We find ourselves unspeakably proud to have grown in this industry alongside our long-term clients and strategic partners. We are so committed to ensuring that we consistently add value that every day feels like the first day and not the 18th year. Wow.

There’s hardly ever a dull moment when running a business. The last couple of years have been a testament to how we can learn, adapt and grow. Our needs have drastically changed but one thing remains; adding value. So much so that it’s arguably a synonym for the word ‘business’. 

From this older and wiser vantage point, we are so pleased to feel like we might have done just that; became an important part of the South African residential community. We are growing rapidly, evolving our business relationships and onboarding many new clients. 

There is great value in taking the time to enjoy the view. To stop for a moment and take stock. To pause, take a breath, reflect and give thanks. 

And so, our ultimate goal with this blog is to thank you, our client base and our strategic partners! We are thrilled to be in partnership with you while participating in this industry at this level. Quite literally could not have gotten here without you.

Thanks again! Here’s to a great 2022!

The post We’re all grown up now! appeared first on REDi.

Comcorp Mortgage Software, the specialists in bond origination and tracking software, and RED-i (Real Estate Development Interactive) have integrated systems from each company to revolutionise property development sales management, bond application and approvals, and transaction tracking processes, by creating a “platform of convenience to push and pull critical information to each system in order to allow for the seamless communication of real-time information,” say the directors of the two companies, Marcel Zeier of Comcorp and Andrew Kumm of RED-i.

In the year 2000, Comcorp revolutionised the mortgage bond application process in South Africa by introducing the first electronic home loan application system for banks and bond originators. The Comcorp Switch is a middleware software application that interfaces with all major South African Banks, i.e. ABSA, First National Bank, Nedbank and Standard Bank as well as FNB Housing Finance, Housing Investment Partners (HiP) and SA Homeloans. BondTrak is their front end data application which is used by bond originators and developers to submit validated loan applications to multiple banks. The software also allows users to track the status of loans, receive decisions and view management reports. SmartDoc is their imaging front end which allows the user to submit documents electronically, thereby eliminating lost and unclear documents.

RED-i (who have been developing software for the property development industry since 2002) have, too, changed the way property developers can manage the sales in their developments through SiMS (Sales Information Management System), which currently allows industry professionals and stakeholders access to their marketing leads (CRM) and to monitoring and updating their relevant key milestones in property sales transactions. RED-i’s goal, however, was never to re-invent the wheel in recreating specialist functionality already found in other market leading industry systems, but rather to get the various systems to work together and “talk to each other”, says Kumm.

Zeier said that they found the two companies have many of the same clients, which meant two sets of data were being created, and in order to avoid the duplication of work, the two companies decided to collaborate and work out a way for all the pertinent information to be stored in one place.

In the past, a sale would take place and the estate agent would then contact the bond originator to get the bond application process started. Now with the integration process, the bond originator is automatically notified once a unit is listed as sold on the SiMS system and all the relevant unit and client information is sent through electronically to Bondtrak. The agent no longer has to manually send this to their bond originator but can now rely on the originator picking it up automatically on their mortgage software front end. The lead will be accepted by the originator and will automatically send a message back to SiMS. All subsequent status updates are then automatically sent to SiMS and the agent is notified accordingly.

“This speeds up the whole process and streamlines the transaction by not having to manually pull files or waiting for status updates,” said Zeier.

Affordable housing is a major focus for both RED-i and Comcorp, where the margins are extremely tight and it is important for these developers’ projects to run efficiently. Their business model works on volume, and time delays and errors therefore need to be removed or minimised if they are to be successful, said Kumm.

The system benefits property developers in their reporting accuracy as all the information is up to date and current and they can rely fully on all the information being available from one source, to save time and energy in collating the necessary information when needed to report to their financiers. The benefits, all in all, said Kumm, are that there is:

• Automated deal tracking;
• Real time reporting;
• No more duplication of information;
• Information flow is immediate, with less reliance on admin teams having to chase each other for information;
• Cost saving and productivity improvements; and
• A competitive advantage for clients by creating a more responsive/agile businesses environment.

Valumax, the developers who specialise in the development of integrated housing projects, and e-Homeloans were the pilot. Zeier says that with the upsurge in the developer market, the timing is right to release something as innovative and efficient as this integrated system.

“Ultimately, with all development sales,” said Kumm, “the developer needs to see the units being sold, he needs to know that the finance will be there and that there is consistency and speed in the way things are handled. We are offering systems that do what they need, when they need it.”

For further information on RED-i systems contact Andrew Kumm on 082 870 4346 and for Comcorp systems contact Marcel Zeier on 082 450 9085

The post Comcorp and REDi integration of two systems set to revolutionise property sales and bond application process tracking appeared first on REDi.

