An escape to the country is a dream held by worn-out urbanites worldwide. Even the most cynical city-slickers would struggle not to be charmed by a traditional cottage or large estate in the Cotswolds or Scottish highlands or enticed by the prospect of owning a slice of farmland.
Country property specialists are the advisers trusted by high-net-worth clients to invest in rural real estate, whether they want to upgrade their primary residence or expand their property portfolio with a second home or commercial venture.
Explore the other rankings within the 2025 Spear’s Property Indices:
- Best property brokers
- Best buying agents
- Best property lawyers
- Best relocation & shipping specialists
- Best property investment, finance, management & private office services
In the words of one Top Flight ranked adviser, it is the role of the best country property specialists to ‘know about every property that can be bought’. These advisers rely on their vast networks and insider knowledge to show homes not on the open market to ensure clients find their dream country home. As Top Flight country specialist, Philip Harvey of Property Vision told Spears: ‘I need to hear what’s really important to the client to get as close to their perfect as possible.’
From restored Elizabethan manor houses to innovative new-builds that remain sympathetic to their surroundings, the properties on offer are often one-offs that require just the right meeting of buyer, vendor, time and place – it is the job of the best country property specialists to orchestrate these moments.
These advisers are not just adept at matching their client’s needs ideal property. As charming as a life in the country sounds, realising that dream can involve a mass of red tape. A knowledgeable countryside real estate expert will be able to unravel issues such as land-use restrictions, conservation laws and access to utilities.
Returning to the Spear’s Country Specialists Index this year are industry leaders including Jonathan Hopper of Garrington, and Philip Harvey of Property Vision, who both retain their Top Flight ranking. Joining the Top Flight this year is Savills’ Phillippa Dalby-Welsh and a new addition to our rankings this year is Katherine Watters of The Buying Solution.
Click the links below to jump to a section of this article:
- Methodology
- Country specialists: some of the top names to know
- Best country property specialists: the complete list
- Contact us
Methodology
Each year, the Spear’s Research Unit reassesses and refreshes its rankings of the leading providers in each sector by gathering data from and about the advisers and firms themselves, assessing submission forms, collating nominations, carrying out peer reviews, reviewing data from third-party sources, gathering references and recommendations, canvassing experts and conducting hundreds of interviews.
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[See also: A guide to The Spear’s 500: Everything you need to know]
Advisers are evaluated using a proprietary scoring system that assigns different weightings to certain attributes. These scores feed directly into each new set of rankings in the Spear’s Indices. Each of these indices are published first online (according to the research calendar) and then in print. Print publication takes the form of the annual Spear’s 500 directory, which includes the top advisers in every index.
Each featured adviser is profiled on spears500.com. The site allows users to search the Spear’s database of more than 4,000 entities to find one (or more) to meet their specific requirements by filtering for specific attributes such as an adviser’s location, their specialist expertise and information about their client base.
Country specialists: Some of the top names to know
Phillippa Dalby-Welsh
- Focus: Full-service country home search
- Position: Director, head of country department, Savills
- Ranking: Top Flight
Phillippa Dalby-Welsh, who this year moves up to Top Flight, has oversight of a highly regarded, full-service country property search team that covers ‘the length and breadth of the UK’. With a personal specialism in rural Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, Dalby-Welsh is well equipped to connect HNW clients to their dream country boltholes. A previous six-year stint ‘covering most of the south west’ has added to her extensive knowledge base of the rural market.
View Phillippa Dalby-Welsh’s full profile at Spears500.com
Jonathan Bramwell
- Focus: Off-market country houses
- Position: Founder, Bramwell Prime Property Search
- Ranking: Recommended
With more than 30 years in the country market, Bramwell has carved out an impressive niche among discerning UHNWs looking to secure top-tier country houses and estates with utmost discretion. He says having an independent firm gives him free rein to take on a low volume of clients and provide a highly personalised service.
View Jonathan Bramwell’s full profile at Spears500.com
Andrew Grant
- Focus: St George’s Hill Estate
- Position: Partner, Curchods Estate Agents
- Ranking: Recommended
Few agents know the St George’s Hill quite as well as Curchods partner Andrew Grant. Bought in 1910 by W.G. Tarrant and developed to serve as a haven for the families of London’s industry titans, the St George’s Hill estate sits within 964 acres of stunning Surrey countryside. In the subsequent century it has become the home of celebrities, international CEOs and some of the UK’s wealthiest people.
View Andrew Grant’s full profile at Spears500.com
Best country property specialists: the complete list
Contact us
- Click here to order a print copy of The Spear’s 500.
- To apply for inclusion in The Spear’s 500, complete our submission form.
- For further information about rankings, please email research@spearswms.com; we aim to respond to all queries within two working days.
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- If you have missed calendar deadlines for our research cycles in 2025, you can still register your interest for updates about upcoming research and rankings.
