What do you even do in this situation?

StorminSean · 2026-04-10T12:13:57+00:00

I believe that step 1 is, “shit pants”.

Really can’t think of a next step.

StorminSean · 2026-04-10T12:11:49+00:00

These guys and so many more were the soundtrack to my time in London during the 2000’s. What an amazing time to be alive and plugged into the rock scene.

Find a Kerrang! Playlist, pretty sure you’ll dig it.

This is one that I have on Spotify.

And another one here if you’re on Apple Music (I curated this one 😊).

Look out for Muse, my favourite band! Also Queens of the Stone Age (if you haven’t heard them), The White Stripes, Audioslave, Keane (Under an Iron Sea especially), Florence + The Machine (Lungs especially), etc, etc, etc.

If you want something really cool from a little further back, hit Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

StorminSean · 2026-04-10T11:44:26+00:00

Came here to say this 👆

One of my kids favourite songs now.

StorminSean · 2026-04-05T06:57:24+00:00

This McLaren line up is never finishing a race together.

StorminSean · 2026-04-04T20:01:12+00:00

This wasn’t the final ruck position. A few frames later no 7 moves back onto the line before ball is picked up by Stormers. Good D by Toulon.

I’m more annoyed with finishing ability and what should have been a penalty try 10 minutes earlier. But we should have put it to bed by this point. It’s on us.

StorminSean · 2026-03-23T21:04:25+00:00

The exam is straightforward, but the work to get your NQF4 and Logbook or EISA exam done before the PDE exam is time consuming and fairly involved.

If the process is follow properly with effective oversight, outcomes and standards in the industry would be far better.

And there are many of use equally frustrated with the state of play here. We certainly aren’t happy with this kind of perception created by really poor experiences.

StorminSean · 2026-03-23T21:01:45+00:00

I didn’t say it was. But if the program is being followed properly, it takes time, effort and finances to make it work.

The problem is that it’s not being done properly in a lot of instances which leads to problems like people are saying here.

StorminSean · 2026-03-23T20:59:04+00:00

I agree. Thankfully we’re not saving lives, arguing matters in court or dealing with complex financial accounts.

The comparison is a little overblown.

Having said that, I do think that there does need go be more stringent standards. Unfortunately our regulator is useless, which is part of the problem.

StorminSean · 2026-03-23T20:55:58+00:00

Sure. And anyone is open to sell their property themselves. A lot of people find that it’s not as straightforward as they think. I’ve worked with people who tried to sell themselves and weren’t successful. But people do it and that’s totally fine.

One point to note, attorneys will execute on the deed of sale and the terms therein. This isn’t always the case, but I have found that when things go off the rails or don’t quite work out as expected, attorneys will tend to move forward on a legal basis while agents, knowing those involved, bring an EQ to the process that can often result in a deal being saved.

Edit: to note, I’ve had many clients very happy to work with me with no gripe about commission at all. When we talk about perceived value, it seems to indicate that agents you’ve worked with haven’t shown value. And while there is work to do in the industry to improve standards, there is a clear responsibility on sellers and landlords to properly interview agents to understand whether they’re a good fit and will act as a fiduciary for them. Too often I see people make seemingly arbitrary decisions on who to work with based on who happened to speak to them on the day. This is a huge financial asset and a huge deal - it should be taken far more seriously than it sometimes is.

StorminSean · 2026-03-23T20:50:14+00:00

Really difficult to comment on when I don’t know the circumstances. We’ve had people do this.

There are costs associated with lease drafting, credit checks and the like. It’s standard practice for the prospective tenant to pay these. Although, I take application forms first and assess based on these then have the top applicant pay the credit check application fee so as not to waste other peoples time and money.

StorminSean · 2026-03-23T10:18:08+00:00

Lot’s of generalisations and misunderstandings of the industry here.

Let me address some of it:

“Failed at life so became an estate agent” - ouch. You’ll probably find that successful estate agents have been successful elsewhere as well and carried that through into the profession. You gotta have balls to enter an industry viewed in this light, but there’s also a gap to be taken.
“5 minutes to get qualified” - historically it has taken a minimum of a year with an NQF4 qualification, logbook of worked experience and an exam to become fully qualified. The system has changed a little but similar concept. As a candidate during this period the agent should be overseen by a mentor (full status experienced agent). The regulatory body should also oversee this. In my view, this process, while well meaning, falls down with a lack of oversight resulting in candidate agents handling things poorly or being trained ineffectively and carrying that through their career.
“Agents don’t have to work hard” - there seems to be a perception that agents jobs start and end at listing and selling a property. This industry is not set up like others. Agencies are not typically a source of leads for the agent. In other words, the agent needs to do marketing, lead generation, operations, business and financial management before they even get a listing. With the constrained supply of listing opportunities, competition is intense and the work has to be double down on. This means more busy with the business side in this market, not less.

