For Marc Sandreschi, luxury advisory has never been defined solely by the value of an asset. It is defined by the quality of the relationship, the level of trust placed in an advisor, and the ability to understand what a client is genuinely trying to achieve.
Being recognized as Luxury Real Estate Advisor of the Year in Portugal – Lisbon by the World Luxury Chamber of Commerce is particularly meaningful to Sandreschi because it reflects an approach to the profession that he has sought to develop from the outset: highly personal, discreet, and built around the individual rather than the transaction.
A Personal Approach to Luxury Real Estate in Portugal
In Portugal, Sandreschi practices as a Luxury Real Estate Advisor with Brightman Group, a boutique luxury real estate agency whose approach closely aligns with his own belief in personalized representation and carefully curated service.
The clients he accompanies may be relocating their families, acquiring a second residence, investing, establishing a new base in Europe, or searching for a property that corresponds to a particular vision of how they want to live. The starting point, however, is always the same: understanding the person before searching for the property.
Sandreschi places considerable importance on meeting his clients personally. He travels almost systematically to meet them in their own environment, wherever they may be in the world. Sometimes that means sharing a meal and remaining at the table for five hours. Those conversations often go far beyond real estate. They allow him to learn about his clients’ lives, families, ambitions, and concerns, and he is frequently entrusted with confidences that deepen the relationship and strengthen the trust between them.
A client brief can indicate how many bedrooms are required, the preferred location, or the available budget. A conversation can reveal considerably more. For Sandreschi, it is this deeper understanding that enables him to work as an advisor rather than simply as an intermediary.
“A client brief can tell me what to search for. A conversation tells me who I am searching for.”
Discretion as a Principle
Discretion and confidentiality are fundamental to Sandreschi’s way of working. Clients invite him into decisions that can be deeply personal, financially significant, and sometimes known to very few people around them. That trust, he believes, must be protected without exception.
His approach is simple: what his right hand knows, his left hand does not need to know. Information is shared only with those who genuinely require it to fulfill their role. In the luxury segment, privacy is not viewed as an additional service, but as part of the foundation of the relationship.
Beyond the Property Transaction
For international clients in particular, acquiring a home in another country is rarely an isolated transaction. There may be questions involving taxation, legal structuring, residency, financing, education, relocation, or integration into a new professional and social environment. Sandreschi’s responsibility is not to replace the specialists in these fields, but to ensure that his clients have access to the right ones.
Over time, he has developed a network of professionals whom he personally knows or has carefully vetted, including lawyers, tax specialists, and other experts whose competence and standards he trusts.
The same philosophy extends beyond professional services. It can involve helping families identify suitable schools, understand their new environment, or, when appropriate, opening the door to selected private business clubs and communities.
For Sandreschi, luxury service is not about multiplying services for appearances. It is about anticipating what may genuinely make a client’s life easier and knowing whom to call when something falls outside one’s own field of expertise.
An International Advisory Practice
That philosophy has also shaped the development of Sandreschi’s international activity through The Gentleman Signature LLP. The company provides a framework through which he can accompany selected clients internationally, particularly in buyer representation and cross-border advisory assignments.
A client relationship does not necessarily end because the next acquisition happens outside Portugal. If a client who has entrusted Sandreschi with an acquisition in Lisbon later wishes to purchase a residence in London, Paris, Barcelona, or another international market, his objective is to preserve the continuity of that relationship while working alongside the appropriate local professionals.
In this capacity, Sandreschi remains the client’s trusted point of contact while respecting the specialists, regulations, and professional requirements of each jurisdiction.
When Trust Creates a Wider Ecosystem
Some of Sandreschi’s most interesting professional developments have emerged naturally from long-standing client relationships. Once a client knows how he works, understands the importance he places on discretion, and trusts his judgment, conversations frequently extend beyond real estate.
This is how his activity gradually expanded into other areas connected with the world of private wealth, including fine art. Here again, his role is that of an advisor and connector. He may represent collectors or private buyers seeking important works and, through trusted relationships, facilitate introductions to owners, representatives, or professionals on the sell side.
The principle remains the same as in real estate: discretion, careful qualification of the parties, and respect for the specialists involved in the transaction.
Another area that emerged through Sandreschi’s network involves major investment and development projects. On selected assignments, he may facilitate introductions between project principals and private sources of capital or investment groups capable of considering significant financing requirements.
These activities may appear different from luxury real estate, but for Sandreschi, they originate from the same place: trust.
“The asset changes. The responsibility does not.”
The Meaning of Bespoke Advisory
The word bespoke is frequently used in the luxury industry. Sandreschi believes it should have a very practical meaning: no two clients should receive precisely the same service.
Some require extensive research and analysis. Others value speed and discretion above everything else. Some want an advisor who challenges their initial assumptions. Others need someone capable of coordinating several professionals across jurisdictions while keeping the process clear and manageable. Sandreschi sees his responsibility as adapting to those individual requirements.
It also means being available when it matters, traveling to meet a client rather than defaulting to another video conference, and occasionally advising a client not to proceed when an acquisition does not meet the standards or objectives they established together.
The objective is not simply to complete transactions. It is to build relationships that remain relevant over time.
A Long-Term Vision
Sandreschi’s vision for both his work with Brightman Group in Portugal and the international development of The Gentleman Signature LLP is deliberately simple: to remain close to his clients.
He wants to know who they are, what matters to them, and why they are making a particular decision. Equally important is ensuring that clients know that when he introduces a person, presents an opportunity, or recommends a course of action, considerable thought has gone into it.
Technology will continue to transform real estate and the wider luxury industry. Information will become increasingly accessible and transactions increasingly international. Yet in the segment in which Sandreschi has chosen to work, he believes the value of genuine human relationships will become more important, not less.
Exceptional service ultimately depends on judgment, discretion, access, and trust. Properties, countries, and opportunities may change. The relationship should endure.
To connect with Marc, visit his LinkedIn Page.
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