As the international property market keeps momentum amid the COVID-19 pandemic, RE/MAX Malta still leads locally. Today, the real estate brand is channelling a ‘quality over quantity’ approach to ensure an exceptional customer experience in an ever-changing world.
Most of Europe’s property industry, while still strong, is facing a new reality in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, RE/MAX Malta continues to pioneer the island’s real estate potential both locally and internationally, through pivoting, innovating and investing in the future.
Malta’s impressively steady economy – especially when compared to those of its European counterparts over recent years – has largely been due to the island’s booming real estate industry. And, while most countries are still feeling the impact of the pandemic’s significant economic disruption, those that have adapted to the new challenges and changing perspective within Europe’s property market have assured its resilience and charted the way forward for the industry.
“There are great results in the real estate market across around 90 per cent of Europe and, of course, RE/MAX is an international franchise with a reputation to match,” Kevin Buttigieg, RE/MAX Malta chairman, explains.
“Malta’s market has also been remarkably resilient despite the economic knocks of the pandemic. Buyers continue to seek good property deals but now they have a renewed interest in finding greater mental and physical health through their homes, with a lifestyle that includes time spent in outdoor spaces.”
RE/MAX Malta is highly experienced in serving the dynamic needs of the local real estate market, through pioneering new technologies and prioritising agent training. As the island reeled from the earliest COVID-19 cases in March 2020, RE/MAX was the first local agency to prepare its associates for the evolving situation. While following the strict COVID-19 protocols, RE/MAX Malta introduced virtual viewings and trained agents to offer video walk-throughs of properties.
We have purchased the number-one property management franchise company in the world... which will revolutionise the real estate customer experience in Malta
Likewise, the real estate brand’s local market-leading database was further upgraded and expanded to better serve both agents and customers – a theme continued by another major new technology investment that is soon to be launched at RE/MAX Malta.
“We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of technology and training in Malta’s real estate market, which have both been our core values from the get-go,” Buttigieg continues.
“That’s why we have purchased the number-one property management franchise company in the world, Property Management Inc., soon to be launched, which will revolutionise the real estate customer experience in Malta.”
Property Management Inc (PMI) offers specialised top-of-the-line management services, covering all aspects of day-to-day property needs from repairs and maintenance to rent collection and bill payments. What’s more, customers will also be able to access these premium services in real time via a user-friendly messaging system, which can alert the appropriate buildings service team to take action as necessary.
Meanwhile, a comprehensive restructuring exercise focused on providing quality over quantity has further streamlined the services offered by the RE/MAX Malta team, with a constant eye on improving the brand’s already-market-leading service standards.
“In early 2020, we made the bold decision to resize and consolidate around our core franchises,” Buttigieg notes.
“We embraced the opportunity to improve and innovate from the heart of the organisation, retraining existing agents to boost both their expertise and their productivity.”
Leaning into the challenges of the pandemic, while seizing this unique opportunity to enhance its services from within, RE/MAX Malta offered existing agents an intensive nine-week training programme and pushed their daily productivity through the Go4More campaign. And while RE/MAX Malta now may have fewer agents, results show that the real estate agency is faring better than ever before.
“One might assume that having fewer agents would increase the overall workload but, in fact, the training imparted on the newly-focused team improved their overall performance by 60 per cent in 2020, beating that of the previous year,” Buttigieg states.
“And 2021 is already matching that success. January 2021 has been the best month that RE/MAX Malta has ever had in terms of meeting – and exceeding – our targets and February quickly proved to be the same. The results of these two months also eclipsed our January and February 2020 figures – in other words, before the pandemic officially hit Malta.
“Thus, once again, our success has been the direct result of the determination and dedication of our expert agents and of the cutting-edge technologies that they have access to, through the investment and forward-thinking of RE/MAX Malta.”
For more information on RE/MAX Malta, visit www.remax-malta.com.