IT’S a tough time for most Irish estate agents, with many twiddling their thumbs waiting for our battered economy to recover. So lucky for Paddy Curran and Thomas Carthy that their BNP Paribas Real Estate office in Dublin is part of such a big network.
With headquarters in Paris and offices in 14 countries around the world, BNP is in a good position to handle the needs of some of those foreign direct investors who are sustaining Ireland Inc at the moment. (Clients here include Kellogg’s, IBM and Yahoo.)
It can also source property investments for any Irish clients turning their gaze abroad.
The mood at BNP’s annual real estate conference in Paris last week was in marked contrast to the gloom here in Dublin.
A few thousand agents and clients packed the auditorium at the Palais de Congres in Porte Maillot in Paris (that’s where the bus gets in from the flights to Beauvais) to hear BNP chiefs talk about real estate recovery.
French property markets have more or less regained ground lost since the crash – and in Paris, residential prices are strong because there’s a shortage of supply according to residential chief Olivier Bokobza.
So things can get better – even if it won’t be here for a while. Still, a scrap of good news for all those Irish investors with some French property in their portfolio.
