An interview with Christophe Bourreau, director of Barnes New York.
A leader in international luxury real estate, BARNES has been supporting its clients in Florida since 2002. I joined BARNES in 2008 with the aim of promoting the American market in France. In June 2009, I became Director of BARNES office in Miami, a leading company in the international luxury real estate industry. BARNES has been in the Big Apple since 2009, New York being a priority market for our customers. I became director of BARNES NY in 2011. Since then, we have been advising buyers and sellers in their real estate projects, mainly in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
You and your company
Which services, which products, which activity?
BARNES assists you in all of your projects by offering all the services essential to the achievement of a perfect acquisition, from legal arrangement to final decoration, including financing, international formalities, domiciliation, insurance, rental management, etc.
What is the spirit, the culture of your company? What characterizes it?
Since its creation in 1995, BARNES has reinvented luxury real estate and offers an integrated international network in order to offer tailor-made solutions to its customers. From transaction to rental management, BARNES now deploys its expertise through more than 10 businesses.
BARNES brings together more than 800 employees, all experts and committed, in more than 15 countries and 85 offices. The promise of BARNES lies in the possession of fine real estate among the greatest international capitals and resorts.
A true family business, BARNES transmits to its employees its essential values of excellence, respect and its French know-how.
Why did you decide to settle in New York?
New York has always been a priority market considered by our customers, whether for a pied-à-terre or an investment. New York was simply the logical next step in the development of our BARNES office.
What advice would you give to those looking to move to New York?
Moving to New York is as exciting a life project as it can be difficult … My advice would be to always be accompanied by experts in every area related to an expatriation project: accountant, lawyer, real estate agent …
New York and you…
What do you like about New York?
New York is a land of opportunity. It is a constantly changing city where anything is possible when you have ambition and when you make the necessary efforts to achieve that ambition.
It is also the capital of the world where all types of cultures and profiles are present and contribute to making New York a city of incomparable richness.
What is your favorite neighborhood in or around NY City?
I really like Williamsburg, which has been able to redesign and completely rethink itself over the past 15 years.
The United States and you?
What do you like most about America?
What I like most about America is this culture of entrepreneurship and accepting others.
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