Wednesday, 28 October 2026
As Romania’s residential market faces rising development costs, affordability pressures and changing buyer expectations, developers are increasingly looking beyond traditional sales strategies to understand what customers actually want. CIJ.World spoke with Iulia Iana, CEO of IMPACT Finance & Sales at IMPACT Group, about integrating marketing, sales, CRM and artificial intelligence, the growing importance of community facilities, changing apartment sizes, and how customer behaviour is influencing IMPACT’s development strategy through 2034. The discussion also covered Greenfield Băneasa, the newly launched ARIA VERDI development in northern Bucharest, and the company’s activities in Iași and Constanța.
CIJ.World: You have taken responsibility for bringing marketing, sales, CRM, technology and data together at IMPACT. What is your main priority, and what changes do you want to achieve?
Iulia Iana: At IMPACT, every decision should start with the customer. Internally, we say that we want to make a real impact, both for the people who choose our homes and in the way we work as a team. My experience in marketing and CRM has shown me that the departments working around the customer need to function like a Swiss watch. Everything must be connected because if one part of the mechanism stops working properly, the entire process suffers. We collect information from many sources, including our website, marketing campaigns, digital platforms, events and customer interactions. All this information needs to flow into our CRM system and then reach the sales department in a form that is useful. If that connection is broken, sales performance suffers. The first priority is therefore to integrate these processes properly. Our sales consultants should understand the customer’s interests and behaviour before making contact. This allows them to prepare relevant information and approach each person with an offer that reflects their actual requirements. People come to us with different needs. Some are looking for an investment, others are young professionals buying their first apartment, while families may need more space or access to schools and other facilities. Our responsibility is to understand those needs and offer appropriate solutions. The future of our commercial operations will depend on collecting reliable information, delivering it to the right departments and training our teams to use it effectively. We want decisions to be based on measurable information rather than assumptions.
CIJ.World: Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important in business operations. Where do you see its greatest practical value for IMPACT?
Iulia Iana: Artificial intelligence is already on our management agenda, and we are working on it together with the Group CEO and the heads of our main departments. We want to understand how artificial intelligence can help us operate more efficiently and improve the services we provide to customers. One important opportunity is removing repetitive administrative work from our colleagues. We are already testing AI agents and cloud-based tools that can organise information, prepare presentations, gather and analyse data, review proposals and help us understand customer behaviour. These technologies can also support competitive analysis. We need to understand what other developers are offering and identify the characteristics that make our projects different. However, technology is only useful when it helps people make better decisions. We still need experienced professionals who understand customers and can interpret the information correctly. For me, the most important direction is data-driven decision-making. If you cannot measure something, you cannot properly understand whether you are improving it.
CIJ.World: Technology is changing rapidly, but are the fundamental expectations of residential buyers changing as well?
Iulia Iana: The basic need remains the same. People need somewhere comfortable and safe to live. They want a good environment, access to services and a place where they can enjoy their lives. What has changed significantly is the value people place on time. You mentioned that your journey across Bucharest took approximately an hour for a distance of only 7.6 kilometres. This is a good example of the problem people experience every day. Time has become one of our most valuable resources. Developers who understand this and create projects that make everyday life easier will have an advantage. Customers increasingly want schools, shops, restaurants, sports facilities and recreational areas within walking distance of their homes. They do not want to spend hours travelling across the city to complete ordinary activities. The apartment itself is still important, but buyers are also purchasing access to a wider community and the services surrounding their home. We see this particularly among younger buyers and families. They are more informed, they compare projects carefully and they expect more from the money they invest.
CIJ.World: Does this mean the 15-minute neighbourhood is becoming an important model for residential development in Romania?
Iulia Iana: Yes, absolutely. The concept is becoming increasingly relevant, particularly in Bucharest, where traffic congestion and infrastructure limitations have a significant impact on daily life. For families, having a school or kindergarten close to home can make an enormous difference. Parents want their children to grow up in a safe environment where education, recreation and everyday services are easily accessible. At Greenfield Băneasa, this is central to the concept. We have created a community where residents have access to green spaces, educational facilities, Greenfield Plaza for everyday shopping and services, and the Greenfield Wellness Club for sports and relaxation. The surrounding forests are also important. People want to live somewhere quieter, with cleaner air and opportunities to walk, run or spend time outdoors. During the summer, residents can feel the difference created by the surrounding forest compared with the more densely built-up parts of Bucharest. We believe residential development should be about more than constructing buildings. It should create an environment that supports the daily lives of the people who live there.
CIJ.World: Romania has traditionally been a market where people prefer owning their homes. Are younger generations beginning to approach ownership differently?
