German buyer market: Nadia Aron analyses the 2020 budget

Interview with Nadia Aron, the person in charge of the Great Estate Group’s German buyer market and the owner of our partner agency Italia Immobilien: the balance of 2020.

Hi Nadia! Today we would like to hear your comments on the excellent sales results achieved by the partnership between Italia Immobilien and Great Estate over the past year: a year to remember! What can you tell me about it?

Hi Chiara! Yes, 2020 has been a very positive year for the collaboration between the Great Estate Network and my agency, Italia Immobilien, the group’s partner for the German market. As you have rightly pointed out, it was certainly a year to remember, full of satisfaction, but the commitment, investments, and strategic choices conceived upstream with my work and life companion Riccardo Luculli, and then together with the Great Estate C.E.O. Stefano Petri, were conceived and put into practice much earlier. As they say … we have reaped the benefits after long sowing!

In more detail, how was it possible to achieve such a strong increase in the sales to the German buyers?

First of all, we analysed the German market very carefully, also carrying out a whole series of searches through third-party agencies in order to identify the “typical German buyer” for the Italian market: a great economic investment. Then … I’ll stop here! If I explained our entire strategy to you, it would be boring!

I understand that, since you are a very experienced professional, you don’t want to tell us all the “secrets'” but … give us a few more details!

Good. One thing I like to underline is the fact that some macroeconomic and macro-regional conditions have come together to make the market for second homes in Italy a “natural” part of the family economic portfolio even for many German families. And this from both an emotional and a more purely economic point of view.

As for the first, the huge community of Italians in Germany has forged a strong bond with German acquaintances and friends; therefore, Italy has gone from being a “distant” country to a very close one, sometimes tangibly ‘tangible’ even on a daily basis, thanks to Italians in Germany.

Moreover, I must confide in you that the natural empathy of the Italian people makes a lot of impression on us Germans who, beyond preconceptions, are very open to smiles, to joviality, to drinking a glass of wine together! Consider that Italian restaurants and pizzerias in Germany are always full of happy customers. Let a person who might know: “we Germans love the Italian people …!”

From a more economic point of view, it has to be said that:

• part of Germany has reached a high economic/social level and diversifying investments in Germany is not very easy.
• the real estate in Germany has reached very high prices, even in not particularly “happy” areas. Even in the most prestigious areas, it is almost impossible to find a property.
• another sore point in Germany is bank deposits. Almost everywhere, interest on C/Cs is negative, with the consequent erosion of the paid-up capital at the end of the year. In addition, German ‘Bunds’, i.e. government-guaranteed Treasury bonds, yield nothing.
• finally, in the last 6/8 years there has been a decrease in the prices of prestigious Italian properties: and because of this, today a nice Italian property can be bought at the right price.

So, given all this, what better investment for Germans than to buy a prestigious property with a fair price/quality ratio in the Bel Paese?

Your analysis is very interesting. However, it is undeniable that the largest percentage of clients who bought in the last period speak German … what do you think?

Even during the various lockdowns that were imposed due to the Covid emergency, German, Austrian and Swiss citizens were still allowed to drive to their homes in Italy. Therefore, this moment was experienced as a sort of journey to the happy island, represented by one’s own home in Italy: very often not just a second home, but a “real home“, where human relations have regained that ancient flavour of authentic friendship, where there is often a large garden, if not a real park, with privacy, a swimming pool and … the beautiful Italian sun.

Even during the various lockdowns that were imposed due to the Covid emergency, German, Austrian and Swiss citizens were still allowed to drive to their homes in Italy. And let’s not forget that Italy is often only half a day’s drive from Germany, so it’s a trip you can take even if you only have a week to spare. And let’s not forget that Italy is often only half a day’s drive from Germany, so it’s a trip you can take even if you only have a week to spare.

Nadia, but … who helps you most in your work and with your customers?

I’ll answer straight away: Riccardo, my partner. He has a lot of experience in real estate. In fact, his father owned a construction company. Then, with his studies and his innate curiosity, he traveled the world, both for pleasure and for work. Riccardo has a 360-degree view of real estate. Currently, as a full-time project manager for large renovation projects in Italy for foreign clients, when I go with him to show a property to clients, very normal questions like:

“Can the bathroom be replaced?”

“How much could the kitchen cost?”

“What are the regulations foreseen by the municipality?”.

these are questions that are immediately answered with him – I confess this helps me a lot, but please don’t tell him! –

Finally, Nadia, would you like to tell me what is the recipe for achieving great results?

You start with the main ingredient, truly TOP clients; then you add a pinch of total dedication to the clients, a good dose of availability – at least 10 hours a day – and finally you mix it all together for at least 6 days a week. You will see that, by doing so … you will get a great result!