Stefan Schmid new at Ginesta Immobilien

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

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

Instead of rejoining a company, you could have taken it a little easier after many challenging and dedicated years.

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

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

As an open-minded person, my first thought was: “Exciting, I’m always up for an informal chat and an exchange of experiences.” And my second thought was: “Amazing, just a few months ago I couldn’t have imagined this.”

You obviously got on well together quickly. What arguments did he use to convince you?

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

You have 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 to women and men, one of them even to yourself. Now you’re going to be Head of Acquisitions. Won’t you miss selling?

I have actually been able to sell many properties. However, as the Real Estate market has been a seller’s market for years, acquisition has become increasingly important. My extensive experience in sales will of course help me and the close cooperation with the sales team, with whom I have a lively exchange, allows me to share the beautiful aspects of this wonderful profession on a daily basis. You can ask me again in a year’s time how much I will really miss selling (laughs).

When you’ve been around as long and as successfully as you have, you naturally know a lot of people. How did those around you react to the switch to Ginesta?

Those around me were simply very surprised by this decision and some of them still are today. But the fact that I caught fire here so quickly and started the job with great enthusiasm has wiped away most of the questions and people are generally happy for me. Which in turn makes me happy and contributes to the overall current spirit.

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

Thank you for the lovely compliment. The advantage of age is that you can allow yourself to relax a little and be more selective about what you do. And since for me it’s 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 it all seems to help.

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

The purchase of my apartment in Zuoz was indeed an unforgettable experience, as such a procedure would hardly be conceivable with the strictly regulated processes of the Zurich notary’s offices. I was amazed that I didn’t even have to identify myself during the signing, which only took ten minutes. But that was a long time ago and I’m looking forward to hearing from my colleagues in Chur and St. Moritz whether it’s still like that today.

Finally, two questions that are on many people’s minds. Firstly, how do you assess the real estate price trend in recent years and where will the journey take us?

The question was to be expected and so I consulted my crystal ball yesterday. Seriously, we haven’t had any price corrections for 25 years. Prices have risen continuously and there is no sign of a correction. In addition, housing and mountain vacations in one’s own country have become even more important due to the coronavirus, interest rates are still low, a lot of money continues to be inherited and the supply is smaller than ever. I therefore expect the market to remain stable until one or more of these factors change significantly, which there are currently no signs of. Nevertheless, I don’t think we can expect the price increases that we have seen in the past.

You can look back on a long career in real estate. What advice would you give today to young professionals who are just 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 you need to be successful and, above all, happy in this job in the long term. After all, there are many different requirements that need to be met.  

In any case, the good thing about the real estate industry is that the training opportunities are very good and you can train and further educate yourself according to your preferences and qualities. And this good training is also essential for success and access to the right employers. But then there are all the factors that are a 90% given and that you can only learn to a limited extent. And these are knowledge of human nature, openness to and enjoyment of 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 require Renovation. 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 and a feel for rooms, materials and colors. For all those who find this difficult, exhausting or simply boring, it is advisable to look for another activity. If, like me, you like to do this and pick up an architecture and design book in your free time, you’ll do well. Or get better and better at it, which leads me to the last important factor: experience. Because over the years, you gain expertise, seniority and credibility, which is an advantage in a serious business like ours and allows you to have a happy professional life even after the age of 65. 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 any time soon (laughs again).

Thank you very much for the pleasant conversation. And I wish you continued pleasure and success.