Malta Sotheby’s International Realty welcomed in the New Year with their annual company assembly at the Hilton Hotel in Portomaso, just a stone’s throw away from their Portomaso Office in the marina.

“Since we attracted the luxury brand to our beautiful island eight years ago, we have established ourselves as the voice of luxury property,” Michael J. Zammit, director and joint owner of Malta Sotheby’s International Realty, said during the assembly.

 “Although we have been faced with these unprecedented times, we have continued to forge ahead adapting to the ever-evolving needs and demands our clients have amid a worldwide pandemic. This year has presented us with unique opportunities that we have looked at with enthusiasm,” he added.

The event was much anticipated and social distancing was observed as the team celebrated their accomplishments for 2020.

Despite the pandemic, Malta Sotheby’s Realty forged ahead – acting swiftly to implement coronavirus restrictions and work-from-home protocols to do their part in flattening the curve and lowering the risk of transmission.

Zammit continued: “Innovation is in the company’s DNA, and it was this sentiment that led to our swift reaction to the news of the virus, enabling us to get ahead of it and implement certain practices necessary for the safety of our employees and esteemed clients.” 

Virtual viewing practices were adopted and the Malta SIR Team were equipped with masks, gloves, shoe coverings and sanitisers in the event that virtual viewings simply were not possible. In addition to this, the company also worked behind the scenes to better improve their business practices, introduced a new CRM system, which may be accessed remotely, and all Malta Sotheby’s agents signed up to become accredited real estate agents as per the new laws introduced late last year.

Despite the pandemic, 2020 was one of the brand’s best to date

“A company’s success is based on adapting to the current circumstances and its people – which is why it is so important to care about the ‘we’. How we come together and support those who are the driving force behind the company; to effectively do their job will determine how the company survives and thrives,” Zammit noted.

Despite the pandemic, 2020 was one of the brand’s best to date – having closed a record-breaking number of rentals and significant sales transactions – bringing together prestigious buyers and distinct properties both locally and internationally.

“Business could still be done – albeit in a new and unusual way. The only option was to evolve with the circumstances we found ourselves in and, as such, our leadership team set to work with the goal of creating a positive and supportive culture,”  Zammit explained.

The company focused on a number of initiatives with a particular focus on training and that of implementing and rolling out a new marketing plan for 2021 to better equip staff and serve their clients.

As part of this initiative, the company has taken on additional office space next to their Portomaso office. Works on expanding the luxury office are already under way.

“Our focus for 2021 is company expansion and growth. To best serve our existing and future clients, we need to continue evolving as a company and as a brand, which is why we are so excited to expand our dedicated team this year by welcoming new members that are equally as dedicated and driven to deliver the best service in Malta’s luxury property market,” the director continued.

In addition to celebrating their success as a team, they also took a moment to acknowledge the individual achievements of some of their team members throughout 2020 and the dedication that they put into every client and property they represent.

The Top Sales Performance for 2020 and the Top Sales Listing Agent for 2020 was awarded to Josabeth Cassar and the award for Top Sales Performance Runner-Up 2020 and Remote Sales Star Award (for most prolific online property purchases) was given to James Grumley.

The award for Top Rental Performance of 2020 was awarded to Valentina Carugno, with the Top Rental Performance Runner-Up for 2020 and the Top Letting Listing Agent award for 2020 going to Lana Buks-Vaivade.

Sales associate Richard Bellerby received the 2020 Platinum Service Award and, finally, the Refer to Earn Award for 2020 was awarded to Michael Mifsud, who also received a Long Service Award for his five years of dedication to the company.

“We would like to congratulate all of our award winners and celebrate our team as a whole for their dedication to their craft. We are optimistically looking at the year ahead and we are excited about the plans that we have put in place to further grow the business, fine-tune our skills and, of course, continue to deliver the exceptional service our esteemed clientele expects from such an iconic brand,” Zammit concluded.