Agent Pola Jocum Celebrates 30 Years With Seeff Atlantic Seaboard
If you think 'Camps Bay property', there's one name that comes to mind - Pola Jocum. Having spent more than 40 years in the property industry (30 of which have been with Seeff), she's a veritable icon - almost as famous as the Camps Bay strip itself.
Her charisma, compassion, hard work, and approachability has made her synonymous with the kind of service you'd expect from Seeff, which is why we're honoured to celebrate her 30th year with us.
About Pola
While she might be the face of Atlantic Seaboard property, Pola's career in the industry began after a series of previous lives.
Hailing from Paarl, she excelled in school, matriculating with a first from La Rochelle, before qualifying as a shorthand typist, and notably working as personal secretary for the director of Stuttafords until the birth of her daughter. Somehow, she even found the time to qualify as a speech and drama teacher, achieving her licentiate Trinity College of London Diploma.
Her infectious enthusiasm and professional drive led her to lecture at various insurance companies on Motivation for Personal Improvement, deportment, dress for business, and telephone technique.
Multitalented, she also trained as a consultant in skincare for Justine from their inception and sold their products direct to the public for 20 years whilst juggling her modelling career as a top SA model participating in many fashion shows and photographic advertisements.
Like a tapestry woven together from an array of threads, these career paths have, in Pola's opinion, all helped her in becoming a successful estate agent.
She also credits here work ethic to her parents, who taught all three of their children to work in their general dealer shop.
41 years and many, many houses later, Pola still feels she has a lot to learn.
"I'm a seminar junkie and will attend every training session there is. When you stop learning or stop evolving, you die because the industry moves so fast. I've never been happy to be an ordinary estate agent. I have to be at the top. And that's what we do at Seeff. We are an award-winning agency," she quips.
Pola's hard work has paid off. She has won the Nedbank award for top estate agents in South Africa as well as won nummerous Top Achievers' awards nationally since she joined Seeff (inclusive of numerous Chairman's Awards, Solitaire Awards and Partnership of 2 Awards). Together with her partner and daughter, Nadine, they are consistently award winners.
"If you don't eat it, sleep it, and work it 24/7 you aren't at the top anymore. More than anything else, it's passion. If you do it for the commission, people feel it. If you feel that it's your mission, you will establish trust and succeed. As an agent, you need to understand that you're dealing with people. Buying property is often the biggest decision a family can make, which has tremendous repercussions if you don't care and are just chasing a commission. That's why, at Seeff, we put as much effort into the entry-level homes we sell, when compared to the higher-end market. At the end of the day, it's still someone's home."
As a seller, why should you consider a sole mandate with Seeff?
Pola is quick to answer that a seller needs to consider market share. "At Seeff, our market share is one of the best. When we have an exclusive mandate with good exposure, we control the marketing and will do our very best to get the best price at the best terms for the seller."
As for aspiring agents, Pola has wise words for them too and is well regarded in the industry for being eager and willing to share her expertise.
"I think that the most important thing for an agent is to remember names, have invested and genuine interest in helping families find their homes and be willing to invest the time in building personal relationships. Great communication skills are essential. You need to be different from anyone else who can supply the same service."
"And, of course, you need to have the greatest company backing you, and that's Seeff. Having a team like the one we have at Seeff means I can spend more time in houses and with my clients, having a lot of the admin taken care of."
What's next for Pola?
"Whilst I am over 80 and probably the oldest agent in South Africa (If not the world) - my plan is to be the best I can to meet the challenge of the industry going forward. I will know when I can no longer add value and that it will be the time to leave an industry for which I am passionate and enthusiastic.