What Our Clients Are Saying
Facts Speak For Themselves. We Would Be Honoured To Prove Ourselves
What Sellers & Buyers Are Saying
Facts Speak For Themselves. We Would Be Honoured To Prove Ourselves
"Our family have had the pleasure of working with John and Jorica for the recent three years, and we can confidently say that they are one of the most reliable and dedicated professionals in the space. They take their work very seriously and always go above and beyond to ensure that their clients are 101% satisfied.
One of the things that sets this team apart is their diligence. They take the time to thoroughly research every aspect of a matter that they assisted us with relating to the Legal Practioners Fidelity Fund as well as property ownership transfer, leaving no stones unturned. They are always willing to put in the extra effort to ensure that everything is done correctly and that all parties involved are protected.
Reliability is another strength of this team. They're always available when we need them, and they consistently deliver on their promises. Whether it's responding to an email and phone calls or an enquiry at the Legal Practitioners Fidelity Fund, we can always count on them to be there when we need them.
Finally this property practitioner team is incredibly responsive. They understand that in the world of property practice, time is of the essence. They are always quick to respond to any questions or concerns we may have, and they keep me updated every step of the way.
Overall, we would highly recommend this practitioner to anyone in need of a diligent, reliable, and responsive professionals. Their expertise and commitment to their clients make them a valuable asset to any property transaction.
All the best John & Jorica,
From Max and the Wu family.
02/03/2023"
Max and the Wu Family | Royal Ascot Seller
"To whom it may concern:-
As the dust finally settles on a long and bittersweet family connection to Camps Bay, I thought I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to John and Jorica for closing this final chapter.
Some 30 years ago my wife and I bought a few weeks' timeshare in Place on the Bay on Victoria Road, Camps Bay. We have many happy visits to the property but eventually sold and bought an apartment further up the hill.
About 12 years ago I identified the potential of 15 Houghton Drive - the “building” at that point was just a derelict substructure that required a total rebuild. Once completed the shareholders decided to fully furnish the house to attract short to medium-term rentals. This grew into a fully-fledged, and successful boutique guest house - known as Houghton View.
The shareholder decided to sell some 4 years ago and we were approached by various agents from many estate agencies who, quite frankly, were absolutely useless.
Finally, John and Jorica approached me and I reluctantly agreed to give them sole agency (I say reluctantly because previous sole agencies had all proved absolutely hopeless). John and Jorica disproved all my preconceptions and stuck to their task with determination, dedication and openness that is just not found these days.
I renewed the sole agency on many occasions and in the end, they did bring an offer to us that was accepted. In the difficult and declining Cape Town property market they steered the buyer and us the sellers to an amicable deal that hopefully will make both parties happy.
I wholeheartedly recommend the team of John McDermott and Jorica Jin, from MacJin Private Office, Meridian Realty for all and any property deals in the greater Cape Town area.
Kind Regards
Laurence Hancock - Director of Headland View (Pty) Ltd trading as Houghton View Guest House
23.02.2022"
Laurence Hancock | Camps Bay Seller
"It is never easy selling one’s home, especially when the market is flat/slow and the experience has been made worse by the complications related to the Covid pandemic. However working with Team John and Jorica it has been a pleasure.
They have been pro-active and innovative, combining old style marketing with modern research and state of the art technology.
In all their dealings with us we have found them to be most professional and considerate.
22.02.2022"
P G Barrett | Newlands Seller
"To Whom it May Concern:
Buyer of No. 4 Monorgan Mews, Newlands.
Dear John and Jorica,
Honesty and integrity are great values that I cherish dearly. I am , therefore, most delighted to have met you and transact business with you. It will be my pleasure to recommend you and Meridian to anyone either buying or selling their house or flat. I wish you and Jorica further successes in your future endeavours.
Sincerely,
Deji Haastrup
15 February 2021
Transcript to Meridian Management by Mr. Deji Haastrup resulting from the Monorgan Mews apartment, located in Newlands, we instigated in selling to him:
Hi Peter- Thanking for reaching out to me my experience with John and Jorica was simply brilliant.
It was an absolute pleasure to have to deal with them. Very empathetic, they understood my requirements and they always followed up to be sure that I understood what was needed for me.
They guided me through the process in such a way that I would recommend their service to anyone.
They were simply marvellous. Thank you so very much.
