MUST MEET

What’s the story behind your journey to Burgundy?

Born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland in the late 1950s my working career started in the mid-1970s in the music scene working with international and local bands. From that, I worked in the planning and logistics environment in the UK for 20 years before creating a successful property maintenance company located in the Peak District National Park, England.

An interest in creating a second business in crafts and arts lead me and my wife Jenni to visit an art business in Burgundy in 1999. Falling in love with the lifestyle and charm of the villages and countryside, we decided to search for a second home in Burgundy. After visiting five properties with a local Notaire, we made an offer on a house in Creancey, Cote D’Or. We moved in on 30th November 2000 and in August 2003 we moved permanently to live in Burgundy. Bringing our property maintenance business with us we soon built a network of international clients and business started.

How did you go from property maintenance to real estate with France4U?

Life changed when we met Benjamin Haas who had just created Burgundy4u and after a visit together to French Property exhibition in London, we became ambassadors of creating happiness and lifestyle change to many international house buyers.
Over the years, we have met and worked alongside hundreds of people who like us desired to have a foothold property in Burgundy. Many became friends and others have sold through us and moved on to a new project.
We recently, after years of renovation work sold this house and moved to a second property and started again. Having local contacts and the best artisans, the project is nearing its completion.

Music has played a big role in your life. How has that continued in Burgundy?

In 2019, my life in Burgundy took a turn back to my younger days when out of the blue I was invited by very close Dutch friends to a summer garden party. When they asked me for an idea on how to make it special, I immediately suggested to consider a music theme maybe the 60s and 70s, my era.

This thought was developed and within a few days I was taken back in time to my music days in Glasgow playing live music.. I asked a couple of British friends if they would like to form a band to play 60s and 70s music at the party. At that moment, "The Flowerpots" were born. The Flowerpots went on to perform for 5 years to local audiences many of them clients of France4u.
I am now playing in a new band " The Single Malts". Watch out for this summer gig schedule..2025.

Besides real estate and music, what other passions shape your life in Burgundy?

Another amazing opportunity came from living in Burgundy. The love of the " Italian Dolce Vita". Jenni and I both have a great feeling about Italian culture and quickly found that living in Burgundy we had easy access to Italy. Over the years we have travelled to Italy many times by air, train and car. Nowadays, we spend as much time as possible in and around Italy using Torino as our 5 hour drive and overnight destination. From pompeii to Venice, we've seen it all.
In 2013, Jenni and I made the decision after 20 years together to get married. There really was only one possible place for this occasion. We decided to be married in the beautiful Tuscan town of Lucca. With 16 family members and 16 good friends, in attendance, all with Burgundy homes, we were married in Lucca " Under the Tuscan sun".

What would you say to someone considering a home in Burgundy?

Moving to Burgundy opened many doors and allowed me to use my planning and communication skills to assist clients looking to purchase, not just a property, but a lifestyle here in Burgundy. My principal enjoyment is working with purchasers to make the transition in owning a Burgundy home more enjoyable and less stressful. Coupled with this, is the enjoyment of making new friends, learning about new cultures and ways, of which my wife Jenni and I feel is very important.

Since our life began in Burgundy started in 2000, it has brought us a calm life, great friends an interesting job, musical adventure, an opportunity to meet many interesting people, and many travel opportunities.
Living in Burgundy comes highly recommend by us!
Curious about the properties Robert currently manages, see here?