Village Life, Real Estate & Raising a Family in Mallorca

Transcript

Introduction: Helen welcomes Lucy Adamson

Hi, I’m Helen Cummins, and this is Mallorca Living, a video podcast dedicated to sharing the stories of inspiring people who have made this beautiful island their home. For each episode, we’ll share their story. They’ll tell us about their journey, the challenges, the triumphs, and the insider tips that make life here so special. Let’s dive in.

I’m here today with Lucy Adamson from the UK, and we’re going to hear how Lucy moved to Mallorca, how that transition went for her, and she’s also going to give you some tips and insights into what it’s like to live in Mallorca. Lucy, you’re very welcome.

Hi, thank you. To start, we met at one of our business launches, right? Three and a half years ago already. Wow, it’s flown. It’s absolutely flown, I can’t believe it. And at that time, we just happened to end up sitting together, so it was a fated meeting, let’s say. Yes, and it took me six months to convince you to come and join the ABC family, to come and work with us. Absolutely, yeah.

How Lucy discovered Mallorca and made it home

So how has that changed your life? Well, quite a big change because, of course, I’ve been here around five years now. Prior to that, I was working in London for many years. Well, it was a total change of lifestyle and a slower pace of living, so that means when you moved from the UK to Mallorca? Yes, that’s right. And the big transition, of course, is I was there, I was managing an estate agency, working for selling clients, a very international base of clients and very demanding as well. But it was more fast-paced. It’s a little bit slower here. It takes a little bit longer. Clients are maybe looking for second homes rather than their primary residence, so you have to have a little bit more patience. But the quality is there. Tell me, what was your life like as a single lady in London, in a pretty good job? What was your typical lifestyle?

Well, of course, London is fantastic. I mean, there’s everything going on in terms of culture and activities. I love all that, the museums and the galleries and the theatre and the cultural life. So my life was very busy with my work and going out and socializing. But I think I did really want to slow down a little bit in terms of my pace of life because time went even faster. If it goes fast normally, it was going even quicker there. And I didn’t have much time outdoors, you know, like here in the sunshine, it’s fantastic to be outside.

But what actually brought you to Mallorca? Well, basically, I had this job in London for many years and I decided to take a little sabbatical at one point and I came to Mallorca for a few months. I do have family here. I have my godmother who lived here for many years. So I spent a wonderful, carefree summer, and I actually met my partner at the time, who’s here. So while you were on sabbatical you came here and then you met your partner here? Yes. Quite a similar story. I met my husband while I was on holidays here. Yes, so it is an island of love, right? Absolutely, if you’re lucky. Yes, I think it tends to encourage that. That’s true.

So your partner, he’s from Mallorca? He’s Mallorquín. That’s right. He was born here and yes, he’s lived most of his life here. He has lived abroad as well. And actually after that, he did come to London for a while, so that was good. But I think with Brexit and all those changes going on, we just decided to take the plunge to come over to Mallorca and give it a go. So you gave up the job, gave up the social life and the high life, let’s call it, in London, and moved to Mallorca.

The language question: Do you need Spanish to live here?

What’s your partner’s name? Carlos. So did Carlos speak English or was that an issue for you? He did. He speaks better English now because he’s got a fantastic teacher. No, he did, and we always spoke in English at the beginning. So yes, I did have to learn to speak Spanish to communicate with his family and to integrate here as well. But you had a big bonus because if you’re part of a Spanish family, then you have to speak Spanish, whereas many people here in Mallorca, they kind of avoid learning Spanish because they just get into their community and they communicate between them. What do you think of that? Do you think people need to learn Spanish?

I think, of course. I mean, each to their own. I don’t judge anybody who doesn’t learn, but I think you gain so much more if you do. And in Mallorca, the way things work is all through connections and who you know. Very true. So if you do speak the language and especially if you live in a village context or a community like that, and you know Jan down the road whose cousin knows this person in the town hall, you can just get things done or you know what’s going on much more easily.

