Assofide SA – from 1924 to the present day

At the beginning of the last century, Piazza Grande was the nerve centre of the area surrounding Locarno. Oreste Borghi opened his eponymous real estate firm on the edge of this square in 1924. A pioneer of the modern concept of condominium ownership, Borghi built his business in line with the desires of tourists. He built the Condominio in Minusio in the early 1960s and created regulations for the joint management of life for all condominium owners.

Over the years, Locarno became an important tourist centre and large-scale construction began in earnest. Condominiums and buildings increased, the market flourished and apartments were sold off plan. These were boom years for real estate.

Following Oreste Borghi’s death in 1972, his son Silvio took over the company. However, the real estate sector was facing a crisis and stagnating, and Borghi’s company also suffered. Following Silvio Borghi’s departure in 1983, the agency changed owners and its name several times, eventually becoming Assofide SA when it was acquired by Giancarlo Cotti. At that time, Assofide SA comprised Giancarlo Cotti (proprietor), Erica Borghi (sales) and three other members of staff.

Under the new management, Assofide SA was relaunched and restructured into three departments: property management, condominium management, and sales. A department of technical translation was also added. Assofide SA currently employs 40 people.