Iulia Iana: My generation grew up with the idea that owning a home was very important. We were educated to believe that paying rent was less attractive than investing in a property of our own. Younger generations are facing a different financial reality. Many young professionals have good jobs and their salaries are increasing, but accumulating the money required for the initial payment on an apartment can still be difficult. Someone may be able to afford the monthly mortgage payment but struggle to save the €20,000 or €30,000 needed initially, particularly without support from their parents. This creates an important challenge for the residential market. Demand for housing exists, but purchasing power and access to financing influence when people can actually buy. At the same time, Bucharest continues to attract people from other Romanian cities because of its universities, employment opportunities and business activity. These factors support demand for residential property, although developers must remain realistic about what customers can afford.
CIJ.World: How far can customer behaviour and sales data influence apartment sizes, layouts, amenities and pricing, rather than simply the way projects are marketed?
Iulia Iana: Customer behaviour should influence the development process from the beginning. Since the pandemic, we have seen greater interest in comfortable living spaces, green areas and facilities close to home. People are thinking more carefully about how their apartments function and what they need from their surrounding environment. However, Romania remains a very price-sensitive market. Customers have a maximum amount they can afford, while construction costs, land prices, labour and taxation continue to put pressure on developers. This is why layout efficiency has become essential: we design apartments so that every square metre is used well. Finding the right balance is not easy. Buyers want more space and better facilities, but the final price must remain within their financial capabilities. We also need to consider changes in taxation and the regulatory environment. Changes in taxation, including VAT, and the timing of planning approvals also influence development economics, which is why a predictable regulatory framework is essential for bringing new homes to the market. At IMPACT, we use customer information to understand these pressures and determine what kind of apartments and facilities we should develop. Energy efficiency is another important consideration. We are incorporating nearly zero-energy building standards, sustainability certifications into our new developments. These features are not only environmental considerations. They can also help residents reduce certain operating costs, including electricity consumption in common areas. We want to understand the customer’s needs from every perspective, including the initial purchase price and the longer-term cost of living in the property.
CIJ.World: What have your latest customer surveys revealed, and how are those findings influencing the next phases of development?
Iulia Iana: We regularly ask residents what they would like us to improve. Their feedback is extremely valuable because it comes from people who already live in our developments and understand how the facilities work in everyday life. One of the clearest messages concerns families and children. Residents value green spaces, playgrounds and a wide range of activities for children, so these remain a priority as the community grows. This includes sports, swimming, ballet, karate and other recreational programmes that can take place after school or kindergarten. We are responding by developing additional services and working with local partners to organise activities and community events. Another important request concerns opportunities for neighbours to meet and interact. People want to feel part of a community rather than simply living in the same residential development. Events and shared activities help create those relationships. There is an expression that it takes a village to raise a child. We believe that a residential community can help create that supportive environment. Customer satisfaction is also commercially important. Residents who enjoy living in our projects can become ambassadors for the development and recommend it to friends or relatives.
CIJ.World: Are there examples where customer behaviour has challenged your original assumptions about which commercial facilities a residential community needs?
Iulia Iana: Yes, and this is why it is important to listen to residents rather than assume that every service will be successful. The behaviour of residents tells us whether a particular facility is meeting their needs, and we adjust the commercial mix accordingly. We also receive suggestions about additional activities for adults and younger professionals. These include social spaces, recreational activities and places where residents can meet. We have considered coworking facilities as well, although the way people work has changed significantly. Romania has very good internet connectivity, and many residents can work remotely from their apartments, terraces or outdoor areas. On pleasant days, you can see people working on laptops in the development. This flexibility means that a traditional coworking office may not always be necessary. We need to understand how people actually use the available spaces before deciding what to introduce.
CIJ.World: At what point are apartment prices, financing costs and monthly housing expenses causing buyers to hesitate? What does this tell you about the direction of the Romanian residential market?
Iulia Iana: Affordability is one of the greatest challenges facing developers today. Romania is a price-oriented market, and customers are very sensitive to the final amount they must pay. At the same time, developers are experiencing pressure from several directions. Construction materials, labour costs, wages, taxation and infrastructure investments all influence the final cost of a project. The pace of planning and authorisation also matters: the more predictable the process, the faster new supply can reach the market. Meanwhile, demand for housing in Bucharest continues to be supported by employment, education and migration from other cities. When supply is constrained and development costs increase, there is additional pressure on prices. For developers, the challenge is finding the point where the cost of delivering a quality product meets what customers are willing and able to pay. This is becoming increasingly difficult. However, price cannot be considered independently of the benefits offered by a development. If a family understands that a project provides access to schools, green areas, recreation and everyday services, they may recognise additional value beyond the apartment itself. Our responsibility is to communicate those benefits clearly and demonstrate what customers receive for their investment.