My best regards.
Deji Haastrup. 25 January 2021."
Deji Haastrup | Newlands Buyer
"To Whom it May Concern:
We recently bought our dream investment home in Newlands and found the whole process, from signing an offer to purchase till final transfer date when we knew the house was ours, we never expected such a wonderful joyful experience, from start to finish, their involvement and consultation in the sale and purchase , John and Jorica, due to their unbelievable dedication, motivation and absolute diligence to ensure the entire agreement of sale and purchase was processed smoothly and trouble free.
Out of interest John and Jorica patiently and willingly assisted us in finding the abovementioned home after nearly a year as our mandate to them was to find a house which suited all our requirements in the suburb of our choice, namely Newlands, and they did so patiently and admirably and eventually found us the home that ticked all our boxes. Their do-or-die attitude, doggedly determined objective to find our dream home was absolutely exemplary.
We were kept up to date with every aspect of our purchase from day of signing OTP till date of registration. We never had to ask as to the status quo, we were always advised on the current situation on all aspects related to the sale and it’s finality. We never had to follow up with John and Jorica to ascertain on any issue. They were fabulous.
Furthermore, as the purchase was made as an initial investment to find a suitable tenant, John and Jorica- who specialise in both sales and rentals- immediately and miraculously found us a wonderful tenant which coincided with date of seller leaving and being same date with tenant taking occupation thereby ensuring no loss of rental income.
We would highly recommend the formidable most ethical and totally honest team of John and Jorica to anyone wanting to sell, buy or rent their home as their expertise, professionalism and genuine willingness to assist at all times is of the highest standard. We praise them highly. They are a wonderful advert to the real estate industry.
We would be happy to verify the above commendations telephonically if so required.
Truly,
17.02.2022"
Jeffery Yao & Maggie Jin | Newlands Buyers and Landlords
"I recently sold my property in Vredehoek. As a professional (attorney), I required my property to be sold expeditiously and at a competitive market price. For this, I required an experienced and professional team. John McDermott and Jorica Jin rose to the occasion. They provided me with a market related valuation whereafter engaged their services and provided them with a sole mandate. Within less than a month, I received a market-related offer to purchase from a buyer which I was happy to sign. They were so efficient that within less than two months, the transaction was registered. I will recommend John and Jorica anytime as trusted agents."
Charles Abrahams | Vredehoek Seller
“We are giving a five star review to Harcourts Atlantic and the team (Jorica Jin and John McDermott) who helped us sell our house. After a complicated and lengthy process of vacating the old tenant from the house, Harcourts Atlantic helped us to get the house ready for sale as quickly as possible. They gave us recommendations on the interiors and places that we should fix. The valuation of the house was also spot on and we were very happy with the final sales price. We feel that Harcourts Atlantic looked after our interests during the sale, and acted very diligently. We would recommend them for future property related dealings”.
Dr. Chunlan Li & Dr. Yi Zhang | Claremont Upper Sellers
“Thank you so much for your contribution to this very happy outcome! I never imagined that sale of 3 Kestrel would happen so smoothly and virtually effortlessly. What I can imagine, though, is that your years of experience and personal style play a big role in such successful outcomes. I am very grateful.”
Charlotte Imani | Kreupelbosch Seller
Thank you for your huge effort in trying to sell our house. Unfortunately, we needed more time but I was impressed by your determination and perseverance by trying every avenue whether it was the local or the overseas markets.
I appreciate your honest work ethic and professional attitude towards your work. Your constant follow up’s and communication regarding the sales process and the progress made allowed us to feel confident and hopeful.
Your friendly and warm nature allowed us to become personal friends and I am hopeful that we will find a buyer in the future when the time is right.
Thank you for all your help and I wish you much success as you certainly deserve it.
Taylor White | Bergvliet Seller
"I gave good references to many potential Harcourts clients as l got excellent service from John & Jorica in the past. I’m not an easy customer. I demanded from the very beginning a tie up with a reputable London agency to tap into the Art Deco market over there. I was very impressed that Chris & Alex from Barnes private office paid me a visit during December & January.
Please keep up the good service"
Stefan Huber | Clifton Seller
" We found John and Jorica to be an ever co-operative , pleasant and enthusiastic team ".
