What are we most proud of over the last 20 years?
Helping clients through economic uncertainties, global pandemics and geo-political change to invest in their lifestyles and wealth plan for their family legacies. These are certainly a few.
Yet what we often remind ourselves of is the fact that for most of Athena’s existence, the majority of our new clients are referred to us by our existing clients.
Whether it’s for a €50m commercial investment in Lisbon or a €500,000 ski apartment in France, it's nice to know that our value and influence is recognised in a way that our clients become our most vocal crusaders, sharing our expertise with their friends, family and colleagues.
It shows the trust our clients have in us, the reliability of the developers we work with, the expertise of our meticulously crafted little black book of lawyers, tax advisors, constructors, interior designers and so on.
It shows the care we take in getting our clients from A to Z of a sometimes complicated investment process.
It demonstrates the effect we’ve had on the design and architecture of the markets that we love.
Most importantly, it’s a reflection of our team and how they use their local knowledge and global mindsets to find the right solution for that person’s long-term goals.
Twenty years ago our mission was simple: cut out the red tape for those investing abroad. Today we bridge sustainable living with timeless architecture. We balance investment goals with lifestyle changes. We deliver immediate requirements that fulfil long-term strategies. All in today’s era, where you never know what’s coming around the corner.
We feel privileged to have made a business out of it.
Our areas of expertise
We’re really proud that the majority of our new customers come through recommendations from our existing clients. Our services have been finessed over the last 20 years - we can help you with your property search in a number of different ways.
Properties
Our portfolio of second homes, from picturesque chalets for sale in the Alps to apartments in Lisbon and villa rentals in Comporta, are beautifully designed safe havens for families to enjoy and shelter their wealth. We believe in aesthetics and quality as a way of life but also as the smart choice to maximise a property’s value for an eventual resell. We also offer commercial investments in properties deemed prime necessities (such as food distribution warehousing, supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol stations). Though less sexy than a pad in Courchevel, our commercial portfolio provides our clients with timeless and crisis-proof income generating investments.
Destinations
All our destinations have been selected for their high lifestyle and quality of life appeal, making investing in them safe in the long-term, income generating in the short and incredibly exciting in the present. Whether you are looking for a property as pure investment or somewhere for your family to relocate or retreat to as a second home, our destinations have been carefully picked to maximise wealth and lifestyle preservation.
Development
From virgin pieces of peninsula land to decaying period properties in capital cities, we help shape and deliver property development that is synchronised with international demand, and enables intuitive design to link with effective sales and marketing strategies. With an integrated design, branding, communications, marketing and sales agency with seven different offices worldwide and approaching 50 staff from 20 nationalities, we are diverse. It is this diversity, in both culture and approach, which enables us to break down the walls between people creating destinations, rural or urban, and those that want to become a part of them. We streamline all the process in between.
Intelligence
With over 18 years of experience in our key destinations, we pride ourselves in the local and market know-how we have accrued since. Whether taking a macro or local-level view of the market, we have reports, destination & investment guides to help you navigate territories and cultures which might not be native to you and your family. We love to share insights with our clients for whom we produce an online Journal that goes behind the scenes of destination making and offer webinars to learn more about current challenges and opportunities in the property landscape.
"It was clear that you were very experienced as you listened to my prerequisites around location, altitude and budget, and worked with them instead of seeing them as barriers to get over.”
Armando Vallini, purchased in the French Alps
A HIGHLY SKILLED TEAM.
A company's strength lies with those that make it. Within our highly skilled team, each person has their own areas of specialist knowledge and expertise. We have a fearless, modern minded approach to everything we do, from buying to selling, advising to marketing.
FOR DEVELOPERS
We create destinations. Whether it's placemaking a new kite-surfing retreat in Brazil or fine-tuning the marketing and sales strategy for a new property development in the French Alps, we take ideas, destinations and buildings and turn them into the next places to be.
FOR PARTNERS
