CLARITY, UNITY, EFFICIENCY

The idea of the Laforêt Estate Agency was originally conceived by Patrick-Michel Khider and Bernard de Crémiers at a time when they were studying law. Right from the time that they first started talking about it, they realised that they shared the same values and beliefs. In 1981, they set up their first estate agency together, in the north of Paris.

They very quickly worked out an ambitious plan: to establish and develop an important brand in real estate. In order to achieve this, they tried new methods of selling based on three key values: clarity, requiring that the client should be provided with all the information neccessary for their decision; unity, which establishes a real atmosphere of mutual confidence; and efficiency, so that the relationship is based on professionalism and attention to detail.

Their methods bore fruit and Patrick-Michel Khider and Bernard le Crémiers rapidly opened five new agencies which would serve as pilots. In 1991, they launched their franchise network.

It needed a name: this would be Laforêt, a French surname which was easy to remember and suggested support and geniality, and to which the word ‘Estate Agent’ was attached to establish the brand in its line of business.

It had to be provided with contents: this entailed, of course, the positive values brought to it by its founders and reinforced by the first franchisees.

The brand had to become a point of reference: day after day, month after month, year after year, the Laforêt Estate Agencies refined their knowledge, using more professional methods, improving their ability to provide a service to meet their clients’ property requirements.

Finally, they had to unite the workers: this would be the way that partners sharing the same positive values who were, for the most part, coming from other sectors than estate agency, would choose to work, in order to bring a new perspective to the business.

The strength of the plan and the power of persuasion of the two people who founded it made it possible for agencies in the Laforêt network to increase rapidly in number. In 2005, the company crossed borders to become established in Portugal. In 2006, it did the same in Luxembourg, then in 2007, in Morrocco. Next in line: Spain, Germany, Italy…