Ian McGguan | Camps Bay Seller
“Mr John McDermott approached me earlier this year with the offer to value my house. He was not aware that I was interested in selling the house at that time. On inspecting the house he mentioned that it was in a very sellable condition and that should I be interested, he thought that he had a client who was looking for something that my house offered.
He brought the client round and they seemed quite interested, but as the seasonal break was fast approaching, said they would get back to us in the new year. In early January John brought them back to the house and things looked pretty good, but nothing came of their interest.
John then moved on to Fine and Country and contacted me again asking if he could introduce the company and Jorica Jin, his business partner, to us, with a view to continue marketing my house.
We agreed, photographs were taken and the house advert appeared shortly there after. We had our first show house which had a good number of visitors but no offers.
Two weeks later was at the second show house and this time there were fewer viewers but a serious interest. He brought the interested parties round for a second viewing and after a bit of negotiation over the price a deal was struck.
The third show house was cancelled as we had a firm offer, which concluded in the sale of the house.
During all these contacts and negotiations John and Jorica conducted themselves totally professionally and to our satisfaction, in spite of John having some serious health issues, in between the negotiations.
I would gladly recommend John and Jorica to market your home as they are friendly, helpful and professional.”
Roger Molyneux & Adrienne Molyneux | Meadowridge Sellers
“Thank you so much for everything and for helping us with the negotiations.
I have never met such a generous and honest agent you truly are special and deserve all the good things has to offer.
We look forward to having you over in our new home for a celebratory drink.”
Lyle & Grant Pettitt | Kreupelbosch Buyers
My husband and I met John and Jorica as the real estate agents for a property in Bowwood Road Claremont.
They were both accommodating and enthusiastic about the property. We were able to view the house a few times before deciding on the purchase, even though they were not based in the Claremont area.
They were both helpful in negotiating with the seller on our behalf. They made the paperwork/administrative side convenient for us by coming to our home. Our queries were all answered well and satisfactorily.
We can recommend John and Jorica as a professional pair of real estate agents who will go out of their way to please both parties.
We wish you, John and Jorica, all the success at your new positions with Keller Williams Realty Worldwide.
Sincerely. 19 June 2020
Drs Allie Mohamed and Yoemna Khatib | Claremont Upper Buyers
"Recently I acquired a lovely new property in Cape Town and had the great fortune of having John McDermott and Jorica Jin as my estate agents in the transaction.Their experience was evident through their mediation of the sale and within two months I was waking up in a new home. They were meticulous in their approach to the sale and truly made me feel content as a client of theirs and as representatives I felt they had my best interest at heart. John and Jorica are a great team and I would encourage anyone looking to buy or sell a property for assistance and expertise.
Yours faithfully "
Dr. Johan C Augustyn | Vredehoek Buyer
What Landlords & Tenants Are Saying
Facts Speak For Themselves. We Would Be Honoured To Prove Ourselves
We are very grateful to have Jorica and John in our life. They have been our family’s trusted go-to property agents for many years. They helped us find a buyer for our house in upper Claremont, and sold it in record time, due to their clever wording and thorough research of the surroundings. They have also assisted us in finding the right tenants on two other properties, while we were overseas. Their communication is really on point, and they were always available for questions that we had. They would physically go onsite to check up after work was done by contractors, and helped us apply with the city council for other maintenance work. We can highly recommend Jorica and John.
Jingxi Giard | Tamboerskloof, Upper Claremont and Newlands Landlord
Jorica and John have shown great effort, dedication and success in finding suitable tenants for our rental property. They provide regular updates on status and progress during the application process and the transition between one tenant moving out and another moving in was seamless.
I can highly recommend their services.
Lizenka van der Walt | Vredehoek Landlord
Dear John and Jorica
Firstly, I would like to thank you for the successful conclusion of the relationship we have built up since the beginning of the year. While it has been a long journey, it has given Nicky and I plenty of opportunity to evaluate the quality of the service you have provided and we commend you on the level of professionalism you have displayed throughout the journey. I highlight the various steps in the journey:
Onboarding us as potential clients- you established all our requirements and provided meaningful input in terms of an appropriate pricing for our rental.
Feedback during the search for a tenant- you continuously kept us up to date with detailed input as to the search efforts to find an appropriate tenant including the kinds of institutions you were tapping into.
