Andrew Beale

Spear’s Review

When it comes to the luxury French ski property market, Andrew Beale is the expert to trust. The French- and British-qualified estate agent founded Free Spirit Alpine in 2006 to help HNWs find their ‘home in the mountains’.

Beale specialises in international clients, particularly families, who have historically been ‘poorly served’ by the local French agents. Under his leadership, the company has grown to have agents in Méribel, Courchevel, Saint-Martin-de-Belleville and Val d’Isère, and it has received the Carte Professionnelle recognition from the French government. 

‘The biggest change [in the last decade] is in the ownership of properties – they’ve become year-round things,’ Beale tells Spear’s. A growing number of families have ‘discovered the Alps are a wonderful place to be all year-round’.

Adviser Profile

As founder of Free Spirit Alpine, Andrew has over 30 years’ experience at the highest level of each market he’s worked in. In 2006, his decision to open a new agency in the French Alps was the logical extension of his desire to simplify the transaction process for buyers and sellers alike.

‘I created and launched the agency because international buyers were let down by the local French agents,’ says Andrew. ‘The buying process was badly explained, customer care non-existent and non-French speakers alienated.’

Today, his bilingual local agents hand-hold international buyers and sellers through the transaction and conveyancing process in France, using a hand-picked panel of English-speaking accountants, tax advisers and lawyers to help clients navigate any bumps they may encounter in the road.

‘One of the things I love about the Alpine property market is its diversity,’ explains Andrew. ‘In any one week we sell old, historic converted barns, with metre-thick original stone walls and high-tech modern interiors; new-build apartment residences with their own restaurants, concierge and luxury spas; and huge, ski-in ski-out “uber” chalets with swimming pools and staff accommodation. The variety is exciting, and there really is a property to suit all tastes and budgets.’

Today the Alpine property market is fiercely competitive. ‘We punch well above our weight in all of the resorts we work in,’ says Andrew. ‘As in many other markets, boutique agencies like Free Spirit Alpine are the local experts, and our agents are true property people – we get impressive results because we know how to work at the highest level.’