Adapting to the local culture and community

And are the Mallorquíns open? I mean, a lot of people say that the Mallorquíns are quite closed and it’s very difficult to penetrate the local community. What’s been your experience? My experience is that they are open. I think they do take a little while to warm up and if you make an effort to speak the language, of course, that’s very welcomed by them. They will then… But it is quite understandable, right? Because a lot of the people here are transient, so the locals would tell you, “Look, they make a big effort to get to know people and then a couple of years later, they’re moving and you kind of start all over again.” So I think a little bit of it is that they’re tired of that. And maybe it’s the island mentality. I don’t know, have they been invaded many years over the centuries? But I do find them warm people and very kind.

That’s actually been my experience too. I think if you’re open, authentic, and make an effort to speak the local language, then they are. Can you tell me, in Carlos’s family, do they speak Mallorquín or are they speaking Castellano? So actually, they speak Castellano because his parents are from the mainland. So you didn’t have to jump that hurdle as well to learn the local dialect? Fortunately not, because that would have been a much more challenging thing. I know a few phrases, but just things to get by day-to-day.

Choosing Portol: an emerging village near Palma and what makes it so special

Good, super. So tell us, you moved here, you decided to move here, you and Carlos, and you talked about what made you decide on the area that you’re living in now. Tell us how all that… Yes, absolutely. So we eventually decided to buy a house in the center of the island. So we’re now living in a village called Portol. It’s close to Santa Maria del Cami, which probably more people are familiar with. And for us, it was just a great combination of a lot of things. So the positives, it’s very close to our family. My parents live here as well now and they’re only a short drive away, and his parents are here, so and now we have a small child, so that’s become very, very convenient. So you have the family infrastructure to help. That’s beautiful. And as a working mom as well, that’s pretty essential.

But also, I like the village because it’s well-connected. You can get to Palma, you can get to the north, anywhere really, very easily, and to the airport as well. And we have a lot of amenities in the village. We have a little nursery school where Emily goes to and it’s pretty international actually. They speak English, Catalan and Spanish. Yeah, just on that, let’s go back to Portol because I think Portol is an interesting place. It was a very low-key village, right? Not many people have heard about it. It’s actually a very historic village. It’s well-known for the history of ceramics. It’s actually the home of ceramics on Mallorca, right? And even though it’s connected with that, it’s not a very well-known village. It was actually a very sleepy village, let’s call it, for many years, but it seems to be now becoming more and more popular with foreigners. Yes, that’s right. Who maybe wanted to buy in Santa Maria, but because of the crazy prices in Santa Maria, people are moving more to Portol, which is only 10 or 15 minutes away, but it doesn’t seem to have had the same surge in prices as Santa Maria. Is that fair to say?

Yes, absolutely, I would say so. And it’s not quite as busy as Santa Maria as well. It does still have a very villagy feel, even though it’s, I wouldn’t say it’s dead at all or quiet, but it has enough going on but not quite so busy and big like Santa Maria is. But you’re there in five minutes and you can get the train.

What day is market day in Portol? Actually, they don’t really have a… It must be the only village in Mallorca that doesn’t have a market. Really? I think further down in Sant Marçal and Sa Cabaneta they have, but not yet. And is Portol worth a visit for the ceramics? Yeah, there are various shops where they sell them. They’re all made there and they even have the very old kilns in some of them, which is great to see if you’re interested in that kind of history. And you probably pay half the price there than in some of the shops. They supply the ones in Palma. So it is worth a visit to go to Portol for that reason.

Buying off-plan: why Lucy chose a new-build home and how it works

Great. So what kind of home did you end up buying in Portol? So we bought a little house in the village. It’s a terraced house, it’s a new build, so we actually bought it off-plan. We decided to go down that route because we knew the builders from working in the industry, I knew them personally and we knew they did a good quality project. And they’re local, right? Yes, that’s right. They do a lot of projects in Palma as well and around. So we decided to do that and we could customize it to an extent to our taste and we knew that we had the guarantees that there would be no damp or no issues.

