It is invariably a discretionary purchase, especially in the super-prime and ultra-prime sectors. Making the right decision, however, takes sound judgement, accessibility and market knowledge.
Market forces in major world cities change fairly regularly. The discretionary part of the decision could be: does one prefer to own a home in, say, London, Paris or New York or stay in a suite at a favourite world-class hotel? Does the same apply to resort locations, for example, choosing between owning a home or chartering a yacht or staying at an exclusive oceanfront grande dame hotel?
Maybe it depends where one would like to be. What, after all, could compete with the privacy, permanence and exclusivity of owning one’s own home in Italy, such as in the finest location overlooking the Mediterranean on Monte Argentario or the peninsula of Portofino? Or perhaps a sumptuous villa, combining ocean views with an exotic landscape of palm-studded gardens surrounded by vineyards, in an exclusive Saint-Tropez domain such as Le Capon?
In general terms markets tend to change more slowly in resort areas, although in 2020 they have been performing very differently from preceding years in certain areas, especially in the United States. Overwhelming demand exceeding supply has led to a driving up of prices in key hotspots.
Covid-19 has been the main influencer, with locations such as Aspen, the Hamptons and Nantucket seeing significant market activity in both the sales and rental sectors. City dwellers across the States have fled to the mountains or the ocean, paying premium rental sums, or chasing the sales market, resulting in some strong competitive bidding for the absolute best.
We ask ourselves whether this will be sustained or will the gradual shift back to the cities take the steam out of the market as a vaccine becomes widely available?
In the UK a shift in demand away from cities such as London to the prime counties or coastal regions such as Dorset, Cornwall and Devon has, to an extent, been somewhat over-exaggerated in the media. This will become more evident when a vaccine has been successfully tested and approved. London, a city of gardens and parks, has a wide international appeal and demand for it is just not going away.
Our expertise in ultra-prime central London real estate spans more than forty years. In other areas of our expertise, namely the most exclusive sectors of Europe, the US and the Caribbean it is almost two decades.
We have a depth of knowledge and understanding of these markets underpinned by regular travel, extensive research, a fertile network of contacts and access to the top people and the finest property.
Access to the best invariably includes on- and off-market inventory. If you are considering purchasing a home in one of the world’s super-prime hotspots, talk to us.
Our strap line is we know where. We also know how.