Summary of the interview:

What exactly does Immobilienscout24 do, Mr Lamers?

We offer our customers services to improve the marketing of their properties. Among other things, this includes optimised placements to increase reach.

Differences between commercial providers (brokers) and private providers.

I can say that we have about 20,000 estate agents who advertise properties with us, 2,000 - 3,000 of them in Berlin and the surrounding area alone. The share of private advertisers is a maximum of 2% in Berlin, for example. At the moment, however, it is generally the case that few properties are being sold in Berlin in particular, which is why there are only a few private sellers on the market.

We offer commercial, paying advertisers some advantages, such as better visibility. In addition, their ads are listed better in a direct comparison and they have so-called "special placements", which ensure that their properties are shown to searchers first.

Visitor numbers on Immobilienscout24

We currently have around 14.5 million visitors per month, which also makes us the provider with the widest reach among all our competitors.

Search requests on the portal

For customers who are looking for a property, we also offer the option of a search request. To do this, the prospective tenant/buyer fills out a search request with precise criteria on our website. He will then receive a message directly as soon as a new property that meets the criteria has been put online.

How can I recognize a serious provider?

We recommend that providers formulate a detailed company description and supplement the profile with introductory photos of the team. This is the best way to present your company and make a serious impression. Furthermore, professional photos are very important in real estate advertisements. We recommend including as many photos as possible and using features such as virtual tours. Another important aspect are the reviews, both from buyers and sellers. These are especially important for a good presentation in the yellow pages.

How do you see the real estate market in eastern Germany, especially in Berlin?

My impression is that the real estate sector is very robust despite the current circumstances. We continue to see rising demand in Berlin, so the location remains attractive. Prices also continue to rise steadily, so we have price growth of 10 % for condominiums and 5 % for houses.

We also see a positive market development in eastern Germany. The increasing dynamism on the market is visible in Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz, Halle and Jena, among others. To analyze the markets, we regularly conduct index studies and publish them for our clients.

What are your observations on the rent cap?

It was clearly visible that our stock of rental flats has dropped by up to 40 %. Many private owners stop renting and sell their condominiums or keep them as empty flats. In many cases, the limited income from renting means that the properties are no longer profitable in relation to the financing.

Does ImmoScout24 see itself as an estate agent in the future?

As an online company we have a complex business model, we are innovative and above all we have very different customer groups. Our main target group is commercial sellers. But we are also open to private sellers and want to offer them the best possible service.

In the end, this means that we do not take on the role of a broker and see ourselves more as an intermediary here.