Heathcliff Zingraf shares his special affinity for real estate alongside his father, Michaël Zingraf
In a classic tale of determination and persistence, Heathcliff Zingraf revelled in the thought of one day becoming a successful businessman, and with his father’s support he was able to join the Michaël Zingraf Real Estate company, which now has an impressive 19 offices.
The journey began when Heathcliff’s father, Michaël, moved to France from Germany. At the young age of 20
Michaël started to work for a real estate company. In 1977, after just one year, he left to start his own agency in La Croisette, Cannes: Michaël Zingraf Real Estate. It is now, since 2012, the exclusive Christie’s International Real Estate affiliate for the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.
Mougins
Saint-Paul de Vence
Whilst the business flourished, Heathcliff decided at the age of 20 that he wanted to do something concrete, instead of carrying on with his studies. “When I told my father that I wanted to do something substantial, he told me I should listen to him while he worked, and only just listen to him for six months.”
After this period Heathcliff was able to start selling small apartments, progressing to larger properties, as well as helping with the marketing. Fast forward to today and the company sold 107 properties in 2019; with the end of the fiscal year fast approaching there has been a 10% increase in sales compared to the last year.
Heathcliff states that there’s no secret to being the best in the job, you just need a good team. “I can’t do the job by myself, but with the 80 members of staff that we do have, we have managed to do great things. We recently sold one of the most expensive, unique and private properties located in île Sainte-Marguerite – an island facing the bay of Cannes and the Estérel mountains. This took us a year, but we have finally sold it.”
The future looks bright for Michaël Zingraf Real Estate Group as Heathcliff comments: “I am very optimistic about the future of the company and my goal is to have 50 offices in the next 6-8 years. There’s some space on the market to be taken and I’ve got a lot of motivation and ambition that I will be able to fill those spaces.”
