RE/MAX Office Opens In Mozambique

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American and Mozambican co-own the business
American and Mozambican co-own the business

RISMEDIA, June 26, 2006?As the international expansion of RE/MAX franchising continues, RE/MAX Chaves De Casa has opened in the capital city of Maputo, Mozambique under the co-ownership of American Steve Snider, and Mozambican Rui Samo Gudo.

The last six years of Snider?s eight year real estate career has been with RE/MAX Results in Eden Prarie, Minn. For the last 10 years, Samo Gudo has operated a local agency in Maputo and currently has four associates. The two, who are both fluent in English and Portuguese, plan to add at least six agents in the next few months and to see RE/MAX offices operating in Xai-Xai, Beira and Nampula within the next few years.

?My wife and I visited Mozambique in June 2004, and fell in love with the country and its people,? said Snider. ?This country has so much potential and we wanted to get involved in helping it change for the better. After much consideration, we moved our family here in July. I believe that real estate is an avenue in which I can use my expertise and skills to help people create a sustainable business.?

Snider and his wife are self supporting volunteers with World Relief International and he serves as director of business investment and development. The organization creates links to viable business opportunities for people seeking to engage in the free market opportunities that are sweeping across Mozambique.

Samo Gudo adds that the mission of their new operation is ?to create a real estate agency that will add value and knowledge to our clients and to engage agents that will become authorities on ethical real estate practices in Mozambique.?

With a population of 19.6 million, Mozambique is located in Southeastern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania. Natural resources include coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum and graphite while agricultural products include cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, coconuts, sisal, citrus and tropical fruits, potatoes, sunflowers, beef and poultry. Its major industries are food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), aluminum, petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos and tobacco.

The country gained independence June 25, 1975 from Portugal and in 1987, the government embarked on a series of macroeconomic reforms designed to stabilize the economy. These steps, combined with donor assistance and with political stability since the multi-party elections in 1994, have led to dramatic improvements in the country’s growth rate.

?This is an exiting time for Steve and Rui, their families and for RE/MAX International,? said Peter Gilmour, RE/MAX senior vice president of franchise sales and brokerage. ?They will be an integral part of shaping the future of business in Mozambique and certainly will enhance the real estate industry there. We are proud they selected the RE/MAX brand to lead their charge.?

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