Staff Reporter
THE boss of Marbella’s upmarket realtor The Agency has revealed the results of his first year in the resort… and set a target for 2025.
Leif Orthmann told the Olive Press he was ‘pretty happy’ with the results in 2024, which included a €10 million villa sale in the Sierra Blanca area.
And now the giant American agency has hired five new agents it is aiming to sell €120 million of property this year.
“I don’t think it is unreasonable, given how upmarket this place is and the amazing demand,” added Orthmann, who grew up between Germany and Switzerland.
The bottom line, he explained, has been getting a better website and generating stronger leads.
“Now we have our lead gen under control we are able to get really good agents, who will earn lots of money,” he said.
He explained how high end property prices rose by 3.2% on the Costa del Sol last year, with an average price exceeding €3 million.
The most expensive town is Benahavis where prices are just over €26 million, while the average price per square metre stands at €7,185.
Both Marbella and Estepona are not far behind and are breaking records of their own.
In particular, he revealed that a friend of his had sold a luxury penthouse property in the Puente Romano area for a record of €50,000 per metre square last year.
He declined to give the final fee, but described this as ‘Knightsbridge prices’.
“We are experiencing a golden age in the luxury real estate market. International buyers increasingly recognise Marbella not only as a secure investment but also as an unparalleled place to live,” continued Leif, who divides his time between Marbella and Chelsea, in London.
“Things are really starting to grow here and it is helping that a bit more culture is coming in, a few new art galleries and places like the new jazz club, Claude’s Bar, at Puente Romano hotel.”
He expects 2025 to be as good a year overall as 2024 and it helps with the number of digital nomads looking to live here.
Meanwhile, the Agency is looking for a new bigger office on the Golden Mile to absorb the new employees. It will also employ a new marketing manager.
One of the world’s biggest real estate firms by volume, the Agency became famous from the Buying Beverly Hills Netflix documentary
The Californian real estate titans are celebrated for selling iconic properties such as Hugh Heffner’s Playboy Mansion and Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch.
The agency was founded in 2011 by Mauricio Umansky, who is well-known from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Visit www.belleside.com for more information.
