THIS time last year, Andile Ndimande was at Durban’s George Campbell School of Technology, an 18-year-old studying a trade for a future in the construction business. Now he has gone from planning to build homes, to renting and selling them.
The now-19-year-old, who turns 20 on January 3, is the youngest candidate property practitioner in the Dormehl Phalane Property Group (DPG), and is a dedicated youngster with potential to go far, says company head Owen Dormehl, who is principal of the Queensburgh franchise where Andile is based.
Articulate and affable, Andile was born in Mariannhill, moved to Durban’s Berea to live with his mother at the age of 10, then later went to live with his father in Queensburgh.
It was there, when his father considered selling his house and called on DPG Queensburgh to evaluate it, that a curious Andile picked the brains of branch representatives who visited his home. He views that evaluation visit as “a blessing in disguise”, as the information he received that day led to his decision to join the 10-strong Queensburgh team in January this year.
Andile says he couldn’t be happier than he is at the moment, constantly learning the business, and is very chuffed to have sold four properties (the first one in June) and let out one (in September). He currently has 27 homes listed for sale and five to let.
He rates DPG as a very well-organised company, and goes on to praise his friendly colleagues at the DPG Queensburgh franchise, which is managed by Carlene Smith. He applauds branch principal Owen Dormehl for his strong leadership and for sharing his wealth of knowledge of the property world: “Owen is very hands-on, always there for us, and the more I am around him, the more knowledge I gain."
Good communication and negotiation skills are imperative to being a good agent, says Andile, who adds that property practitioners should always be fully honest with clients. He believes he ticks all these boxes.
Away from work, soccer is important to Andile, who excelled at the sport in his schooldays, when he won a number of Man of the Match awards. He now plays left-wing and left-back for Barnes Football Academy in Queensburgh and trains with the team twice a week.
Also in his spare time, he enjoys watching TV, likes to jog and, since 2021, has had a penchant for music and video editing which, at one point, saw his Tik Tok account grow to 90 000 followers.
Andile is determined to make his mark on property in KwaZulu-Natal and, aiming even higher, has set himself the goal of becoming the company’s countrywide No 1 sales agent.
Watch this space…
