Cardis Sotheby's International Realty

What Cardis Sotheby's International Realty does

Cardis Sotheby's International Realty, operating under the legal entity Cardis SA, is a family-owned Swiss luxury real estate brokerage headquartered in Lausanne with offices in Nyon and Montreux. Founded in 1995 by Philippe Cardis and now led by his daughter Valentine Cardis as CEO, the firm has built a three-decade presence in the Vaud canton luxury residential market under the Sotheby's International Realty affiliate brand. The company focuses exclusively on property sales — explicitly not rental management — serving individual buyers, sellers, investors, families, and luxury segment clients across the Lake Geneva arc.

The firm's core technology stack is a regional brokerage platform centered on digital property valuation (hedonistic analysis delivered in under three minutes), professional photography and virtual tour production, and a web-based listing and inquiry funnel hosted on cardis.ch. It supports six core service lines: brokerage and sales (courtage), property valuation (estimation), valuation for buildings and investment properties (estimation immeubles et invest), new property promotion/development (promotions immobilières), land valuation (valorisation de terrains), and bespoke strategic advisory (accompagnement stratégique sur mesure). The firm is currently commercializing two principal development projects: Innaé (25 apartments in Cossonay, completion end-2026) and L'Orée du Léman (9 luxury apartments in Pully, delivery winter 2027), with L'Orée du Léman positioned as a flagship showcase.

Revenue is generated primarily through a 2.5% transaction commission on property sales charged to sellers, supplemented by a tenant placement fee of 50% of one month's rent and a property management fee of 4% of annual rents collected. Distribution is exclusively direct — three physical offices with field brokers and inside sales coordinators, with no disclosed partnerships, digital channel partners, or institutional sales motion. The firm reports a portfolio of 1,200+ active listings and a 21-day average time-to-find a property versus a 39-day market median in Lausanne, and operates with a headcount in the 51–100 range.

Name

Cardis Sotheby's International Realty

Legal name

Cardis SA

Website

https://cardis.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cardis Sotheby's International Realty is a family-owned Swiss luxury real estate brokerage headquartered in Lausanne, operating offices in Nyon and Montreux, and specializing exclusively in the sale and valuation of premium residential properties across the Vaud canton and the Lake Geneva arc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Real Estate Brokerage

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury & High-End Residential Brokerage (BPAJAAAC)

Keywords

• Residential real estate brokerage
• Luxury property sales
• Property valuation services
• New development promotion
• Property management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Transaction Commission: Primary revenue stream from buying and selling real estate transactions. Commission is 2.5% on the transaction value, charged to sellers for full brokerage services including estimation, valuation, viewings, negotiation, and administrative support through to notarial signature.
2. Tenant Placement Service: Fee of 50% of one month's rent for finding tenants for rental properties.
3. Premium Property Management: Property management services charged at 4% of annual rents collected, including full management of residential and commercial properties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cardis Sotheby's International Realty is a Swiss Romande residential real estate agency that buys, sells, and values luxury properties through dedicated field brokers across offices in Lausanne, Nyon, and Montreux. Its core offerings are real estate brokerage (courtage) for buying and selling, property valuation (estimation), new development promotion (promotions immobilières), land valuation, and premium property management. Revenue is driven by a 2.5% seller-side transaction commission, tenant placement fees, and 4% annual property management fees.

