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My first house Chairman's Choice - Pam Golding's first house

It's hard to imagine Pam Golding as a first time homeowner, but everyone has to start somewhere. Here, she talks about her first house – and how it actually led her to becoming the real estate mogul she is today.

Pam Golding is often described as the doyenne of South African real estate. Her name is synonymous with style, with the best of the best. As the chairman of Pam Golding International, she is expected to live in a stunning house – and she does. Her Constantia home, Wittebomen, is an ode to gracious living, with dramatic French doors leading to sweeping views of the Constantiaberg mountains. Built in 1696, it was owned by Simon van der Stel, former Governer of the Cape. On the seven acre property are an old barn, eight cottages and a glorious garden with huge old oak trees.

One can hardly imagine her as a first time homeowner but she was. So what was her first home all about? 'Cecil and I were newly married and renting in Hout Bay, where our daughter Jilly was born, when we saw this wonderful house advertised for auction in Silverhill Crescent, Kenilworth. It was 1956 and we could afford £6 500. I went to the auction but didn't have a chance to bid before it was knocked down for £8 500. A few days later we got a call from the owner, Cecil Abbott, who had recently sold Markhams, inviting us for tea. He had rejected the final bid because he wasn't happy with the buyer – that sort of thing happened in those days. He asked what we bid, and he said: “I'm going to let you have it for that.” '

'We were very happy in that home. It was an original 10-roomed Kenilworth Victorian, on one acre. It had unusually high ceilings, sash windows, shutters, beautiful old doors, fireplaces, large rooms, an imposing staircase, and a beautiful garden with lovely trees. Our sons Peter and Andrew were born there. We had very little furniture, but that didn't matter because we had lots of theme parties, so furniture was not a priority. There was a special vibe and ambience in that house. Previous owners liked to come back to the house. One even offered to buy it back.'

'I was a housewife then; Cecil was in publishing. We had a next door neighbour who spent most of his time relaxing in a hammock in the garden. One day I asked what he did that allowed him to spend so much time lying in a hammock. He said he was an estate agent and added that because I had so many parties I might want to become a sub-agent. He offered me £10 for each sale. I was excited as I thought of the antiques or pictures I might be able to buy at furniture sales. I told my friends that I had a job and asked them to phone if they knew of people buying or selling. Unfortunately, my neighbour was a fairly laid-back agent lying in his hammock all day, so he never sold a damn thing and I earned nothing.'

'But it didn't matter because I was very busy renovating the house and garden. The plot was narrow and on a slope. One day I saw a rubble truck going past. I stopped the driver and asked him what he was going to do with it. He said he was taking it to the dump. I said: “Drop if off right here.” When Cecil came home he couldn't get his car up the drive. But that levelled out much of the garden and eventually we had a great terrace. Naturally we then had to have French doors leading out to the terrace. And that was the start of a major renovation. It has never stopped! Renovating houses has always been my passion.'

'We sold our house to a family with four daughters who have become very good friends and have had many happy years there. We decided to sell because the family were keen on tennis and the property was not wide enough for a tennis court. So we sold the house for R24 000 in 1966 and bought a lovely Georgian house in upper Kenilworth.'

'One day I was given a property to sell, a magnificient Herbert Baker mansion. Immediately, a potential buyer came to mind, and so, naturally, I brought buyer and seller together. I phoned an attorney friend and asked what to do. He helped me complete a deed of sale document. That's how I made my first sale. Then I got ambitious and placed an advertisement in the Argus under “Houses for sale” and another under “Houses wanted to buy” with my phone number. I waited for the phone to ring and am happy to say that it's never stopped ringing. But that's another story.'

Twenty seven years later, with 140 branches countrywide and 1600 personnel, Pam Golding International is the largest independent real estate company in South Africa.

That's probably a story that would take a book to tell.