Why did you have that guarantee? Well, a lot of the… if you were just looking at that kind of property, the village houses typically they’re made from stone and this local sandstone. So you get problems with damp very often. Really, in an old village house? In the old village houses, so if you buy an old village house with the idea to renovate it, it’s something that you maybe have to do damp proofing and stuff like this before. Yes, absolutely, so that’s a good tip, good to know.

So you opted for the new build, modern and without any kind of headaches, let’s say. Are you paying a premium for that? We did pay a slight premium, but buying off-plan, you do pay slightly less because you’re taking the risk, let’s say, of not seeing the final product. If you do wait for anything to be completed in Mallorca, you automatically have a lot more interest and competition.

So how long in advance of it being completed did you buy it? I think a year and a half before. Okay, 18 months. You need to kind of think about that. So somebody maybe planning to move here within two years could think about buying a new build, yes, and having it ready, let’s say, buying off-plan and then having it ready within 18 months when they would be ready. It’s maybe a good option for people who are planning to move here, but maybe haven’t sold their own house in their home country. Yes. And they need some time to kind of terminate everything in their home country, but then have a foot in the market here.

Yes, I would recommend it because aside from the fact that you can choose your own qualities inside and fittings and even to an extent the design, depending on the project, you can also then pay in stages. So financially, it’s not such a big commitment right from day one, and it’s a great option for someone who has time.

Financing tips for off-plan purchases

So what happens with the mortgage then for a property for buying off-plan? So for the mortgage side, you can get a mortgage but you have to wait until the end. So once they have all the paperwork and then you can go to the notary and with the bank and get the finance. Depending on the builder, they will ask for a certain percent, but do you have to do stage payments? Or you can avoid that? How? Well, it depends on the total. So each builder will have a different amount, so maybe they ask for 20-30% until the completion and then you can break that down into stages. So maybe you pay 5% once the foundation’s announced, etc.

So then at the moment that you’re handing over is when you’d get your, let’s say, 70% mortgage and then that’s the final… But maybe the 30% you could actually pay in installments over an 18-month period. Yes, that’s right, depending on how long the duration of the build. Exactly. But that’s a very interesting way, I think, for people because often people are nervous about selling their home in their home country, and then not quite being settled or knowing what they’re going to buy here, and that can be a big stress actually. Absolutely. And also, the concern maybe they’re overpaying. And actually when you buy something that’s not been started, normally you get a little bit of a discount anyway. And then with the prices in Mallorca, it will appreciate in value during the building time.

And was that your experience that it actually from when you bought it off-plan to when it was built there was an increase in the price? Yeah, so we actually achieved about, it was about a 10% increase from the price we paid and the final valuation by the bank. Oh, 10% in 18 months? Yes, wow, that’s excellent.

Demand for new builds and evolving buyer preferences

What about new builds on the island? Because it seems to me that the demand is way out… the demand is much higher than the amount of new builds. Is that right? Yes, I would say so. I’d say the majority of, certainly the clients we deal with, foreign buyers, and I suppose even resident buyers, families, or whoever wants to live here, they just don’t want to do the work because it’s so slow here and bureaucratic. So it really can be a headache, especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. So yeah, I think most people would just like a turnkey property. And the demand is growing and I’ve seen it just from some of the buyers that have bought through you that people like this Mediterranean style, stone houses, shutters, you know, the beautiful villa and everything. It’s the dream, right? For many people, but in the end, they love the underfloor heating. They love the modern conveniences, let’s say.

Would you say that that’s kind of very typical of what people are looking for now? Absolutely. And also, I think there’s an increasing consciousness with this kind of eco-efficiency. People want to have more solar panels or these heat pump systems which are more efficient, so they’re not so dependent on the electric grid and they can be a little bit more independent in terms of their bills. Certainly with the rustic properties, having access to water is extremely important in Mallorca. So these kind of things as well, with the more modern properties, I think people want this now, it’s much more in demand. Absolutely.

