IF YOU’RE seeking or selling a home on KwaZulu-Natal’s sunny South Coast, or wish to sell or buy a vacant plot there, a name to note is Jean Cordier, the friendly and experienced manager-owner of the new Margate-based franchise of the Dormehl Phalane Property Group (DPG).
And, by the way, if you’re keen to beef up security on any of your properties, perhaps consider picking Pretoria-born Jean’s brain – before he got into real estate 10 years ago, the 46-year-old ran a security business for 20 years, specialising in security installations and maintenance throughout the country and in other areas of Africa.
Jean, who is Afrikaans-speaking but fully bilingual, first stepped into the world of property sales and rentals in 2015. Impressively, he was still an intern when, within a year, he worked his way to a position of manager with a Pretoria franchise.
In 2018, he moved to Uvongo on the South Coast where, after two years as a property practitioner, he joined another franchise which saw him manage 15 agents.
“I couldn’t wait to leave the hustle and bustle of Pretoria to settle on the South Coast, or ‘Slow Coast’ as I like to call it,” says Jean, replying to a question about why he opted to move to KwaZulu-Natal. “I wanted a new start, a new beginning… and I love it here.”
Jean still lives in Uvongo – where he shares his home with “three wonderful dogs: two Pekingese and a Boerboel” – while the DPG Margate Coastal office is at 42 Marine Drive Centre in Margate. It is close enough to the beach to feel the coastal atmosphere, but just far enough away that the sound of the waves doesn’t interrupt a busy day of appointments and calls.
Having joined the Dormehl Phalane family at the beginning of October, with company head Owen Dormehl as principal at the DPG Margate Coastal branch, Jean is currently managing a team of six there, and two more agents are joining them before year-end. Jean hopes to complete his NQF5 qualifications to take total control of the branch by early 2026.
“We cover the full stretch of property from Port Edward up to Hibberdene,” says Jean.
He goes on to acknowledge that DPG is a strong brand in KwaZulu-Natal, and says he is looking forward to achieving his goal of creating a big footprint for the company on the South Coast. The time is ripe to do so, he says, adding that he strongly believes the property market down south is poised for a boom.
“The South Coast truly offers unbeatable value. No other region in South Africa competes with our property prices. Add the coastal lifestyle and natural beauty, and it’s an excellent investment opportunity.
“There is a major boom coming, and now is the right time to buy,” he explains, adding that a number of major developments being planned for the area are certain to boost property values quickly.
What does Jean most enjoy about a career in real estate?
“I’m a people’s person. I love working with clients, guiding families and helping them to make big decisions, honestly and ethically. Real estate offers incredible opportunities, but more importantly, it gives me the chance to change lives. There isn’t much I dislike, besides the long hours – but that comes with the job.”
An achiever since his school days at Monument High School, Jean was a noted sportsman as a teenager and played first-team rugby and first-team cricket for two years. He also played golf and enjoyed chess.
Besides having built a successful security business at the age of 20, Jean also studied towards an LLB law degree through Unisa, which he didn’t complete. He is a MultiChoice-accredited installer, has studied marketing, and has travelled through most of Africa.
He is loving being a property practitioner and maintains that a good agent “lives and breathes property”. Anyone working in real estate needs consistency, ethics and honesty, he believes: “Do the work daily, be straightforward, and the success will follow. What an agent should never do is be dishonest or cut corners”.
He adds: “The market is tough, and you have to make real estate your priority or you won’t survive”.
DPG’s Owen Dormehl is one of the best leaders in the industry, he says: “He leads from the front – even as a director, he’s still out there selling houses. People buy from people, and that’s why DPG is as successful as it is.”
Away from property, Jean is a big animal lover, having often volunteered to help at the SPCA and animal rescue centres. One of his biggest dreams is to one day spend three months working with the gorillas in the mist in Rwanda… and, he adds as an aside, his bucket list includes a visit to Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro.
Asked to mention some things people are unlikely to know about him, he replies, with a chuckle: “I’m not musical, but I love karaoke. I once sang karaoke in Tanzania with Kurt Darren’s manager”.
He adds that he gets “irritated quickly when things aren’t right”, loves seafood, likes golf, enjoys cooking,and loves to take his dogs to the beach.
“My personal motto is simple: Why? Because you can!”
