What is your background in real estate?
I have been working in real estate for over 5 years now here in the South of Gran Canaria, although I have lived here for nearly 15 years.
How long have you been trading in Gran Canaria?
Dream Homes was set up in 2006.
What do you think of the Canary Islands place in the current European property market?
I believe that the Canary Islands is a very strong competitor in the European property market for many reasons. Gran Canaria, for example, has so much on offer that it appeals right accross the board.
Many British people have been visiting these resorts since the 1970’s and therefore, the natural choice for them when choosing a resort for their holiday home is to choose somewhere where they feel comfortable and at home and know their way around. They are also assured here of a good rental income from their property whilst they are not here, if they wish. Another very important aspect of both of these resorts is that it is not necessary to speak Spanish in either resort and this is comforting to a lot of people. For people looking for a permament home here in Gran Canaria, the parameters are huge. Both the Playa del Ingles and the Puerto Rico resorts are still are without a doubt the top two destinations for the British buying a permament home here, there are other areas which are appealing for other reasons. For retirement, many couples choose the area of Maspalomas, which is a completely flat area and much quieter than its neighbouring resorts. However, you are only 5mins taxi journey from Playa del Ingles so you still have all facilities close at hand. Also Maspalomas is home to the well renouned sand dunes and the beautiful beach area where people enjoy walking along the promenade. Maspalomas is also popular with families as most of the schools can be easily reached from here by car and it is riddled with bicycle paths making it a very safe choice for people wishing to travel by pedal-power. (The beautiful weather makes this a very viable and pleasant alternative).
For Golfers, there are two very significant golf resorts, Tauro and Salobre Golf, and many people choose to buy permanent homes in these areas. (The higher prices normally limiting the numbers of people who can allow themselves a property here as a holiday home, although rental incomes are very good). The possibility of being able to play golf during ones retirement every day of the year is very appealing to avid golf players after a lifetime of suffering the British climate!
The island has a huge amount of activities which can be catered for, from hill-climbing in the mountain range around the lakes in the centre of the island, to diving of the natural reefs and the various wrecks dotted around the coastline. There are numerous watersports also available including sailing and surfing. The island recently hosted one of the most famous championships for surfing and, on a seperate occasion, boogie-boarding, where contestants from all over the world took part. The roads are also of an excellent standard and renouned with cyclists who come here to train before competitions in the UK. The city of Las Palmas is also an important attraction with a bustling city offering fantastic shopping as well as being culturally rich, offering Opera, concerts, ballets, muscials and shows. Gran Canaria has recently attracted international artists such as Gloria Estefan, Bryan Admas, Shakira, to name but a few. Last year “High School Musical” was on stage here and “Mama Mia” will be opening at the end of the year. There are many performances that can be enjoyed by non-Spanish speaking community of course, such as the Ballet (currently the National Russian Ballet Company are here), the opera (season from January to June), muscial recitals and concerts. All these are things that are mostly found here in Gran Canaria and not on the other islands, although obviously the city of Santa Cruz in Tenerife is a large city too but further removed from most of the southern resorts, whereas here Las Palmas can normally be reached in about 30-40mins.
Shopping is also unbeatable here, and last year, the only discount village in the Canaries “Las Terrazas” was opened where you can pick-up a pair of Spanish leather shoes for five euros!
Compared to the more eastern islands, Gran Canaria is much greener as a home and the north and the centre areas of the island are lush with palm trees and nature.
Another very important factor is the low crime rate. Obviously there is crime here, but it is normally theft related. There are hardly ever personal crime cases, and one never hears of rape, mugging or violent attacks. It is a family orientated community where children are loved and the elderly are respected.
All this said, the number one reason for choosing Gran Canaria when buying either a holiday home or a permanent residence is the all-year-round 20-27ºC climate. There are only an average of 5 days rainfall a year in the south, making it possible to enjoy the fresh (smog-free) outdoors all the time, whether it is having a barbeque, playing with your children in the pool, walking with your partner along the beach at sunset or hiking around the hills!
How is business?
Business has obviously slowed down slightly as a knock on effect of the economic problems being experienced throughout Europe, however it is not all bad news: For people who have been lucky enough to remain unaffected by the credit crunch, this has become an excellent opportunity to buy second homes at rock bottom prices and even the flights have come down in price - making it a better time than ever to invest abroad.
Besides this, we are lucky enough to have a very high percentage of clients that come to us through recommendations, mostly from past clients. We also have a large number of repeat clients, people who have bought or rented through us in the past and now wish to move and return to us again. Both these fators also mean that we are kept very busy!
What is Dream Homes doing/expanding into at the moment?
We have just become a member of the Estate Agents Association in the Canaries which is striving for the compliance of an ethical code throughout the business amongst other things. We also work in association with various other agencies on the island, and in this way, can always offer our clients the largest range of properties as opposed to only the properties which we list.
Is there anything exciting happening at the moment?
The market as a whole is definately picking up and there seems to be a lot going on at the moment. This is the high season for the Canary Islands and there are a lot of people here at the moment and what with the hotels full and Christmas just around the corner there seems to be a general buzz in the air.
As for property, we are currently involved in a very new system of building which, although it has been popular in Scandanavia for a number of years, is now coming to Gran Canaria for the first time. This is a completely innovative method of bringing in designs and expertese from Scandanavia and with the rest of the process taking place with their Spanish partners. These properties are very modern and offer an exciting future for the property market in Gran Canaria. They can be built in a much shorter timespan than the more traditional builds and therefore offers a property built to the clients specifications but in a fraction of the time. The builders will also provide a bank guarantee against any deposits paid which is very reassuring in this time of uncertainty in the building industry.
What types of properties are most sought after?
Obviously many people are looking for a bargain at the moment, and luckily for them, there are plenty about. The bargain prices in the Canaries may still seem high to some when compared with other countries such as Turkey or Bulgaria, but where else in Europe are you guaranteed good weather 12 months of the year and a second home owner here is assured of a rental income all year round (not only in high seasons). The properties we have had most interest in this year have either been at one end of the scale or the other: properties under the 100,000 euros mark or oppositely, over the 500,000 euros. It seems that the middle market is at more of a standstill at the moment.
Where are your offices, expansion ideas for the future, plans, etc?
Our office has moved from Meloneras, we now sell property in Playa del Ingles and we can now be found in the Yumbo Comerical Centre. Here we are far more centrally situated and much easier for our clients to find us when they need to.
How many staff do you have?
At the moment Patricia and I really run the major part of the business although we do have a couple of extra staff on hand if necessary, although, that said, I prefer to deal with the clients myself which allows us to offer a far more personal and professional service.
Patricia speaks German, English and Spanish and I also speak English and Spanish, which means we are both able to guide our clients through any amount of paperwork without any difficulty.
What are the key advantages you offer clients?
Since it began, Dream Homes has built up an excellent reputation for customer satisfaction with our aim being always to find the perfect property for each person individually, somewhere where they will be really happy.
Our motto is trust and we are very proud of our relationships with our clients. We understand that it can be very worrying to purchase a property in another country and we believe that it is imperative to have total trust in their agent here in Spain.
We will also organise your mortgage at no extra cost and will help supervise if building work or refurbishment is required.
By putting ourselves in our clients shoes we can try to help them as we would want to be helped, and welcome them to Gran Canaria.