Raising a family in Portol: village life, nursery, safety, amenities & public transport links

So tell me, would you recommend Portol as a place to settle for foreigners who are just starting off? Is it a good place? Yes, I mean, I’m biased because I love it. But I mean, certainly, we’re a mixed family, so we love it because we get the best of both. We love the Spanish life, you know, the fiestas. They have so many fiestas almost every week. They have some different fiestas, they have a great time always partying. And we just love that, going around to the cafe on the corner. You can have a fresh croissant or coffee and you pay probably less than three euros. It’s fantastic. Yeah, so they’re not London prices. There’s a big difference. And just that sense of community, the neighbors are lovely and yeah, so I would recommend it.

Can you live there without the language? I think you can, but you would not gain as much. So there are other areas of the island with stronger international communities, which… So the idea is if you’re thinking of a small village, typical of like Portol, yes, you can move there initially but with the idea that you will learn the language. And probably living there where you don’t have so many people speaking English, it sort of pushes you. And many people need that push, don’t they? To immerse yourself. Yes, it’s the only way, I think.

One of the things I think Portol is very well located and strategic. I mean, you’re literally how many minutes from Palma? 15. It takes me yeah, 20 really? 20 minutes. 20 minutes in the morning to get there and that’s probably with traffic. Yes. Then you have international schools like the Academy on the doorstep, right? And you have a train station, one in Marratxí and one in Santa Maria. Exactly. So within 10 minutes, more or less, driving. Yeah. And you have loads of amenities, supermarkets, everything. Yeah. Because a friend of mine, he has teenage kids living in Portol and he said the train has just been the greatest gift because the kids are more independent to go and hop on the train, go to Palma. Absolutely. So that’s another advantage to living there.

Very much. I mean, a lot of my clients talk about especially with grown-up children, how they become a taxi driver. Especially if you come from somewhere like London, which is so well-connected, you don’t even have to use a car for public transport. So that is a big bonus. If you can get on that train line, it’s really good.

So tell me a little bit about the lifestyle because you now have a beautiful daughter. Yes, I do. And life has changed a bit for you. So tell us a little bit what’s a typical weekend for you? A typical weekend for me is spending the maximum time with her, really, because I’m working during the week. So we will normally, we like to spend time in the village, you know, going around, spending time outdoors, really. That’s been, I think, the biggest change living here is you can go out, you can walk in the countryside and go hiking and all year round because we have the weather. Exactly, like now it’s wonderful to go hiking or walking in the mountains. It’s fantastic.

The outdoors lifestyle in Mallorca: simple pleasures all year round

So do you do that? Yeah, we do. I mean, it’s a bit slower with the toddler. We get distracted by the chickens and the donkeys and the goats on the way, but that’s fun, you know, we enjoy it. We take carrots sometimes and we have a friendly donkey nearby. But for me, I think that’s the biggest thing. It’s taking pleasure in these simple things, you know, or just going, having a nice coffee or going to the seaside. And now we’re not swimming so much now, but going snorkeling. And these simple pleasures are just what I really enjoy now living in Mallorca, I have to say, yeah.

And do you have a plaza in Portol? They do have a small plaza. They don’t really have a plaza lined with cafes and restaurants like a lot of the villages here. But we do have a small plaza where they do events. And with the fiestas, for example, they enjoy doing barbecues or outdoor live music and this kind of thing, which is fun.

One topic I think is good for foreign people, I know here we don’t even probably think about it, is the whole idea of safety and security. Absolutely. I mean, you probably don’t even lock your door in Portol, do you? Well, it locks automatically actually, which is okay. But no, you’re right. I mean, I’ve forgotten to lock the car many times and it’s absolutely no problem. Once, we left, we have an automatic garage, the garage door was left open, which is Carlos’s music studio. So that’s full of actually quite valuable instruments and we had the neighbor knock on the door, say, “Oh, we think you’ve left it open.” And nobody touched anything. So that is amazing here. You don’t live with this fear at the back of your mind. What about for a little child? Are you really comfortable? Do you feel safe with the baby and with the little childminding nursery?

