Until a few months ago, Trevor Hulett was literally flying high, but now his feet are firmly on the ground, writes Debbie Reynolds.
After spending eight Christmases away from his family, jet-setting pilot Trevor Hulett decided he needed to make a radical career change. And while flying will always be in his blood, he is finding that property is a suitably challenging alternative.
In January the Dormehl Group welcomed Trevor to the fold as co-owner and branch manager of the Kloof office.
The former farm boy, who matriculated from Kearsney College in 1988, had always dreamed of flying. After his two-year national service stint in the air force, he achieved his commercial pilot’s licence and flew throughout Africa doing aid work for the United Nations.
In 1998 he joined Nationwide Airlines, captaining a 737 on SA domestic routes, followed by a stint with SAA flying an international route, before joining Air Mauritius.
“I was there for six years and two of my kids were born there,” he says wistfully. “Living on the beach in Blue Bay was wonderful, but I still was spending too much time away from home. I decided last year, after clocking up 11,500 flying hours, that it was time to put my family first.”
As luck would have it, he met Owen Dormehl and was persuaded to buy into the upper highway franchise in partnership with Owen, who manages the agents.
“He’s a great partner, not only because of his passion and energy and personal involvement in all the franchises, but because I’ve learnt so much from him about being positive and always finding a solution to problems.”
And while he admits to having really had to play catch up in the property business, one of his very first jobs was as a builder – which is why he has always had a penchant for buying houses that scream “in need of TLC”. His current home in Durban North was just a shell when he bought it. “I’m also lucky in that my wife has a really good eye for interior decorating and my father-in-law is a builder.”
None of which made his first day as an estate agent any easier. “Putting out my first showboard was quite dramatic,” he laughs. “All I could think of was how the estate agency business in general had a bad name. I’d like to change that perception by doing a professional job and providing really good service.”
And while he’s still finding his feet and has plenty to learn, the bonus is that his wife, Natasha, has a husband again and his kids have their father. “It’s all good!” says Trevor.
Choosing the right estate agent
- Make sure the agent has sound knowledge of local properties,
- oes the agent have links with the community?
- Does the agent look you in the eye?
- Do you feel comfortable with the person? (If not, how will the buyer feel?)
- Do you trust the agent?
- All agents should be qualified with at least an NQF4. If not, they should be accompanied by a qualified agent.
- What are your first impressions?
- When your house is valued, ask how they decided on the price. You should be shown comparisons to similar houses in your area.
- Be wary of agents under-valuing your home to make a quick sale, and agents who over-value it to get the mandate, which they in turn use to sell other correctly priced houses.
- Remember, anyone can present a high valuation figure, but you may not achieve it. Decide if they are being realistic or simply telling you what you want to hear.
- When you instruct an agent, be sure to read the small print in the contract very carefully, or you may find you are tied to them for a long time.