Brokerage

RE/MAX sells master franchises to Pakistan, Guyana

Owners hope to bring ethics and standards to Pakistan where real estate is an unregulated industry.

RE/MAX, LLC is expanding its global presence into Pakistan and Guyana. The firm announced it closed the sale of Master Franchise Rights in Pakistan to American International Partners, LLC, owned by Muhammad Saleem, Rafay Qamar and Imran Gondal, three experienced entrepreneurs.

The global real estate franchisor also announced it closed the sale of Master Franchise Rights in Guyana to Canadian RE/MAX veteran Shiv Misir and his two partners.  

“As a business that builds businesses, RE/MAX is constantly seeking to expand opportunities for entrepreneurship around the globe,” says Shawna Gilbert, RE/MAX Vice President, Global Growth and Development.

Pakistan real estate is unregulated industry

According to Pakistan region co-owner Qamar, he and his business partners are seeking to bring new standards and ethics to a country where real estate is currently an unregulated industry. “Our mission is to streamline the process of buying and selling real estate in Pakistan while elevating the level of trust and confidence during a transaction.”

Saleem, another region co-owner, says, “We want to build a bridge from east to west and open up opportunities to Pakistanis that have immigrated to or were born in other markets, and are interested in investing in Pakistan real estate.”

He further said that their plan is for the Global RE/MAX listing website to be the first and only authentic source of information in Pakistan.

Imran, another Pakistan region co-owner, says. “Due to the lack of regulation, there is currently a mistrust of the real estate industry among Pakistanis. We want to help people to feel safe and comfortable in their real estate transactions, and we knew we needed a well-recognized brand like RE/MAX to help us achieve that.”

“Right now, in Pakistan anyone can be an agent – you can be selling tea in the morning and selling real estate at night,” Imran says. “We want to elevate real estate as a respected profession through education and training, and the RE/MAX brand will help us accomplish this.”

The grand opening of RE/MAX of Pakistan headquarters in Lahore is currently being planned for the fall, with the group anticipating opening the first franchises in Spring 2022.

Guyana office aims to attract international clientele

Possessing a wealth of natural resources, the Co-operative Republic of Guyana is located in the northeastern corner of South America. Until now, Guyana was the only South American country without a RE/MAX presence.

Shiv Misir, Canadian Partner of the RE/MAX Guyana Master Franchise and Guyana native, had long hoped to leverage his decades-long real estate skills into the service of his former homeland. “I’ve traveled back to Guyana from Canada many times since leaving my homeland nearly 40 years ago, and over time, I’ve seen the need for an organized, reputable real estate brand to come into Guyana to serve its homebuyers and sellers,” Misir says. “RE/MAX can contribute to the economic development of this area, providing an invaluable real estate resource to locals as well as play an important role in raising the international profile of Guyana by attracting the attention of international clientele to this beautiful country.”

The RE/MAX Master Franchise’s initial entry into Guyana is anticipated by the end of September 2021 in the capital city of Georgetown.