Absolutely. Yeah, 100%. This nursery in particular, it’s basically almost like a house that they’ve converted and they have around 30 children. Wow, that’s a lot. Yeah. And it’s, but they have six women there who are taking care of them and it’s like a home away from home. They love her. They really take, they send photos, they really care. You can see they care about the children and they again, they spend a lot of time outside. They have a big garden with a lovely lemon tree for shade and rabbits and yeah, it’s really nice. I have to say, it’s one of my experiences when my daughter was growing up here on the island, Spanish people love children. It’s like they hold children like in a kind of honorary position, which is such a different mentality, I have to say, from maybe other places in Northern Europe where kids can be more a kind of an annoyance, a noise, a disruption. But here, if you walk down the street with a pushchair, the Spanish are almost jumping in the pushchair to salute. No, yes, absolutely. Especially all the grandmas in the village. They’re always talking to her and trying to entertain her. It’s lovely.

Lucy couldn’t imagine raising her daughter in London now

So can you imagine the difference for your daughter in growing up here? I mean, that difference must be phenomenal for Emily. It’s, I mean, if you could think about if you were still living the London lifestyle versus what you have here, I couldn’t imagine and I just don’t think I would have the same amount of time or quality of time with her. I think it’s just been such a fantastic change, really. Of course, nowhere’s perfect, but we love living here and for her, it’s like you say, the safety, the community and the lifestyle. They’re welcoming. Yes, they’re so welcome.

Working in real estate: differences from London to Mallorca

So Lucy, you are working in the real estate industry and I have to say, here in Mallorca, a lot of foreigners are attracted to the real estate business. That’s right. I guess it’s one of the more lucrative sectors on the island and I suppose many foreigners can actually work without having that much professional knowledge. Whereas obviously, you’ve, I would say more in the category of you’ve been doing this for many, many years. It was your career path in London and then you decided to transition to Mallorca. And what’s been the biggest difference from London to Mallorca in terms of your job and what you do?

Well, the biggest difference of course, there’s the differences in terms of the demographic of the market. So it’s much more in terms of people looking, the foreign buyers looking, which is primarily what I deal with. They’re looking for second homes quite often rather than your primary residence, which would have been your target market, let’s say, in London. Yes, yeah. So that’s different. The nature of the properties, of course, that people looking here, really, for somewhere they can enjoy the Mediterranean lifestyle. So a house with outside space, swimming pools, proximity to beaches, this kind of thing. Whereas in London, it was more practical, you know, location in central London or yeah, so that’s a big difference.

And I think the nature of how things are managed here. So it’s still really quite unregulated and not very transparent compared to the UK. So that is something that I’ve really learned a lot about and I’m still learning a lot about in Spain and in Mallorca in particular.

Navigating legal pitfalls & property purchase risks

It can be a bit of a minefield in terms of the paperwork and the legalities on particularly on the rustic properties. And even within that, there are inaccuracies. So you need to really speak to professionals about it, otherwise you do hear some horror stories, I have to say. Yes, yes. Have you had some experience of these nightmare stories with some of your clients or friends? Yes, I’ve heard a lot of stories. And with my own clients, yeah, basically being told information at the beginning and then it transpires actually when you start doing the due diligence that that’s not true, you know, things like that are actually very important now like if a property has a holiday license. You need that in place and they’ve been told it is and then it turns out it’s not. The property is legal, turns out it’s not. All these things… But even the size. I had recently it’s advertised, the property is advertised at one size, but then on the legal documents, it’s completely different.

Exactly. So if you’re negotiating the price, you need to know that in advance, right? Yes, you do. And quite often there are discrepancies even in the legal documents because quite often, particularly with the Spanish owners, they don’t use solicitors for the transaction, which is the norm in the UK. But here, I had a friend recently, he did use a local lawyer. That’s right. He was told everything is legal and actually now it turns out that it’s not and he has a major problem. Yes, that’s so… Have you heard these kind of… I mean, it’s unbelievable that something like this can happen at this day and age, right? I know, it is. And particularly if you have used even, you know, a lawyer and they haven’t spotted something, of course, you feel very let down and it’s very concerning because the value of the property is then diminished. And the salability as well, of course. These people now face a nightmare here, right? With trying to legalize their property. Yes, yes.

