The Agency continues its expansion, even as the housing market slows. According to Tuesday’s announcement, the brokerage opened its second European office in Lisbon, Portugal.
The 74th franchise of the firm is the Lisbon office. The Agency opened a Dutch office in The Netherlands in spring 2022 to launch its European operation.
Jim Ramsay, The Agency’s executive vice president of franchisor sales, stated in a statement that “our continued growth in Europe is truly testament to the increased demand for a luxury boutique brokerage, with global reach such as The Agency.”
According to the release Ayre Neto will be the managing partner of the Lisbon office.
“We are thrilled to expand our European presence with the launch of the new franchise in Portugal,” Mauricio Umasky, the founder and CEO of the firm, stated in a statement. “Ayres neto is a well-known real estate authority in Portugal. We are confident that he will be an amazing steward of our brand as we enter this highly competitive market.
Neto was born in Brazil and is a trilingual speaker, native to Portuguese, Spanish, and English. After having lived in Argentina and the U.S. for approximately two decades, Neto moved to Lisbon in 2017. Neto has been an associate of Century 21 and Coldwell Banker since then. He is also a member Coldwell Banker’s president’s circle, which recognizes Coldwell Banker’s top 7% of sales associates around the world.
Neto stated that “It is an honor to lead The Agency Portugal as the Agency brand brings power to our country.” Portugal is an amazing place to live due to its natural beauty, affordability, and tax benefits. It’s also a great place to retire here. It’s my honor to bring The Agency’s cutting-edge tools and technology to our market.
The Agency Portugal’s team of agents Neto is made up of representatives from more than 12 countries and 13 languages.
Despite the slowdown in the housing market over the past 10 months, The Agency has expanded its reach, opening offices in Nashville, Palm Beach, and Bend, Oregon since the beginning of the year. Despite its expansion, the agency has been affected by the slower housing market. The firm fired approximately 4% of its employees less than a week ago.