‘We need to focus more and more on creating an attractive environment outside of our homes’

Grahame Salt is a Company Director at Frank Salt Real Estate and the son of the founder, Frank Salt. After attending St Edwards College and obtaining a BSc. in Business and Computer studies, he went on to join the family business in 1996. He started off on the ground floor by selling property, and after gaining the necessary experience and insight over some years, started travelling extensively as the company’s ambassador promoting Malta and its property offerings overseas on their well-known road shows. Now, with almost 30 years of combined experience including managing the Sliema branch of Frank Salt Real Estate, and managing Homes of Quality for about 15 years (which deals with the niche market sector of the company), as well as spear-heading the investment and development arm of the Group, Grahame has a clear vision of what the future holds for both the market and the Frank Salt Real Estate Group.

Being the best at what you do

Grahame has always had the philosophy that agents are there to interpret and understand the needs and wants of a client first, and then to match them with absolutely the best property according to their criteria. “With this in mind and the changing times, real estate has evolved into a highly specialised profession requiring, not only for agents to be regulated and licensed as professionals, but also for the back office staff of the company to be of the highest calibre.

Harmonious teamwork, on-going training and being innovative leaders when it comes to marketing real estate, are all key elements to the company’s success,” Grahame said.  “For today’s consumers only the very best will do when it comes to levels of service, commitment, knowledge and professionalism – especially when one is in the business of selling high value real estate,” he continued.

Our vision

“Our vision for the company is to remain market leaders without dropping our standards or our ethical way of operating. We want to expand, but only if this doesn’t mean sacrificing quality. Frank Salt Real Estate has always been strong in all segments of the market. Our competition is intense, and this is why we focus very much on our people and on providing the correct training as well as sharing our vision with our staff.

We don’t wish to franchise as this is a model we don’t feel works well in Malta. Having branch offices with different owners causes too much internal competition and ruins teamwork. We want to have a larger market share and remain the point of reference for developers when planning projects, and for the government when deciding on new policies. We have also always had a very strong share of the overseas market and will retain this as we believe that investment into our real estate market by overseas clients is so important for Malta and Gozo,” Grahame stated.

The market for 2023

Speaking on what lies ahead for real estate, Grahame said that “as long as we play our cards right, I think the real estate market will remain healthy in 2023. As a country we need to focus more and more on creating an attractive environment outside of our homes, both for ourselves as well as to allow this beautiful island to remain a popular holiday and residence destination.”

The Maltese economy is always very resilient and home owners and investors have always believed in the local real estate market because it has such an amazing track record. “We need to be aware of what our competitors overseas are offering in terms of residence and corporate programmes, and make sure that what we offer is competitive and attractive. The market is showing no signs of slowing down, but people should always seek the right advice when planning to sell their real estate in order to ensure they enter the market at the right price.”

The importance of focusing on quality

With a more discerning and educated market on the lookout to buy and sell, the stakes are higher than ever.  “Our job has always been to match the demands of buyers with properties that are for sale or that may be for sale. Therefore, it has always been our focus to register on our books good quality properties which are priced correctly and that we can comfortably offer to our clients. We encourage developers to always step up the quality of their projects and we also encourage more focus on energy efficiency in design and finishes.”

“When it comes to resales, I think more effort must be put into making the home ready for showing off to potential buyers. Like everything else, a well-kept home is more attractive to visitors and some minor maintenance work can make all the difference,” Grahame said.   “The important thing to take away from this is that well-kept properties offered for sale definitely move faster: the buying public wants quality homes.”

Quality, bespoke all-round service

Frank Salt Real Estate has long been considered a leader in Malta’s real estate market with impeccable market knowledge, the highest professional conduct, expert agents and an impressive history of success that spans more than 50 years.

With more than 18 branches and around 200 professional estate agents, the company offers convenience, the biggest selection of properties for sale and to let in the country, and a branch that can be found in most towns and villages. With ancillary arms of business that cover commercial property, property management and a home interiors, Frank Salt Real Estate is a one-stop shop for anyone interested in buying and selling property. “The need of every client is assessed on an individual basis and around this, a bespoke bouquet of solutions are tailored and hand-picked to ensure a quick, successful outcome for any buyer, seller, landlord or tenant,” Grahame summed up.

A career in real estate is extremely rewarding

Frank Salt Real Estate was the first real estate company in Malta to have all its agents accredited according to the legislation passed in 2021. This pro-active nature has always been part of the group’s ethos with compulsory, rigorous in-house induction and training courses for any new recruits, onboarding procedures and ongoing training courses for the lifetime of any agent.  

“Due to the dynamic and bullish nature of Malta’s property market, the need for new agents to join the group in sales and letting has increased considerably. Agents with prior experience are always welcome of course, but anyone that is currently considering a career in real estate with the group has no need for prior experience or knowledge of property, as all training in order to operate as a licensed agent will be provided.

It is a well-known fact that some of our company’s most successful agents come from varied backgrounds such as stay-at-home moms, bankers, teachers, the catering industry, sport and more, which shows that you only need to have a passion for property, determination and the will to succeed,” he said enthusiastically. Selling real estate also offers flexible working hours to those that want an alternative. “Our human resources department can be contacted at any time should you be interested in kicking off a career in real estate. I can highly recommend it,” he added with a big smile.