Agent of the month – Juliette Borg in the Provence
What does a typical day as a Leggett Agent entail?
I started in 2015 and I was the first-ever agent for Leggett in the Drôme! A typical day starts with studying what happens with houses for sale in my area, that is, about 20kms around my home in Vinsobres – Mirabel aux Baronnies, close to Nyons and Vaison la Romaine. Are they still on the market? Why? Call the owners. Is there a new property popping up? Call the owners and discuss the possibilities for the international market. Then check if the stock of Leggett magazines, in e.g. my local café, is still big enough. And maintenance of existing owner-contacts by phone or visits. The mantra is to have and keep a reasonable amount of mandates in my catalog to be interesting.
Networking means keeping in touch with my partner in real estate, established in Nyons, Bonnet Immobilier. We share properties for sale. He has an excellent knowledge of the area and Leggett brings him the international market!
And last but certainly not least there are the viewings, which are always a delight. Getting to know people who are in love with my area is really interesting and a great job to perform.
What is your favorite place in the area that you cover? What do you like most about your area?
Difficult to choose! I love the countryside, the changing colours, light and lovely smells all the time, but also the beautiful villages and towns, the ancient history of the Provence, the festivals and concerts, the wine of course and the excellent olives of Nyons. My choice to live in this area permanently has proven to be the very best of my life. So I can imagine very well why clients are interested. Also because I exploit holiday homes for visitors of the area and hear a lot of positive feedback.
Nyons
What is the funniest / weirdest request you ever had?
One day British clients wished to view a house in Faucon. We met in a local bakery-café in the middle of January on a sunny Sunday morning and while we sipped our coffee, the client unfolded a floorplan he made of the house we were going to view together. Although he had never been there, he drew everything almost perfectly from my description and pictures on Leggett’s site. That was quite bluffing! They visited the place and the couple made an offer right away. Which was immediately accepted. Stunning, but very typical for those who know exactly what they want. Most of the time of course clients are less decided, but it is a wonderful job to assist them in their buying process.
What were you doing before you joined Leggett?
I assisted people in companies in buying telecom solutions for the largest telecom operator of the Netherlands. In other words: I had a commercial job as a key account manager. I loved my work and still would but for the eternal traffic jams and often bad weather… So hence my move to a sunny and quiet place.
What is the most unusual house you have mandated?
It definitely is the Mas de Saint Quenin in Vaison la Romaine. As I am very interested in history, the owner had 100% of my attention when he showed me the beginning of a hidden tunnel that leads to Vaison (about 2 kms from the property) and by which people in the 5th century could escape to the cathedral, if necessary. The holes where the oil lamps burned were still in place. A fascinating story. The property itself is rebuilt on the ruins of the former house of, what presumably was, the family of Saint Quenin, the first bishop of Vaison, who at the time was the local judge as well. It is a very pretty property with marvellous views on the area, isolated and with a lovely pool.
What do you like best about your job?
The lack of routine, I guess. Every single contact with owners and buyers is really interesting. I love to study houses as well and take pictures that give them their real value. We have excellent assistance from Leggett’s to make every property look fabulous but not to exaggerate reality neither. I love also the intellectual challenge, as our job is not as easy and simple as people often think. We really have to know a property very well, know legal processes, be aware of which steps have to be taken in order to help especially foreigners to buy or sell property here in France. Owners are often surprised by our thourough methods and say they are impressed with the quality of work we do. And as a cherry on the cake, buyers are more and more of French origin, as they appreciate our no-bla-bla approach as well as our detailed technical and local knowledge.
Please click here to see Juliette’s portfolio of properties.
