Ginesta at the LeadingRe Global Symposium in Cascais, Portugal

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 members-only symposia are an important fixture in the agenda for all participants to keep up to date and be inspired to achieve new heights among like-minded people. The last event took place from September 29 to October 2, 2022 in Caiscais. Sascha Ginesta, Partner and Head of Marketing Graubünden, was there as a representative of Ginesta Immobilien and we took the opportunity to capture his fresh impressions for you.

Salut Sascha. What were you most looking forward to in the run-up to the International Real Estate Congress?  

The Leading Real Estate Companies of the World network is an association of leading independent real estate agents worldwide. These agents meet once or twice a year at such events. I particularly look forward to meeting the people behind the companies again. After well over ten years of membership, many close relationships with a friendly touch have developed, which can be ideally cultivated in this setting.  

How can we imagine a congress day like this? 

These days are usually very intensive. People usually meet early for a networking breakfast. This gives you the opportunity to hold your first talks in the morning and get to know new colleagues. Then it’s on to the varied daily sessions. For example, with presentations 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. Topics such as real estate marketing, digitalization and leadership will also be covered. In addition to the presentations, there will be panels where members of the network can exchange ideas on stage after the presentations and share specific examples from their everyday lives. The various sessions are interspersed with networking breaks and a networking lunch. In the evening, there is usually a reception and dinner. And, of course, the day is rounded off with old and new real estate friends at the bar, where conversations of a special quality often ensue, which may even go beyond the professional.  

That sounds exhausting. But also exciting …  

Yes, that’s it. The days are long. But you soak up a lot of energy in all the conversations and gather ideas to take home with you. For me, it’s always important to break out of the daily routine and think outside the box. What do others do? How do they do it? And what are their experiences? Is there anything we can adopt for our own company or are there industry trends that will spill over from the USA to Europe at some point and that we want to drive forward as competence leaders?  

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 vacation destinations in Portugal, Spain or the Rocky Mountains doing? How does Graubünden compare? And how is Brexit affecting the real estate market in the UK?

The findings: We are seeing a cooling trend in many markets. Supply quotas are rising, demand is falling and marketing times are increasing. In parts of the USA, the UK and Germany, prices are already coming under significant pressure in some cases, while in northern Italy, Paris and Singapore, for example, there is still less evidence of a change in the market. In general, it was reported that the number of sales mandates is increasing and that marketing is 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 sales.

Are you worried about this development? 

No, not at all. The market situation is not yet worrying compared to the time before Corona. Moreover, brokers thrive on dynamism, or even for dynamism. 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 properties. And that is exactly what we at Ginesta Immobilien are particularly good at. It is also what sets us apart from our 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 am thinking here of the right asking price. But also the target group and the associated presentation, i.e. how to present a property appropriately 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 forgetting our LeadingRe network partners, who also distribute our attractive offers for the international market. Last but not least, there are our highly trained and skilled real estate salespeople, who have the skills, intuition and experience needed for a successful sale.  

I see the change as an opportunity for professional real estate agents who have mastered their craft and pay close attention to every detail in the marketing process. And that was precisely the tenor of the congress in Portugal, which was in keeping with the beautiful port city of Cascais: “The wind and waves are always on the side of the better sailor.”

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

It’s simple: we have won the Global Referral Production Award for the sixth time in a row. This means that we have once again sent the most referrals of all members outside North America to other network partners. This is a great team achievement and makes us very proud. Our clients worldwide benefit from outstanding real estate expertise and every employee at Ginesta Immobilien knows how to actively use this to share this advantage with our clients.  

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