Finding the tenant- when you found our prospective tenant you did a detailed financial background check on them which indicated they were more than financially secure to meet their obligations. As they needed to sell their house before signing a lease you introduced an innovative solution to provide them with an option to let upon the payment of an amount (option premium) that would be forfeited if they did not enter into a lease after the three month option period. This gave both the prospective tenant and ourselves the comfort that, from their side they had time to sell their house, and from our side we had the comfort that if they did not enter into a lease we would be compensated for the loss of rental by receiving the option premium. This option arrangement was set out in a professionally drawn up agreement.
Tenant signing the lease- Just ahead of the expiry of the option period the prospective tenant advised that even though they had not sold their house, they wanted to enter into a lease agreement. The lease agreement has been evidenced in another very professionally drawn up document, which has been signed by all the parties. You have also arranged for a unique, in my experience, inventory to evidence the contents of the apartment.
So, in conclusion, we have been more than happy with the level of communication and service you have provided and would be very happy to recommend you to other people.
Kind regards.
Adré and Nicky Smit | Newlands Landlords
"To Whom It May Concern:
We hail from Beijing China and have invested in a few properties in Newlands which we rent out.
We now use MacJin Private Office exclusively for finding suitable tenants due to their absolute diligence, motivation and dedication in finding most suitable tenants timeously and their thoroughness related to credit checks.
We would recommend them to anyone requiring professional service when looking for a tenant to rent especially in the suburb of Newlands where they both reside.
Yours Truly"
Director of Newlands Portfolio (Pty) Ltd | Newlands Landlord
John and Jorica,
It was a great pleasure working with both of you in the rental of our unit in Tokai.
What I especially appreciated was the regular feedback that you provided, the way in which you helped us navigate a difficult market, your attentiveness to understanding what we were looking for in a tenant and your perseverance in finding one that was a good fit for us. I would happily recommend you as a property agent to anyone I know.
Thanks again!
Sean Mathiesen | Tokai Landlord
Dear Jorica and John
It is our immense pleasure to express my appreciation to you. You have helped me tremendously in managing the two-bedroom property in Royal On Main, Tokai, CPT.
I remember our initial meeting with you and you were taking diligent notes regarding my specific needs that I may not be involved on site for detail property renting procedurals as I will be away from South Africa for a while. You are highly talented technologically and made excellent use of the relevant adverts engines and real estate databases to quickly find me a variety of tenants who were interested at our renting package. You did lots of administration works with the potential tenants which saved me lots of troubles. I have been very pleased with the final outcome that the tenants are in line with both our expectations.
You are the master with the contract negotiations, as you came up with a deal that was good for me and made the tenant happy as well. I found you are also highly attentive agents, almost as if I was your only customers, although I know that was not the case. Particularly, you response all my concerns through wechats and emails the same day. I never felt neglected or unimportant. You are also highly personable with an engaging personality, was honest about some minor changes that I needed to make in the property to attract potential tenants quickly, and your advice have always worked like a charm.
I am pleased to choose you to be my agents. You are hands down the best in the business in my opinion and if I ever need to lease again, you will be my first choice in real estate agents.
Regards,
Happy Homeowners in Royal On Main, CPT
2020.4
Chen Wei | Tokai Landlord
"To all who seek the services of MacJin,
John & Jorica are without doubt, the hardest working agents I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. They are an indispensable asset to our business and came to us as a beacon of light during difficult times.
Through my experience as a property portfolio manager, I have always found it extremely difficult to find agents who follow through and do the work. Any owner/property manager reading this will likely have encountered the following scenario:
1. Owner/Manager advertises listing on local social media/advertising platform.
2. Welcome the slew of every agent under the sun (and moon) presenting themselves telephonically to market your property, seducing you with all the self-promotion and promises they can muster. You accept the agent’s offer to market your property.
3. Chosen agent visits property, takes pictures, lists property. Then…
4. You never hear from them again. They do not actively work your space. They do not keep you updated with progress reports. They do not commit to their promise to fulfil your vacancy… you are just an item in their stock.
If this sounds familiar, this is what I have come across time and time again, until the point where I strictly refused to allow anyone but myself to do the marketing of our properties. This changed when John called me last year. We were in the midst of an incredibly challenging market, and I was getting tired of dealing with all the marketing myself (along with my management duties). My initial response was to express to John that I was jaded with the false promises of other agencies and that if we were to do business together, that it would be based upon merit and an active display of duties fulfilled. John assured me that Jorica and himself would not let us down, and to our immense gratitude they certainly did not.