When complete, there will be 13 sectional title complexes within the estate with an integrated strategy allowing for a wide range of owners and investors, says Gavin Vickers, a director of Kairos Holdings.

Woodwind Estates will offer a range of one, two and three bedroom stand alone homes, priced from R599 000 to R1,3 million which, say the developers, will be well positioned as a value for money proposition in the market considering the preferred location and the quality of the product offered by Raudev.

The project has a full professional team appointed, including local agents Propertycoza who have a competent, fully qualified team, Kairos Property Solutions as the Raudev client experience managers who will be using the RED-i (Real Estate Development Interactive) sales management system to coordinate and manage all the transactions from the offer to purchase stage through to applying for bonds (using e-Homeloans as the appointed mortgage originator) and then all the transfer processes including handing the key over to the buyers.

All the units in these phases are freestanding with private gardens and will have high quality fittings and features, including fully fitted kitchens, full tiling and will have patios, carports and ample visitors’ parking within the estate.

Woodwind Estates is centrally located between Centurion and Midrand. It has easy access to the major Gauteng highway network, to Tshwane or Johannesburg and a short drive from Centurion West. There are several major retail centres in close proximity, as well as excellent schools, said Vickers. .

The estate offers secure living in a fully walled access controlled environment with full security. Raudev plan to create a comfortable family environment, with eco-friendly units and good capital growth potential. Raudev has also included plans for an on-site crèche, a private open area and communal facilities.

Raudev as a business are focused on offering an exceptional quality product at very competitive prices, says Francois Grobler, managing director of Raudev.

There is, too, a high rental demand in this area with units renting out for anything from R5 000 to R10 000 per month, which makes it a good buy to let investment option, said Vickers.

The team marketing the units at Woodwinds Estate is headed up by Gerrie Kruger of the Propertycoza real estate company, based in Centurion. For further sales information email woodwind@propertycoza.co.za.

The post Raudev launch first phase of Woodwind Estates at The Reeds, Centurion appeared first on REDi.

This is not ideal, says Simon Comley, director of PropertyEngine, because it is not usually possible to fit the entire development’s information or units available in that type of listing, nor will it do the development justice.

To this end, a service agreement has been entered into between PropertyEngine and Property24, whereby PropertyEngine feeds development information to Property24’s development specific listing section, which is wholly unique to PropertyEngine at this point, says Comley.

REDi (Real Estate Development Interactive) and PropertyEngine, in turn, have entered into a separate collaboration agreement allowing their development information, via PropertyEngine, to be published to Property24. As a leader in development sales information and management systems, REDi is a rich source of content on various residential projects – “collaboration between the companies was obvious”, says Comley.

Why would the different listing be important, most would ask?

A single residential listing is one unit in a development, but generally developments have more than one option to choose from. The problem here is that the house hunter will not know that. He might find a listing for a two bedroom unit but he is looking for a three bedroom one – he will not know what that development has on offer unless he goes back to the search and goes through all the other listings in that area, which is very time consuming. The New Development Listing solves this problem by providing all the plans and information in one place.

“The attention, therefore, is being focused on the buyers’ and developers’ needs,” says Andrew Kumm, a director at REDi. “With PropertyEngine now feeding both the Property24 and HelloHouse listing platforms with pertinent information on new developments, the potential buyers have a better idea on what is on offer and the developer has a better mechanism to showcase his project.”

“In our recent marketing efforts we’ve talked a lot about this new way of listing developments and why our clients should be publishing their developments to it. Developers tend to understand the importance of this but agencies don’t often grasp why. The reason tends to be the same; most estate agencies (at least the big ones) already have a feed to Property24, often through their own proprietary software or via PropControl. They often use this feed to publish an example unit for a development onto the site and they feel like they already have a presence there,” says Comley.

There is often more to a development than just the houses available for sale within it. Some developments are like whole new cities with gyms, hospitals and even top schools. The New Development Listing gives the house hunter a list of facilities available on that development, meaning they are more aware of what’s on offer and if it’s suitable.

And last but not least, says Comley, is that developments are selling new houses and not previously owned ones (resales will in all likelihood come later), so the New Development Listing gives the user the ability to hone in their search to the categories they need.

Kumm says that there are numerous benefits for REDi’s property developers who list their projects via PropertyEngine. These are:

• Better marketing, as potential buyers get to see exactly what the developer has on offer in terms of house types and estate lifestyle features;
• Increased exposure as the development is listed on both portals;
• Time saving due to leads automatically being allocated to SiMS, which means no need for recapturing of information and a reduction in errors;
• Developers can track and gauge interest generated via these portals and they do not need to rely on agents to give the information or add the leads to their data base;
• Increased transparency and accountability with the marketing agents is now possible because all leads are channelled into SiMS and the developer can track agent performance;
• Customer service is improved as leads can be managed on SiMS in terms of their needs; and
• Duplicate listings and market confusion are prevented.

