For many, the image of a country estate conjures up a romantic look back to a Britain of the past. Today, however, country estates can prove to be a sound investment opportunity, with international and British buyers alike seeing promise in the many historical homes and new build projects in the country’s rural counties.
Country property specialists help their HNW clients to invest in prime rural real estate. From their first country house to equine property, expanding their existing presence in a county to investing in an up-and-coming district, these specialists have their fingers on the pulse when it comes to luxury rural real estate.
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While some may not see the need for a specialist when it comes to buying a home, Jonathan Harington, founder of his eponymous country property buying firm, put forward a strong argument in the case of working with a rural expert:
‘If someone goes and buys an investment: a picture, a racehorse, wine – maybe cars, they take advice, and yet the biggest deal anyone ever does in their life is buy property,’ he tells Spear’s. ‘That may just be a small flat in London, or it may be a monster estate.’
Timing, for these advisers, is key. The highest-quality country estate properties often only come to the market around two to three times a year, noted Gemma Maclaran, a Cotswold expert working for Prime Purchase, Savills’ buying arm.
‘We are often the ones trying to slow our clients down a bit, because we want them to make the best choice,’ she says. ‘We don’t want them to rush into something in the first month or so of our journey, because we want this to be a forever home.’
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With the Great Wealth Transfer in the offing, buyers of country property tend to be much younger than the sellers of these houses, who are often older, notes Lindsay Cuthill, a country specialist at Blue Book.
As the rural landscape is changing across Britain, with ownership of prime countryside property gradually spreading from its historically aristocratic stronghold, the work of a country specialist is especially relevant today. For buyers who are new to purchasing property outside of cities, to those who are familiar with the Cotswolds, Chilterns, South Downs and more, having an expert on side can ensure that they are buying the rural home best suited to them.
The Spear’s Research Unit have compiled a list of the best country property specialists, from equine experts to leading figures in their regional markets, who can connect HNW buyers with their ideal countryside home.
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Methodology
Each year, the Spear’s Research Unit reassesses and refreshes its rankings of the leading providers in each sector by gathering data from and about the advisers and firms themselves, assessing submission forms, collating nominations, carrying out peer reviews, reviewing data from third-party sources, gathering references and recommendations, canvassing experts and conducting hundreds of interviews.
Advisers are evaluated using a proprietary scoring system that assigns different weightings to certain attributes. These scores feed directly into each new set of rankings in the Spear’s Indices. Each of these indices are published first online (according to the research calendar) and then in print. Print publication takes the form of the annual Spear’s 500 directory, which includes the top advisers in every index.
[See also: A guide to The Spear’s 500: Everything you need to know]
Each featured adviser is profiled on spears500.com. The site allows users to search the Spear’s database of more than 4,000 entities to find one (or more) to meet their specific requirements by filtering for specific attributes such as an adviser’s location, their specialist expertise and information about their client base.
The best country specialists: some names to know
Craig Fuller
Craig Fuller, who founded Craig Fuller Property in early 2025, specialises in selling and acquiring country property in the Cotswolds, North Wiltshire, Bath, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and the surrounding areas.
Fuller acts for family offices, many overseas buyers – including those from the US, Dubai and Singapore – and a sprinkling of high-profile and celebrity clients. All are looking for an idyllic countryside first or second home.
He tells Spear’s that ‘each area has its own nuances and shapes, and even politics’, making his expertise all the more valuable.
Read Craig Fuller’s full profile on Spears500.com
Phillippa Dalby-Welsh
- Focus: Top end of the UK country market
- Ranking: Top Flight
- Firm: Savills
As head of the country department at Savills, Phillippa Dalby-Welsh has oversight of a highly regarded, full-service country property team that covers ‘the length and breadth of the UK’, according to the firm, where she has worked since 2005.
With a personal specialism in rural Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, Dalby-Welsh is well equipped to connect HNW clients to their dream country boltholes, and draws on the knowledge of the Savills network in the instance where clients are not yet sure where they want to be located.
Read Phillippa Dalby-Welsh’s full profile on Spears500.com
Jonathan Bramwell
Jonathan Bramwell, formerly head of Knight Frank and Savills’s ultra-bespoke specialist buying consultancies, launched his own buying agency, Bramwell Prime Property Search, in 2024.
With more than 30 years in the country market, Bramwell has carved out an impressive niche among discerning UHNWs, particularly Americans, looking to secure top-tier country houses and estates with utmost discretion. He says having an independent firm gives him free rein to take on a low volume of clients and provide a highly personalised service.
Most of his work has been conducted off- or pre-market, and he always takes into consideration the unique circumstances of each client. ‘The key is not missing out on these opportunities,’ he tells Spear’s. ‘If you miss it, you don’t know when it is going to come along again.’
Read Jonathan Bramwell’s full profile on Spears500.com
Philip Harvey
‘I’m an eternal optimist; I know we can help people,’ says Philip Harvey, senior partner at Property Vision.
Harvey and his fellow agents advise on the acquisition of prime and super-prime property in London, in the country and internationally, dealing with properties valued in the tens, if not hundreds, of millions.
Since 2001, when he joined the firm, Harvey has advised entrepreneurs, financial services executives and high-profile clients; he reports that over half are returning clients, and one has bought with him nearly 20 times.
Read Philip Harvey’s full profile on Spears500.com
The best country specialists: the complete list
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With additional reporting by Christian Maddock.