Since 2011, Agora Estates plc – a property development and management group overseeing residential and commercial projects in Malta – has built an attractive property portfolio for rental investment and capital appreciation. 

This growth – in both the residential and commercial property sectors – has been achieved thanks to the Agora team’s knowledge, professional standing and experience, but not only. 

“Our activity in commercial property is driven by a number of factors,” says Charles Cini at Agora Estates plc. 

Cini adds that this approach did come with attached risks, especially in recent years. 

“The coronavirus pandemic hit us at a time when we were building our investment properties – and at the time, the market had been experiencing a contraction,” adds Cini. “However, we believe that we have successfully passed this difficult period and most of our properties are now generating a return or approaching that stage.”

The pandemic also accelerated certain practices that affected the commercial property rental market. 

“Remote working was one such practice – and it obviously affected our operations. However, post-pandemic, we are seeing a return to people working from offices, as employers are realising that the workplace is not just a place of work – but also a space where people come together, share a common aim, and therefore are more productive. In fact, we estimate that currently, the demand for office space is roughly 25 per cent less than pre-pandemic times, which is a significant improvement.

"Moreover, in the past months, we have managed to rent around 90 per cent of our commercial leasing stock as we seek to price our commercial spaces well within market and also work with prospective tenants to combine our expected rental income with their available budget, as much as we can, and provided this remains economically viable.

“We are also seeing increased demand for certain property types – especially downsized office space, warehouses, retail operations and showrooms.”

With a busy property market, Agora Estates plc has also sought to differentiate itself from other operators and create a number of unique selling points. 

“Honesty is a quality that we adhere to as it helps build the trust that our clients have in us,” says Cini. “We are upfront in our dealings and work closely with our customers in order to provide them with products and services that suit their requirements. We develop properties that we ourselves would be comfortable operating from. Moreover, we invest a lot in sales and marketing – we have a full-time and well-experienced sales manager who directly handles all sales and leasing arrangements of the properties we develop, both commercial and residential. And we constantly market our properties on the right platforms.”