialization, knowing all the agents and listings currently on the market and constantly pushing your own boundaries on what you can achieve during that day. I love the fact that we get to deal with different people, from all walks of life, and that we are always presented with something new to overcome each day. I feel one of the biggest challenges of the job is maintaining a positive outlook on your trajectory when times are tough or things aren't always going your way.
However, this is also what drives me to keep improving my skills and mental approach to the obstacles we face. Sometimes you can't make a bad day into a good one, you need to just brush it off and accept that not every day can be great! As long as I'm constantly moving in the right direction in my life, career-wise and personally, I'm good with that. My very first job was at a petrol station/car wash, when I was 15. I hated it, but it taught me the foundations of an honest hard day's work and that helps me appreciate what I do and love now. Cape Town is a wonderful city to live and work in; I have lived - and sold and rented property – in the City Centre for 12 years. My favourite part is the waterfront marina (the well-known V&A). It is ever changing and improving with an incredible selection of shops, restaurants and things to do. In my precious spare time, I like to go for walks, movie and date nights with my partner, play 5-aside football and watch my team Tottenham Hotspur play. I also love music and spending quality time with my family and friends. My hidden talent is that I can play the guitar and beat box! And if I had the time to learn a new talent, it would be to speak another language fluently. One day… hopefully.