“The New Development listing space on the portals has improved dramatically, and I would encourage the marketing teams and selling agents of new developments to consider the needs of both the buyers and sellers (developers) when listing. The technology is there and should be utilised in the interest of all stakeholders,” says Kumm.

For further information contact Andrew Kumm on 082 870 4346 or email andrew@red-i.co.za.

The post REDi and PropertyEngine join forces to lead the way in online property development listings appeared first on REDi.

RED-i is very excited to be providing services to our first Ghanaian client. Devtraco PLUS have appointed RED-i to build the sales and marketing tools for a number of their luxury development projects namely Palmers Place, The Niiyo and The Hamptons. We have successfully rolled out a Development Manager, Interactive Sales Map and Digital Site Model for Palmers Place development to aid Devtraco in their management and marketing efforts. The Niiyo-Dzorwulu is hot on its heels with sales and marketing products launching in the coming week.

RED-i has also been appointed to build the web presence for both the Devtraco brands with the Devtraco PLUS website launching soon. We hope to enhance the online marketing and sales potential of Devtraco by leveraging this powerful medium in the Ghanaian real estate market.

The post Devtraco PLUS appeared first on REDi.

Omeya Golf and Residential Oasis

The Omeya sales team have been actively using the Sales Information and Management System to profile their prospective investors and to process and manage their off-plan sales. To date, approximately 50% of the sold erven have already been transferred to the new owners, who have started to build either their dream home or holiday home on the estate. The Interactive Sales Map and the Google Earth overlay continue to assist prospective purchasers and investors to have a bird’s eye view of Omeya, including the available erven and golf course design.

The post Omeya – retrospective appeared first on REDi.

The Ni-Da Group, the developer for this magnificent tract of land, has appointed the eLan Property Group to manage the sales and marketing of the development. The eLan on-site Sales Team use the Interactive Sales Map and the Sales Information Management System to capture and manage their sales administration activities, to track the submission of mortgage applications as well as run up-to-date sales reports. The SiMS system also allows the agents to track and profile their leads and referrals from a central data base. The interactive sales map and the virtual tour of each plot allow prospective purchasers and investors on the website to have a bird’s eye view of the layout of Vulintaba and the location of the available erven.

The post Vulintaba Country Estate appeared first on REDi.

The company recently took a fresh view on the different markets in which they operate and have spent considerable time to strategically reposition their group of companies to participate competitively in specific development and investment markets for the next decade.

As part of the above strategy, all of the groups residential projects were consolidated under the Valumax Group and will in future trade as Valumax Projects and Valumax Residential respectively.

Valumax have decided to employ the REDi technology to increase and manage their sales and reduce risk. The Sales Information Management System and Interactive Sales Map provide administrative and marketing support to the developers to easily control and manage their sales processes and provide prospective purchasers with up to the minute availability and information on specific properties.

Their first project to utilise modules of the Redi Digital Product Suite is Allandale View and we look forward to assisting them in the management of their sales information on this and future projects.

The post Valumax appeared first on REDi.

As a black-empowered residential project developer, Calgro M3 has a 15-year track record in the niche market of integrated housing developments as well as mid-to-high income sectional title and full title cluster developments. The company’s end-to-end solutions focus on high growth niche markets, ensuring a deep pool of expertise in each of Calgro M3′s service areas.

RED-i is very excited to be rolling out Sales Information Management Systems and Interactive Sales Maps for all the current Calgro developments allowing the developer to easily manage their sales processes and providing purchasers with up to the minute availability and information on specific properties.

Having already successfully launched Jabulani and Scottsdene we look forward to assisting Calgro with their sales management needs into the future.
For more information visit their website.

The post CalgroM3 appeared first on REDi.

Osborne Towers, winner of the best ‘Regional Residential Property Interior 2011’ – in the prestigious International Residential Property Awards in association with Bloomberg television.

Osborne Towers distinctive architecture is a fine example of refined elegance with overtones of quiet luxury. A charmed lifestyle where luxury and style come with the highest level of comfort, Osborne Towers is a sanctuary that you would look forward to returning every day. Designed, built and managed to the highest standards, Osborne Towers is an ideal that has been met in every aspect, making you feel right at home from the moment you arrive.

REDi is very proud of our association with this luxury development.

The post Osborne Towers appeared first on REDi.