Diane Watkins: “Mauritius is gaining visibility as a property destination”

Diane Watkins, Manager, Mauritius Sotheby’s International Realty, paints a rosy picture of the island’s potential to attract global property buyers. She explains how her marketing strategies also help put Mauritius on the world map. It has been around a year since Sotheby’s International Realty® has set up a branch in Mauritius. What are your views and assessments on this first year? Within a year, we have established ourselves as one of the leading Real Estate Agencies on the island and abroad. This is due to effective marketing strategies, the opening of offices throughout the island, capitalising on the brand strength of Sotheby’s International Realty®, global leader in luxury real estate, together with our team’s expertise on the market. That is something to be proud of but this does not mean that we can now sit back and relax; this upcoming year is going to be busier than ever, as we now have to grow on the foundation that we have established. Today we have four offices operating in four key regions across the island. As we speak, we are increasing the size of our North office and moving into our new premises in the West. Mauritius Sotheby’s International Realty® markets properties in Mauritius to a global audience, providing better visibility to foreign markets. Have foreigners shown any interest towards real estate investment in Mauritius? There is no doubt that markets other than our traditional markets (SA, France and Mainland Europe) are now being reached through the Sotheby’s International Realty® network. Its remarkable media tools and resources ensure its powerful interactivity: our properties may feature in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Sunday Times of London, or Le Point in France. We have seen an increase in enquiries from these key markets as well as from the UAE, Canada, Russia, China and even the USA. The magic of Mauritius ignites an opportunity in any foreign investor’s eye and what could be more idyllic than owning a piece of property in paradise. The reality though is that what a foreigner dreams he can own in Mauritius and what he is actually allowed to own are different from each other. This is where our Real Estate Consultants step in: they impress on our foreign clients the lifestyle and fiscal benefits available when purchasing property in Mauritius. There are many other countries closer to our key markets now offering similar advantages. So in a nutshell, to answer your questions, yes, Mauritius is gaining visibility as a potential property destination across many other countries. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"20000","attributes":{"class":"media-image aligncenter size-full wp-image-33374","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"500","height":"228","alt":"SothebysLogo"}}]] Meanwhile, have you noticed any interest from local buyers for properties abroad, marketed by foreign affiliates of Sotheby’s International Realty®? Yes!  It’s wonderful to have these doors opened to the Mauritian market. Through the Sotheby’s International Realty® Global Referral Networking System, we have been able to refer Mauritians looking to purchase or rent property in other countries to an affiliate within that country.  There is great opportunity for us to market our international affiliate’s properties on the island and we shall soon be doing so.  Our main focus over the last year was to learn how to leverage the brand and give our Mauritian properties maximum exposure. On another note, we have also referred a few clients wanting an assessment on their oeuvre d’art to the Sotheby’s Auction House.  Watch this space!   What exactly are international buyers looking for when searching for property in Mauritius? Do properties on the local market meet their requirements? The first thing a foreigner expects to purchase on the island is a house or an apartment on the beach. Unfortunately, that is not possible and it takes a bit of time to explain this to our clients; especially to those with limitless budgets. Once they have understood this, they then consider the options available – and there are certainly many fabulous options. Generally, clients will then seek the services of an agency that they can trust to guide them through a carefully selected list of properties that will correspond to their expectations and exceed their lifestyle requirements, be a sound investment, being or has been built by a solid developer and that falls within all the appropriate legal regulations. This is precisely where they show recognition and trust towards the Sotheby’s International Realty® brand, which is represented by 835 offices from 63 countries around the world.

“ From an operations point of view:  we want to ensure that we fine tune our skills and maintain a level of  integrity and professionalism that will help grow a positive outlook on real estate agencies across the island."

What are your upcoming plans for Mauritius Sotheby’s International Realty? From an operations point of view:  we want to ensure that we fine tune our skills and maintain a level of integrity and professionalism that will help grow a positive outlook on real estate agencies across the island. We live in a digital era that has to be embraced and used to keep abreast with the times, giving us the opportunity to showcase our properties beautifully across the world. From a sales point of view, we have some new exciting property developments to sell out: namely the recently launched PDS, St Antoine Private Residence, overlooking the exquisite Bernache lagoon; Bagatelle les Residence - Belle Rive, luxury apartments and penthouses offering the ultimate urban living which has reached completion; and Pereybere Cove, a beautifully designed modern development of 14 apartments and penthouses situated only 400 metres from Pereybere’s signature beach.