Having had over half a decade’s worth of experience under her belt in the real estate industry, Petrina Keramen has quickly risen to become one of the country’s leading property specialists.
She boasts an extensive real estate portfolio that includes a client base ranging from theneveryday buyer, entrepreneurs, investors and government agencies, to large corporations.
Can you tell us where Petrina hails from?
Petrina, hails from Windhoek born and bred. I attended primary and completed secondary school here.The Keramen family actually hails from the South of Namibia, namely Mariental and Gibeon.
I am the middle child of 3 children with an elder sister and a baby bother. Since pre-primary school, I have always been an academic , scooped all the diplomas and accolades throughout Primary to High School. I was Headgirl in my primary school and LRC In high school and always attended social campaigns in school, volleyball, chess club, debate club etc.
It’s clear that you have a mixed heritage. Was that a positive or a negative during your upbringing?
It was definitely positive. Most people wonder why I grew up speaking Afrikaans but I was actually raised to adapt 2 different cultures namely Oshiwambo and Nama.
So to create a balance both parts of my family communicated with me in Afrikaans. I believe this specific experience contributed to me being highly versatile and easily adapt to any environment or associate with different cultures.
Was it always your dream or desire to be an entrepreneur?
No it actually was not. My mom’s dream was always for me to work in one of the commercial banks. So I eventually ended up getting a job at Standard bank and I am glad I fulfilled my mother’s life long dream.
However, when I started my journey with the PC Centre, as the client liaison officer I worked directly with a number of entrepreneurs and so there influence begun.
When you finished high school you didn’t immediately study, did you?
I actually registered for an accounting degree with NUST, but didn’t complete it. I started off as a back up singer for Bethold but I soon realised there is no money in music in Namibia. I then started looking for employment.
You’ve also been a waitress. Were there any lessons you’ve learnt from being a waitress which you’ve applied both in your personal life and as an entrepreneur?
I absolutely am grateful for having had that opportunity, because it broadened my spectrum in terms of people skills. I had the opportunity to work
with clients from various backgrounds.Remember back then Spur was one of the few restaurants in Windhoek so everyone flocked to Spur especially families with kids and birthday celebrationas and we had a special birthday song. Which I until today still perform for my friends and relatives at their birthday celebrations.
I learned how to build and maintain relationship with clients from different races ,various cultures and I acquired people skills and problem solving tactics during my time as a waiter.I can easily communicate with clients from all backgrounds and spheres of the world.
You seem to have a special connection with the PC Centre, can you share your journey with the business?
PC Centre and the clients I had the opportunity to interact with was really a pinnacle moment in shaping my future.
After Spur I was a client Liaison officer, then got a permanent position at Standard bank and then headed back to PC Centre as Business Development Executive. My main function was marketing, driving new business & increasing sales volumes and creating more exposure for the company.
I really enjoyed it as I had the opportunity to work outside the office and had to come up with creative campaigns on how to engage clients and push numbers.
I learned how interact with different individuals on different levels as well as corporations private corporations, which I believe shaped the my business acumen and the way I deal with on a very highly professional level.
You eventually started your flower shop. How did that come about?
You know the true meaning of turn your passion into profits?
I wanted to create a business that I love waking up to and didn’t feel like a job to me.
That idea was definitely birthed from my love for flowers. Gitfting is actually one of my love languages. Seeing the smiles on my clients faces was priceless for me.
I then expanded from just flowers to establishing one of the first mobile gifts shops in Namibia because we offered a one-stop shop to make it convenient for our clients.
Creating an atmosphere of ease and convenience is a very vital business tool for me.
Everyone is going through a lot. Men have no idea when it comes to gifting so, “why not spread the love” was our slogan.
How did you get into the real estate business?
This is actually very personal to me.
I saw the struggle when my mom was trying to purchase her house.
She had no idea where to go to get information about purchasing a property and the various steps involved in the process.
I was the one assisting her to fill out all the application forms and I felt so helpless and it was devastating to say the least.
After that encounter I started doing research around real estate and decided to pursue it.
Many people thing it’s just about buying and selling but surely there’s more to that?
It absolutely has more to that. Buying and selling is just the basics.
Real estate is broad
The real aim of real estate is to change the narrative and create a sense of ownership of an asset, that you can use to create generational wealth for years to come.
We need to understand that real estate can be a wealth generating tool for us , if structured correctly.
If a young person came to you today and asked for advice about entering the real estate market in Namibia what would you tell them?
I would tell them to absolutely go for it, but take in mind the top 5 characteristics you need to become a great real estate agent:
•The world’s patience
•Being friendly
•Great communicator
•Being professional and have problem solving skills.
•Positive attitude and mindset to always service your clients with grace amidst all the storms you will face.
Pros:
• You have potential to generate residual income
• You can control your time and working hours and even work from anywhere. ( Eventhough you working all the time)
• The best part about it is matching clients to their dream homes and helping them create generational wealth as they will now have an asset to pass on generations to come.
What is your personal opinion about the market in Namibia?
At the moment the real estate market in Namibia is in recovery mode after the slowdown caused by the economic crisis the country faced.
It was also exacebated by the recent Covid 19 pandemic. Which now makes it a buyers market because the supply is higher than the demand.
Although interest rates have drastically increased over the years, the buyers still have the upper hand and it is indeed the best time to buy.
What makes Empress Realtors different from other players in the market?
Life is all about experiences along your journey.
Our Slogan says it all “We go beyond the sale”
With over half a decade’s worth of experience.
A varied property management portfolio catering to residential , commercial & investor client base.
We strive to give our clients who choose us the smoothes and most enjoyable journey with their property.
Whether it be purchasing home to live in, investment property , property management or simply just our
expert advise before embarking on purchasing your first time home.
With the utmost level of professional service , expertise advise.
We have a vibrant & dynamic support team trained navigate our clients throughout their real estate journey with ease and it is our culture
to celebrate our clients wins with them with a closing ceremony at the end of every transaction.
Can you talk to us about your philanthropic venture?
I have been involved various causes throughout out my lifetime even as a learner.
I always took part in charity drives and initiates mainly feeding the needy and less fortunate.
However one of the biggest campaigns I was involved was namely “ the speak out against Gender Based Violence” held at the zoo spark in 2016. Where web collaborated with various organisations , local musicians and speakers to create awareness.
The other most significant one was “Uplift Her” in 2019
We travelled across the country, collected sanity pads, toiletries and other daily necessities and distributed across the school especially in the rural areas.
Thousands of girls in Namibia are disempowered by by the simple biological process of monthly menstruation and our aim was to help them regain confidence by providing atleast the basics to make it through everyday
Why do you feel that you need to “give back.”
Simple, I believe in the power of paying it forward.
It creates a ripple effect, also it is dear to my heart and my philosophy in life
to lend a hand whenever I am in a position to help lift someone else up.
It brings joy to my heart to bring about positive change to someone else’s life
Where will Petrina be in 5 years?
For the past 5 yrears Ive been in the industry, I have acquired foundational and intermediate knowledge and experience in Real estae.
With this knowledge I and experience I am at vantage point, to understand the real dynamics of real estate wealth creation.
As a result I managed to use this knowledge and experience to develop my investment plans and goals in real estate management and ownership,
Of which implementation and execution has commenced and in the next 5 years the results will speak for itself.
This applies to my personal development goals and that the those of Empress Realtors.
