Ultissimo works with a select number of partners across Europe, but few conversations have shaped our thinking as much as the ones we’ve had with Cazar, the buyer-only property consultancy behind our Lake Como partnership. We sat down with co-founder Chibo Agu to talk about why Cazar exists, why Lake Como caught their attention, and what buyers still get wrong about markets like this one.

Cazar describes itself as a Maison de Chasse. What does that actually mean for a buyer?

“Cazar was created around a simple idea: buyers deserve representation too. As a Maison de Chasse, we work exclusively for them. We don’t begin with a portfolio of properties or a list of homes to sell. We begin with a conversation. By understanding a client’s lifestyle, priorities and long-term plans first, we’re able to search the entire market, including off-market opportunities, to find the property that genuinely fits their project. It’s a very different way of buying real estate. Instead of adapting to what’s available, the search is built entirely around the buyer.”

Most luxury property businesses are built around listings. What made you certain the opposite model was the right one?

“The model didn’t come from a business plan. It came from years spent working in the luxury real estate market. My co-founder, Célia Menand, and I kept seeing the same imbalance: every professional around the table represented the seller, while buyers, despite making one of the biggest investments of their lives, had no one exclusively on their side. That observation became the starting point for Cazar. It gives us the freedom to search across the whole market, work with the best local professionals and remain completely independent in every recommendation we make.”

How did Lake Como come onto your radar?

“Lake Como almost chose itself. Before launching Cazar, I was Real Estate Director at Le Collectionist, where I saw the same pattern time and again. Guests would arrive for a stay, fall in love with Lake Como and leave asking a different question: not where to stay next summer, but what it would take to own a home there. Many property searches begin with a destination, not a property. As one of Europe’s most established trophy asset markets, Lake Como was a natural fit for Cazar.”

You’ve described the Lake Como market as opaque. What’s the biggest mistake buyers make navigating it alone?

“The biggest risk isn’t missing a property. It’s making a decision with only part of the picture. Buyers searching on their own often see only a fraction of what’s actually available, and they don’t always have the local perspective needed to understand which opportunities are truly worth pursuing. That’s why partnering with Ultissimo felt so natural. We share the same buyer-first philosophy and the same belief that buying in a trophy asset market like Lake Como should never be about navigating the process alone.”

How did the partnership with Ultissimo come about?

“Quite naturally. Ruby first discovered Cazar through Instagram and got in touch. After several conversations, it quickly became clear that we shared the same vision of luxury real estate and, above all, the same commitment to representing buyers with independence, discretion and local expertise. By combining Ultissimo’s exceptional knowledge of the local market with Cazar’s buyer-first approach, we knew we could offer clients a seamless, highly personalised experience throughout their property search.”

If someone is wondering whether Lake Como is right for them, what would you want them to know first?

“The first thing to know is that Lake Como isn’t the right destination for everyone, and that’s perfectly fine. Buying a property should always start with your lifestyle, not with a famous destination. It’s also important to approach the market with realistic expectations. Lake Como offers exceptional opportunities, but they come with limited supply and strong long-term demand. Our advice is always the same: don’t start with a property. Start by asking whether this is genuinely where you see yourself spending time, building memories or creating a legacy.”

Is there anything about Lake Como that’s still underappreciated, even among buyers who know it well?

“People often focus on how beautiful Lake Como is. We think that’s only part of the story. What remains underappreciated is just how finite this market really is. You can’t create new lakefront land, and opportunities to build directly on the waterfront are exceptionally limited. Many of the most remarkable villas have been held by the same families for generations, making genuine trophy assets increasingly rare.”

Ultissimo works alongside Cazar to guide buyers through Lake Como with exactly this level of insight: independent, discreet and built entirely around the client. If you’re weighing up whether the lake is right for you, get in touch and we’ll start with the conversation, not the listings.

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