Dear valued clients and friends,
August in Johannesburg carries its own quiet tension. The mornings still bite, the grass is brittle underfoot and the nights remind us that winter hasn’t yet let go. But if you pause long enough, you notice the subtle hints that spring is circling closer…faint scent of jasmine and trees heavy with buds. The jacarandas almost restless in their stillness.
We often think of spring as a grand arrival - a burst of colour and energy that sweeps everything into motion. But the truth is more modest. Nature doesn’t rush. It waits for the right conditions and change happens slowly, almost quietly, until one morning it feels as if everything has shifted overnight.
The property market is much the same. This time of year often brings a strange quietness. Buyers are holding their breath watching rates, weighing options. Sellers are hesitant too, unsure whether to wait or step forward. It’s easy to read this pause as a sign to retreat, but often it’s the moment to prepare - to get clear on what you want, to put the small pieces in place before the momentum builds.
I think there’s value in that. We don’t talk enough about the patience required to do things well. Growth - in our lives, in our investments, in our homes - doesn’t happen in the noise and rush. It happens in the quieter moments, the ones that test our willingness to sit still, to plan and to trust that the right season always comes.
Spring when it does arrive rarely lives up to the romanticised version we hold in our minds. It doesn’t explode all at once. The colour seeps in slowly - a patch of green on a once-barren tree, the light shifting just enough to make us notice. It’s understated. And in that, there’s a lesson.
It reminds me that progress doesn’t need to be loud to be significant. You don’t need to overhaul your entire portfolio to make a smart, forward-thinking decision. Sometimes, it’s one thoughtful step - a small renovation, a strategic adjustment or even just letting yourself sit with the question of what home really means for you now.
For some of our clients, spring is about readiness. They’ve been watching, planning, saving and now they’re ready to move - whether it’s into a larger space for a growing family or something quieter and easier to manage as life shifts. For others, this season is about staying put but making their spaces work harder for them: redesigning a kitchen that never quite flowed, creating a home office that feels inspiring or planting something green to soften the edges.
I am taking advantage of this time to tick one off my bucket list by doing a 4x4 trip up the West Coast to see the spectacular daisies. What I’ve learnt, in both life and property, is that clarity often comes in these transitional moments. The quiet before the bloom isn’t empty; it’s full of possibility if you’re willing to notice it.
As we step toward September, maybe that’s the invitation - to pause, to look around and to consider where you want to be when the season turns. Not just in terms of property, but in life. What do you want to grow this spring? And what might you need to let go of to make room for it?
Change, when it comes, is rarely dramatic. It builds slowly, quietly, until it feels inevitable. And then, just like the first green leaves on the jacarandas, it’s suddenly there - obvious and beautiful and, somehow, perfectly timed.
Warm regards,
Jonathan Broekman
Principal, Homes of Distinction
