Dear Stefan. It's great that we can have this conversation with you here at the Ginesta offices today and that you've decided against the golf course, the house in Mallorca or the year-long trip around the world in a camper van.

I'm also very happy to be here. Because the golf course has never been my thing, my vacation home is in Graubünden and the world will still be there to be traveled in a few years. Hopefully even easier than in the current situation. 

Instead of getting back into a business, you could have taken it a bit easier after many demanding and dedicated years.

That would certainly have been an alternative, too. But then my phone rang shortly before noon on a rainy spring day and it was Claude Ginesta on the line.

Claude Ginesta, also a well-known name in the industry and for you above all a former competitor. What was your first thought?

As an open person, my first thought was, "Exciting, I'm always available for a no-obligation conversation and an exchange of experiences." And my second was, "Awesome, just a few months ago I couldn't have imagined this."

Obviously, you quickly found a good rapport with each other. What arguments did he use to convince you?

In the beginning, it was mainly his openness toward me. Claude quickly gave me an insight into the company's strategy and the direction it was taking appealed to me. I also got a good insight into the pleasant culture here and then I met some familiar faces in the team. Everything felt natural and right.

You've sold hundreds of properties. The showpiece of the last few years was "The Metropolitans" in Oerlikon, with over 200 apartments, all of which you personally sold, one of them even to yourself. Now you're going to be head of acquisitions. Won't you miss selling?

I have indeed been allowed to sell many properties. But since the real estate market has been a seller's market for years, acquisition has become increasingly important. So of course my great experience from sales will help me and the close cooperation with the sales team, with whom I have a lively exchange here, lets me share the beautiful sides of this wonderful profession every day. You're welcome to ask me about how much I'll really miss selling in a year's time (laughs).

Anyone who has been in the business as long and as successfully as you have naturally knows a lot of people. How did your environment react to the change to Ginesta?

Those around me were simply astonished by this decision, and some of them still are today. But the fact that I caught fire so quickly and started my job with such enthusiasm has wiped away most of the questions and people are basically happy for me. Which in turn makes me happy and fits in with and contributes to the whole current spirit.

You have achieved a lot, worked hard, but show no signs of fatigue and radiate a vitality that many envy. How do you maintain this?

First of all, thank you for the nice compliment. The advantage of age is that you can allow yourself a certain looseness and become more selective about what you do. And since for me it is still the contact with people that I value so much and that keeps me young, working is not an effort, but a welcome and ongoing stimulation for body, mind and soul. Then I keep fit with sports and like to recharge my batteries in the mountains. Apparently, all of this seems to be beneficial.

Speaking of Graubünden: As we checked in our archives, you didn't buy your vacation home through us. How did you experience it at that time to suddenly find yourself on the other side, the buyer's side, in a foreign region? And did you take anything with you for your work?

The purchase of my apartment in Zuoz was indeed an unforgettable experience, because such a procedure would hardly be conceivable in the strictly regulated processes of the Zurich notary's offices. I was very surprised that I didn't even have to identify myself during the signing, which took just ten minutes. But that was a long time ago, and I look forward to hearing from my colleagues in Chur and St. Moritz soon whether that is still the case today.

Finally, two questions that are on the minds of many. First, how do you assess the real estate price development of the last few years and where will the journey go?

The question was to be expected and so I consulted my crystal ball yesterday. Seriously, we haven't had a price correction in 25 years. Prices have risen steadily and there is nothing to suggest a correction. Then, living as well as mountain vacations in one's own country have become even more important due to Corona, interest rates are still low, a lot of money continues to be inherited and the supply is smaller than ever. So I expect the market to remain stable until one or more of these factors changes significantly, but there are currently no signs of that. Still, I don't think we can expect these price increases as we've had in the past.

You look back on a long real estate career. What do you recommend today to young professionals who are still starting out and also want to go a long way in the industry?

I recommend being honest with yourself and asking yourself whether you have everything it takes to be successful and, above all, happy in this profession in the long term. After all, there are many different requirements that have to be met. 

The good thing about the real estate industry is that the training opportunities are very good and you can train and develop yourself according to your preferences and qualities. And this good education is also inevitable for success and access to the right employers. But then come all the factors that are 90% given and can only be learned to a certain extent. And these are the knowledge of human nature, openness to and pleasure in dealing with people of all kinds, a vital interest in architecture and a good imagination - and all these qualities have to work from the gut and in combination, because most properties are sold off plan or they have conversion needs. So, as a marketer, you have the task of being able to convey a vision of your new home to potential buyers with their individual requirements, with a feeling for rooms, materials and colors. For all those who find this difficult, exhausting or simply boring, it is advisable to keep an eye out for another activity. If you like to do this like I do and pick up an architecture and design book in your spare time, you will do well. Or rather, you'll get better and better at it, which brings me to the last important factor: experience. Because with the years you gain competence, seniority, and credibility, which is an advantage in a serious business like ours and allows a happy professional life even beyond 65. So it's a privileged, exciting and varied profession with virtually no expiration date. And that's why you won't be getting rid of me so quickly now (laughs again).

Thank you very much for the pleasant conversation.