Luxury Real Estate

At the head of Furer SA  , Philippe Furer – – fourth generation – and his wife Anne-Lise have been working in the family business for over 35 years, and are now its majority shareholders by a wide margin.

Philippe Furer, Could you give us a brief overview of your business?

After studying humanities and law, I was thinking about becoming a diplomat, but the circumstances of life decided otherwise. I started working for my father, Claude Furer, in 1973, and I’ve remained faithful to the requirements of quality, precision and discretion that were the founding values of Furer SA. Our staff of 27 are actively involved in property management, administration of co-ownership property, renovation, brokerage, expertise and consultancy, primarily on the Vaud Riviera and in the Lake Geneva area between Geneva and Lausanne. Reconciling the interests of owners and tenants is no picnic – it requires first class services and, above all, a genuine ability to listen. Our management teams deserve a medal every day!

The company’s head office is in Vevey, while our two dedicated brokerage operations are based in Montreux and Lausanne, under the expert leadership of our associate, Sandro Rigois.

Was the current economic crisis a surprise to you?

Not at all. I’d seen it coming for two years, thanks to political economics classes given by the late François Schaller and several books on 1929 that opened my eyes to the chain reactions that happen during severe economic crises – a vicious circle. However, I fear the current crisis might turn out to be worse than the 1929 one, due among other factors, to runaway demographics (in 1929 the global population was 1.8 billion; in 2009 it’s 7.5 billion), climate risks and technological ‘progress’ that even the most motivated in our globalised world – if you’ll forgive the tautology – are no longer able to control, not to mention the collapse of moral values.

Faced with ever-increasing violence both within and beyond our borders, we’ll have no option but to ‘believe and create’ (which was the theme of the national exhibition as long ago as 1964!); a fascinating, historic challenge for current and future generations.

In the context of your business, what steps have you already taken?

As early as March 2008, I did a U-turn by abandoning international brokerage – even though it seemed to offer promising development prospects – in order to free up the time needed to implement our strategic choices, namely: always striving to improve staff training, perfecting our management applications, strengthening the disputes department and, as a necessary corollary, reinforcing security measures. This inevitably means protecting people and property, making our IT resources as secure as possible and protecting our image. We’ve recently been promoting two new sections on our www.furer.ch website: “The legal expert’s view”, written by Eric Ramel, a member of our Board of Directors, and “The tax expert’s view”, written by Gérard Balimann, director of Fidinter SA, a renowned trust company.

And what are your plans for the immediate future?

Creating a ‘culture corner’ on our website, for which plans are already well advanced. This will include my favourites and discoveries in classical and contemporary music, history, philosophy, literature and fine art. Moreover, there will be a section dedicated to various humanitarian activities. I’m also pulling together various writings in view of publishing a small work, in the not-too-distant future I hope, on... No, wait – it’s still a secret!

Among other activities, you’re a judge at the Rent Tribunal. What motivates you to hold this role?

After 37 years’ service in civil and military security, an army officer has a duty to serve the community in another way: “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”. So it was natural for me to contribute to peace between landlords and tenants through the channel of conciliation, at the same time as maintaining my legal knowledge by exercising a type of law that is always more tricky: summum jus summa injuria.

What are your other interests apart from property?

I’ll answer that question indirectly; one of my best friends is a famous conductor who’s just published a book titled “De la musique avant toute chose “ (Music above all things) with resounding success. At the request of another great friend – a canon, organist and internationally renowned concert performer and composer – the Protestant that I am has just formed a committee for the restoration of the great organs of the Sacré-Cœur de Montreux Catholic church (www.orguesmontreux.ch). I spend my leisure time, of which I don’t have enough, at the piano (currently J.-S. Bach, Beethoven and Chopin). I’m passionate about history and philosophy and am often inspired in day-to-day life by the thoughts of that great Stoic Marcus Aurelius, about whom I sometimes give lectures. I’ve chosen one of his thoughts for your article 2. Apart from that, every day I stroke two superb cats while contemplating my beautiful wife. To stay fit, I cycle between 700 and 800 kilometres a month...

What do you like most? ?

The sound of a child laughing.

What do you hate most?

Vulgarity.

Anne-Lise Furer, you are Managing Director of Furer SA and Director of its co-ownership department. What motivates you?

I used to be a primary teacher and yoga instructor. After I met Philippe, I began to take part in the administration of the sales department in Montreux. When a position became available in the co-ownership department, I jumped at it without knowing where it might lead... It’s a fascinating area that teaches you patience, self-control and diplomacy – what you gain is learning the art of living in harmony with others. As everyone knows, the administration of a co-ownership property is not limited to resolving a building’s technical problems – far from it...

You’ve considerably developed the co-ownership department. What’s your recipe?

You have to constantly be disciplined, towards both yourself and others. My rural origins have helped me a lot in this regard. I also have a great team of girls I can rely on.

What are your other interests apart from work?

I’m an avid figure skater, forest walker and yoga enthusiast. I also look after my cats, Merlin and Morgan, as well as... my husband. The precious time I share with him helps us keep our relationship in balance. Finally, when that little lot leaves me the time, I also play the piano: J S Bach, Schubert, Mendelssohn...

What do you like most?

A person’s state of consciousness, which is the key to human evolution.

What do you hate most?

Deceitfulness or treachery, whichever you like.

I fully subscribe to Plato’s thought: “beauty is the splendour of the true”.

Is it difficult working together as a couple? Who wants to answer?

A.-L. Furer: No. The secret of success lies in the intelligent sharing of tasks: each of us has our own department and office. Philippe Furer adds: at home, each of us has our own bathroom (laughs) and piano, but only one kitchen where we prepare meals together, such is the extent to which a meal cooked well with two pairs of hands is as pleasant as a well-managed or administrated property!

Epicurus wasn’t far wrong...

Interviewed by Elisabeth Bastide-Kastl