Whether you've bought at this level before or you're about to for the first time, you likely picture the same path: find the right property, negotiate well, close. It's the path almost everyone takes. It's also the one almost no one questions. Look at who's in the room. The only advisor present is paid by the seller, to secure the highest price possible from you

It happens more often than you might think. An exceptional property appears on a portal and, less than 48 hours later, it is already gone. An offer has been accepted, discussions are underway, and you barely had time to consider whether it could have been the right one for you. The natural reaction is to assume you were simply too slow. Perhaps you should have checked the portals more often, set up better alerts or contacted the agent as soon as the property appeared...

Some property searches begin with a list of requirements. Others begin with a detail you'll never forget. Charline and Tom's belonged firmly to the second category, and that detail was two metres: Tom's height. I realised it almost as soon as we first spoke, long before I fully understood the rest of their brief. Tom was the only man in what I quickly pictured as a wonderfully lively household: three daughters, a Great Dane the size of a small pony, and one shared, non-negoti

Every spring, the same ritual begins across Southern Europe. Flights fill up, luxury villas reopen their doors and thousands of buyers travel to destinations such as Provence, Ibiza, Tuscany or Lake Como to begin their property search. It's easy to understand why. The weather is perfect, gardens are flourishing, pools shimmer in the afternoon sun and every village seems to offer the lifestyle buyers have been imagining all year. For many, it feels like the ideal moment to buy

Everyone has an image of Provence. Lavender fields, silver olive groves, long lunches beneath shaded terraces. Yet beyond the postcard scenery and Peter Mayle’s stories lies one of Europe’s most discreet and sought-after luxury property markets. In the Luberon and the Alpilles, buying a home is rarely about finding a second residence. More often, it reflects a way of life, the search for a timeless retreat or the desire to preserve architectural heritage designed to endure fo