CIJ.World: With residential prices having increased over recent years, how do you explain to buyers whether now is still an appropriate time to purchase?
Iulia Iana: We look at historical market information to understand how prices have developed. Over recent years, residential prices have generally increased, reflecting changes in construction costs, demand and the wider economy. From our perspective, customers should consider both the property they are purchasing and the benefits it provides. At Greenfield, for example, we offer competitive prices for northern Bucharest, with the final price depending on the specific unit and its characteristics. But the question is not simply how many square metres someone is buying. They are also buying access to a community, green spaces, educational facilities and other services that influence their quality of life. These factors should form part of the purchasing decision.
CIJ.World: Turning to ARIA VERDI, IMPACT reported €9.75 million in reservations during the project’s first month. What gives you confidence that demand can continue beyond the initial launch?
Iulia Iana: ARIA VERDI represents a different segment of the residential market from Greenfield. It is a high-end, premium development rather than what we would describe as a luxury project. The development is planned to include 865 apartments on Barbu Văcărescu, in one of Bucharest’s most desirable northern locations. Its position is particularly important because it is close to major office developments, business districts and three parks. We believe that the combination of location, architecture and facilities makes the project distinctive. ARIA VERDI is designed to include approximately 5,000 square metres of retail space, an indoor semi-Olympic swimming pool, landscaped areas, green roofs and a range of recreational facilities. There is also a musical theme incorporated into aspects of the landscape design and communal spaces. The apartment mix is another important feature. We are offering homes ranging from two-room apartments to six-room configurations, including layouts that provide greater flexibility for larger families. Some of the larger apartments are designed with separate accommodation that could be used for a nanny or another member of the household. The project also includes penthouses with views over the surrounding green areas. We believe demand will be supported by the location, the variety of apartments and the facilities available to residents. The initial reservations were encouraging, but our confidence is based on the longer-term appeal of the development rather than simply the results achieved during the launch.
CIJ.World: IMPACT has outlined a development pipeline of almost 7,900 homes through 2034. What market signals would lead you to reconsider pricing, apartment configurations or the timing of future phases?
Iulia Iana: Our commercial strategy is based on understanding what customers are willing to buy and what the market can support. We currently have completed, ready-to-move-in apartments for customers who want to move in immediately, while our longer-term pipeline requires us to anticipate how demand may develop over the coming years. We cannot make those decisions using sales information alone. We need to combine data from marketing, sales, construction and customer feedback. Land costs, labour, building materials and taxation all influence the final price. At the same time, customer expectations determine the type of apartment and the facilities that will be attractive. By bringing this information together, we can make better decisions about the next phases of Greenfield and ARIA VERDI. This includes apartment configurations, finishes, shared facilities and the overall positioning of each development. The objective is to create projects that respond to actual market requirements rather than simply repeating what was successful in the past. We also need to recognise that different customer groups have different priorities. Families may focus on schools and children’s facilities, while younger professionals may place greater importance on flexibility, recreation and social opportunities. Understanding those differences will help us determine how future projects should evolve.
CIJ.World: Beyond Bucharest, how is IMPACT approaching residential development in other Romanian cities, and where do you see the strongest opportunities?
Iulia Iana: Green spaces and the surrounding environment are important characteristics of the IMPACT brand, and we want to maintain that approach in other markets. In Iași, we are developing plans for a residential project near the Copou area, where we want to combine housing with retail, sports and educational facilities. The project is currently progressing through the necessary documentation and development stages. We believe there is demand for residential environments that provide access to nature and everyday services without requiring residents to live in heavily congested areas. Constanța represents a somewhat different opportunity. There, we are also looking at demand from investors and customers connected with economic activity in the wider region. Economic development and infrastructure investment in the Black Sea region create accommodation requirements for employees and professionals working in the area. This means that the residential market is not identical in every city. In Bucharest, we are addressing a broad range of owner-occupiers and investors. In other locations, the balance between residential demand and investment demand can be different. Our approach is to understand those local requirements and develop products that respond to them.
CIJ.World: Looking ahead, what would you like IMPACT’s position in the Romanian residential market to be, and how important will international investors become?
Iulia Iana: I want IMPACT to become one of the first companies people think about when they consider buying a home or investing in residential property in Romania. That requires the right strategy, the right team and a much better understanding of our customers. We are working to integrate our commercial departments and use information more effectively, while continuing to develop projects that provide a complete residential environment. Our ambitions are national, not limited to Bucharest. We also want to improve our visibility among international investors who are interested in opportunities in Romania. Ultimately, I believe our success will depend on understanding what people need, developing the right products and communicating their value clearly. Technology and data will help us achieve that, but the customer must remain at the centre of every decision.
Source: © CIJ.World
