Tag: suburbs

27 December, Il Giorno

Gabriele Flore defines himself “a trench soldier”. He speaks through metaphors and he started his job “as a joke, just to give it a try. Then it became my life”. He’s been working as a real estate agent for 24 years, first in Trezzano, when he was 20, then, since 1999 in Opera. Here, he saw the transformations of the property market. Since the early Nineties “when it was hard to sell even just one tiny apartment, then the recession years, and now, the recovery”, tells Gabriele who started selling houses riding a bike and now he’s the leader in the territory. A person with a deep knowledge of the sector, in conclusion, who says that “2018 will be the year of the resurgence of real estate”.

In 2017, “just like farmers, we’d planted seeds to collect later. It was a year of great recovery, especially in the last semester, with a rising of sales of over 30% – explains Flore – and it looks like the growth will continue also in 2018. 2017 was a launching pad. It’s as though we repainted a beautiful house and put all the finishing touches and now it’s time to furnish it”. What are the reasons for this boom? One reason is given by Claudio Coppa, who decided to buy a house “thanks to the softer approach of banks that have finally started issuing mortgages at more accessible rates. I had to wait a lot, it would have been impossible a couple of years ago. Now banks offer better and more accessible solutions”.

Flore confirms this version and he also adds to the factors “the role of real estate agent as a broker and not only as a sales agent. Now you need to be certified and pass exams. You need to be a real professional. People are more knowledgeable, you can’t improvise. And a good professional is a synonym of trust”. Egidio De Giovanni agrees that this is the expression of a very widespread phenomenon: the rise of domotics. Everything, doors, windows, alarms, lights and temperature are controlled through the smartphone. “I was assisted by an expert. I wanted to be up-to-date. They will build a new neighbourhood in Opera with one hundred apartments for four buildings. Living here is convenient: we’re close to Milan, surrounded by green, with many services nearby”. Flore too bets on the property boom in Opera: “The city is near Milan, close to the station, with public transport available, and more importantly, it’s a very quiet place. People want this: a spacious house, with big bedrooms, like in the Seventies, but featuring technology, solar panels and an innovative control equipment. 2018 will be a breakthrough for Opera”.

Source: Il Giorno

Translator: Cristina Ambrosi