2023-09-13 17:43:00
Rodolphe De Blieck and François Devillez, co-founders of the very young Belgian-Luxembourg real estate agency BrickSquare, are not the first to reinvent their profession. Others have tried it before them, mostly brandishing the same weapons: the digitalization of processes and a more competitive pricing policy. On the other hand, none of their predecessors pushed innovation to the point of eliminating the sacrosanct real estate agents’ commission levied on the sale price of properties, which is unanimously agreed upon in the sector. Some have cut it down, selling off their services by dropping the usual 3% of the sale price to 2.5 or 2%, or even… 1% for the most daring. But to go from there to doing without it altogether is a first.
“Our objective is not to offer a low-cost service but to rationalize costs in order to guarantee our customer-sellers complete and qualitative support at a lower cost,” explains François Devililez from the outset. The remuneration charged by BrickSquare is flat-rate and “up to three times cheaper on average than elsewhere”, starting at 2,950 euros excluding taxes. “In the digital age, with a few exceptions, the sale of a property worth 300,000 euros represents the same workload for the real estate agent as that of a property worth 600,000 euros” , assures Rodolphe De Blieck who de facto advocates “pricing commensurate with the work actually carried out.”
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What about the added value of BrickSquare in terms of process digitalization? “We have developed an online platform which collects all the documents related to the property and its sale. This tool also allows us to organize visits and communicate directly with sellers and buyers. Everything is centralized in a single place, explains François Devillez. Ultimately, the sale is simplified, transparent and efficient. For the benefit of both sellers who are informed in real time of the progress of operations, and candidate buyers who have instant access to the complete sales file and the status of the offers submitted.”
Three partners
Before creating BrickSquare, the two partners, whose friendship dates back to their meeting at university during their law studies at ULB, each followed their own career. In real estate for Rodolphe De Blieck (Winick Realty Group, Naftali Group, CBRE, Cohabs, etc.), in law and finance for François Devillez. “Our mutual desire to undertake brought us together,” says the latter. They were quickly joined by a third partner: Harry Chkolar, former director of the Capital Markets & Development Advisory department of CBRE in Luxembourg. The oldest member of the trio, he brings, among other things, solid experience, having worked with the biggest groups (Cushman&Wakefield, Immobel, Atenor, etc.) for more than twenty years.
Two months ago in Belgium (starting with Brussels and the two Brabants) and just two weeks ago in the Grand Duchy, the three partners launched their small business in a seemingly unfavorable context of rising mortgage interest rates. , a general increase in construction and renovation costs, and, therefore, a drastic reduction in the financial capacity of buyers. “Precisely, it is this sluggish economic climate which guided us in our reflection, explains Rodolphe De Blieck. Apart from the incompressible real estate costs (registration fees, notary fees, etc.), it is the agency fees which make the difference from one sale to another. We therefore made sure to reduce them as much as possible and act as a shield against the macroeconomic elements which impact the market and the owners.”
With or without visits
While offering in its basic package professional photos of the property for sale, a video report and a marketing campaign on all real estate platforms and on social networks, BrickSquare gives sellers the possibility of carrying out the visits themselves. “We take care of making appointments but it is the sellers who open their doors,” agrees François Devillez, who highlights an à la carte service: sellers can just as easily decide to entrust the visits to BrickSquare. The package then rises to 4,950 euros excluding taxes.
In addition to visits, the telephone hotline represents another time-consuming aspect of the real estate agent’s job. Precious time that the founding duo of BrickSquare wanted to save by doing everything possible to anticipate possible questions from potential buyers. “We strive to be complete in our sales files, from the condition of the boiler to the age of the frames, including the plans of the property, town planning information, etc., points out Rodolphe De Blieck. Likewise , before agreeing on a visit, we ensure that the property meets the buyers’ expectations, otherwise both parties are traveling for nothing.”
There is no question, however, of making savings at the expense of future BrickSquare employees. “We are keen to offer a fixed salary to the team we are building,” argues François Devillez. “It is even a guarantee of quality for us. If we of course provide ‘incentives’, we refuse to pay them by commission alone.”
Big ambitions
Barely in operation, BrickSquare does not lack ambition. “We aspire to offer our services throughout Belgium in 2024 and, within five years, to be leaders in the Belgian and Luxembourg markets,” foresees Rodolphe De Blieck. Before targeting neighboring countries? “Not necessarily, no. Our agency model is already well established in France and Switzerland, where companies like Hosman and Neho are leaders in their respective markets.”
Please note that in the Grand Duchy, BrickSquare is expanding its skills by offering, in addition to the sale and rental of real estate, an advisory and business provider service to developers and investors.
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