AMERICAN singer-actress Cher is on record as having said that “when women support each other, incredible things happen” – and she could well have been referencing the three generations of successful women at the helm of the Dormehl Phalane Property Group’s aptly named A-Team office in Westville.
DPG head, Owen Dormehl, principal of the A-Team, is quick to note that the award-winning team headed by franchise manager and agent Lindi Honey, her ace agent daughter Christy du Preez, and Lindi’s mom, Nola Ortlepp, proves that solidarity in sisterhood leads to success.
Lindi, acknowledging a powerful family bond, points out that her mother turns 90 on January 1. Years ago, Nola used to run the very successful rental department but nowadays does some canvassing and generally does odd jobs around the office, she adds.
Lindi, Christy and Nola’s collaboration with and support for one another and other members of their property team – plus the decades of knowledge and experience amassed between them – has led to the A-Team being highly rated as property practitioners one can trust, and be recommended to friends and family.
Lindi attributes this success to “years of experience, and finding a way to make things work”. She adds: “We don’t give up. We all have a very good work ethic, and are hard-working and determined”.
She points out that there were other family members connected to these achievements: “My late sister, Kerry Warburg, was a huge part of the team. She was chairlady of the 31 Club, chairlady of the Rotary Club, and chairlady of the Ratepayers’ Association. She had multiple fingers in multiple pies, which contributed hugely to our success”.
The A-Team also had a strong component in Lindi’s sister, Sue Speechly, a top DPG property practitioner who, after years with the A-Team, has now moved to the Cape.
“Sue is an excellent agent and we did feel it when she left, not only from a work point of view, but a fun point of view… never a dull moment when she was around. Having said that, we all stepped up. And Sue still refers to us, so technically she is still involved.”
The family’s tie to the Durban property market dates back to 1958. That was when Lindi’s late father, Adrian Ortlepp, formed MaxProp and made a name for himself in Westville and Pinetown property circles.
“My dad passed away in 2018 at the age of 87. He started Max Dales and company franchises in 1960 with Max Dales, then the company changed its name to Maxprop,” explains Lindi, who started in property in 1987 as an agent, then later managed her father’s franchise.
The business started in Jan Hofmeyr Road, then bought and rezoned a house in Westville Road and was based there for many years. It next moved to Church Road, joined the Dormehl property group in 2019 and then moved to Brendon Lane. The current premises are at 22 Salisbury Avenue in Westville.
Due to the rapid expansion of Dormehl Phalane in Westville, the group originally created two, separate offices in the area that were independently owned and operated – the A-Team and DPG Elite. These branches have amalgamated in the past year and, Lindi says, “it is so much better all being together, in terms of team work and referrals”.
Lindi takes great pride in the A-Team being viewed as trustworthy, reliable and masterful at forging long-lasting relationships with clients: “People like the fact that we know the area so well, and know the market because we have been in it for such a long time. Over the years we have resold houses for clients that we sold to years previously.
“I think an important fact is that we go the extra mile. We will connect lights and water for buyers if they are not local; we will get water meters or electrical meters installed for buyers. We don’t stop when we have sold a house – we are with clients all the way. When money is not the focus and helping people is more important, we achieve more.
“We are team players and understand that you cannot do things on your own. A lot of our success is through working together in our office with our opposition and with our colleagues.”
The fact that Lindi, Nola and Christy have long lived in Westville is a big plus in gaining local client confidence: “We can recommend schools, plumbers, swimming teachers… and if you live close to where a client has purchased, it gives them confidence that they have bought in the right area”.
There is no denying the A-Team’s continuing success. When it comes to performance, the franchise constantly ranks high amongst the property group’s 64 franchises. Both Lindi and, more so, sales agent wiz Christy, feature among DPG’s top achievers countrywide. Then there is the constant flow of glowing testimonials and referrals.
Lindi adds that also greatly contributing to the A-Team’s success is Owen Dormehl, “the most amazing boss; always looking for ways to help agents learn and be more productive… and make them more professional.”
DPG National Awards Lindi is most proud of as manager of the A-Team include it being rated third in the company’s Franchise of the Year (Urban) category in 2019; and fourth in that same category in 2021. The year 2021 also saw the A-Team at joint-first for Standard Bank Easy Sell properties, and in 2022 placed second nationally for Ooba bonds.
Lindi is also very proud of daughter Christy’s excellent achievements, which include her being placed second in the Agent of the Year (Urban) category in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Christy’s many accolades include her being in the Top 5 nationally and, in 2022 and 2024, she took a coveted DPG award for recognition by the public, for her integrity, professionalism and ethics. This year, she got a certificate acknowledging sales up to the value of R200million.
Future plans for the A-Team?
“We have a brilliant rental department that we want to expand, and maybe get one more agent to join us on the sales side. Every quarter we are in the shopping malls promoting our brand, which benefits all the branches. That is a good thing about the DPG brand …. all the branches do this.”
Christy has a six-year-old daughter, Peyton. Does granny Lindi see her following family footsteps into the world of real estate?
Lindi smiles: “You need to be tough to do this job because it is so up and down, and stressful. I think Peyton is too sensitive to do this… but time will tell.”
