Stefan Swanepoel

Stefan Swanepoel
Born January 5, 1958
Naroibi, Kenya, Africa
Residence Ladera Ranch, California
Citizenship South African (1958–present)
American (2002–present)
Alma mater University of Pretoria
University of Johannesburg
UCLA
Occupation Author, public speaker, management consultant
Spouse(s) Era Swanepoel
Children 2 sons (Tinus and DJ)
Parent(s) Dr. Z Swanepoel and the late Monica E. Swanepoel
Website
www.swanepoel.com

Stefan J. M. Swanepoel (born January 5, 1958 in Kenya), is an American business executive, author and motivational speaker. He has served as president of two non-profit organizations and seven companies including a New York-based global franchise network. He is most known as a business and trends author having penned more than 20 books and reports.[1] His books have been listed on the New York Times [2] and Wall Street Journal[3] bestseller lists.

Education

Swanepoel holds a bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Pretoria, a Master's degree in Business Economics from the University of Johannesburg, and diplomas in arbitration, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, computer science and marketing.

Real Estate Trends

Swanepoel is a veteran industry researcher[4] of real estate trends for over three decades[5] and is a respected global real estate expert.[6] His Swanepoel Trends Report is an annual analysis of how changes impact the real estate business and affect real estate brokers, agents and home buyers.[7] Swanepoel has constantly cautioned against the status quo and is a proponent of the evolution of the Internet, mobile technology and transparency of information in the home buying transaction.[8]

In 1998 Swanepoel predicted in his book, Real Estate Confronts Reality: Computers, Consumers, Confusion, that technology will be the single biggest change catalyst the real estate industry will experience.[9] By 2008 the web had transformed many components of the home buying transaction[10] and locating a real estate agent in today's market isn't like it used to be a decade ago.[11] It is increasingly also important for agents to help consumers interpret the abundance of online information. In 2003 Swanepoel listed the growing shift towards consolidation as a game changer in the real estate industry. [12]

In 2006 Swanepoel warned that large numbers of agents were entering the real estate industry.[13] In 2009 he wrote that far too many agents were licensed and that this was dragging down overall productivity, standards and the image of real estate agents in general. Research in two markets found that more than half of all licensed agents had no listings or sales during the previous year [14] and that every year hundreds of thousands of agents never even sell one house.[15]

Swanepoel has often stated that the real estate brokerage industry has a merry-go-round approach because it is too easy to get a real estate agent license and that it was also too easy to move from one company to another.[16] Throughout his various reports Swanepoel has forecasted that newspapers and other print media will be the biggest casualty of reduced advertising dollars and the growth of the Internet. Home buyers are thirsty for real estate information and are finding new Web portals, with comprehensive portfolios of photographs, video and mapping to be great alternative resources.[17] Examples include Zillow, Trulia and Realtor.com (part of Move).

In 2007 Swanepoel detailed new business models as a fundamental business trend in the industry and warned that real estate brokers clinging to the traditional model with old compensation plans, large infrastructure and many physical locations were going to see their market share erode.[18] Despite the entry of new data aggregators and Web portals, that Swanepoel predicted and supports, he has dating back to the 90s also been a strong proponent that real estate agents have an important role in the home buying transaction.[19]

In 2013 Swanepoel stated that while auctions are a popular sales model in countries such as Australia, they’ve been limited to the low and high ends of the U.S. residential market and there is no indication that it’s a threat to the entrenched real estate companies. [20]

Most Powerful Rankings

The Swanepoel Power 200 (SP200) is an annual list of the 200 most powerful people in residential real estate in northern America (United States and Canada). The list is described as the most comprehensive list [21] of influential CEOs, thought leaders and senior executives ever assembled in the residential real estate brokerage business. [22]

The rankings [23] are based on multiple criteria that take into account the individual’s personal influence, his/her tenure in the industry, the office he or she holds, the decision-making power of said office, the financial resources of the company or organization, the company or organization’s significance and contribution to the industry, the company’s geographic reach, and his or her recent activities, growth, and potential. [24] The SP200 stands as a milestone analysis of the multidisciplinary real estate industry and released in print (52 pages) and online at www.sp200.com.

Leadership and Team Building

Surviving your Serengeti: 7 Skills to Master Business and Life. This is a business fable using the Serengeti migration as a parable for the challenges of life. The similarities are uncanny and the animal’s skills echo the skills humans required to survive man’s concrete jungle.[25] The “What Animal Am I?” quiz is an online assessment that ties into the Serengeti metaphor and provides business leaders and managers an easy way to quickly determine everyone’s innate skills and behavioral qualities. [26]


Partial Bibliography

Books

Reports

eBooks


References

  1. ↑ Forbes, April 12, 2011
  2. ↑ New York Times, March 20, 2011.
  3. ↑ Wall Street Journal, March 6, 2011.
  4. ↑ Virtual Strategy Magazine Virtual Strategy Magazine, March 10th, 2013
  5. ↑ Orange County Register The Orange County Register , March 23rd, 2010.
  6. ↑ Pacific Business News Pacific Business News, April 22, 2013.
  7. ↑ Tips on picking a real-estate agent Wall Street Journal Online, August 27, 2006.
  8. ↑ Virtual Strategy Magazine Virtual Strategy Magazine, March 10th, 2013
  9. ↑ Cape Gazette Cape Gazette, January 21, 2013.
  10. ↑ Scoop Business Scoop Business, July 18, 2008.
  11. ↑ Orange County Register The Orange County Register, March 21, 2009
  12. ↑ Sun Sentinel Sun-Sentinel, July 24, 2003
  13. ↑ Wall Street Journal: Tips on Picking a Real-Estate Agent Wall Street Journal Online, August 27, 2006
  14. ↑ The Press of Atlantic City The Press of Atlantic City, December 10, 2009.
  15. ↑ MSN Real Estate MSN Real Estate.
  16. ↑ Los Angeles Times LA Times, December 29, 2011.
  17. ↑ Scoop Business Scoop Business, July 18, 2008.
  18. ↑ SignOnSanDiego: Cut-rate or cut-throat? San Diego Union Tribune, May 20, 2007.
  19. ↑ Chicago Tribune Chicago Tribune , December 19, 1999.
  20. ↑ Bloomberg, October 15, 2013
  21. ↑ REALTOR Mag, January 9, 2014
  22. ↑ Marketwatch, January 10, 2014
  23. ↑ Yahoo Finance, January 9, 2014
  24. ↑ Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2014
  25. ↑ Forbes Forbes , April 12, 2011
  26. ↑ The Gazette The Gazette, September 17, 2013


External links