SANTO DOMINGO– A bell tolled and cheers echoed through the Grand Hall, announcing the closing of a property sale. An orderly fair, free of crowds, characterized “Plusval throughout the Dominican Republic,” the real estate sales event held by Plusval Dominicana and Banco Popular over the weekend in three regions of the country.
“We are very happy, we bought a one-bedroom apartment located in Cap Cana. We had been trying to find one for six months and we liked it because it is a place with great potential for tourism, we believe we made a good investment,” testified Juan Fernández and Roselin Díaz, a happy couple who fulfilled their dream yesterday afternoon at the fair located in the Marriott Aloft Piantini, National District.
One of the happy families who acquired an apartment in Plusval throughout the Dominican Republic. (External source).
A hall of more than 500 square meters hosted more than 90 real estate advisors from last Friday the 12th until last Sunday night, distributed in 45 stations, divided into two shifts, the first from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM, allowing the interested public to have an extended schedule to accommodate the convenient time for their visit.
A welcome cocktail was offered, while a large team of hostesses rushed to greet the visitors, politely directing them to their appointment place or immediately connecting them with one of the real estate advisors available in the spaces, which were also decorated with furniture from the Charo firm.
Space provided by Banco Popular Dominicano. (El Inmobiliario).
“This type of organized fair has been very effective for us, as people come with a specific intention and have already established direct communication with an advisor to find out what they are looking for. Thanks to our advertising and partnership with the bank, some people even arrived without appointments, but they were all handled correctly,” Juan Chalas, CEO of Plusval, told El Inmobiliario.
He explained that both in Santiago and Punta Cana there was a large influx of people, which allowed many businesses to close, in addition to the rate offered by Banco Popular, a facility that was taken advantage of by the customers.
He added that a considerable number of closures are also projected in the post-fair period. "Because this is a job that takes place before the fair, during the fair, and after the fair, because we know that in the next 15 days we're going to have work for some closures that are sure to come.".
He stated that during the presentation, Banco Popular offered a rate of 10.95, "two points below the regular market rate," and that the bank pre-selected individuals from its database who were looking for properties and had loan approvals, whose cases were in process at that financial institution.
He explained that one advantage the local market has is that it's familiar with the product and has a more mature customer base. "Here, the customer has also been working with us for at least a month, and practically every time they come here it's to take advantage of the offer.".
According to the Plusval executive, this is the first time in the country that a real estate company has brought together so many offers on a single platform and during a single weekend. “We're talking about more than 50 construction companies that agreed to a 5% discount on their actual list prices, an offer of more than 100 ready-to-move-in properties that also agreed to a 5% discount, in addition to all the closing cost offers. It was really done to create a sense of purpose and not just be a consultation fair.”.
Families looking to update their homes, couples, and investors came together for the three-day event.
Chalas highlighted that, taking advantage of the setting, the real estate firm he represents launched projects such as one located on Máximo Gómez Avenue, in addition to a commercial tower, which "gives the fair a lot of buying potential because a product launch for a market that is always looking for opportunities is something interesting.".
“The results have been very good. We've had similar things happen at other fairs, but never on this scale. This is a precedent; we're setting a milestone because no other real estate company in the country has ever held a simultaneous fair in three regions on this scale. It's truly something new for everyone, and the results have been excellent. We had a projected goal, and the truth is, with today's numbers, we're going to achieve very good results,” he concluded.
