SAHometraders August Newsletter

Dear Subscriber

Welcome to the SAHometraders August Newsletter. There has been much debate around the issue of property rights lately, with opponents to the government’s proposed Land Bill arguing that a carbon copy of the Zimbabwe land fiasco is in store. Even more interesting is the recent judgment in favour of a South African who lost farms in Zimbabwe, ordering the SA government to restore his right to property or face damages nearing R60 million. South Africans are already under pressure with tight economic conditions and tensions are heightened by political uncertainty within and beyond our borders. Even so, SAHometraders is more determined than ever to perform at the forefront of innovative online property marketing and ensure that your product commands the best possible reach.

This newsletter contains:

§ Updates on current activity,
§ Information on our cutting-edge new features,
§ Advice on technical issues.

At SAHometraders, our goal is to provide lead generation from our national site by meeting the demand for inventive forms of advertising with progressive online marketing ideas and state-of-the-art design features. If you have any queries regarding our various products or services, please don’t hesitate to contact us: sales@sahometraders.co.za.

Yours in online marketing

The SA Hometraders Team

Subscriber Update

§ SAHT Spreads its Wings

Considering the ever-increasing interest in the SAHometraders offering from agencies based in the Gauteng region, we are pleased to announce that SAHometraders now has an official office in Johannesburg. Contact sue@sahometraders.co.za if you would like to get in touch with this office.

§ Clearing Up Confusion

You may have heard rumour that PropertyGenie intends to start charging agencies and branches to list properties on their website. PropertyGenie has confirmed that a charging model will be implemented from September 2008, however this will have no impact on the feed from SAHometraders. “SAHometraders remains a highly valued business partner (3rd party supplier) of PropertyGenie and we look forward to continuing our longstanding relationship” PG.


§ Welcome Aboard

Estate agents are fast-becoming aware of the considerable exposure offered by the Internet and the success achieved by marketing property online. Multiple listing on SA Hometraders and affiliated sites provides your product with extensive reach, but having your own website is the ultimate marketing tool, allowing you to showcase your entire property portfolio.

SAHometraders would like to welcome the following new members on board:

ERA Explore Properties PheZulu Property Management
ERA Jeffreys Bay Di Tucker Properties
ERA Centurion Property 100 Centurion
Clay-Zi Properties Rivendell Property Consultants
Acutts Rustenberg Amro Estates
Acutts Waverley ERA Midrand
Colliers Amanzimtoti ERA Gersbach Paarl


§ Option to Increase Exposure

In a bid to extend your product reach, subscribers now have the opportunity to list properties on Gravity (g.co.za) at no extra cost. This does not include listings on IOL and will be implemented via an xml feed from SAHT. The listing works on a permission basis, so if you are interested in taking advantage of this option please be sure to email us.


§ Highlight On Show and On Auction Property

With market conditions so tight, it’s important to utilize all the marketing tools available to you, particularly those important design features on the SAHometraders landing page. The On Show and On Auction buttons are valuable in that they target users who are specifically interested in this kind of property for sale, such as those searching Google for property on show or on auction in South Africa.


New Features


§ Brushing Up on Sectional Title

We recently came across the latest edition of the Paddocks Press monthly newsletter, which is packed with news and useful articles relating to sectional title property. SAHometraders has acquired permission from Paddocks to publish the various editions of their newsletter on our site. Click here if you would like to view the latest articles on sectional title.

§ Mobile Front Ends Ready for Take Off

Having recently launched a mobile version of the national site with great success, SAHometraders is pleased to announce that the promised mobile launch of agency sites is now possible. With an estimated 12 million cell phone users in South Africa, this dynamic marketing tool commands extensive reach for your product, with the value-added convenience of users able to access information anywhere, anytime from their mobile phone. The option includes a redirect whereby users accessing your regular website via cell phone are automatically sent to the mobile site. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.

SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for a new website today and get a 50% discount on a mobile site valued at R 750!

Technical Issues

§ Bugs in the Browser

Those of you using Firefox 3 may be experiencing a few technical glitches when it comes to uploading images or viewing multiple gallery images. The browser appears to allow just one image to be uploaded at a time and when trying to view a series of gallery images, the pop up appears once and then the page needs to be refreshed each time you want to view another image. Complaints have been lodged, but unfortunately all that can be done is to wait for an update from Firefox. Our suggestion in the meantime is to downgrade the version of your browser to Firefox 2.0.0.16, which can be done using the following link: http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-2.0.0.16&os=win&lang=en-US.

§ Wading Through Results

In our continued effort to make the back office experience as user-friendly as possible, you will be pleased to know that a Sort function has been added to the property listings page, which will allow agents to sort their various listings and results in several ways. If you require any additional options, please contact us.


Marketing Services

National Site: SA Hometraders has over 600 subscribers, marketing 25000 properties for sale, 4000 rentals and a selection of farms, businesses and commercial developments.

Database of Contacts: This database consists of past and potential clients with whom you wish to remain in regular contact. Ideally, the list should be expanded and updated on an ongoing basis.

Product Range:

§ List Management
§ Monthly/Quarterly Newsletter
§ Electronic Signatures
§ Newsflashes
§ Various SMS Options

We would be happy to design an appropriate package to suit your particular needs. Should you be in the process of setting up a similar arrangement elsewhere, please don’t hesitate to contact us for a competitive option.

Agency Website Design and Hosting

In addition to the national site, SA Hometraders has designed over 180 agency sites. These sites are template based, but are personalized in terms of look, feel, branding and any additional information that may be required.

The Bottom Line:

§ Once-off all-inclusive cost of R3876 for agency website design
§ Thereafter a charge of R171 p/m for website hosting
§ Subscription fees: R228 p/m for 10 listings or R399 p/m for unlimited listings
§ All costs include VAT

If you are interested in taking advantage of this option, have a look at some of the sites that we have designed recently:

www.acuttswaverley.co.za
www.capetownpropertyinfo.co.za
www.therentalsandsalesagency.co.za
www.legalpropertygroup.co.za
www.simplyletting.co.za
www.terridicksproperties.co.za

We look forward to hearing from you and are more than happy to discuss further detail telephonically, or where practical, it can be arranged for us to call on you. You can email us at sales@sahometraders.co.za.