It is not very often that investors venture into the property sector for purposes of community building and development . But for innovative leaders like Dr Chris Mulder , real estate can be valuable beacons of hope to the hopeless and help in building self-sustainable communities .
With a doctorate in environmental planning and urban design from Texas A & M , Dr Mulder says he has worked most of his life trying to better and improve the lives of South Africans . He has achieved this while building wealth for himself , his family , and communities where in his businesses are situated .
Creating Value “ I ’ ve worked my entire life creating value , which is what makes up a successful investment , whether it be in investments in other industries or in property ,” he says .
Mulder believes that anyone intending to invest in the property sector , should uphold , and pride themselves in creating “ enduring value ”. They should stay grounded in the value adding effect of their projects .
“ It is important that these property guys understand and bear what I call the four sub-values before taking on any project , because if these values are not there and you don ’ t have the enduring value , your malls will be empty , your office block will not be occupied , and there won ’ t be any visits to your establishments .”
“ I ’ ve worked my entire life creating value , which is what makes up a successful investment .”
According to Mulder , some places , attractions , and restaurants are better than others simply because of the impact of “ the enduring value ” that is embedded in the founding principles of those businesses . He believes that sometimes the best reviews of a particular establishment reflect the four enduring values that influenced the idea behind the particular business .
“ Next time you visit a place ( restaurant ) that ’ s full and you think , it ’ s nice here . Ask yourself , why is it nice ? It is because that place has the four enduring values . The economic value , socio economic value , the environmental value , and the sensory value . And I work my own personal life and my business deals on creating that value ,” says Mulder .
Dr Mulder , Founder and the brains behind Thesen Islands in Knysna , took a leap of faith to work on another major project near Port Elizabeth , the Crossways Farm Village . This development is one of his many successful projects across the country .
“ Sometimes in life you are faced with opportunity and risk , and you have to decide to dare the risk or risk losing an opportunity . To dare is to risk losing your foothold for a moment . Not to dare , is to risk losing yourself .”
From Thesen Islands Speaking to Neale Peterson , the Founder of Real Estate Investor and host of REI Radio podcasts , Dr Mulder shared some information about the birth of his last project before Crossways Farm Village .
Thesen Islands was originally owned by the Thesen family in the 1900s until it was sold to Barlow Rand around the 1970s . By the mid 80 ’ s , Barlow ’ s realised that the sawmill had a poor visual impact on the natural beauty of the picturesque town and had an adverse effect on the environmental health of the Knysna estuary . Barlow ’ s then contacted Dr Mulder for discussions about revamping this nature reserve for the better , something which Mulder describes as a “ worthwhile rollercoaster ”.
“ Barlow ’ s phoned me and said they had a place in Knysna called Thesen Islands , it ’ s polluting the air and it ’ s not good for our brand name . What can you do with the island ?”
“ So , I went there to discuss how I intended changing it and got chased out of the city hall . I was chased away twice by both the community and the people in the environmental industry , but eventually I got approved .”
“ We had heavy opposition . The word was out that we were going to annihilate the seahorses and the marine organisms , which later proved just the opposite .” said Mulder .
Thesen Islands went on to receive several environmental awards and was also recognized for creating habitats for wildlife .
During the construction of Thesen Islands , Mulder was asked what he , and his company , wanted to be known for . His response was , “ environmentally sensitive coastal developments ”.
“ We are living in an era where development is often linked to hasty conception and construction , often with little heed paid to the environment , or how temporary communities would like to live .” said Mulder .
To Crossways Farm Village Common among innovative , goal-driven , and dedicated people is the spirit of starting another project after the success of the other . It was not too long after the completion of Thesen Islands that Mulder decided to take on another project- a true pioneer of great things . It took approximately 12 years for him and his dedicated team to put together Crossways Farm Village , 30km from Port Elizabeth near the van Staden ' s Bridge .
SA Real Estate Investor Magazine NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020 7