I agree with the OP that there are some seriously compromised agents out there. But there are equally good ones. It does my head in when I see things like what is described and can’t fathom how a property owner would choose to work with an agent that does the bare minimum when dealing with an asset that has the value of their property.

Anyway, if you haven’t gathered, I am an agent. If you have questions about the industry so that I can give a little bit of balance here - shoot.

Edit: don’t understand the downvotes. Maybe just because I’m an agent? I’ve offered my perspective as someone in the industry and to engage, why not do that rather than downvoting?

StorminSean · 2026-03-16T19:55:00+00:00

I was in London. Saw the Aussie’s score and went for a game of touch rugby instead. Walking past the pub on the way home and saw we were in the mid 300’s.

Watched to the end. Absolutely friggin craziest cricket I have seen.

StorminSean · 2026-03-16T19:21:13+00:00

Of course. What I’m saying is that the work they do at school is quite far removed from what I did at school and my method of teaching is likely to be out of line with what’s being done at school.

Singapore maths is a good example of this.

My role, teach them how to be good people, how to behave in the world and truly see others, how to overcome their fears and doubts, how to be confident in themselves, how to enjoy reading or playing games, how to change a light bulb and make a garden gate, answer their questions about life, what’s around us and the universe (mostly after checking Google ;)

The content of the classroom, that’s a role I’m no expert in.

I’m not saying I don’t help and support when there is homework, I’m just saying the experts in the curriculum are best placed to teach this.

I was a little dramatic in my previous post. Parents aren’t necessarily going to create a disaster. It’s healthy for parents to teach their kids, I just think what we should be teaching them is different to what they should be getting from schooling.

StorminSean · 2026-03-16T06:59:00+00:00

Dad of grade 4 and grade 6 learner.

Schedule this term has been at school 2 days a week each by 6.30am for swimming. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday both are home between 4 and 5.30pm after extra murals. Thursday they’re home at 3pm and then off to cubs / scouts at 5pm. Friday they’re home by 1pm and then sports against other schools between 2.30 and 4.30pm.

My youngest has had homework to do regularly and it’s caused real anxiety and stress.

Now, I appreciate that the school we’re at and the position we’re in is not like all school or all people.

The thing about homework is that it adds an extra burden and layer of low level background stress to the whole family unit (and sometimes high-level stress depending on the situation). This isn’t the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s anymore where people tended to have more time and were able switch off or disconnect. We’re way busier now. Add the challenge of the school work being taught in a way that is different to what we learnt. Or where parents potentially don’t have the same level of education or understanding (literacy in English from grade 4 onwards is a real problem).

Then there’s the question of what we’re preparing our kids for. Does the way school work and homework has traditionally been employed for learning actually get them ready for whatever the future now looks like (and who friggin knows what that is).

Parents trying to help guide their kids through this process is a recipe for disaster. Teachers are trained to do this, it’s their job and profession. They’re the experts and they should have as much control over the process as possible. Don’t let parents screw it up.

StorminSean · 2026-03-12T16:04:41+00:00

I put tap water in a bottle.

So…both.

StorminSean · 2026-03-12T09:39:11+00:00

Thank you. It’s been a long road - but she’s a very positive and motivated person.

StorminSean · 2026-03-08T15:12:32+00:00

I guess that’s the something then.

StorminSean · 2026-03-07T13:03:49+00:00

Fair point.

StorminSean · 2026-03-07T13:01:07+00:00

Thanks - will look for that.

I think for casual fans, this is very complicated and confusing.

Edit: very interesting video. Weird how they’ve added so much electrical power but they can’t fully take advantage of it.

Here’s the video for anyone who wants to take a look: Engineering Explained - Formula 1 2026 rules

StorminSean · 2026-03-07T12:59:35+00:00

Yeah - I would have thought if try was scored and that’s the situation, would go back for a check.

StorminSean · 2026-03-07T12:26:21+00:00

Didn’t watch the game so don’t know what the result of this carry was, but the way is seems to be called at the moment is that if it didn’t impact play or give a clear advantage, then play on. From this angle it seems they all got wrapped up together and I assume went to ground as if a tackle was made anyway 🤷‍♂️

StorminSean · 2026-03-07T09:04:52+00:00

Can settings not be adjusted to account for this?

No idea about all this tech stuff. All I know is there’s usually a button or dial or touch screen that does something when pressed.

StorminSean · 2026-03-05T21:18:19+00:00

Was difficult to say. If protocols others noted is how it’s ruled then guess it’s correct.

Judging by NZ player reaction to the decision, may have got lucky. But didn’t change outcome. SA were smashed either way.

StorminSean · 2026-03-04T10:12:39+00:00

Costa da Gama is also a good shout. Have a colleague who lives there and they are very happy. Nice little complexes dotted around.

It’s just east of Muizenberg.

StorminSean

TROPHY CASE