Met at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, between a signing session and a visit to the local agency, Valentin Kretz, one of the four brothers and associate director of the family agency, explains what makes him motivated to share his professional daily life in a series. “We have always tried to be ahead of others in real estate. Working as a family and seeing ever more astonishing places and ever more incredible stories made us want to share our adventures. We wanted to show this to the general public“, explains Valentin Kretz who in season 5, currently broadcast on TMC, spends his time between Paris and New York. “Having created a team in New York, I spend a lot of time there. I’m thinking of settling there for a while. But, it’s so difficult to leave the cocoon. We are at home. Having lived abroad for five years before joining the family business, I know what it’s like to be far from family and friends.“
Is it easy to work as a family? Are there any headaches from time to time?
“We are lucky to get along really well. There are headaches like in all families. But, there aren’t many hard feelings. It goes up very high but comes down very quickly. We have no choice, we need to move forward. There are also different generations in the family. We don’t have the same visions, the same objectives, the same desires when we are 60 years old or 30 years old or 20 years old. The hardest part is finding a common goal to move in the same direction.“
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Is the New York real estate market very different from the French market?
“We don’t work at all in the same way in the United States as in France. The mentalities are different. Americans are more “straight to the point” (They get to the point, Editor’s note.). It’s very nice for business. They also have much less difficulty talking about money and there is a spirit of collaboration between real estate agents that there is not in France. In New York, there is often a broker for the buyer and an agent for the seller. They negotiate to bring the parties together. In France, it’s not the same thing. We can represent a seller and a buyer.“
When will an agency open in Belgium?
“We are already very lucky because we are spread across France, my little brother is developing the company in Spain, there is also Portugal and New York. Step by step. We are often asked to open in Belgium. It’s true that this country is in our cursor. Very soon!“
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What are the craziest requests a buyer has ever made of you?
-“Every day, we have incongruous requests. I am often asked to sell in one month when under French law, it is a minimum of three months. We’re not superheroes either. (laughs) Our clients make a living from their passion. I remember a wine enthusiast who wanted a wine cellar of around 100 m2. The rest of the house, ultimately, he didn’t care. It’s part of the special requests but that’s what we’re here for. We have customers who know exactly what they want and that’s normal. It’s up to us to provide the service and put the energy where it’s needed to make it work.“
What do you say to critics who claim that your series is scripted and that the clients are fake?
“Let them come and see how we work in the agency. They will see that everything is true. The series only shows a small part of our daily lives. We really work as a family and the clients we show on screen are our real clients.“
What impact has this series had on your business?
“It has a very positive effect on our business, indeed. Today, it has become a real sales channel thanks to broadcast on TMC and Netflix in almost 200 countries around the world. We sold almost 80% of the goods we shot in the first seasons.“
Do you also have discerning tastes when it comes to your own home?
“We see so many incredible things that, yes, it gives me ideas but it’s complicated for me to reach that level. I am not possessive, nor envious. Above all, it pushes me to succeed. My dream is not to obtain my clients’ houses and that’s fine otherwise, I wouldn’t sleep at night!“(laughs)
You have sparked vocations. Are you proud of this?
“We realize by reading the messages we receive that many people got started thanks to us. It’s nice to see that we’re making young people want to get started or others to retrain in real estate. It’s not an easy job, there are ups and downs, you have to have a strong heart. We only get paid for results. And above all, it’s a profession that changes quickly so you have to constantly reinvent yourself, particularly by going to see what is being done abroad.“
