Hardie Property prides itself on being an Estate Agency that helps people live in more thoughtful and beautiful ways. We sat down with founder Richard Huxham-Hardie to chat about the local market, the challenges of starting a new business in 2020 and how design can be used as powerful force to give back.
What prompted you to launch Hardie Property in the midst of COVID-19?
It all began in hard lock down 2020 and brand Hardie Property was launched in the July of that year with the help of the incredibly talented designer, Pierre Odendaal. I knew the look I wanted for my brand, I predicted that people would want to move after lock down and I deliberately set my commission at 3.45% so that there is never any discussion. The market had been depressed for four years so I felt confident there would be a resurgence in the Cape Town market.
You have a wealth of experience and international property knowledge – what made you return to Cape Town?
18 Years of residential real estate has taken me from the prime London market as an agent, manager and buying agent, the latter was my favourite role. Then off to Guernsey in the Channel Islands for eight years where I was MD of a design led estate agency which won awards for marketing and innovation.
Five years ago I came back to South Africa after being born here in 1978 and joined a global firm as CEO. I knew Cape Town but I got a thorough understanding of the Atlantic Seaboard, City Bowl and Southern Suburbs in my four years looking after three offices and 40 odd agents. This stood me in good stead when I softly launched in July 2020 as immediately the referrals started flying in and I was selling from Hout Bay to Constantia and Tamboerskloof and everything in between. All of my sales and rentals to date have been a result of referrals or social media. I am hugely grateful.
What were the challenges of launching a new property business in 2020?
I have never looked back and wouldn’t have had the time to! At the end of 2020 I was feeling pretty exhausted, getting up at 4am and working long full days as the business just kept coming in. I took a break at New Year and thought I’d see how the start of 2021 went, before long I had to advertise for a PA. Shauni came on board very quickly and she couldn’t understand how I was managing to do everything.
I have kept it small at this stage with just myself and Shauni as my PA. I’m loving the role as agent where I get to meet people and everyday is very different. Many of my deals have been working exclusively for buyers finding them the right property. I am a magnet for buyers and if I don’t have the right stock myself, I go and find it.
We heard you were a fan of digital marketing?
I love marketing so I really push the boundaries for my clients and I am a huge fan of Instagram where I run my own account @richard.huxham.hardie or you can follow the @hardieproperty page.
We love that ‘giving back’ is part of Hardie Property’s ethos. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
On a final note, Hardie Property gives back a % of its commission to a client’s charity of choice. Every little bit counts in these tough times and the beauty of it being my own company is that I could include philanthropy to be one of the core elements of my business alongside honesty, communication and a quality brand which is connected globally.
For more information, visit hardieproperty.com
