PATRICK STEYN - WAKEFIELDS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR 2019/2020

Patrick Steyn is a relative newcomer to property, but 11 sales in his first 6 months - and close on 50 sales in two years - shows an impressive affinity to the sector. He says he's always enjoyed property, and one of his major obsessions is the numerous property flipping, decorating or reconstruction TV shows. When he joined Wakefields two years ago, he felt he already had a connection to property.

Patrick lives with his wife and 16-year-old son in the farming community in Curries Post, and works out of the Wakefields Howick office. He'd previously spent 22 years in the newspaper printing industry on a printing press, doing maintenance and as a trade instructor. He laughs, "It was quite a change moving from behind a machine, wearing overalls coated in ink and grease every day, to great clothes and interactive relationships."

Patrick considers the role of a commissioned sales consultant to be quite unique: "It was strange for me to learn that the harder you work, the more you reap the various rewards. You really do, which is quite different from being salary employed." Patrick and all his print colleagues were retrenched when the printing press shut down, so he says the most motivating aspect of a commissioned job is necessity: "To succeed, you need that drive."

Patrick considers himself to be 'brutally honest' with both buyers and sellers. He enjoys that honest relationship: "I try to work with the facts - good, bad or ugly - to get past the issue. Clients appreciate that." In addition: "Every client has a unique situation, and I try to assist them as individuals to achieve their goals, no matter what they are. I learnt quite soon, that the real hard work comes in after you've sold the property. I was juggling my studies while running around trying to resolve all those little issues which come up. I decided that the smart thing to do was to create relationships with all the stakeholders, so that I could resolve issues swiftly. Whether it was the municipality, the conveyancing attorneys, the town planners, you name it - I know them all now, and that really assists me to help clients. I always try to help the clients to achieve what they've set out to do, before, during and after the sale - I believe that matters."

Patrick's still an intern, but he's certainly well on the road to success. He attributes much of that to the enormous support he received from his mentor-manager:  "He drilled the Wakefields code of conduct regarding honesty and integrity into my head! I've really enjoyed the Wakefields structure, broker support and training."

Patrick's other achievements for the 2019/2020 year include being ranked in Wakefields' Top 20 consultants and also Top Consultant for the Wakefields Midlands branch. 

An impressive start to a new career, congratulations Patrick.