Wilhelm Khumalo on joining ‘Listing Jozi 2’ and why it’s more realistic than some Hollywood offerings
Streaming platforms have amplified the proliferation of TV shows that delve into real estate and home renovation spaces.
Of course, Hollywood offerings tend to offer glamorised accounts of these worlds, especially with the sexy cast looking like they stepped off the ramp.
Some of the popular offerings include “Selling Sunset”, “Property Brothers”, “Million Dollar Listing”, “The Flipping El Moussas” and “Flip it Like Disick”.
Again, they are entertaining offerings but, while it’s aspirational storytelling, it is far removed from the daily reality of South Africans.
With load shedding, water shortages, inflation and the overall high cost of living, it is not relatable.
This is where BBC Lifestyle’s “Listing Jozi” makes in-roads with viewers. It offers a day in the life of real estate agents. It’s also informative, especially for property buyers and sellers.
The second season recently debuted on the channel. Unlike other offerings, this one is shrouded by drama and egos either.
Content producer Nico Nel, from PD Production and who also did “Listing Cape Town”, and Wilhelm Khumalo, a new real estate agent on “Listing Jozi”, unpacked a few things about the second season.
Nel said: “We are a super, super tiny team. ‘Listing Cape Town’ is also one of our babies. We do both franchises.”
On how they planned to elevate season two of “Listing Jozi”, he said: “Look, we were actually chatting about it just now because you are not just comparing apples with apples.
“A property in Joburg that we showcase in season 2, if you were to move that up and put it in Cape Town, it will be like R180 million.
“Obviously, the scenic value of Cape Town is a drawcard but there are different variations.
“From a property value perspective, if you are bringing your international dollar and euros, you can really pick up a great property in Johannesburg, being the bustling city that it is.
“Also, to answer your question, we specifically chose to go more of a property route. Our focus at this stage is to go 80% property, with 20% on the reality and private lives of the agents. And this is more of what the viewers wanted.”
Khumalo, an agent with Pam Golding, has been in the industry for 11 years.
He offered some context into how he came to be working in this world.
“The pull into real estate has always softly been a part of my life. My dad was very active in terms of looking, buying, renovating and selling. You know, we lived in many of those homes with which he did that.
“And also, he eventually just started his own construction company, and we would spend Sundays looking at property and that kind of thing.
“It was always kind of there but it was never really a target until varsity. I used to show houses for extra cash. Student life, so it was a nice Sunday gig. Get the week started right kind of thing. And through that process, I got to know quite a lot of agents in good areas that I lived in.”
He continued: “Coming out of varsity, I worked with my dad in the construction company but I was headed towards banking because I studied economics. But then I also got the offer from Pam Golding. And 11 years later, I’m still here.”
In season one, there was a fair amount of interaction between the agents. But, for his scenes, the shots were solely focused on Khumalo’s clients.
He laughed: Look, I won’t lie to you. Even me, personality-wise, that suits me down to the ground. And it was part of the reason why I agreed. I wasn’t really into having disagreements with that sharp tone in the background. I needed it to be about property and that is what we did.”
When asked if TV shows, especially of the Hollywood ilk, sell an unrealistic view of the profession, Khumalo said: “For one, we, as South Africans, are not built that way, personality-wise. Even if people were that successful, it is very rare that you would get that kind of personality coming out.
“But then, within the industry, when you start out – and I’m talking traditional, traditional real estate – you come out as someone's junior partner, working in small areas and on apartments, and you work your way up. There is no age limit in this game.
“You will find a lot of the lucrative high-end areas, there are a lot of older agents who have been in the areas for 20 years and half those homeowners are their friends over the years. And they live in the areas.
“There are a lot of things at play there. It is not just pure glamour, you sell a house and you buy a Ferrari. It is not even close to that.”
Nel added: “The show is more about the interactions between the agents, the buyers and the sellers. It is not necessarily those streaming shows where the agents are fighting with each other.
“These guys, they have to go back and do their work. These aren't actors paid to do scripts. It is reality, reality. We are following these guys on each of their daily deals
“It’s a behind-the-scenes look at what these guys do on a day-to-day basis, selling techniques, bringing in new buyers, bringing in new sellers.”
While it has yet to be confirmed, Nel is optimistic about a second instalment of “Listing Cape Town” being on the cards, too.
∎ “Listing Jozi” season 2 airs on BBC Lifestyle (DStv channel 174) on Wednesdays at 8pm and Thursdays at 5pm.