Although we are in the last quarter of this year, it is still far from slowing down with another licence area sold.
“It is with great excitement that we welcome Kobus Taljaard as the new licence partner for the Franschhoek & Paarl areas. Although he has been involved in the Engel & Völkers family for 11 years as licence partner of Hoedspruit – this is the beginning of another exciting chapter in his portfolio within the Engel & Völkers group” said Craig Hutchison, CEO of Engel &Völkers Southern Africa.
Kobus grew up on a farm in the old Western Transvaal where after he moved to Pretoria to work and study business accounting. His career took flight in the manufacturing sector which then transitioned to the information technology side where he managed an IT company for over 24 years, playing a key part in the development of commercial software.
In 2005 it was time for a new challenge. He heard about Engel &Völkers through a friend and upon first sight of seeing the Engel & Völkers logo, he immediately knew this would be it. “I knew it was something I wanted to be part of. It was just clean, different and a cut above the rest” said Kobus.
Kobus proceeded with the purchase of the Lowveld licence in 2005 together with a friend of over 30 years, Dr Herman Cremer. “We were fortunate enough to have Ryan Forder cross our path, and he has been an invaluable asset to our business. I only started to become actively involved in 2010, and in2013 I focused on my love for agriculture by selling farms myself and doing in-depth studies of the areas and types of land, so that we can proudly say that Engel & Völkers Hoedspruit is a true expert in this field.
Although it might be 11 years later, Kobus bought a stand in Val de Vie Estate near Paarl in 2005, knowing that the Cape Winelands is where he would like to relocate to, and in the beginning of this year he finally started building his home and planning his new life in his dream location, and we are happy to say that Kobus’ passion for Engel & Völkers is still running strong, which is why he decided to expand the brand on his new home-turf.
“The Franschhoek area is in many instances, much like Hoedspruit as far as foreign investor’s goes. Both areas are tourist destination of choice as it offers the best of both worlds for residents and beautiful scenery and various activities for leisure time. It again takes me back to my roots and my love for farms. I will continue to be involved in the Hoedspruit licence,although Ryan will continue to be the leading partner as he always has”.
Kobus believes that one should surround yourself with good people and focus on teamwork. You can lead but without a strong team, you will not gain any headway. When one is focused and you enjoy your work – time is not a factor. They have already started actively in the area with sales advisors appointed and listings on the books. Their team will be their main focus to ensure that they grow in order to be able to service clients in all areas asap.
Areas covered by the licence include: Franschhoek, Hou Moed, Klapmuts, La Motte, Le Roux, Pearl Valley Golf Estate and Spa, Val de vie Winelands Lifestyle Estate, Wemmershoek, Bain's Kloof Pass, Charleston Hill, Denneburg, Hermon, Hoog en Droog, Klein Nederburg, Mbekweni, Northern Paarl,Paarl Central East, Paarl Central West, Paarl East, Southern Paarl, Diemersfontein Estate, Wellington Central, Wellington North, WellingtonOutlying, Windmeul.
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