About Rare Erf

Rare Erf is an advisory service for property sellers who want to avoid leaving money on the table when the time come to sell.

The service focuses on sellers in Hermanus, Vermont, Onrus, Hemel en Aarde, Sandbaai and Stanford who want to think earlier, plan better and go to market with a clearer view of what they and how to make it attractive to the type of buyer they wish to attract.

Discover hidden value

Most owners only start asking serious questions when they are close to selling.

• What is the property really worth?

• Should we renovate or leave it alone?

• Which type of buyer would pay the most?

• Which agent should we use?

• Should we sell quietly or publicly?

• Are there planning rights, view lines, zoning issues or land value that buyers may not understand at first glance?

By the time those questions are asked, many value decisions have already been made by default.

Rare Erf exists to change that.

Why Rare Erf?

Too often, there are problems with the way valuable property is sold.

Owners can spend years, sometimes decades, building value in a home, erf, view site, family property or investment asset. Then, when the time comes to sell, they hand the whole process to an estate agent and hope for the best.

That may work for a standard property in a straightforward market.

But rare property is different.

A sea-view home, a large erf, an older house on prime land, a home with development potential, a family property in a sought-after street, or a quiet site with future upside should not be treated like just another listing.

The value may sit in the land.
Or the view.
Or the privacy.
Or the buyer profile.
Or the timing.
Or the planning potential.
Or the story the market has not yet been told.

Owners often leave too much to chance.

Sometimes the property is under-presented. Sometimes the wrong buyer profile is targeted. Sometimes avoidable maintenance issues give buyers room to push the price down. Sometimes the agent is appointed too early, too late, or without a clear brief. Sometimes the property’s real value is never properly explained.

Rare Erf is here to give sellers a better starting point.

Before the mandate.
Before the listing.
Before the glossy brochure.
Before the first buyer walks through the door.

Why Rare Erf is not an estate agent

Rare Erf is not an estate agency.

That is the point.

An estate agent is paid to sell the property. Rare Erf is paid to help the owner understand, prepare and protect the value before the selling starts.

That makes the role different.

I sit in the seller’s corner. I help you look at the property as an asset, not just as a home with memories attached to it. I help identify the strengths that should be brought forward, the weaknesses that should be fixed or disclosed, and the story that will make the property easier for the right buyer to understand.

Then, when the time is right, you can appoint an agent with a better brief, clearer expectations and more control over the process.

A good estate agent can be very valuable. Rare Erf helps you identify the right agent and to use that agent better.

Who is Rare Erf?

Rare Erf in Hermanus is Simon Andrew.

I am a brand consultant, copywriter and creative strategist with almost four decades of experience in marketing and communication.

Over the course of my career I have worked on major South African and international brands across property, finance, technology, logistics, healthcare, automotive, insurance, consumer goods and professional services.

My background includes senior creative roles at Ogilvy, Leo Burnett Worldwide, and Coley Porter Bell Cape Town, as well as founding and selling two businesses, including the award-winning brand and communications agency Riot.

In addition, my qualifications include a Bachelor of Social Science degree in Psychology from the University of Cape Town, a Graduate Diploma in Marketing from the Institute of Marketing Management, and the Estate Agents Board exam.

I bring the necessary mix of marketing, psychology, strategy and property knowledge to owners who want to make better decisions before they sell.

Why I am well placed to assist you

My work has covered global and local brands including Coca-Cola, Volkswagen, Samsung, Munich Re, Porsche, Leica, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Siemens, Roche Diagnostics, Allianz, Bosch, Hapag-Lloyd, Rhenus Logistics and others.

That experience matters because property value is not only about bricks, land and recent comparable sales.

It is also about perception.

Who sees the property?
What do they notice first?
What do they believe it could become?
What makes them emotionally commit?
What makes them hesitate?
What gives them a reason to pay more, or offer less?

Those are marketing questions. Buyer psychology questions. Positioning questions. Strategy questions.

I have spent my career answering questions like these for brands, products, services and companies.

Rare Erf applies that thinking to property.

I also bring a direct property link. I passed the Estate Agents Board exam in 1989, long before the current PPRA structure. I am not positioning myself as your estate agent, but I understand the basic mechanics of property sales, mandates and buyer-seller dynamics.

My academic background also helps. I hold a Bachelor of Social Science degree in Psychology from the University of Cape Town and a Graduate Diploma in Marketing from the Institute of Marketing Management.

That combination - psychology, marketing and property awareness - is the foundation of Rare Erf

Want a better price for your property?

What Rare Erf helps you see

Rare Erf helps answer the questions many sellers only ask once they are already under pressure.

What do we really own here?

Is the value in the house, the land, the view, the position, the erf size, the rights, the scarcity, the history, the future use or some combination of the above?

Who is the best potential buyer?

