Sometimes, no matter how smart, connected and well-resourced you are, you simply need an expert—and not just any expert, but the rarefied insider whom other specialists call when they need help. Luckily, Robb Report has our own highly curated directory of heavy hitters across categories: the Masters of Luxury.

This month, it’s Becky Fatemi, one of our Robb Report Real Estate Masters. The London-based multilingual agent (English, Persian, French, Spanish) is known for her gut-driven, no-nonsense approach to high-end homes as well as a cabal of connected pals—before real estate, she worked as a stylist, with Rihanna among others. She travels around the world unearthing hard-to-find listings in the most in-demand spots, with a particularly deep bench in new build, branded construction.

Have a conundrum you’d like to see solved? Email askrobb@robbreport.com.

The Expert

Name: Becky Fatemi
Occupation: Luxury-real-estate broker with Sotheby’s
HQ: London
Specialty: High-net-worth relocations

The Big Question

I’ve heard about the Italian government’s scheme to encourage wealthy foreigners to move there, but I’m hesitant to pull the trigger. Would you recommend I move to Milan?

Italy made headlines for simplifying the tax status for new residents just under a decade ago—put simply, wealthy arrivals could expect to pay just €100,000 (about $118,000) in annual taxes for their first decade in the country. (U.S. passport holders, of course, have to make other arrangements to mitigate obligations to the I.R.S. back home.) It triggered a wave of moves to the country, like those you’ve heard about, but Fatemi warns against following in their footsteps. “I’ve had probably two clients move to Italy, but probably 30 look to move there,” she explains. The housing stock’s rarely appealing, with few branded residences and new builds even in the north, and the unpredictability of rules has been self-evident: Two years ago, authorities doubled taxes for new arrivals, and from 2026, the annual dues will be €300,000 (about $355,000). She notes that there are lifestyle hurdles, too—neither education nor health care are world-renowned.

Consider other alternatives to Milan if you’re exploring a global move. Monaco is more in-demand than ever—she told a client to jump on a plane from Dubai if he wanted to be considered for a spot in Mareterra, for example. But there are obstacles here, too. “The pricing is insanity: The lack of supply is huge, which means that anything that comes on [the market] in Monaco within one of the buildings you want to be in flies out, and it usually just goes to someone who knows someone in the building.” She calls Malta “the next buzzword”: English is widely spoken, the climate’s consistent, and it retains an easy-to-follow citizenship-by-investment scheme. But keep an eye on another lesser-known ultra-high-net-worth hub. “Abu Dhabi is definitely going to be the financial capital of the Middle East, and this is a country that is 50 years old,” Fatemi says. “It is going to be the cultural hub as well as the financial hub.” Consider any of these three first, no matter how alluring la dolce vita might seem.

Speed Round

What’s the single thing you check to gauge build quality? The hinges on doors. If a client has spent money on good hinging, you usually find they’ve spent well throughout the rest of the house. People know me for this.

Essential amenity in any new luxury building? Accessory apartments. If I’m selling a new branded residence, and the client is going for the penthouse, there’s always a requirement they’ll buy a one or two bedroom in the same building as an additional purchase—you’re never in a situation where you don’t have an additional secondary or even tertiary apartment added in, sometimes even just for storage, not just for staff.

Second- or third-home buyers: What advice do you always give? You want to be looking at the liquidity position of that home. What is the rentability or investment potential of that property, and what are the management requirements of the property? You could have three or four homes across the world, but if you’ve got a 60-acre garden because the view is great, you’re going to need a team of however many people maintaining that garden.

First detail to check on a floor plan? The orientation of light. Is it for an art collector? Then you don’t want a south-facing room in a reception room.

Which vendor do you recommend unreservedly to clients? Cadogan Tate [a company known for moving and storing fine art and collectibles]. They’ve never let me down, and if you’re moving anything globally, they’re my go-to.

River views are usually colder—they’re by the water.

The buzzword of the moment, and a key factor right now.

It’s the heart of most houses—but you usually don’t get one without the other.

American buyers, predominately, want to breathe, post-Covid.

You always feel better at the top, and you can always change the plan.

A terrace is seasonal; the ceiling height is forever.

Because of the light, and it’s much cheaper and less complicated to go up than down.

“Who manages the building?” is the biggest question I get asked now.