With over 550 companies in more than 70 countries and around 135,000 employees, «Leading Real Estate Companies of the World» is one of the most important networks for high-quality real estate marketing. The symposia, which are reserved exclusively for members, are an important fixed point in the agenda for all participants to bring themselves up to date and to be inspired to new peak performances among like-minded people. The last event took place in Caiscais from September 29th to October 2nd, 2022. Sascha Ginesta, partner and Head of Marketing Graubünden, was there as a representative of Ginesta Immobilien and we took the opportunity to capture his still fresh impressions for you.

Hello Sascha. What were you most looking forward to in the run-up to the international real estate congress?

The network of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World is an association of leading independent real estate brokers worldwide. Once or twice a year these brokers meet at such events. I always look forward to meeting the people behind the ventures again. After more than ten years of membership, many close relationships with a friendly touch have developed, which can be ideally cultivated in this context.

How can one imagine such a congress day?

These days are usually very intense. People usually meet early for a networking breakfast. So you already have the opportunity in the morning to have initial discussions and get to know new colleagues. Then it's off to the varied day sessions. For example, with lectures by internal and external speakers on the economic situation, trends in the luxury goods sector or where the world's rich are moving to in times of crisis. Incidentally, Switzerland is one of the most popular new residential destinations. However, topics such as real estate marketing, digitization and leadership are also dealt with. In addition to the lectures, there will be panels where, after the lectures, the members of the network can exchange ideas on stage and share concrete examples from their everyday lives. The various sessions are interrupted by networking breaks and the networking lunch. In the evening there is usually a dinner reception. And of course you end the day with old and new real estate friends at the bar, which often leads to high-quality discussions that sometimes go beyond the professional.

That sounds exhausting. But also exciting ...

Yes that's it. The days are long. But you absorb a lot of energy in all the conversations and collect ideas that you take home with you. It's always important for me to break out of everyday life and think outside the box. What are the others doing? how do you do it And what are your experiences with it? Can you take over something for your own company or are there industry trends that will eventually spill over from the USA to Europe and that we already want to promote as a competence leader?

And what were the most important findings of the symposium for you?

The different markets are always exciting for me. How are things going in Germany, Italy or the USA? What are the typical holiday destinations doing in Portugal, Spain or in the Rocky Mountains? How does Graubünden present itself in this comparison? And how will Brexit affect the real estate market in the UK?

The findings: We see a cooling trend in many markets. The supply quotas increase, the demand decreases and the marketing time increases. In parts of the USA, the UK and Germany, prices are already coming under significant pressure, while in northern Italy, Paris and Singapore, for example, there is even less sign of a market change. In general, it was learned that the number of sales mandates was increasing and that marketing was no longer as easy as it was in the last two years of the pandemic. The focus of brokers is shifting from acquisition back to selling.

Does this development worry you?

No, not at all. Compared to the time before Corona, the market situation is not yet worrying. In addition, the broker lives from the dynamics or even for the dynamics. The constantly changing environment drives us to develop, adapt to new circumstances and become better.

In the current change, we have to concentrate more on the actual marketing of the properties. And that is exactly what we at Ginesta Immobilien are particularly good at. It is also what sets us apart from competitors or private sellers. We have the know-how on how to optimally position a property on the market and how to market it over a longer period of time. I'm thinking about the right asking price. But also to the target group and the associated appearance, i.e. how to present a property with professional photos and texts. Then comes the optimally coordinated use of the various sales channels: our own database, our newsletter with over 60,000 recipients, the website, the external online platforms, traditional advertisements and so on and so forth. Not to be forgotten are our network partners from LeadingRe, who also sell our attractive offers for the international market. Last but not least, our highly educated and trained real estate salespeople come into play, who have the skills, intuition and experience required for a successful sale.

I see the change as an opportunity for professional brokers who have mastered their craft and pay close attention to every detail in the marketing process. And that was exactly the tenor that went with the beautiful port city of Cascais at the congress in Portugal: «Wind and waves are always on the side of the better seafarer.»

If you had to highlight one highlight from your four days in Cascais, what would it be?

That's easy: We've won the Global Referral Production Award for the sixth year in a row. This means that we have once again sent most of the recommendations of all members outside of North America to other network partners. This is a great team effort and makes us very proud. Our customers benefit worldwide from excellent real estate expertise and every employee at Ginesta Immobilien knows how to actively use this to let our customers share in this advantage.

Congratulations on this achievement to you Sascha and the whole Ginesta team. And thank you for the insightful interview.