Why impartial advice matters: role of a property buyer’s agent

So how can what you do, let’s say, support and help people who are planning to move here? Well, I can support people in many ways, really, depending on the stage they’re at. Right from guiding the kinds of locations that will be suitable for them depending again on the lifestyle, what they require day-to-day. And then with this important point of connecting them with professionals that are tried and tested. Absolutely. Professionals. I think that’s the point. Yeah. Actually not just any professional, people that we know work extremely well, are very thorough in what they do and care about the client. You know, they’re not just trying to get a sale done. They want to keep these long-term relationships on the island and do a good job, a professional job.

Choosing the Right Property for Lifestyle vs. Investment

I can do all of that and of course, I am involved in all of that process as well, double-checking and making sure they’re okay. I mean, when we work together, I enjoy that a lot. But I suppose I bring more because I’ve been 25 years plus on Mallorca. I bring more the local knowledge and because I cycle every road on the island, I know the locations very well. And I suppose I always feel that that’s my role to play when we have an exclusive client that we’re saying, “Okay, here’s their lifestyle dream and let’s try to find the perfect match for them in terms of location.” And considering it’s only a small island, there’s quite a bit of variety in terms of what you’re going to experience, right?

Absolutely, of course. There’s so much variety depending on the kind of activities people want. So you have, you know, a lifestyle with more with golfing or yachting or around the kind of sea life or if you want to be in the mountains and have that more tranquil, rustic experience, which is of course really authentic Mallorca. There’s that side, so so much variety really in terms of the different things. Yeah.

But I also think people kind of when they come on holidays here, they can kind of get hooked on the illusion of, “Oh my God, life is just so idyllic.” But of course, this can be in summertime when the sun’s shining and everything is beautiful and all the restaurants are open and everything is flowing beautifully. But then winter time can be a very different scenario. How do you deal with that when somebody says, “Oh, I’m in love with such a place,” and you’re thinking, “Well, yes, it’s great in summer and season, but what about the winter?” Do you try to guide people?

Well, yes. The nature of Mallorca is a touristic island, so of course there’s a big change and transition between the seasons. And I always advise people, if they can, to come during the quieter months to see the places that they maybe had fallen in love with, like you say, during the summer, and they get a real feel for how it is all year round, especially if they want to live here. But also in some places because of mountains and so on, you can have summer sun beautifully on a property because the sun is higher in the sky, and then in winter time, a whole area may not get sun. And of course, somebody needs to point that out to you, right? When you’re buying a property.

Yes, of course it can be very misleading in the summertime. Everything looks wonderful, everything’s bright and sunny and warm. But in the winter, particularly in the valleys, for example, there are properties that are completely dark all day and night. So you need that local insight.

Difference Between Real Estate Agent and Property Buyers Agent

So what is the difference also with what you’re offering as a property buyers agent versus the normal real estate agent on the island? Well, we’re offering a service that is totally impartial because for us, it doesn’t matter which property the buyer wants to buy or where it is. And it doesn’t really matter when. We’re not trying to rush clients and pressure them and scare them into thinking they’re going to miss out if they don’t find the right thing right now. We take the time to really find the correct property for the client like you say that matches and also so that they make the right decision in terms of all these different factors. Yeah.

Making a right decision in Mallorca is so important. People underestimate the significance because the transaction costs are very high here with the taxes and so on. So it’s not that easy if you make a bad decision and then end up you don’t like where you’re living or you don’t like the property to try to sell it again. It’s neither fast nor is it cheap. That’s right. So I think, I mean prices are already very inflated in Mallorca. I think the last data was almost, I think it was $4,900 a square meter this year on average, compared to the rest of Spain. Of course, there’s the areas which are much more expensive, but if you compare to other parts of Spain that are also expensive, it’s one of the highest. And on top of that, with the stamp duty costs, the transactional costs, like you say, it takes several years to make that back again. You can’t just flip it and make a profit if you make a mistake. And it can take you two, three years to sell a property in Mallorca.

