Cerberus boosts Housell: 150 cities and double turnover in 2019

This article was written and published in Spanish and has been translated into English via Google Translate. Click here to read the original article.

The company intends to have 9,000 customers at the end of the year and studies entering the international market, in the medium or long term.

Housell accelerates

The real estate services company controlled by Cerberus expects to double its turnover in 2019 with the aim of becoming profitable in Spain, explained the company's CEO, Guillermo Llibre, to EjePrime. The company expects to reach nine million euros in turnover, double its equipment in 2020 and expand its geographical presence, without ruling out jumping into the international market in the medium or long term.

In June, the company closed a round of financing, led by Cerberus, in which it raised twelve million euros. The company plans to invest the funds in “consolidating the market share” in Spain and reinforcing its commitment to technology. Specifically, Housell plans to invest in marketing and communication, as well as strengthen its commercial team.

The company currently has a staff of 145 employees, one hundred of which are part of the commercial team. The company expects to double the number of workers in this area and reach 200 employees by the end of 2020. At the same time, proptech wants to “reinforce and complement the digital services” it offers. In June, for example, it launched a mortgage financing service.

The company planned to close 2018 with 5,000 homes on its online platform and a turnover of five million euros, as EjePrime advanced. Housell stayed at the gates of reaching the goal and ended the year with 4,400 properties offered and a turnover of approximately 4.4 million euros.

This year, the company intends to double the figures and reach 9,000 customers and a turnover of nine million euros. “We believe that we will reach the goal, we have good signs,” says Llibre. The goal for 2020 is to “continue duplicating” indicators.

On a territorial scale, the company closed 2018 with a presence in fifty Spanish cities. The goal by the end of this year is to reach 150 cities. Llibre, however, does not even want to hear about physical offices: "We will never open," he maintains flatly. The company is committed to continue offering an online service that allows it to be competitive in prices.

Housell was born in 2017 by Guillermo Llibre and, a few months later, Cerberus bought the company for 3.9 million euros. In June this year, the US fund led the financing round of twelve million euros, which also allowed the entry of the German group Alex Springer in the capital.

Now, the company is considering incorporating another partner, with an eye towards international expansion. However, Llibre does not want to rush. The CEO wants the business model to be profitable before taking it to other countries in Europe or Latin America, where it could enter the medium or long term.

This article was written and published in Spanish and has been translated into English via Google Translate. Click here to read the original article.

Join us November 12-15 for the Property Portal Watch Conference Madrid 2019.