Bien'Ici CEO Cyril Janin pens Open Letter to French Agents Urging them to "Take Back Control"

Cyril Janin, president of agent-owned French portal Bien'Ici, has penned an open letter to real estate agents asking them to consider switching to his portal because other portals are no longer the most attractive proposition for them.

From unfair data privacy to commissions being eaten away at by rival agents, Janin laid into the implied misdeeds of other real estate marketplaces in France before closing his argument with a call to action for agents to join 15,000 agents that have already switched up their business offering to Bien'Ici.

It's the second such interview Janin has given in recent months after March's comments that agents have been struggling to sell stock due to longer transaction times.

Bien'Ici, France's number three portal, has a clear desire to whip up PR around its model. It's a timely decision; recent news that rival market leader SeLoger will allow FSBO listings on its site means disgruntled agents may be more amenable to a new portal partnership, especially as Bien'Ici is now France's only major portal with an embargo on FSBO listings:

FSBO Listings on French Portals

Bien'Ici operates an "agent friendly" subscription package, including an offer launched in December 2022 that lets agents post up to 100 listings per month for just €249 per month—a move that the portal said led to a record 304 signups in a month.