Combining individual skills and diverse specialist fields, our Federation rose up through the ranks, in just a few decades, to occupy top position in the French real estate market. Because our professional environment is regularly plagued by an uncertain climate, the Federation enables each of its members to develop solutions to strengthen the survival of their company.

As a constantly evolving federation, FNAIM today pursues an ambitious training policy in the real estate professions, offering a collective response to consumers’ needs and committing itself to clear values where customer satisfaction is the prime performance indicator of the companies that comprise it. Keenly aware of the advantages that we hold, I would like to step up our progress initiative with the aid of the Ecole Supérieure de l’Immobilier -ESI (National College of Real Estate), the Inter-Agency Service (SIA) and our own Professional Code of Ethics and rules, to ensure that, as a top-ranking player, FNAIM becomes a symbol of excellence in the real estate sector.

An informative, advisory and preventive role of FNAIM

In order to provide FNAIM professionals and their customers with the best possible legal protection, the Federation’s Legal Department publishes online documents for use in property transactions, co-ownership,management, tax and social matters incorporating the latest regulatory requirements. If a member needs any personalised advice on law or tax issues, a team of consultants is available to deal with queries from Monday to Friday by telephone, e-mail, fax or letter. Professionals can also count on a quick solution to their problems and thus ensure their customers receive a compliant response in respect of the legal provisions in force.

Real estate is a strongly regulated sector in which legislation is constantly changing. In order to enable FNAIM professionals to provide consumers with the assurance of competence and performance, the Federation was quick to set up a team of legal consultants entirely dedicated to members. In a constant concern to keep members posted of legal advances, all consultants regularly write articles on real estate matters, including property transactions, co-ownership, management, tax affairs, town-planning and social issues. Whenever a new legislative or regulatory measure is introduced, members are notified that very day via the FNAIM Extranet, an interface exclusively reserved for FNAIM professionals, updated daily. A special Newsletter is also sent by e-mail to all FNAIM professionals, and every Monday it recaps on the week’s legal news. Finally, the hottest issues are examined in depth in the Revue Bleue, a monthly magazine aimed at members and to which the general public may subscribe.

Tools and services designed by the Federation for immediate use by members

The following tools are aimed respectively at management agents and property transaction specialists to promote their skills during dealings with their customers:

• The Co-ownership observatory
  This management tool has many advantages for management agents. It enables them to efficiently manage their co-ownership properties and offer co-owners evidence of their skills. The observatory, in effect, can be used to obtain a rapid assessment of the amount of charges relating to a new property under management. It compares the current year’s property charges with those of previous years, runs a diagnostic of co-ownership charges and alerts the management agent when an item is way above average. By attending the co-ownership meetings, the FNAIM professional can therefore display his sound property management skills and fulfil his advisory role by warning co-owners of items that need to be monitored.
• Séverina
  At what value is the transaction equitable for both buyer and seller? What housing characteristics can influence the global purchase price and to what extent in each case? The answers to questions raised every day by professionals and their customers can be found in Séverina, an in-depth statistical market analysis tool, which FNAIM has been offering free of charge since 2000. Updated quarterly, Séverina helps customers to better define their real estate projects by matching their desires against reality, and by directing their research according to their financial capabilities.This analytical tool helps professionals to develop their pitch based on a precise evaluation of the property sought and to reassure prospective buyers of the proposed selling price. It is a means of building the professional’s competencies.

Economic reference tools aimed at general public and corporate players

As a major player in the resale property market, FNAIM endeavours to keep the authorities and consumers informed of the state of the sector.The tools that it has developed for a better understanding of the market have made it the leading reference in property market analysis and a key liaison for the economic press:

• The National Observatory of the Resale Markets (quarterly news publication)
  FNAIM has a property database updated by 6,500 property transaction experts throughout France, thereby guaranteeing excellent geographic coverage. With around 140,000 references added every year, the database now contains over 500,000 references to transactions completed since 1995. The National Observatory of the Resale Markets derives its analysis from this database. For the whole of France, including every region and 350 provincial cities, it puts out a quarterly Situation letter giving news of recent developments in the sector and property prices.The Situation Letter, published in the first two weeks of quarter Q, reports on market observations made during quarter Q-1. Each publication is discussed at press conferences, widely reported in the media, and the quarterly Situation Letters are published online on the FNAIM site to be made available to the general public.
• The Resale property monthly price index Devised specifically to supply reactive information relating directly to the news and satisfy the demand for market expertise in continuous time, the resale property monthly price index is published within the first eight days of every month and concerns market observations made during month M-1. It enables consumers to accurately identify recent patterns in price developments in the resale property market, a key component of France’s real estate economy.
• The “Observatoire national locative FNAIM’’ (annual rental market observatory) Created in 1992, this observatory presents a snapshot of the private rental market in France and, every year, brings out a study, as well as a Situation Letter to help track developments. It is compiled by collecting 11,000 references relating to new rentals for which the help of FNAIM professionals has been enlisted. Commented by property managers operating in each of the cities surveyed, the observatory publishes details on the development in rental prices at national level, in Paris and all the main provincial cities, the surface areas in question and the type of property sought. Each publication also includes a background feature on current rental trends.

Biography

René Pallincourt is President of the French National Real Estate Federation (FNAIM) based in Paris. FNAIM was founded in 1946 and, in terms of membership numbers, is the leading European professional real estate body. 10,000 independent agencies are spread over 78 regional chambers, and upon paying an annual membership fee, each professional is awarded the FNAIM quality label. The member must then undertake to abide by the FNAIM’s quality charter which emphasises professional, ethical and honest business dealings. For more information please visit: www.fnaim.fr or call: + 33 1 44 20 77 00