Rarely have the role, function and credentials of agents been under as much scrutiny as they are at present. As a result, conditions are changing. In mid-December, the German Government presented a draft bill regarding the principle that the client will pay the agent’s fees. This means that, going forward, the buyer and the vendor of owner-occupied property will share these costs.

However, the most dramatic changes to the day-to-day work of commercial agents will not be brought about by government regulations but by the requirements of the market. The introductory agent is obsolete even if introducing space remains the benchmark.

However, the agents of tomorrow can offer clients significantly more extensive added value by tweaking their job description from an agent to a deal manager. The latter is characterised by a structured and significantly more transparent process with a high level of digital support, via which agents will assist their clients as consultants. This is essentially project management with a clear structure in terms of time and role.

To find not only a solution but the solution for our clients, we must first get to know them. The initial and most important stage, ideally in the form of a workshop, is to take a look at the status quo. How does the organisation operate? What are its processes? Which departments work together? How are these arranged spatially?

Ultimately, however, what matters most is the future. Where does the company want to be in five and/or 10 years? How will the operational working environment, structures and hierarchies change during this period? The relevant responses and ideas will produce a requirement profile that provides the basis for the property search.

Following the lead of Anglo-Saxon countries, the real estate market in Germany is also changing towards greater transparency on the offer side. Naturally, acquiring space remains a central component of the job profile, however, there is greater emphasis on managing risks and the expectations of clients in the US and the UK than in Germany.

Clients not only expect their dedicated agent to guide them through the local markets but also to have a comprehensive understanding of market data in order to give them recommendations. Hence, data management and analysis are already key components of the job profile. Know your data, know your supply; only then can we give occupiers clear and credible guidance.

To satisfy client requirements, consultancy firms will have to be specialists, whether as landlord agents or tenant agents. Such professionalisation will result in better solutions for clients, making our services on the whole more valuable.

Another aspect of this differentiation of the job profile will be the greater importance and specialisation of strategic workplace consulting. This will play an increasingly central role in property-related projects since every search with a final destination begins with asking the right questions: who am I, who am I becoming and where do I want to go? Only then is it possible to determine what a market, an environment for concrete solutions, has in store.

Further information

Contact Savills Agency team in Germany