Real Estate Investor Magazine South Africa May/June 2019 | Page 55

L
isa Bathurst (37) is an independent property spe-
cialist and founder of the Cape Town-based bou-
tique international real estate advisory, Hurst &
Wills. This tenacious and hard-working former interna-
tional model has made her mark on the property market
assisting buyers negotiate the hurdles of purchasing in-
vestment property abroad.
Born in a small town in Lancashire, Northern
England, Lisa began her international career when she
was just 18 with a successful international modelling
contract. Modelling took her to exotic locations around
Europe and Asia, fuelling her passion for travel. When
she bought her first apartment in Manchester at 19
years old, which she renovated and sold for double the
price, she discovered a passion for property. ‘I started
investing in property, buying houses in the North of the
UK, renovating and developing. This soon became an
international calling, and I began making investments
worldwide,” says Lisa.
Like many before her, after a short visit to Cape
Town she’d found her home and moved to the city in
2010. ‘When I bought my first property in Cape Town,
I felt that the foreign buyer was not represented fairly.
Independent advice was discouraged, and I was only
shown properties that were obviously over-priced. The
process was excessively complicated and dominated by
a handful of suppliers. It reminded me of my previous
experiences purchasing foreign property. I decided to use
my local and international experience to assist foreign
buyers in Cape Town,’ she says, and established Hurst &
Wills in 2013.
However, with on-going economic and political
uncertainty, more and more South African investors
began contacting her for assistance purchasing investment
property abroad, prompting Lisa to launch an offshore
division of Hurst & Wills for SA investors in 2015.
‘The same principles apply wherever you are buying. The
complexities of foreign property searching, purchasing,
investing and being an overseas landlord are the same
across continents. Hurst & Wills focuses on Northern
England cities like Manchester and Birmingham, and
European cities like Lisbon and Porto, that still offer
reasonably priced, good investment properties, perfect
for South African buyers. ‘My personal experience spans
the globe, but the majority of my personal portfolio is
invested in South Africa and Europe. With a 20-year
investment history in the UK, that was a natural first step.’
‘Most property specialists represent the seller, I felt
it was time to change that,’ she says. ‘Buying property
overseas is a minefield and you do need guidance and local
expertise to make sure you put your money in the right
place. As a seasoned foreign owner myself, I understand
the concerns and issues that investors face and can
address them both personally and professionally,’ she says.
‘What makes our team special is that we are independent
and not tied to any one developer. We work for the buyer,
offering buyers good, tailored advice - backed up by years
of personal experience - as they negotiate the complicated
process of buying property abroad,’ says Lisa.
Lisa now spends a good part of her year travelling to
personally assess all the developments on offer to Hurst
& Wills clients. ‘In my experience I’ve found that the key
to success in international property is choosing reputable
developers and agents,’ she says. ‘Hurst & Wills only
works with partners that are credible and pass our strict
due diligence, such as being in business a certain number
of years and having a proven history and track record. I
only sell developments that I have physically been to and
vetted,’ she says. ‘We work with several developers and
sellers, so we’re able to match clients to the best property
for them, in line with their personal objectives and wealth
strategy.
‘When it comes to buying property, the best advice
hasn’t changed: location, location, location,’ says Lisa.
‘That is why spending time in the city, or working
closely with someone who has, is imperative. Foreigners
do not understand the nuanced difference between
neighbourhoods that could be separated by only one
street. One side is popular and easy to rent out, the other
not. That is part of the independent advice we can offer,’
she says. ‘Also, choose properties that are hands-off and
well managed. You don’t want to get a call at 3am about a
leaky tap when you’re 10,000kms away,’ she says.
‘As I am an investor myself, I thrive on sharing that
passion. There are a lot of unscrupulous people in this
industry, I am passionate about guiding fellow investors
to do as well as I have,’ she says.
SA Real Estate Investor Magazine MAY/JUNE 2019
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