It can do, but of course, part of our job here is to make sure that clients do buy something that is sellable in a good location, but it’s always an important factor that we bring up with them. It’s not only the day you buy, it’s actually about the day you sell it. Right? Yes. So things like sea view and the salability of a property for the price you’re buying is very important. Yes.

And I think also it’s important that you have demand from the local resident population and the foreign market, so that you know that if there is a bit of a downturn and there’s less demand from second home buyers, you can still sell to local people who live here.

We’ve seen a big change in the, well, over 25 years of seeing who’s coming to Mallorca and moving here. I’ve seen a huge change in the type of person, the profile of people buying here. We’re seeing a lot more younger people in their 30s or 40s with children transitioning and deciding, giving up their life where they are, moving here, putting the kids in schools, and either building a business and a life here or working remotely or flying back and forth, depending.

Helping Families Relocate: Schools, Kids & Quality of Life

So what is your take on that? Because obviously, if you’re advising somebody who’s buying a second home, it’s a very different criteria to somebody who wants to live here year round with children, schools, work, all that.

Yes. Well, I can relate as well now being a parent myself that your children’s activities and school pretty much dictate your life in terms of what you’re doing and where you’re driving, how many hours you spend in traffic and all of that. So that is really what drives the initial search, the school that’s interesting for them, and therefore the location around that. And yeah, I think that in terms of the age of the children, you will want a certain type of property or location versus another. For teenagers, like we already mentioned, they want more easy access to Palma. Younger children maybe would benefit more from being in nature or more of a country setting. So all of those factors, I will always have a very detailed conversation, well, many conversations, it’s a process with the client and then we find the right place.

So talk me through a typical client. When they connect with you initially, what’s the process? So the process is that we’ll always have a face-to-face meeting, sometimes via video call, of course. And then we will take it from there. So I explain how we work. We find out which stage they’re at and I see how I can help the client. If they would like to work with us, I ask them to sign an agreement and it’s an exclusive agreement, so that they… Exactly, so they sign to exclusively use your services. Exactly, so that we represent them exclusively on the island. And from there, we can then spend as much time and energy necessary to reach out to the real estate agents, do a full search on the market for them, and whenever they’re here, spend the time that’s needed.

There are a lot more off-market properties now or what they call kind of secret marketing of properties, right? So to get that kind of information, you need somebody to do the research and reach out to all the agents to make sure that you also consider properties that are not marketed online. That’s right. Yes. Particularly for the local people who are really on the ground, the local experts, they will know if somebody is maybe thinking of selling or if they’ve got it a little bit more discreetly marketed. Or even like the off-plan that we mentioned, they’re not all advertised from the beginning because they don’t have the paperwork and it’s only if the right buyer came they would consider selling. So yes, it’s very important.

Renting Before Buying: Why Lucy Does Not Recommend It

Having access to local connections and local knowledge can be very beneficial for buyers, especially if they don’t speak the language and they’re physically located somewhere else, they’re not on the island. Exactly.

Lucy, I’ve noticed that you have clients who maybe are renting for a few months while they’re looking. Is this something that’s advisable for people in general? I don’t advise renting in Mallorca just because the quality of the rental properties is really not great and you have to pay a lot for properties that are really quite average in terms of the quality. Of course, it depends on the circumstance of the client. If they’re under pressure to get here for certain deadlines like schools and academic years, it can just be too stressful to try and tie in the sale of a house with a move and kids and all that. So I understand why a lot of people want to do that. But if we start talking early on and we can really make a plan together, I can normally help them to time it in such a way that a rental is only really necessary if something gets delayed unexpectedly, for example, rather than from the outset.

