The Team
“Until the day when we finally move there, we know we are dealing with people who care about Lake Como and will look after our interests too. Ultissimo are wonderful people to deal with”
Front of House
Paul Belcher
Founder and Managing Director - Paul is based in London and is fanatical about excellent client service having previously led the development of global client management within a 7,000-person international management consultancy for a decade. He founded Ultissimo 11 years ago to renovate abandoned historic Italian properties in central Italy for discerning international buyers. He takes personal responsibility for obtaining in-depth client feedback and focuses on constant process-improvement prompted in part by asking clients where they think we could have done better. His desire for constant improvement is the key driver of our business.
Sarah Corbett
Director, Business Development - Sarah leads most of the client engagement since she joined Ultissimo in 2011 and has acquired a phenomenal knowledge of everything to do with property on Lake Como – assimilating complex laws, detailed building regulations, an encyclopaedic knowledge of properties for sale, clarity about the complexities of obtaining an Italian bank mortgage and having an exceptional network of contacts who have absolute trust in her ability. Client confidence in Sarah is absolute, and she organises everything for property upgrades or complete renovation projects and remains the trusted adviser through to completion of their home and the establishment of ongoing support.
Manuele Comneno
Presidente, Ultissimo Como srl - Manuele has a long background in running his own Italian property businesses and decided that he would like to join Ultissimo as we offer a highly distinctive service to international buyers,
His many years of experience in regulated estate agency business requirements provides a vital compliance base for Ultissimo’s activities to ensure that we respect the ever-changing laws and regulations, leaving the client-facing team to focus on providing excellent service to each and every client.
And in support...
Michele Levi
Michele Levi is a property lawyer based in Milan, fluent in English and experienced in working with international buyers. He has a deep knowledge of Italian property law and is adept at helping take transactions over the line in a way that our clients find reassuring. Almost every one of our clients has chosen to appoint Michele (‘Michael’ to all of our international clients) and the feedback and praise he has received has been exemplary.
Italian Architects
Andrea Meirana based in Genova, Alessandra based in Como and Giovanni Sachi based in Menaggio are our three Italian architects who each speak English, understand the way in which international clients think and are expert in both renovation and new designs. Each of them has worked with several of our international clients, with great results. Any one of them is often involved in advising on design options and possibilities with a client as an essential part of their decision to buy a particular property requiring renovation.
Engineers
Carlo Folco based in Savona and Luciano Gallo based in Argegno are the two structural engineers our clients have regularly chosen to engage on our recommendation. Structural surveys prior to purchase are virtually unheard of in Italy and they provide this essential service to many of our clients. Their advice to clients about renovation options and likely costs is an essential reassurance many clients require before committing comfortably to purchase a property.
Andrea Meirana
Andrea leads an international architectural practice based in Genova and London with a top reputation. Major projects in Italy are combined with projects in London. Andrea has masterminded the design and is directing the renovation of Villa Peduzzi. His credentials are impeccable (he is the architect responsible for the restoration of the facades of St Mark’s Square in Venice) and his sense of design is right at the top of his profession. Most importantly he understands the international mindset and the plethora of Italian building legislation.
Enrico Bernasconi
Enrico Bernasconi is a highly respected architect based in Cernobbio and advises many of the small Comunes on the interpretation of building regulations. He is invaluable in knowing his way around the plethora of Italian building legislation and ensuring that we comply fully with all legal requirements. This substantially eases the process of obtaining valid permissions for building work to be undertaken.
Matt Buswell
Our fully outsourced IT services are handled by MB Networks and utilise the latest Cloud technology to ensure that cross-country working is seamless. We utilise the latest proven technology for sharing information with clients, ending the tiresome process of downloading numerous attachments from emails.
Further resource
WorldFirst
Currency exchange can be inefficient, and many purchasers will improve their exchange rate by as much as 1% through using a specialist. We have chosen to work with WorldFirst for our business and a number of clients have also chosen WorldFirst as they undertake to provide the best rates in the market and have a very easy to use system.
Estate Agents
We have current, live working arrangements with over 40 estate agents on Lake Como. Every one of these will act solely as selling agent, representing the seller, enabling Ultissimo to act as the buying agent representing only the buyer.
Furthermore
Beyond this we have many others we work with who provide services to the standards our international clients expect. Whether it is a property survey, advice on interior design, or management and rental of your property, we know the right people who will provide the advice, support and guidance you require. Our aim is to make your purchase and ownership secure and easy. And we are confident that we have the resources to enable you to achieve this.