Johannesburg — STEFAN Swanepoel is renowned as a man who reached the top of the South African property sector, revolutionising many aspects on his way up, before emigrating to the US 14 years ago.

Swanepoel said there were a number of trends that will affect the South African property market in the years to come.

He emphasised that none are absolute but the result of conclusions he has drawn through his businesses in the US.

Swanepoel said the local property market is based on similar grounds to that in the US, and franchise agencies are direct imports from that country or are based on US models.

"Trends globally are reasonably similar, even if there's a local flavour."

Technology is the key thread running through most trends, with specific focus on the internet and what it means to players in the property market, he said.

Swanepoel said that1998 marked the first year that property was the biggest-selling product on the internet, and it has retained that position ever since, along with the most searches -- 10-million of the 80-million measured searches that take place each year.

"The internet, e-mail, search- engine optimisation, broadband, WiFi, blogs and podcasting are all part of this package, as is YouTube, on which many agents are posting walk-through videos, taken on their cellphones for the benefit of prospective buyers.

"Consumers have changed. For example, Generation Y consumers or eco-boomers, born between 1980 and 1994, are entering the property market now. These are young people for whom technology has always been a part of their life, and they expect the service providers that they engage to be as technology-savvy as they are. Contrast that with the fact that the average American estate agent is a 58-year-old divorced woman, and you can see that there is a gap that needs to be filled.

"Surveys done with this generation have identified that 25% of property clients that make use of the internet to find an agent or a home choose the first agent that responds to their inquiry, while 21% expect an immediate response. We are part of a NOW society that is better informed -- after researching on the internet -- that is into faster responses, more efficiency, expertise, added value, lower commissions and fees.

"Being an estate agent is no longer just about the transaction, it's about service levels and product offerings -- more and more US agents are offering products such as removal services, mortgages and insurance. In the face of falling commissions -- 4,8% on an average of eight "half" deals a year in the US -- agents have to find more than one way to make money out of their clients."

The next link in the technology chain is automation of property transactions.

"With regard to mortgages, 50% to 60% are done electronically, but we need to move towards having a system that keeps the process of a sale accessible and transparent, without having to recapture the details of the transaction over and over again. The most streamlined systems have reduced information capture to five times a transaction, but there is a real and pressing need for tailor-made software to streamline the sale of a property."

However, to keep up with technology, agents need to buy into training and adapt their systems and techniques to cope with how technology is changing the business.

"Notions like search-engine optimisation, basic online marketing skills and understanding technology are the key, yet few estate agents are prepared to give up more than half a day for training. Companies that have well-trained people working on meticulously created systems will last the course in the move to the internet."

He said over the next two to three years internet access via cellphone is touted to surpass WiFi web access. It means that agents will need to bear this in mind when designing their websites, as these will need to be light on downloads but with vital information ready to hand on the first page.

"Technology no longer refers to a product, it's about a lifestyle. The convergence of notebook, mobile phone, PDA, digital camera and video camera have changed the rules of how business is done, particularly in real estate. Every estate agent needs to stop and ask the question: if I could start a new real-estate company today, how would I use technology to take down the competition?"

Neil Cronjé, CEO of Engel & Völkers South Africa, said: "Our new optimised website will be online shortly, and the Engel & Völkers South Africa red-thread system is the kind of carefully created method of work that Stefan has outlined as being of such great importance.

"We understand the needs of our clients. Not only do we offer a technology-savvy service, but we understand the importance of building networks. Locally, we build networks of successful businessmen, while our international brand exposes us to the latest trends and methods abroad, as they happen.

"Stefan has challenged us and our industry, though -- there are indeed interesting times to come," he said.