Dear valued clients and friends,
As the year settles into its final stretch and the long summer evenings arrive, I’ve been thinking about what this year really taught me. Not the polished version we often share in meetings or at year-end functions, but the real stuff underneath. The parts that stretched me. The parts that softened me. The parts that reminded me what matters, both in life and in the work we do at Homes of Distinction.
These are the five lessons that rose to the surface.
1. If You Want Loyalty, Get a Dog
People often say this as a joke, but I found the truth in it when Harvey arrived in our home. He’s a Golden Doodle with big paws, bigger enthusiasm and a birthday on Christmas Eve. We brought him home in March and, almost overnight, he settled into our family as if he’d always been there.
Somewhere along the way, Harvey also became part of the HOD family. He now greets visitors at the door with the kind of unfiltered joy no onboarding manual could teach. Clients walk in expecting a meeting about homeownership or the current property market and instead they’re welcomed by a fluffy mascot who seems convinced they’ve come purely to see him. You can watch the tension lift from people’s shoulders within seconds. It’s hard not to smile when you’re being stared at by a dog who believes you’re the best person he’s met all day.
The thing about Harvey is that he doesn’t perform or pretend. He gives what he has. He’s present. He’s devoted in a way we sometimes expect from people but don’t always receive. His loyalty is uncomplicated and consistent and it taught me something I didn’t expect to learn this year.
Loyalty is a gift, not a guarantee. It shows up where trust has been earned, not assumed. In property, in leadership, in the way we look after our clients and our team, relationships only strengthen when there is genuine care. Harvey just brought that lesson with a wagging tail, wet nose and a warm nudge at the office door.
2. Business Has Its Ups and Downs
Every year brings cycles, much like seasons in a garden. Some phases feel full of movement. Others feel slow and uncomfortable. Trials never arrive at convenient moments and they rarely feel fair while you are inside them.
Yet this year reminded me that difficult seasons often force clarity. They make you rebuild foundations, re-establish expectations and look honestly at your team culture. When the next surge of opportunity comes, you are far better positioned to respond.
Property is no different. Markets shift, mortgage rates adjust and people hesitate or accelerate depending on what life asks of them. When you lead through it, you learn to keep your eyes on the horizon. The storm passes. Opportunity returns. And if you’ve done the quiet rebuilding in the meantime, you(and your team) grow stronger than before.
3. Be Present in the Moment
Presence became a thread in many of my newsletters this year, probably because it’s something I keep relearning myself. Life is fast. Work is demanding. Our phones shout louder than our thoughts, if we let them.
Yet the moments that have stayed with me weren’t the big milestones. They were the deep breaths between them. Five minutes of quiet before the house wakes up. Conversations where no one is rushing to the next thing. Evenings when you listen more than you speak.
Presence isn’t about slowing your life down. It’s about returning to it.
4. Know Your Worth
Growth is messy. Seasons change long before we’re ready and many of us spend too long shrinking to fit what used to be. This year asked me to step into spaces I’d outgrown without realising it.
Worth isn’t about achievement. It isn’t measured by the size of your business, your home or the number of houses for sale you’ve closed. It’s built through the steady choices you make when nobody is watching. The integrity you hold. The boundaries you protect. The courage to evolve.
When you understand your worth, life has a way of meeting you at that level.
5. Practise Gratitude
A friend recently told me about a Thanksgiving dinner he shared with mates who had lived in the US. They loved it so much they decided to keep observing it every year, even here in South Africa where the festive season arrives under bright skies and warm evenings.
I couldn’t shake that idea. There was something deeply grounding about the idea of pressing pause before the rush, not after. A deliberate moment set aside purely for gratitude. Before the “silly season”. Before the rush. Before we all scatter into holidays, travel plans and family gatherings.A moment to recognise the year for what it was, not just how it ended.
The more I thought about it, the more I realised it’s a practice worth adopting myself. So much of life moves faster than we can keep up with. Yet beneath all that movement grace sits quietly behind the scenes of our lives, even in the hard times. Gratitude clears the noise. It steadies you. Gratitude is something we choose, not something we stumble into when life feels easier.
And perhaps it’s something you might consider too - creating space to take stock of the goodness threaded through your own year - even the parts that were tough to walk through at the time.
We all carry more than we realise. We all made it through more than we admit.
As we close 2025, I want to thank you for your support, your trust and the conversations we’ve shared this year. From buying to selling to exploring what homeownership may look like for your family, it continues to be a privilege walking alongside you.
May your festive season be peaceful, grounded and filled with the people who remind you what home really feels like.
Here’s to fresh possibility in 2026.
If you're planning a move next year or simply want guidance on the property market, I’m here whenever you need a conversation.
Warm regards,
Jonathan BroekmanPrincipal, Homes of Distinction
