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With Sri Lanka showcasing some of the best growth trajectories in the South Asian region due to aggressive infrastructure development, visionary policies and diverse capital investments, the world’s real estate franchise leader RE/MAX intends to grow its presence even further in this island nation to maximise on the steady rise of emerging opportunities. Chief Guest at the Annual Black-Tie Convention of RE/MAX Sri Lanka, Vice President of Global Development RE/MAX World Headquarters USA Shawna Gilbert reiterated that with Sri Lanka standing on the cusp of a new era, RE/MAX will undeniably add immense value to the burgeoning real estate industry.
Sharing how RE/MAX in other Asian countries similar to Sri Lanka are succeeding immensely, she said, “Our experience of 45 years and operations in over 100 countries where 7,500 offices are networked through 115,000 agents means we have proven our prowess globally, with RE/MAX Sri Lanka will revolutionise the Sri Lankan real estate market. We have had immense success in Asia Pacific countries because we identified this region as one of the most promising, expanding our footprint aggressively to make sure that our range of unparalleled services becomes available to this part of the world. This is why we are here in Sri Lanka, as we observe the strategic path of development being mapped out by the country and the role Sri Lanka will play in the future progress of this entire region.”
Guests of Honour at the Convention were corporate captains who added multiple dimensions to the discussions. Director of Capital Maharaja Group Nimal Cooke assessed the current real estate industry, notable developments and international brands entering the local industry, notably Shangri La, JW Marriott, Ritz Carlton and China Development adding considerable fillip.
President of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Rajendra Theagarajah echoed these sentiments saying, “With Sri Lanka upping its position as a true emerging market, the RE/MAX presence is synonymous with rising customer expectations in terms of professionalism and world class service.”
Adding to the details was Director of Softlogic Properties Dr. Stephan Anthonisz and Chairman of the Chamber of Lankan Entrepreneurs Dinuk Hettiarachchi. The former described the need for effective marketing of high-rise developments, while the latter highlighted the importance of an entrepreneurial spirit to achieve national goals.
RE/MAX is most notably ranked #1 for Real Estate and in 2017, eighth for all franchises in the Franchise Times 200 Rankings, has crafted a real estate management model and culture that harnesses its vast experience and expertise, permeating it to prompt a high degree of professionalism into the real estate industry.
“It is through the master license of this unique RE/MAX network, that RE/MAX Sri Lanka provides a multi-faceted portfolio of experience and services delivering exposure worldwide via seven locations around Sri Lanka through 60 plus agents,” explained Regional Owner Sujan Shan. “Our vision is to be the market leader by attracting and empowering a highly trained, skilled and motivated legion of realtors and these realtors will strive to make RE/MAX one of the most recognisable brands in Sri Lanka.”
Stating that RE/MAX is in the process of developing the world’s #1 real estate RE/MAX franchise network in Sri Lanka, Regional Director Mathany Ganesh said, “The plans for Sri Lanka are far reaching. Both Sujan and I bring an expansive collective experience in the global real estate industry to Sri Lanka and I strongly believe that RE/MAX can be the harbinger of change for the entire real estate sector here. Our vision is to develop a strong network of licensed and trained professional agents who will be equipped with technology, have a global presence, referral networking, incredible brand awareness, educational opportunities and several other competitive advantages.”
Several awards were presented to best performing brokers and agents, with RE/MAX Khane Properties Broker Owner Briand De Silva winning Top Producing Brokerage, Broker Owner of RE/MAX Infinity Hassam Hameed winning Best Broker Owner, RE/MAX North Realty’s Broker Owner Lathan Varatharajah winning Top Brokerage for Agent Recruitment, Best Branded Brokerage won by Broker Owners Alessandro Ponzi and Martjin Vlek of RE/MAX Southern Properties, Krishantha Bandara from RE/MAX Khane Properties adjudged Top Producing Agent and Saditha Perera from RE/MAX Estate who won the International RE/MAX University Point Winner Award.
