How to grow generational wealth through property investment
Born in Shayandima, Limpopo, Justin Netshikulwe holds a National Diploma in Human Resource Management and an NQF5 in Real Estate. He started his career with a two-year stint as an HR intern at the Department of Education before joining the insurance industry at Old Mutual Kroonstad as a financial advisor. And then the property bug bit.
Justin Netshikulwe, principal of Just Property Mokopane
“I love interacting with people because I learn a lot from others, so when one of my sisters introduced me to the property industry, I fell in love with it,” he says.
Netshikulwe now owns the Just Property franchise in Mokopane.
The property landscape in Mokopane
“Mokopane is a very small town, yet it’s very active. With surrounding mines attracting a variety of cultures, businesses and opening opportunities for young people to open their own businesses. I love that vibrancy and all the activities here,” he says, adding that, thanks to the mines, Mokopane has had a growing population in the last five years.
“Demand for properties is on high at the moment but the supply is very thin. This opens up excellent opportunities for property investors, whether they want to buy and then sell for a profit or buy and rent the property out for passive income, because in this economy, one stream of income is not enough. Property is one of the best investments you can make, and it is also one of our basic human needs. I’m honoured to be in a position to find solutions for the people of Mokopane,” says Netshikulwe.
“The industry can be demanding, but I focus on those incredible moments that I get to be part of – handing over the keys to someone’s dream home, placing the perfect tenants in a client’s property, finding the ideal commercial property for a Makopane business, or sourcing an investment that I know is going to grow generational wealth for the buyer. I am very lucky that I get to make people’s dreams come true every day of my life.”
Careers in property
Netshikulwe expects agents to be able to give great customer service and be knowledgeable about the property market. “They need to be able to put themselves in their client's shoes when attending to their client’s needs. That means going the extra mile for your clients, being able to solve problems and seeing challenges as motivation. It’s also important to continue to develop yourself - keeping up with new technology in the industry, changes in the law, etc. Training is not a once-off thing, and learning is for life.”
He believes that property offers excellent career prospects, with the opportunity to apply the experience and knowledge you gain when building a personal property investment portfolio, owning, or running a real estate agency and creating multiple income streams.
He says that aspiring agents should choose the brand they wish to work with by making sure that the brand vision and values align with their own. “For example, the Just Property business culture is a good fit for me, and one that has helped me to become the best agent I can be while also helping me achieve my goals.”
He offers the following tips to aspiring and current agents:
- Do research about the industry and learn everything about it.
- Build your character, self-confidence, and professionalism through a commitment to ongoing training.
- Get a mentor and then enrol with the right agency.
- Start from the bottom - it’s the only way to get full exposure to every aspect of the industry.
- Study business practice in general, especially the accounting and financial management aspect — this is very important and a tip I wish I’d been given when starting out.
“If you come with the attitude that learning never stops, you’ll do well. Communication is very important in this game, so it’s important to upskill in different techniques. Learn how to negotiate and study customer behaviour. Good time management is also essential,” he advises.
Looking back over his own career in property, Netshikulwe counts his greatest success in the rental book he built in just five years in a town where Just Property was not yet a familiar brand. His goals for 2023 are to keep growing that rental book, increase sales and find the right agent to help him in the Polokwane and Tzaneen area.
