Why I’m investing in East London's property market

Johannesburg resident Wilmot Magopeni, who was born and bred in Peddie in the Eastern Cape,  is the proud owner of the Leapfrog Property Real Estate franchise. 

The independent franchise of the Leapfrog Property Group brand that opened its first Eastern Cape branch in Port Elizabeth in December 2020 has opened a new Vincent business hub in East London.

True to his passion as a visionary risk-taking entrepreneur, Magopeni who is the franchise director shares why he has decided to expand his Eastern Cape Leapfrog franchise operation to invest in the East London and the greater Buffalo city Metro region Real estate property market and how this branch aims to make its mark in terms of commercial resilience and financial success. Wilmot writes:

I grew up in a homely setting and learnt to appreciate home ownership early on. My father passed on when I was only six years old leaving me and my siblings under the care of my late mom. We were secure in the knowledge that we had a place we loved and called home. I’m not talking about its monetary value as much as its value in being that special place to connect and create memories.

Building on that foundation it was of no surprise that soon after starting in my working life, home ownership as both an investment and base for my future family topped my priority list. I bought my first house in my early 30s, which was quite an achievement at the time. I am proud to say that 55 Pell Street in Beacon Bay, East London took the honours as my first house.

My love for and obsession with home and property grew even stronger over the years and I continued to preach its importance to employees, family and friends as an investment choice and for the security it provides. In recent years, the vision of owning my own real estate business across the value chain inclusive of property sales, marketing, and property development grew larger.

On entering the East London market, Leapfrog Property Group has given me an opportunity to build and grow a platform that will enable others to enjoy what I consider a basic human need besides the dignity and pride that home ownership brings to the owner.

Entering the market through Leapfrog Property group was informed by its national market profile, modern world-class digital technology platform, a fresh passionate brand approach, and professional training and development of our real estate agents as core partners in our business. We will be focused on recruiting and developing our East London Agency team on the same values.

I have an MBA and my professional training is in business development with more than 20 years in management and executive leadership in insurance, banking and wider financial services in Africa and other parts of the world. My choice of investing in East London and the wider border region is a homecoming event for me as I learnt about working and business here and am now reinvesting my skills, expertise, and capital. I’m immensely proud and committed to putting in hours of challenging work to help grow the city’s competitive and vibrant property market.

This article was paid for by Leapfrog PE franchise.