Luxury Insider

An ultra high-end location for the super-rich buyer is the Amalfi Coast in Italy. With a practically unharmed coastline, turquoise waters, and luxurious villas, the area has long been a wealthy Italian’s haunt. Outside August, its beaches are almost deserted, while its two ports – Porto Santo Stefano, and the more high-end Porto Ercole – are relaxed and unpretentious places, with enough entertainment to keep even the young and vibrant happy. That being said, as an investment, gross yields average only around 3%, with the majority of the properties being owner-occupied.

In terms of luxury investments and cold hard growth and return, Madrid and Mallorca have seen some very strong growth. Despite some bad press, Spain also represents good value in terms of cost of living, with both Madrid and Mallorca recording a lower figure than all the other core European markets on the Knight Frank residential index.

From a personal point of view, there are two locations within Europe, which at this current moment in time, stand apart from the rest. The first being London, which I have already mentioned, and the other being the neutral powerhouse, Switzerland. With the economy in a state of stagnation for more than two years now – largely a reflection of conditions throughout continental Europe – strenuous efforts are being made to expand tourism on a year-round basis. This being the case, the number of authorizations allowing foreigners who are not Swiss residents to buy a property in Switzerland has been increased to about 1800 a year, mainly in tourist areas such as Bern, Ticino, Vaud, and Valais in the south-west – the latter two being close to Lake Geneva, and increasingly popular with international buyers..