Is it a local family, a Cape Town semigrant, a retiring couple, a developer, an investor, a lifestyle buyer, a foreign buyer or someone looking for a rare long-term holding?

What could weaken our price?

Poor maintenance, missing plans, tired presentation, bad timing, weak photography, unclear planning potential, overpricing, underpricing or choosing the wrong route to market can all cost money.

What should we do before selling?

Sometimes the answer is repair, declutter, document and present better. Sometimes it is to get planning clarity. Sometimes it is to stop before spending money on renovations that buyers will not value.

How should the property be presented?

Rare property needs more than room-by-room photography and estate-agent boilerplate. It needs a clear value story.

Why choose Rare Erf

Rare Erf gives you an independent view of the full potential value of your rare property before the market applies ordinary standards it.

• You get someone firmly on your side, helping you think through value, risk, timing, buyer type, presentation, agent choice and route to market.

• You get almost four decades of marketing experience applied to one of the largest financial decisions many people ever make.

• You get a more strategic brief for the estate agent, photographer, stager, architect, landscaper, lawyer or other professional involved in preparing the property.

• You get clearer thinking before emotion, pressure and negotiation enter the room.

On a high-value property, a better strategy may protect or add hundreds of thousands of rand. In some cases, far more. Rare Erf can also work on a performance-related structure where suitable, so the fee can be tied more closely to the value created.

The aim is simple: help you make better property decisions before expensive mistakes are made.

Who Rare Erf is for

Rare Erf is for owners of premium, unusual or strategically valuable property in Hermanus and the wider Overberg.

That may include:

Sea-view homes.

Large erven.

Older homes on valuable land.

Properties with development or subdivision potential.

Family homes in sought-after areas.

Homes in Fernkloof, Voëlklip, Eastcliff, Westcliff, Northcliff, Kwaaiwater, Onrus, Vermont, Sandbaai, Hemel-en-Aarde, Stanford and other high-demand areas in the Overberg.

Lifestyle properties, smallholdings and rare land parcels.

It is also for owners who are not ready to sell yet.

In fact, that is often the best time to start.

Six months, two years or five years can give you time to fix problems, gather documents, improve presentation, test the market, choose the right agent and wait for an optimal selling moment.

How Rare Erf works

The process usually starts with a property value review.

I look at the property, the likely buyer groups, the visible strengths, the hidden risks, the local context, the presentation issues and the possible path to a stronger sale.

From there, we can build a sale-readiness plan covering timing, buyer profile, value protection, improvement priorities, documentation, presentation, pricing logic, agent selection and negotiation guardrails.

For owners who need more support, Rare Erf can also help coordinate the preparation process, including briefing agents, photographers, writers, designers, architects, landscapers, inspectors or other specialists.

The result is a clearer plan before the property goes to market.

The Rare Erf difference

Most property advice starts when the seller is ready to list.

Rare Erf starts earlier.

Most property marketing starts with what is visible.

Rare Erf looks for what is valuable.

Most sale preparation focuses on making a property look better.

Rare Erf focuses on helping the right buyer understand why it may be worth more.

That difference can matter.

Especially when the property is rare.

A note on estate agents

Rare Erf is not anti-agent.

A good agent can be one of the most valuable people in the sale process.

But the seller should not arrive at that relationship unprepared.

Rare Erf helps you brief, choose and manage the agent from a stronger position.

The agent’s job is to sell.

Rare Erf’s job is to help you go into that sale with a better plan.

Thinking of selling one day?

You do not need to be ready to sell now.

You only need to suspect that your property may deserve a better plan than “call three agents and compare valuations.”

If you own a rare, premium or strategically valuable property in Hermanus or the Overberg, Rare Erf can help you understand what you have, what it could be worth, and what to do before the market gets a vote.

Start with a property value review

Before you ask an agent what your property is worth, find out what could make it worth more.

Book a Rare Erf property value review

Is Rare Erf an estate agency?

No. Rare Erf is an independent seller-side advisory service. It helps owners prepare, position and protect the value of a property before and during the sale process.

Do I still need an estate agent?

In most cases, yes. Rare Erf does not replace a good estate agent. It helps you choose, brief and work with one from a stronger position.

When should I speak to Rare Erf?

The earlier the better. Rare Erf is useful if you may sell in six months, two years or five years. More time gives you more options.

What kinds of property does Rare Erf work with?

Rare Erf is best suited to premium homes, sea-view properties, large erven, older homes on valuable land, development sites, lifestyle properties and unusual assets in Hermanus and the Overberg.

How can Rare Erf add value?

Rare Erf can help identify hidden value, avoid wasteful improvements, improve presentation, clarify buyer profiles, prepare better documentation, shape the property story and improve the way the property reaches the market.

Can Rare Erf work with my estate agent?

Yes. Rare Erf can help brief your estate agent and align the sale strategy, presentation and buyer targeting before the property goes public.