FROM GUMBOOTS TO GROWTH
- 24 hours ago
- 3 min read
A MIDLANDS SUCCESS STORY
Property practitioner and Tyson Properties Howick franchise owner, Lise van Zuydam, built her thriving real estate career by doing things differently – starting with mastering the admin side of the business and culminating in taking multi-million-rand hospitality properties and 450-hectare farms to market.
Van Zuydam believes in an authentic approach – from putting on her gumboots to explore beautiful farms in the Midlands to enjoying the luxuries of some of the country’s most upmarket hospitality venues and country homes.
Her journey from uncertainty to consistent top-tier performance is a compelling testament to moving from uncertainty via resilience, adaptability, and hands-on learning.
Looking back, she admits that her early career was fragmented as she sought to find a niche that best suited her unique combination of attention to detail and positive energy. Her CV includes a stint as a centre manager and a finance portfolio manager, time spent co-ordinating events and even ownership of a lodge – all of which unwittingly prepared her for her current role.
In 2018, as a single mother, she could never have imagined that losing her job after her boss emigrated would prove the big break that she needed.
Catapulted into the world of real estate, she had fortuitously accepted an administrative role within the Tyson Properties Howick office. This ended at 1pm each day, paving the way for an informal apprenticeship. In the afternoons, she was free to develop a passion for property as she worked alongside and learnt from real estate agents on-the-ground.
She admits that her approach to property has always been practical and immersive. Before formally entering the industry, she staged hard-to-sell homes by living in them.
“I paid discounted rentals but made sure that the houses looked beautiful by the time I handed them back before transfer. I realised that if I could do that, I could do far more by selling them.”
Her instinct for value creation quickly carried over into her own property ventures. In 2021, she purchased a home for R1 million, renovated it, and sold it nine months later for R1.6 million. She later undertook a more ambitious project – building her current home and bed-and-breakfast from the ground up while living in a converted stable during construction.
Van Zuydam also spotted an opportunity to introduce and run a rentals division at Tyson Properties Howick, and helped develop this into a thriving part of the business.
The extra revenue this provided allowed her to move on from her administrative duties and transition into full-time sales, starting with the successful sale of a small home owned by one of her sons’ school friends. Since then, she has refused to be pigeonholed, selling properties as diverse as R800 000 flats to large country homes.
“We sell many lifestyle properties – 20-hectare properties with a house or maybe an income-generating cottage where you can have a couple of crops and three cows,” she explains.
These properties have proven particularly attractive to buyers seeking weekend retreats and those with children at leading Midlands schools.
Her enthusiasm for venturing into unfamiliar territory marked the next turning point in her career. When an opportunity arose to handle farm sales, Van Zuydam embraced the challenge head-on, starting with the sale of a 440-hectare farm for R21 million.
Word spread, and soon she was managing much larger farm sales as far afield as Newcastle, Estcourt and Dundee where good agents are thin on the ground.
Van Zuydam’s success is also closely tied to her deep love for the Midlands.
She believes Howick, in particular, has undergone a remarkable transformation, having grown from a sleepy village many years ago to a busy town thanks to a thriving retirement community and an efficient and engaged municipality.
Demand continues to outstrip supply.
“If a property is priced right, it doesn’t remain on the market for more than a week,” she notes, adding that improved infrastructure and governance have played a significant role in attracting new residents to the point where local schools now have waiting lists.
At the core of her philosophy is a commitment to discipline and relationship-building. She maintains a consistent work routine and prioritises accessibility for her clients.
I’m quite a social person, and I have a good network from growing up in the area. I made platinum agent in my first year, and then I made diamond agent from then on. I’m always talking to people, making them aware of who I am and what I do. I’m in my very happy place,” she says.
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