MacJin (John McDermott & Jorica Jin) in the heaviest market crash since 08, have taken us from a daunting position of close to 50% vacancy to a place where, as of this day, we do not have a single unit available to let. They are uncompromising in their efforts; they send me reports regularly and they are always a pleasure to deal with. They are a boon to the industry, and I would recommend them to anyone! They will certainly continue to have exclusive affiliation with all our residential properties for a long time to come.
Neil Plit - Property portfolio manager (Tricera Investments)"
Neil Plit | Vredehoek Landlord
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
I used John and Jorica to rent out an investment property I own during September 20.
They found me a tenant and attended to some repairs that were required on the property with a professional attitude and the minimum of fuss.
I have been very satisfied with them so far and highly recommend using their services.
Yours sincerely
John Edwards (CA) SA | Vredehoek Landlord
Jorica and John have shown great effort, dedication and success in finding suitable tenants for our rental property. They provide regular updates on status and progress during the application process and the transition between one tenant moving out and another moving in was seamless.
I can highly recommend their services.
Lizenka van der Walt | Vredehoek Landlord
Hi Jorica - Thanks again for your and John's very professional and dedicated work on finding a great tenant for the property. I do appreciate everything you both have done.
A happy client | Gardens Landlord
Dear John and Jorica,
Beyond my wildest dreams I never thought it was possible to have two such dedicated and motivated estate agents, John and Jorica, within on average of two weeks, successfully concluded lease agreements for the most appropriate rental tenants for my two separate apartments located in the very sought after location of Royal Ascot, Milnerton.
Their handling from start to finish, involved with overseeing maintenance crew to ensure apartments were in pristine condition prior to advertising, organising viewing dates and times, to credit and reference check with interested parties, to compiling legitimate lease agreements, ensuring and supervising apartments cleaning prior to vacancy by tenants, to managing inventory and inspection documentation on new tenants occupancy, they took control from start to finish with professional swiftness. They always went that unexpected extra mile. They were fantastic .
I would have no hesitation in verifying the above in writing or telephonically in my highest esteem in which they handled my exclusive mandates granted to them. They are true genuine totally honest and reliable real estate agents, I would go further to state true most experienced dedicated property management consultants.
Truly,
Michelle Zhang | Royal Ascot Landlord
Our thanks go to John and Jorica for making this the most pleasant property experience in our lifetime, which covers many decades and more than a dozen transactions globally.
Dave & Glyn Anderson | Newlands Tenants
I've had the pleasure of working with Jorica and John during the course of 2020. They helped me secure my dream apartment in the City Bowl.
They are by far the most professional estate agents I've ever worked with. They don't want to just rent any place to you but ensure that you are completely happy with your rental. They also constantly communicated with me if I had any questions. I recommend using Howzit properties to anyone.
Werner Kotze | Vredehoek Tenant
Such a great help. Helped me move into an apartment real quick and was very helpful with the needed paperwork. Highly recommend.
Leo Rheeder | Vredehoek Tenant
I am a clinical psychologist and divorced mother of 4 kids aged 20, 15, 12 and 10 years. I have been looking a property to accommodate all of us and from which I could run small clinical psychologist practice. John and Jorica represented me with a fantastic property in Gardens, with both residential and commercial rights! Best of all, my 20-year student daughter has a separate entrance with en-suite, so she's very happy too. The house is located in a quaint mixed residential/commercial hub, has all the accommodation I need and is well kept. The property has a fantastic alarm system and secured by security gates and bars. They organized several viewing dates to accommodate my partner and kids with no hesitation. They were sensitive to my needs and respectful of all covid protocols at every visit.
John and Jorica were friendly, efficient and very effective in their professional capacities. They were able to answer all questions and provided prompt feedback from the owner for a multitude of questions we had; re move-in dates, trade-use, and plumbing for additional appliances.
Over the last 20 years I have bought and rented several residential and commercial properties, so I very familiar with property agents. John and Jorica is a great combination of friendly, engaged and professionally boundaried.
Thanks to them, we are happily settled and have a wonderful space from which my family can thrive. Best wishes to them both.
Sincerely,
18/11/2020