20 May 2018 – 10:03
The Peninsula
DOHA: Commercial Bank has hosted a seminar for VVIP customers interested in purchasing an international property.
The Bank recently conducted research into the attitudes of customers when it comes to investing in property overseas. The views of the many respondents revealed that more than half of customers taking part in the survey said they were considering buying an international property within the next twelve months and the likelihood of this happening increased when they felt supported by expert advice.
Property in Europe was the preferred destination for investment or vacation purposes with other Middle Eastern locations second choice. For Qatari customers already owning a property overseas, Turkey was the most favoured location, whereas for expats it was the UK and Spain.
Based on the survey and to help their VVIP customers, Commercial Bank hosted a seminar at the St Regis Hotel to enable them to learn more about the international property scene and as the event demonstrated, the many pitfalls to avoid for the less experienced purchaser.
Amit Sah, Commercial Bank EGM, Retail and Consumer Banking.
Bouchra Sebbata, Commercial Bank AGM and President of High Net-Worth Clients opened the event by thanking the guests and commented: “We pride ourselves on knowing our customers and having meaningful financial relationships so that we can fulfil their financial needs.
“Organizing events on topics of interest with access to expertise on a range of subjects is just one way that Commercial Bank is using our strength to provide the best client experience.”
Frank Carter from Colliers International was the first guest speaker and showcased a range of properties they offer in Portugal and Turkey. He expanded on how ownership of certain qualified properties in certain countries may enable access to residency in Europe.
Richard Bradstock of IP Global spoke on how they assist customers in building a portfolio when the purpose of ownership is more for investment than personal use, with examples from Berlin in Germany and Manchester in the UK.
The final speaker was Abigail Ashington-Pickett from Hawkmoor Property. Using examples in London, she explained how the discreet, bespoke services of Hawkmoor enables access to unique properties and how they assist customers throughout the entire process in a personalized manner.
Amit Sah, Commercial Bank EGM Retail and Consumer Banking said: “Our research certainly made us think about how we can use our financial expertise to help customers and for a limited time, we are offering mortgage rates from 3.95 percent. Customers thinking of buying property or releasing equity from a current property should speak to their Relationship Manager to see how we can help them.”
