Remax, the real estate agent group established in Denver in 1973, will see its European business grow by 30 per cent this year after recovering from the slowdown last year, Remax Europe managing director and chief operating officer H. Charles Lemire Jr told The Times Business.

Overall real estate business across the continent will see a gradual increase, particularly in some regions in western and eastern Europe, he added, forecasting a double digit increase in central Europe as markets like Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia gather pace.

Mr Lemire was in Malta a few days ago to lead a two-day seminar aimed at Remax Malta's associates and managerial staff with Richard Duggal, a Top 100 Remax associate from North America. Mr Lemire also hosted an event for the public called "60 minutes with Remax", an open-to-all introduction to Remax, targeting people seeking a career change.

From Remax's European headquarters in Vienna, Mr Lemire's office services all European markets and Israel. As chief operating officer for the last four years, Mr Lemire keeps close contact with Remax's regional owners, including Malta's Kevin and Jeff Buttigieg.

"2009 was a recovery year for Europe," Mr Lemire explained. "Markets like Ireland, Spain and Italy suffered an increase in unemployment and a decrease in overall sales as it has been difficult economically for many European countries. Some are still struggling. For the US, it was a progressive year as most markets are not back to where they were before the crisis and the decline of three years ago."

According to Kevin Buttigieg, Malta proved one of the exceptions as the Remax operation on the island experienced an increase last year. The growth was attributed mainly to heavy investment in intensive staff training and education, higher service level standards, and a major breakthrough in the Maltese first-time buyers segment which Remax has only recently penetrated with remarkable success. Access to Remax's bespoke training tools was the key differentiator in the team's training and expertise.

Mr Lemire explained that the Maltese market was different because it was a "very local market", unlike Spain which was battered because it was not. From the northeast coast all the way down to the Gold Coast, Spain was reliant on the UK and German second-home buyers. Once the economy slipped and that revenue dried up, offices closed because the business was not there," Mr Lemire said.

"The Eastern European market is in the same category. When our market in Europe was questionable, the money that was pouring out of the Russian market stopped. So there was not as much investment in Sofia, Bucharest and the Baltics from the Russian buyers. Spain is now coming back because the second-home buyers are Russian, not British or German. Although pricing is up and transactions are up, the mood in the UK is still one of caution, mostly because of the upcoming election. When consumers are in a cautious mood, they do not rush to Malaga to buy a second home."

Across the Atlantic, the US market is recovering strongly except for areas which continue to face economic challenges like Detroit - where confidence has been dented by the slump in the car making industry - Miami, through oversupply, and Las Vegas and Phoenix, where over-development has translated into too much bank-owned property.

Across the world, pricing will have an impact on overall figures - buyers obviously want to buy low and sell high. Home owners prefer to invest in low markets, which is why, Mr Lemire pointed out, it is the opportune time to buy in Spain, Italy, parts of central Europe, Austria and Germany. Attractive interest rates are also a key factor in the entire scenario.

Mr Lemire believed that if pricing remained attractive, interest rates stuck at current figures and job stability increased, confidence would pick up even further and the buyers would return.

Despite the difference in cultures across markets, customers all over the world were able to recognise good service standards. The onus was on real estate agents to fully understand clients' long-term objectives and be able to guide them better through the maze of investments and financing options available. Under the Remax philosophy, agents should be able to accompany clients along their journey in the housing market long-term: from their first stints in the rental market, first purchase, relocation overseas, and their eventual return to their home market.

What made a good real estate agent?

"I have publicly said that women make better real estate agents," Mr Lemire smiled. "Women listen more than men do - many women naturally care because they are care providers within family structures, they empathise more and can put up with a lot more pain than men. This is not an easy business. It is fairly straightforward - we do not run complex operations like airlines - but it is not easy because you are dealing with people's lives. Our top producer in Europe was a woman. She made €920,000 last year."

Mr Lemire believes Kevin and Jeff Buttigieg at Remax Malta - whose top five agents include three women - have all the right characteristics, particularly leadership care, and are good examples to their entire company.

During his stay in Malta, Mr Lemire held sessions for Remax Malta's managers, leaders, agents and administrators. Asked what he hoped his audience would take away from the event, Mr Lemire said he wanted people to be reassured that their company cared about them and that although Remax was in business for profit, the focus was not solely on the bottom line.

Mr Lemire explained that, contrary to other real estate groups around the world, Remax empowered its people, rather than told them what to do within restricted set-ups.

It is one of Remax's founding principles. Unhappy with the way real estate business was conducted, Dave and Gail Liniger founded Remax in the mid-1970s on the belief that for the best people to be attracted to the business, brokers were to be given freedom, high standard support and maximum compensation. Agents share some expenses but in turn receive a range of real estate franchise services and more control over their business.

"We need to have agents walk away from the event caring about the service they provide," Mr Lemire pointed out. "They must provide top quality real estate service in our industry and nothing less is satisfactory. To learn how to do that they have to use the available tools. They can access remax.com at any time to access our 'agent training on demand' tool and listen to some of the best people. They must leave the event with the notion that they need to continually learn to improve their skills on how to serve customers."

So impressed is Mr Lemire with the growth and professionalism at Remax Malta, he has asked the Buttigieg brothers to mentor the new Remax owner in Montenegro. Remax Malta has previously mentored Remax Estonia's management team.