SOME people in the world of real estate use the words “going the extra mile” rather loosely, but when you have a property practitioner who truly goes above and beyond the call of duty – fixing a tap for one client, mowing a lawn for another, even repairing a toilet and rustling up runaway pet pitbulls – you believe him.
That individual is thirty something Dale Hayne, a motivated and amiable young property practitioner at the Queensburgh franchise of the Dormehl Phalane Property Group (DPG), who is on such a roll he was named as the company’s national Rental Agent of the Month for October. Additionally, he placed in the Top 20 for sales at his branch.
And this is not Dale’s only talent. Buy, sell, rent or let a property via Dale and he just might thank you by serving up a beautifully prepared plate of sushi.
That’s the word from Owen Dormehl, principal of DPG Queensburgh, who speaks with tongue in cheek, pointing out that Dale is not only proving to be a remarkable agent but is also quite a wiz in the kitchen, having previously made a living as a talented chef noted for yummy sushi.
East London-born Dale moved with his family to Durban when he was five, attended Pinetown Boys’ School and, thereafter, did a two-year course in food and hospitality in Durban.
Having worked at various restaurants in and around the city before mastering sushi while employed by the Blue Waters Hotel, Dale then established Dale’s Sushi Bar, a business which saw him devote four years to making, packaging and supplying sushi to Spar outlets throughout Durban.
He was then given an opportunity to become a candidate property practitioner at DPG Durban North, where he focused on rentals and a bit of sales, landing his first big sale within six months.
Then the dreaded Covid-19 virus came with its two-fisted punch… and lockdown loomed. Dale and his father then opted to go into partnership together with a litho printing machine supply-and-maintenance business.
However, after a while, the call of property beckoned again and Dale joined the DPG Queensburgh team. That was three years ago, and he has now built a sizeable rental portfolio, and is very happy to be back with what he labels as a well-established, professional team headed by “a lovely guy” in company head, Owen Dormehl.
“I love the challenge of being in property,” says Dale, pointing out that he gets a great buzz from pleasing people and that rentals are what he enjoys most. He strongly believes demand for property rentals will grow a lot in future and he is ready to tap that market.
He does, however, still have a hankering for being in the kitchen and so great is his passion for sushi that he spent two nights a month, for a few months, sharing his sushi-making skills with interested congregants of Westville Baptist Church. In the new year, he plans to take on sideline, private catering for functions and events, focusing on sushi.
When he is not preparing food or working on a deal, Dale likes to cycle. He has completed two Amashova cycle races and will be participating in his first Cape Argus event in March.
He is also a keen jogger, at one time covering up to 20km a day: “I’ve been out of it for a while and am now averaging around 3km a day, but I plan to get back to 20km a day as soon as possible,” he says.
