‘We will take care of everything regarding your international property investments for you, from A to Z’

In the first part of this article we presented and discussed the issues and pitfalls inherent in choosing the right real estate and property investment agency to ensure your property investment in Greece will be as solid, wise and profitable as possible. Even more so, amidst the current sociopolitical and financial uncertainty and the effect it has had on everyone’s lives globally, certainly not leaving current real estate market conditions unaffected in the process.

All is not lost however, as we concluded that one need not despair. Fortunately, there are still agencies out there exhibiting the experience, ethos, and professionalism required to perform what is required brilliantly for you. And obviously following strategies, methods and processes adapted to the current conditions and socio-financial climate, even perhaps treating it as an advantage rather than a hindrance. Let’s take a look then, at each one of these elements that currently constitute a recipe for success in the field:

• Reliability

A successful agency will ensure they are always there for their clients. Ensuring their best interests are always met and protected, and generally emitting the message to their clients that ‘they have their back’. And making sure they do have your back, as well.

• Transparency

A key ingredient in the building of any successful relationship, business or otherwise. All operations and processes need to be fully transparent in order for clients to feel safe, secure and confident their interests are being well taken care of. Especially in an international arena of business operations where clients may not be as well-informed about processes as one would be in their home country.

• Professionalism

Not only does maintaining a highly professional approach to any client-business relationship emit signals of responsibility, ability & skillfulness, it also ensures the client is left feeling they have chosen their agency wisely. Again, in international business operations, this component can be considerably more challenging considering the differences that define the concept of ‘professionalism’ across cultures.

• Expertise

It includes the building of expertise across all fields, disciplines and tasks undertaken by the property investment agency. For example, expertise solely in the field of real estate and/or simply locating the ideal investment choice for you will not be adequate here, especially when one poses as an ‘A to Z’ comprehensive property investment service. A to Z should mean from start to finish, therefore all components in between (e.g. Legal & Accounting, Construction & Development, Property Management/After Sales Services) demand full mastery by the business undertaking them.

• Trust

It permeates all of the above key elements: reliability, transparency, professionalism and expertise are just some of the essential ingredients for trust to be built between two business parties. Although gaining your trust can be a fairly demanding task, once this is achieved both parties feel more equipped to work jointly towards the common goal. That is, ensuring your best interests are always served, and of course, attempting to maximize your profit potential as much as possible.

• Flexibility

A component that is often overlooked, despite it being a necessary aspect of any successful business endeavour. Sticking to protocols and procedures surely emits stability and safety, however doing this to the point of inflexibility can often strain and wound any business relationship. Even more so, when serving an international clientele who may be busy anyway, and possibly mostly not present. Flexibly adapting services to your needs is the only successful way forward. Effectively ensuring you feel the agency can take care of anything that needs taking care of, without the need for you to be present, or spend too much time delegating, even by distance.

• International Perspective

It may seem like an abstract concept, though it is anything but that. Specifically referring to what may be best described as being ‘citizens of the world’ as much as possible. Having an international outlook on things, unbound by borders and geographical location, constantly accumulating knowledge beyond borders, are all traits that will allow the realtor or agency you work with to excel. Effectively avoiding pitfalls and hazards and being able to identify potentially lucrative investment opportunities for you, that will stand the test of time and unavoidable international developments.

• Transnational Customer Service/After-sales Approach

Essentially ensuring the operation of superior quality customer/after-sales services that extend beyond borders and cultures.  The skilled agency will seek to understand your wants and needs and adapt services, whenever possible, to them.  They must make you feel they know what they are talking about, and they know how to ‘translate it’ effectively for you to grasp as well. Finally, a successful realtor must also ensure they are able to work with you flexibly and intelligently to ensure your needs are met at all times, despite you possibly being in a different location, continent, or time zone.

• Cross-cultural Outlook

This mostly refers to the initial and ongoing communication regarding the planning and performing of the task at hand. It is about being able to communicate effectively and accurately what you require and what sort of investment would work best for you. It is imperative for an agency to be able to understand what each client needs, and what the ideal way of getting there would look like for them. Only then can you benefit maximally from this business relationship and in turn, ensure you make the ideal investment you had in mind for the reasons you had in mind. In effect, a real estate agency should always strive to make you feel as much ‘at home’ as possible, despite possibly being in a different country, or you having to deal with a different culture remotely altogether.

• Full Delegation Remotely

Last, but most certainly not least. In fact, this may be the most essential element for you to reap the most out of your business relationship with any realtor at the moment and enjoy maximum profitability from your investment, all while retaining your precious time and peace of mind. And bear in mind, this was so even before the changes brought to us by COVID-19, so one could imagine how relevant and essential it is right now. The agency you choose to work with will ideally have planned, designed and offered you full serviceability remotely already. If they have not, they have probably lost the game altogether.  With travel restrictions widely in place globally, as well as a widespread feeling to limit travel as much as possible to avoid undesirable health complications, you want to feel that everything can be done by you and for you, remotely, without the need for you to be physically present at all to profit the most out of your investment. Operations must and do remain active for all serious agencies out there, who need to continue serving your best interests, while you enjoy your peace of mind back at home.

These are only a few, yet in our opinion the most important elements that should constitute premium and fully comprehensive international Real Estate services. Times are indeed shifting and transforming, reshaping history and society around us at considerable speed. This does not necessarily qualify as a negative development. It is through change and in change that one usually finds the greatest and most promising opportunity for growth and profit. The key is to ensure the way an agency delivers services and the way they approach clients matures, shifts and adapts alongside these changes.  We at MI4 Real Estate Brokerage work with change, adapt to change, and strive to remain at the cutting edge of comprehensive boutique real estate and property investment servicing. It is the only way to ensure we continue to offer you maximum profitability, minimal hassle, and superior quality services, across time and geographical space for years to come.

26 April 2021