New to the management team: Raffael Himmelreich
Since 1 June 2026, Raffael Himmelreich, a qualified engineer, has been running AKKADIA Immobilienvermittlung GmbH alongside Philip Steidl. What he brings to the table, what he stands for — and what this means for our clients.
On 1 June 2026, Raffael Himmelreich (Ing.) took over as managing director of AKKADIA Immobilienvermittlung GmbH. He runs the company alongside Philip Steidl, who founded AKKADIA in 2008 and remains a managing director. For us, this is more than just a personnel change: it represents a decision to combine the values that have defined AKKADIA for almost twenty years — personalised advice, discretion and reliability — with the trends that will shape the industry in the coming years.
We’ll give you a brief introduction to it here. And we’ll explain what this means for you as a property owner, buyer or investor.
A technician who understands property
Raffael Himmelreich is from Vienna; he completed his HTL qualifications and began his career in information technology — long before ‘digitalisation’ became a buzzword. Even as a school pupil, he was active in Vienna’s open-source scene, and he has been championing open-source software for over 25 years. He later set up his own company specialising in IT and internet projects and helped firms to establish digital processes.
It is unusual for someone with this background to move into the property sector. He has already shown that he is making a difference there.
Pension Plus: Property-backed retirement schemes for Austria
In 2022, he founded the Pension Plus brand with partners in Vienna, thereby bringing to the fore an issue that had previously been a niche market in Austria: property-backed pensions. The model is simple to explain but challenging to implement — owners aged 65 and over sell their house or flat, receive the proceeds as a lump sum or a life annuity, and continue to live there rent-free, with a lifelong right of residence registered as the first priority in the land register. What was new was that the company acted as the buyer itself, rather than simply acting as an intermediary for investors.
Within just a few years, this had grown into a brand known throughout Austria — with regional advisers, its own TV campaign and a product that has brought retirement planning out of the niche market in Austria. Raffael Himmelreich built this business from the initial idea to an established brand: product, processes, legal matters, marketing and sales.
What he plans to do at AKKADIA
Digitalisation and artificial intelligence are the two areas he intends to use to drive AKKADIA forward — not as an end in themselves, but where they benefit our customers. In practical terms, this means: processes that run faster and more reliably in the background; data that makes valuations more accurate; and tools that provide prospective buyers with information earlier and more effectively — from 3D virtual tours and search requests to wish lists that can be turned into enquiries with a single click.
A first visible step is the new akkadia.at. It is faster, multilingual and presents each property just as we would when discussing it in person: with all the facts, without beating about the bush, but with the discretion our owners expect. Further steps will follow — in the back office, in valuation and in marketing.
One thing that won’t change: an algorithm won’t be selling any properties for us. Our advice remains personalised, valuations are still based on experience, and when you view a property, there’ll be a person there who knows the property inside out. Technology is there to free up our time for this — not to replace us.
Pension provision as a new area of expertise
With Raffael Himmelreich on board, property-backed retirement schemes are now also part of AKKADIA’s remit. Many of our property owners are in the second half of their lives and are faced with the question of what to do with their house or flat — sell it, let it out, keep it, or pass it on to their children. A property annuity is an option that has, until now, been raised far too rarely in these discussions. In future, we will be able to provide sound advice on this: when it makes sense, when it does not, and what constitutes a reputable offer.
Continuity
Philip Steidl remains what he has been since 2008: managing director, consultant and, for many of our long-standing clients, the face of AKKADIA. The team remains the same; our values remain the same. What’s new is a second perspective — one that stems from the world of technology and views property as what it is for most people: one of the most important decisions of their lives, which should be prepared for using the best resources available.
We’re looking forward to the years ahead. And if you’d like to get to know Raffael Himmelreich: he’s just as easy to get hold of as the rest of the team — in person, by phone or via our contact page.
