HUMAN RELATIONSHIP ABOVE CORPORATE

WOMEN IN REAL ESTATE

"There have always been and will continue to be female leaders, but I do not consider myself a leader. I am part of a team where everyone has their duties and responsibilities, only my responsibilities are slightly bigger," says Jovana Vrbica, Director of Conza Properties, a company that provides local clients and investors with "one-stop shop" services in all segments of real estate transactions

JOVANA VRBICA,

Director, Conza Properties Text:

PETRA VASILJEVIĆ

Photo:

CONZA PROPERTIES

T

he expansion of the real estate sector has also increased competition among real estate service providers. For some of them, it was an opportunity to stand out from competitors with their unique business practices and win over customers. This is the case with the company Conza Properties, whose team is a combination of youth and experience and builds human relationships with its clients in addition to the professional real estate services they provide. The fact that the team leader is a woman only sparked this success story that we share with the Director of Conza Properties, Jovana Vrbica.

The construction and real estate industries in Serbia have been experiencing a significant expansion for several years now. How did you position your company in the market in these circumstances? — For almost a decade, Belgrade has been known as the “city of cranes”, and this tells us that the offer is increasing and that serious volume projects are coming to the market. We can say that there was no downtime even during the COVID crisis, and there is not one even now, when, due to the unfortunate circumstances in Ukraine, the whole world, and above all the construction materials market, was shaken. Conza Properties is a company that emerged as a logical development need for a group of investors who have been in the construction business of different building structures for more than two decades. We strive to provide a “one-stop shop” service and help clients with advice or mediation in all segments of the real estate market. Our main focus is

on residential projects. Currently, our absolute priority is the sale of 170 apartments in the RESIDENCE 7+ project in Marije Bursać Street in Kalvarija in Zemun.

Is it possible at all to operate competitively in this sector today without unified sales and lease services, property appraisals, market research, project management, and project financing?

— With increased activity in the market, the number of real estate service providers has also increased. Conza Properties, as a local company with a focus on providing services to our close clients and investors, is certainly not and does not want to be a competitor to multinational companies that have decades of corporate relations with institutional investors. We are a small team of professionals who do not enter a “memorandum” but cherish a human relationship as per every request, offer, meeting, and conclusion of a contract. We believe that one company cannot have within its staff the best people on the market in every business segment; hence, we decided to cooperate with others. If we are not able to answer the requests within our team, we turn to associates who are experts in their field. Our company is growing and developing, and we believe that we are a good combination of youth and experience. Our CEO has been in the real estate business for over two decades. He held leading positions in international consulting companies and gained experience on the markets of several EU countries.

How much work and effort is needed to make the right combination of seller and buyer, that is, lessor and lessee, and how do they all respond to a woman running such a business?

— Many people believe that brokerage is a simple job and that an agent’s only role is to bring two parties together, most often the buyer and seller. It is also commented that we, as agents, do not invest any funds and that it does not matter to us what the results of the deal are. I think it is clear that any professionalism implies serious preparation, hard work, control of the process, daily multitasking, and observing the situation from a wider angle. Whether a broker or agent will be successful depends entirely on himself or herself. As for the “battle of the sexes,” as I jokingly understood your question, I really don’t see an issue with it. The client expects only one thing from us: to have a deal done successfully. Who will complete the deal is absolutely of no importance to a client. I understand that it is not very common for a woman to run this business, but if you look at the market, there are just as many women brokers as men, if not more. In construction and investment, the case is different, although there, too, women are slowly but surely taking over management positions.

What made you opt for business and project management in construction, both through education and work experience, and what ambition led you to the position of Director of Conza Properties? Can we say that we have a new generation of female business leaders? — I have always had a preference for design, architecture, and marketing, and I like to meet people and communicate. This job is definitely very dynamic, and what I like is that every working day is different. A successful agent certainly does not sit in the office and wait for an inquiry to come to him or her by itself. I have been familiar with construction in my family since my earliest childhood, and I am glad that I was given the opportunity to do what I love with a team of, above all, good people and excellent professionals. As for female leaders, I

OUR FOCUS IS ON RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS, AND THE PRIORITY IS TO COMPLETE THE SALE OF THE RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX RESIDENCE 7+

wouldn’t say it is a matter of the new generation. There have always been and will continue to be female leaders, not to mention names like Margaret Thatcher and others, but I do not consider myself a leader. I am just part of a team where everyone has their own duties and responsibilities, but only my responsibilities are slightly bigger.

How do you anticipate the market in the next year? Where do you expect stagnation and growth, and what will be the focus of your company’s business?

— The period of one year is short, and I don’t see any big changes coming ahead. History has shown that the real estate business—that is, investing in real estate—changes in cycles, and that one cycle lasts from five to ten years. A downward trajectory is certainly ahead of us, but it will not be felt in Serbia until the end of next year. On the contrary, due to high demand, there is a possibility that prices will rise. It is beyond doubt that less money will be in circulation, so it will be more difficult for loan borrowers. Maybe the current dynamics of sales will slow down a bit, but there won’t be any significant changes. The slowdown in sales will be related to the extraordinary success of certain projects, where dozens of sales contracts are concluded in a day. Our focus is on residential projects, and the priority is to complete the sale of the residential complex RESIDENCE 7+, which has more than successfully started. We are convinced that in the case of this building, the ratio of quality, price, and location is perfect.