July 31 2023
Vizier Properties is punching above its weight as an efficient, reliable, and genuine real estate services group, having worked with a variety of companies and individuals on an assortment of projects.
It is a part of the larger Vizier Group and was launched just over a year ago and quickly found success; working with well-established groups and managing to hold its own while being involved in deals which are lucrative for its clients.
The group now has two functions: real estate services, and corporate advisory and consulting.
Formed by passionate entrepreneurs John Warmenhoven and Ross Minnaar, their experience and skill make Vizier Properties a niche player with strong prospects.
Vizier Properties has grown to a team of five people, each with the skills and strategies to maintain the group’s position as a nimble business.
Meet the team
John Warmenhoven – Vizier Group MD
So where did Vizier come from as a concept?
Warmenhoven chose the name Vizier because of its fascinating meaning and history.
For thousands of years, a vizier has been a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east.
“The Vizier turns the head of the king, without threatening or wanting what is owned by the king. A vizier was a person who foresaw what could arise in the future and acted on this view. Most importantly it was a position of trust in which the vizier was given a position of looking after the king’s empire and possessions. The ethos within Vizier and our client relationships, we believe can best be described by our name,” says Warmenhoven.
“At any time, we have more than 30 business consulting clients whose lives and livelihoods we steer and are honoured to play this role for them,” he says.
What attracts clients to Vizier Properties and why do they keep coming back?
Warmenhoven has varied and substantial experience in real estate, having registered as an estate agent in 1991 and has been a joint owner of a property development company from a young age.
“My team brings a culmination of experience in business, property, financing and development, which expertise is not normally for sale, but usually used by developers themselves. However, we can now share with others a unique offering, when placed in the position of the Vizier in their businesses,” he says.
Clients come back to Vizier for an assortment of reasons, paramount of which are trust and concrete results.
Vizier has built impressive expertise which people working in real estate can access relatively easily and at highly competitive prices. Normally, to gain access to such advanced expertise, clients would have to approach large companies which can take time. These processes can be cumbersome and inefficient. But Vizier is nimble and focuses on providing services timeously. Vizier creates long-term relationships with its clients and works to understand their needs on a deep level.
What is it about Vizier which makes clients keep on coming back?
“Trust, innovation, teamwork, and results. Simply put, but tough to achieve. The more trust we have with our clients, the more the client shares and the greater our ability to play the true role of Vizier. Our growing team is made up of firstly a strong family ethos. We care and each person in our team has a willingness to learn beyond the next person. We learn, and we work to live,” says Warmenhoven.
Ross Minnaar – Managing Director
If you were to describe Vizier’s strengths, what would say they are, in one or two paragraphs?
“Agility, experience, and innovation. Being innovative is an integral part of what sets us apart from other companies involved in real estate services. We have managed to build a diverse range of clients in the few months that we’ve been trading, and the three words or strengths ring true in every deal. As every experienced real estate practitioner knows, no two deals are the same. Every time we receive an enquiry and start engaging, we rely on the diversity of our business to provide a solution, whether in physical brick and mortar, or in financial terms. We really have put something special together,” says Minnaar.
He describes his role at the group as being a broker, but with a fancy title and a lot to lose.
“I’m still very much on the road, and still offering our clients a hands-on service whether its viewings, valuations, or advice,” he says.
Vizier works on varied separate business areas, never losing focus or its edge as a nimble and efficient real estate player.
“We’ve been strong in the brokering of various projects and have concluded some great, innovative financing and development deals for both tenants and landlords. We’re still new and are looking to broaden our capacity and have thus brought on an energetic young lady who will be focussing on the bricks and mortar brokering and will be providing an extra pair of hands,” says Minnaar.
While Vizier Properties is a specialised young business, its founders want to grow the employee base have tools in place to pass on expertise to young talent.
The need for new talent has increased as deal flow has gained momentum for Vizier in 2023.
“Last year was mostly made up of business consulting projects and fund raising for our clients, but the 2023 real estate market has certainly not been quiet. We are and have been involved in close to R100m worth of real estate deals so far this year,” says Minnaar.
Vizier chooses to keep information about its deals highly private to protect its clients and to keep its competitive edge.
“Everything we do is highly confidential due to the nature of our deals, NDAs, and our involvement therein.” Minnaar says.
Judy Warmenhoven – Administration
When did you join Vizier and how has it forwarded your career.
I have been involved in the family business for many years and only recently joined our team at our new offices in Boksburg. As Vizier has grown in the past year, so has my confidence in all that they require me to do. It is exciting and motivating and continues to be a new learning environment for me.
What sorts of projects have you worked on, including which areas of real estate?
I have worked on many different projects from an administrative perspective, the variation is vast. Real estate is a large portion of our business. Secretarial skills vary from word processing, typing up of various agreements, to registering of companies and trusts to loading property photos and property information, to mention a few.
What are your goals at Vizier in the rest of 2023?
My goals are to learn, assist and add value as much as possible to all involved in this exciting and growing company.
Tyron – Business consultant and accountant
What is your role at Vizier?
I am appointed as a business Consultant and accountant of Vizier Group to handle financial information and perform various tasks related to financial management and reporting. I am responsible for maintaining accurate and up-to-date financial records for the business and its clients.
My key responsibilities are Financial Recording and Reporting, Financial Analysis and Interpretation, Budgeting and Forecasting, Tax Compliance and Planning, Audit and Assurance, Financial Management and Consulting, to uphold Ethical Standards and Compliance.
When did you join Vizier and how has working there forwarded your career so far?
I joined on April 17 2023, and Vizier has played a significant role in forwarding my career by providing me with various opportunities, resources, and support to help me develop and progress professionally.
What are your goals at Vizier in the rest of 2023?
My goals at Vizier are to enhance profitability by improving the company’s financial performance by identifying inefficiencies, cost-saving opportunities, and revenue growth strategies.
I intend to assist the business in formulating long-term goals, developing strategies, and creating implementation plans to achieve them.
I would like to process improvements by focusing on streamlining the business processes, create market expansion and improve team dynamics.
I seek to establish accurate financial reporting maintaining accurate and reliable financial records and ensuring compliance with accounting standards and regulatory requirements, providing an accurate insight into the company’s financial health, performance, and trends, assisting in decision-making processes.
Denise – Operations
What is your role at Vizier?
I started as an intern broker and have quickly moved into an operational management function at Vizier. I work very closely with Ross and assist with the day-to-day management of the systems and various structures that the businesses have put into place.
When did you join Vizier and how has it forwarded your career?
I joined the team on the 1st of June 2023 from a role in business development and franchise management with a national retail company. The team has created an amazing opportunity for me to step into a career that I have always been interested in as well as providing growth opportunities and opportunities to make an impact on the lives of the people we get to work with every day. Currently I’m focussed on projects throughout Gauteng and am assisting with new opportunities for the business as we grow into other avenues.
What are your goals at Vizier in the rest of 2023?
My goals for the rest of this year are to gain as much knowledge and experience from John and Ross as possible for me to qualify as a broker and operations manager so I can be completely confident in my field, and to achieve the position of “expert” and Chief Operations Officer as soon as I can.
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