The Catalan real estate company Vivendex begins a new stage with a shareholder change that has placed Francesc Quintana as sole partner, after the separation of the firm’s luxury business that will be managed by Manuel and Sandra Roger.
Vivendex invoiced 3.5 million euros last year, and after the spin-off, which took place in July, it expects to invoice 2.5 million in 2024, with a team of 65 people and offices in Barcelona, ??Reus, Sant Cugat and Sitges, as well as a new office for offices and commercial premises, a new line of activity for the company.
Quintana, treasurer of the Real Estate Association of Catalonia (AIC), points out that the sector is experiencing a moment of upheaval caused by the drop in transactions. “There are buyers who cannot access the home, due to the rise in rates, but also more owners prefer not to sell so as not to have to lower the price,” which has caused a drop in activity of around 30%, without prices have fallen: in the low- and medium-income areas of Barcelona they have fallen slightly, while they have risen in the rest of the cities where they operate.
The shortage of apartments for sale and high prices is also leading buyers to move to the metropolitan area. Thus, he explains, Sant Cugat once received middle-class buyers from Barcelona, ??who could not buy an apartment in the capital, but the rise in prices in that town is driving buyers to Cerdanyola and Rubí.
Quintana points out that Vivendex is developing new technological tools with specialized companies. “Technology is key to improving service. Thus, the owner can be offered real-time monitoring of the queries and visits generated by his property.” For the buyer, however, the company is co-developing virtual reality technology “that helps avoid unnecessary visits and see the possibilities of renovating an apartment if it needs to be rehabilitated,” he says.