eXp Realty plans Swiss launch as European expansion reaches 11 countries

eXp Realty says it will enter Switzerland, adding its 11th European market and naming longtime Swiss resident Mehrdad Bonakdar as CEO of eXp Switzerland. The move comes as Swiss home prices, mortgage activity and financing conditions show strength that could support new agent growth.

Why it matters: - Switzerland becomes eXp Realty’s 11th European market, extending a regional expansion that began in the UK in 2019. - The launch targets a market with rising residential prices, lower mortgage rates and improving lending activity. - The company is betting that its cloud-based model can appeal to Swiss agents facing high overhead and branding costs.

What happened: - eXp Realty announced plans to launch in Switzerland and appointed Mehrdad Bonakdar as CEO of eXp Switzerland. - Bonakdar is a 15-year Swiss resident with more than 34 years of international real estate experience. - The announcement follows eXp Realty’s European expansion into nine additional countries after its 2019 UK debut. - Luxembourg was the company’s most recent European launch in March 2026.

The details: - Swiss residential property prices rose 3.6% year over year in Q2 2026 and 21.3% over the past five years, according to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office Residential Property Price Index. - New one-year fixed mortgage rates in Switzerland fell from 2.96% in July 2023 to 1.47% in July 2026, according to Swiss National Bank data. - Over the same period, two-year fixed rates fell from 2.97% to 1.54%, three-year rates from 2.96% to 1.64% and five-year rates from 2.94% to 1.78%. - New mortgage loans rose 3.8% from Q1 to Q2 2026, driven by a 7.6% increase in new mortgages for owner-occupied residential property. - Bonakdar previously grew a three-person boutique agency in Mallorca into KENSINGTON Finest Properties International AG. - KENSINGTON grew to more than 90 locations across five countries before Bonakdar sold the international group in 2023. - Bonakdar also led Engel & Völkers’ expansion across Dubai and the Middle East. - eXp Realty operates across Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania.

Between the lines: - The Swiss launch suggests eXp Realty is using market strength to accelerate international growth rather than waiting for a broader slowdown. - Bonakdar’s mix of local knowledge and scale-up experience appears central to the company’s entry strategy. - His comments point to a pitch aimed at agents who want lower operating costs and more flexible business building through a cloud-based platform.

What’s next: - eXp Realty is expected to establish and grow its Swiss presence under Bonakdar’s leadership. - The company is likely to market its agent-centric technology and commission structure as it recruits in Switzerland. - The full data tables referenced in the announcement are available online via the company’s data tables.

The bottom line: - eXp Realty is deepening its European push with a Switzerland launch built around a strong housing market and an executive who has already scaled real estate brands across multiple countries.