The Agency is one of the fastest-growing boutique luxury real estate brands in the world, comprised of 110 offices in 12 countries The Agency has closed more than $72 billion in real estate transactions since 2011.
Led by The Agency Portugal’s Managing Partner and award-winning agent, Ayres Neto, The Agency Cascais, and The Agency Vilamoura are the two latest additions to join the organically growing brokerage who opened their first office Edifício Centro de Congressos do Estoril last year.
Just hours prior to the opening of The Agency Vilamoura, the brokerage’s pivotal milestone was described by Ayres Neto as feeling like he was on “cloud nine”.
Ayres Neto shared “We are very excited that both of the offices have opened because business nowadays happens a lot on your phone but having a physical space is fundamental to what we already do.”
He went on to share the success of the Cascais launch that took place days prior, “We had a party in Cascais when opening the office and 400 guests showed up in one of the most sophisticated areas in the country, we were able to bring colleagues, friends, family, other brands and developers together and we are replicating that in Vilamoura today. The launches are something that really showcases what we are capable to do as a brand, built here by my friend Mauricio.”
Ayres Neto told The Portugal News “The company’s growth has been organic and a natural progression since we opened last year at our Centro de Congressos do Estoril headquarters, which was paramount to our operation. Vilamoura was definitely going to be our choice here because when it comes to the Algarve and the properties we have, Vilamoura is the epicentre of the triangle. Similarly, Cascais is the most important real estate location in Portugal when it comes to high end properties.”
The Gateway into Europe
The Portugal News also had the opportunity to speak with the CEO and Founder of The Agency, Mauricio Umansky, ahead of the Vilamoura opening, who shared “I love Portugal, it is a beautiful country with a beautiful coastline and it is great to be back. When you come back a second time, you get the chance to see it differently and start spending time with the people, you are just fantastic, the locals and the expats have really great hearts and it's just so beautiful to be a part of it.”
When asked about the decision behind The Agency’s expansion in Portugal, the CEO affirmed “From the Agency’s corporate perspective, it is super exciting to have that strength in Portugal but it is also the gateway for us to continue our expansion throughout the rest of Europe.”
Looking towards a bright future ahead
Adding that, “There are only a few offices open in Europe by The Agency so we are just getting started of our European life and we do expect to see something in the South of France very soon and we will continue to see expansion through Spain, in Barcelona and Madrid. We would love to see just an expansion into all of Europe, such as Greece, Germany, Austria, and all the way into Israel. The US and Canada are pretty solid right now so our next expansion and growth is in Europe.”
Most excitingly, Ayres Neto confirmed that “the next office to open in Portugal will be The Agency Porto, which will definitely be this year. Following Porto, will be Lisbon and then the Silver Coast which is highly sought after by expats. Americans and Canadians are buying a lot on the Silver Coast, Ericeira and Peniche are really popular. It is a region which is relatively less expensive than other regions so you attract that mid-range buyer and they absolutely love the quality of life there.”
“Portugal Sells Itself”
With regards to investing in Portugal, Mauricio Umansky told The Portugal News “There is definitely a buzz in Portugal and I think they are going to continue to see growth. Like everything you have to hire great advisors in order to make smart and good investments and I think that is one of the things we really care about, that we advise our clients because you can get hurt anywhere. I think that hiring a good agency like The Agency, where our advisors will help customers with their transactions is critical for clients to have a good experience and to make a good investment.”
Ayres Neto went on to solidify what sets The Agency apart from its competitors “It is by design, 90% of my agents have lived in at least three different countries and I have a lot that have lived in five so they have the experience of moving to another country.”
Adding “Here in Portugal we have a unique way of doing that, we have agents from 28 different countries who speak over 20 different languages so most of our buyers are international expats and our agents are able to transition them into a Portuguese lifestyle. Our agents are advising them in the right direction so it gives a lot of comfort for clients who look for us and sellers know we have access to the international database so they feel comfortable giving us their listing because they know we are going to do well.”
The Agency Vilamoura
The Vilamoura office will be managed by Luxury Real Estate Advisors Marian Purcell and Felipe Corte Real Silveira. Born in Limerick, Ireland, Marian brings a wealth of expertise to the role, having opened her own real estate company in the Algarve prior to joining The Agency, Marian has lived in the Algarve for seven years and has specialised local knowledge of the Algarve. Felipe has been in the industry for six years and has extensive knowledge of Central Algarve as his main niche territory.
Marian, Felipe, and the Algarve team look forward to welcoming everyone to our new office, located at Avenida Tivoli, Condomínio Moura Praia, Lote 2.7.A, Blocos A a Q in Vilamoura, Quarteira.
For clients looking in the Cascais area, The Agency Cascais is located at Rua Alexandre Herculano, Cascais, Portugal, 2750-284.
For more information on The Agency and to get in touch today, please visit https://www.theagencyre.com
Following undertaking her university degree in English with American Literature in the UK, Cristina da Costa Brookes moved back to Portugal to pursue a career in Journalism, where she has worked at The Portugal News for 3 years. Cristina’s passion lies with Arts & Culture as well as sharing all important community-related news.