Product overview

Cardis Immobilier is a Swiss Romandy real estate agency specializing exclusively in property sales rather than rentals. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services including real estate brokerage, property valuation, strategic advisory, land development, and new property promotions. The portfolio consists of core service offerings (courtage/vente, estimation, accompagnement stratégique) and two major development projects: Innaé (25 apartments in Cossonay, completion 2026) and L'Orée du Léman (9 luxury apartments in Pully, completion 2027). The company focuses on luxury and high-end properties across the Swiss Romandy region including Lausanne, Nyon, Montreux, and Geneva.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Courtage et service de vente (Real estate brokerage and sales) Full-service real estate brokerage for buying and selling residential homes, apartments, villas, and exceptional properties in the Swiss Romandy region, including estimation, viewings, negotiation, and file administration through to notarial signature.
• Estimation de biens immobiliers (Online property valuation) Online property valuation tool that delivers market-based estimates for individual properties in under three minutes. Targeted at homeowners seeking a quick market price indication for their Swiss Romande property.
• Estimation immeubles et invest (Building and investment property valuation) Professional valuation services for entire buildings and investment properties, with comprehensive market analysis using hedonistic and comparative methods. Targeted at property investors and owners of multi-unit assets.
• Promotions immobilières (New property development promotion) Real estate development and new property promotion services, including managing new construction projects from conception through commercialization. Targeted at developers and buyers of new-build residences in Swiss Romande.
• Valorisation de terrains (Land valuation and development) Land development expertise including feasibility analysis, market studies, regulatory compliance, and connecting landowners with developers and investors. Targeted at landowners and developers evaluating build potential in Swiss Romande.
• Accompagnement stratégique sur mesure (Bespoke strategic advisory) Strategic advisory providing personalized support throughout the property transaction process from initial meeting through final signature. Targeted at clients navigating complex or high-value Swiss real estate transactions.
• Premium property management (Gestion immobilière premium) Full management of residential and commercial rental properties, charged at 4% of annual rents collected. Targeted at property owners seeking outsourced premium management of Swiss Romande assets.
• Tenant placement service (Service de location) Tenant placement service finding qualified tenants for rental properties, charged at 50% of one month's rent. Targeted at rental property owners in the Swiss Romande market.

Quantifiable outcome

• 21-day average time to find ideal property (vs. 39-day market median)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Naef Immobilier: Established Swiss Romande real estate brokerage with multi-office coverage in Lausanne, Geneva, and Vaud canton. Directly comparable as a regional brokerage serving overlapping buyer/seller segments, including luxury residential, with comparable scale and headcount.
• Barnes Suisse: Swiss arm of Barnes, a global luxury real estate network with offices in Geneva and Lausanne. Directly competes in the same Vaud luxury residential segment, serving similar high-net-worth buyers and leveraging an international luxury brand analogous to Sotheby's.
• SPG Intercity Geneva: Long-established Geneva-based real estate agency offering brokerage, advisory, and property management across the Lake Geneva region. Closely comparable as a Romandie-headquartered luxury and high-end residential brokerage with overlapping Vaud/Geneva client base.
• Compass Immobilier: Swiss Romande residential real estate agency covering Lausanne and Vaud canton. Comparable as a regional brokerage serving similar buyer and seller segments, including luxury and family residential.
• John Taylor Suisse: Luxury real estate agency with offices across the Lake Geneva arc including Geneva, Vaud, and surrounding Swiss Romande. Directly comparable as a luxury-focused brokerage targeting international and Swiss HNW clients in the same submarkets as Cardis.
• FGP Swiss & Alps: Swiss luxury real estate agency operating in Geneva, Vaud, and the Swiss Alps. Comparable in offering high-end brokerage services in overlapping Romandie submarkets, with a similar premium-property focus.

Broad incumbents

• Engel & Völkers: Global luxury real estate franchise with established Swiss presence in Geneva, Vaud, and the Lake Geneva corridor. Comparable as a luxury brokerage serving high-end residential clients in Suisse romande, though broader in geography and portfolio scope than Cardis.
• Knight Frank: Global real estate consultancy with a Geneva/Switzerland office focused on luxury residential sales, advisory, and prime property. Comparable in targeting affluent international buyers seeking Swiss property, though operates across far more geographies and service lines.
• Coldwell Banker Switzerland: Swiss arm of the global Coldwell Banker network, active in luxury residential across Switzerland. Comparable through its international luxury brand affiliation and Swiss brokerage operations, though broader in scope than Cardis's regional focus.
• Wüest Partner: Swiss real estate advisory and analytics firm serving institutional and private clients across Vaud and broader Switzerland. Comparable as a Romandie-rooted real estate services provider, though with a more research- and advisory-led model rather than pure brokerage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Cardis_SIR

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cardis Sotheby's International Realty