Aylesford International, a real estate agent that focuses on the luxury residential and commercial market, has opened an office in Geneva with a staff of three negotiators. The Swiss operation is jointly owned by Andrew Langton of the founding family and Ian Tickler, the founder of Regent Trust which is also based in Geneva. The company has also registered the Aylesford Alpine brand for sales of mountain retreats in up-market Swiss resorts to the wealthy. Whilst the international arm of the company is active in a number of locations, the recent opening up of the Swiss market to EU nationals has greatly increased the demand for properties. The quality of life in Switzerland combined with local communes willing to be creative in their tax arrangements make Switzerland an attractive alternative to London given the doubts that surround the future of non-domiciled status for expatriates in the UK and proposals to tax UK-based multinationals on their world wide profits. “Switzerland sells itself,” said Anthony Travis, the chairman of the Swiss arm of Aylesford International. “The challenge is with supply, not demand. We have to seek out properties to meet the demands of our long list of buyers. It is very much a seller’s market at this point.” As anyone who has tried to negotiate with a Swiss real estate agent will know, the market could use some competition and Aylesford aims to provide just that. They will also be available to private banks and family offices to assist their clients in purchasing properties in Switzerland and in other countries through the Aylesford International network.