Diary of a estate agent: Monaco

Monday

One of my directors, Simon Gresswell, is flying in from London to meet me here in Monaco. Once he’s landed we head to our office in Avenue Saint Michel.

In Monaco, the lifestyle dictates that a significant amount of business is done outside the office over lunch or a coffee, so we continue our meeting by the marina, where we see pop star Justin Bieber, then later on, Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson — just another typical day in Monaco.

We walk along the marina to see one of the finest apartments in the Principality. This is one of our first major instructions and, at approximately 11,000sq ft, it’s quite a coup.

We’re incredibly excited by the calibre of refurbishment, by the volume and the amazing views over the Port of Monaco. This won’t be on our books for long.

Tuesday

Simon and I view an impressive 10-acre family estate outside Menton. The period home is full of character and bursting with potential. The garden is beautifully laid out over terraces running down the hill.

As we walk through an olive grove there’s a rustling in the bushes a couple of terraces above.

The owners stop dead in their tracks and tell us: “Shhhh.”

Then they shout: “Can you climb a tree? It’s a wild boar we rescued, sometimes he gets a bit crazy and you need to run!” Fortunately, Bruno the boar is happy to let us pass this time.

We advise the owners to clear the top terrace and obtain permission for a helipad — something that’s almost as important here as a washing machine was in the two-bedroom flats I used to rent out in Hammersmith.

Wednesday

Property presentation in Monaco is seriously low tech. With no recognised portals to show off professional photos, agents are happy to share iPhone snaps and photocopy the original architect’s floorplan.

To set ourselves apart, we’ve decided to invest in more professional presentation of our properties — and our clients like what we are doing.

So I meet up with a photographer at the Mirabeau. This impressive former hotel, built in 1973, was converted into apartments and modernised in 2010.

The photo shoot for the flat we are selling takes four hours by the time we’ve set up each room, but then the asking price for this home with four bedrooms, sea view, parking, pool and gym, is just short of £40 million.

Thursday

A client wishing to move here from London needs to secure a rental property — and fast. He must have a Monaco address to continue with his residency application, as without a signed rental agreement or property ownership papers, you are unable to submit an application for Monégasque residency.

So the hunt is on. I have already carried out various property searches and now we just need to undertake the energetic job of viewing them; Monaco may be small, but it’s not flat.

Friday

I am in the gym early. I do a lot of networking here, while evening meetings are often held on my balcony with a barbecue and home-grown salad.

My gym partner/client is looking for a three-bedroom apartment in Saint Roman, a suburb to the east of Monaco, and I have the perfect place lined up to show him after our session.

At the end of a good week, I drive the family down to Italy for a long weekend break. Oh, how I miss Hammersmith…