RE/MAX Egypt’s Top Team of the Year 2021

Team Amr Essam from RE/MAX Avalon in Alexandria claimed the title “Top Team of the Year 2021” for the third consecutive year. With around 20 team members, the team is considered the largest in RE/MAX Egypt.

We conducted an interview with Team Leader Amr Essam to find out how they managed to achieve this well-earned accomplishment for the third consecutive year and to learn more about his experience with RE/MAX.

1-How did you feel when you heard that your team was the Top Team of the Year for the third consecutive year?

I was very happy and felt that all the effort we exerted and our hard work paid off. It was also a confirmation that the plan we set out for the year was a success. Usually when one puts a plan they have doubts about its success and tend to make adjustments to ensure that it is in line with the market’s needs. If the plan fails, this means that the person needs to change his direction and understand the market in another way. Our success for the third consecutive year is a strong testament in our ability to develop a realistic plan that meets the market’s needs and that we understand the real estate market and its challenges very well.

2-What attributed to your success as a Team Leader? And what is the approach you follow?

The balanced, realistic, ambitious, and large-scale plan we placed helped us a lot in reaching our goal and achieving this success, in addition to the support we received from the Broker Owners of RE/MAX Avalon; Mr. Mahmoud Sami and Mr. Maher Ali, and from the distinguished admins and staff members who helped in running ads and organizing everything related to work. They all had a remarkable role in our success in the real estate market.

Even if the plan developed is successful, it still needs the right people to implement it and this is what distinguishes our office from others. At RE/MAX Avalon, all team members, regardless of their strengths and weaknesses, share important key qualities and characteristics which are a sense of responsibility towards their work, determination to maintain their level and quality of work, as well as a constant drive to develop themselves.

3-What are the challenges you face as a Team Leader? How do you manage a team of around 20 people? And how do you manage to encourage and keep them motivated?

I face challenges like any business owner. The Broker Owner of the office offers support to all team members, but the major responsibility falls on the team leader. He is the one who is responsible for the success or failure of the whole team.

Choosing team members is challenging as the RE/MAX model was built for agents who possess certain key characteristics and entrepreneurial-like qualities. Agents who are ambitious, bold, determined, and driven to continuously develop themselves personally and professionally. Such qualities are rare to find. For this reason, I find difficulty in hiring team members.

I also used to face challenges in understanding the real estate market and predicting its turning points. Experts with more than 10 years of experience in the real estate field are skilled in doing that very easily, however, I still didn’t have all those years of experience. But thanks to RE/MAX Egypt’s experts and the hands-on trainings they provide as well as the practical real life experience I gained; I began to acquire this skill and can now easily predict upcoming events and how they will affect the market. In 2020, when COVID-19 quickly spread in Egypt, I was able to predict its effect on the market and swiftly worked on a plan that could respond and react to these changes. We even managed to claim the “Top Team of the Year” title for a second time during that year and achieved the highest in volume of sales across RE/MAX Egypt’s network.

When it comes to how I manage my team, I manage it based on a hierarchical organizational structure. I deal with the team managers directly and not all of the team members as we are nearly 20 people and we’re still growing but I still support everyone by providing them with various trainings so they can develop themselves. I also act as their supervisor to ensure they are able to meet the needs of the real estate market and face its challenges.

Reminding the team members of our goal all time is the best thing any team leader can do to encourage and motivate his team to work hard. RE/MAX Egypt plays a role in this through its annual convention in which offices, real estate agents, teams, and its members are honored and recognized across the entire network for their efforts exerted throughout the year and are awarded as Top Performers. This is what distinguishes RE/MAX Egypt from any other real estate company as it greatly believes in the concept of winning together and therefore focuses on encouraging everyone to succeed in their work.

4- How did RE/MAX Egypt help you become a successful Team Leader?

RE/MAX Egypt helped me from my very first day. I was initially working as a real estate agent, then RE/MAX introduced me to the idea of building my own team and stressed its importance in developing my business. I was very enthusiastic about the idea and ended up forming my own team a year after joining RE/MAX Avalon. Instead of working alone, now I have a team working together to achieve even more success. I give credit to the trainings provided by RE/MAX Avalon and RE/MAX Egypt as they empowered me with the tools, skills, and knowledge needed to manage a team. It also made me aware of the latest in business administration.

5- From your point of view, how will the devaluation affect the real estate market? Do you recommend investing in real estate or gold or buying a certificate with an interest rate of 18%?

The crisis of the devaluation of the Egyptian Pound has greatly impacted the real estate market. Developers have already raised the prices of their properties due to the rising prices of raw materials such as cement, iron, etc.

I advise people to invest their money now in several things like properties, gold, and bank certificates. But I still prefer and recommend investing in properties more than gold as the price of gold can be easily affected by market fluctuations and decrease, however, property prices will not decrease in Egypt because of its high demand.

Regarding bank certificates, from my point of view, investing in properties is better than putting money in the bank. In 2016, when the Egyptian pound was devaluated, people bought certificates with an interest rate of 20%. Those who put 1 million pounds in the bank earned 1.2 million after a year, while those who invested their money in a property earned 1.5 million when they sold the property. In my opinion, investing in properties now is considered the best investment in Egypt.

6- Please tell us more about the real estate market in Alexandria. And do you recommend investing in residential or commercial properties?

The real estate market in Alexandria is strong. A lot of people from Alexandria as well as other governorates and all over the world prefer to invest in properties in Alexandria. With RE/MAX being the #1 chosen real estate brand with a presence in more than 115 countries, this gave us the opportunity to attract global clients and work with them.

I advise people to invest in commercial properties as commercial units are rare in Alexandria. As a result, the rental revenue is higher. However, investing in residential properties is also very profitable. In the end, the main factors that will affect such a decision is a client’s capital and needs.

7- How will the New Alamein City affect the North Coast?

The New Alamein City has already greatly impacted the North Coast. Instead of it just being a summer resort, it has now transformed into a touristic city that can be visited all year round. It also increased the real estate value of the coastal region and has attracted foreign clients from all over the world.

It is distinguished by its stunning designs and advanced infrastructure with properties that overlook the sea and is well-equipped with all the services and facilities that any resident could possibly need. It is a luxurious place focused on targeting a new clientele with properties that are considered affordable and can be paid in installments.

In conclusion, we would like to congratulate Team Amr Essam for claiming the title “Top Team of the Year 2021”, and would like to thank Amr Essam and his team for their great efforts. We wish them even more success in the future.