The Value of Exploring the Island Before You Buy

The other thing you always advise is people to go explore the island, right? If they’re not so familiar with Mallorca. I think it’s fundamental. So after the initial conversation, if we go through certain locations that the client maybe doesn’t know or is not familiar with, that they go and spend time as a family or a couple and have a coffee or a meal in the village, talk to people, just to get a feeling because it’s so subjective. I mean, of course, I can help to an extent with the guidance, but it’s really very subjective to each person who falls in love with which town versus not or has a good feeling. So yes, it’s really important. And it’s almost eliminating, you know, you can kind of have a list of places where you think, yeah, maybe these are interesting on our radar, but it’s a process of eliminating, isn’t it?

It is. And also, you know, once you start seeing the kinds of properties within the budget, you can eliminate what’s available within in terms of the kinds of properties that are on the market at that time within the budget. Sometimes you can’t compromise that, so you have to narrow it down or choose maybe a slightly different location.

Process with a Property Buyers Agent

But all of that is a step-by-step process. So then the clients, you make a plan, you pre-select properties, and I think this is one of the advantages as well. Because you know so many of the properties that are on the market, you can very quickly eliminate properties that you know are just not going to fit the criteria of the client, right?

Of course. I mean, I will know straight away. I mean, sometimes if it’s a newer property I won’t, but I can speak to our trusted contacts, the agents will let me know up front because we don’t want to waste time. Well, I don’t agree with you there because many clients say that they get so frustrated that they’re brought to many properties that are way above their budget, that they don’t suit the criteria, but there is a thing here of bringing the client, registering the client with the owner just by chance if that person buys. Is that not true?

That is, yes. Well, that’s the difference between just a regular seller. A lot of the regular selling agents, let’s say, they may not give information up front or they will just try to sell what’s in their property, but you don’t need to do that because you have an exclusive agreement with the client. So you can eliminate a lot of properties off the list and then the properties that the person is brought to to view are actually really meeting their criteria. Right? Yes, that’s right. Exactly. I would have vetted already in terms of if there’s any legal issues or anything that should be known in terms of that and also location wise, is it road noise? Is there plane noise? You know, things that you can check on the ground or I can check on the ground for them before they… And you do previewings, don’t you, for clients as well and send them videos and stuff like that? Very often I do, yeah. So you’re like their person on the ground. Yes, yeah. Which is brilliant because if you’re not physically here, it can be very, very time consuming going back and forth and calls and wondering and whatever.

So you’re on a viewing trip with the client. What’s the process there? Because I guess you can be viewing properties with numerous different real estate agencies, right? That’s right. So it’s not just one agency, you might be working with three or four different agents for one client to find the right property. That’s right. We have our agents that specialize, we like to work with local agents who are very specialized in each area, but sometimes we’re looking in multiple areas or maybe some agents have certain properties some don’t. So I have to organize normally the whole itinerary by liaising with the various agents. With the client, we agree a window and from there, they don’t have to worry about anything else. And you drive them around and you do the viewing trip with them.

I’ve picked up cars from the airport, from their hotels. I’ve driven them everywhere. Spend the whole day. We have lunch together. It’s really quite, you know, it can be quite intensive, but it’s very useful, it’s good quality time. And then what kind of feedback do you give them on the house, on the property? Well, during the viewing, obviously you try to be tactful in case the owner might be there or whatever. But normally, yeah, we will share our thoughts very honestly after a viewing. I can always give my perspective as a property professional, what I see may be some of the negatives and the positives and they always have their own view of course. Their initial feeling of concern and feeling is huge, I think. For somebody, they tend to know if this is the right place or not. You can’t explain it, but it’s like a sixth sense that people get, right? I think nine times out of 10, the property that people end up buying is when they go in and they have this feeling that there’s something that fits.

True. Yes, it’s true. I remember the day we walked in here and actually this property did not catch me, but it did catch my husband because he saw the view and he was so convinced about it that he was like, “No, I want this house.” I was like, “Oh, okay.” And then I had to spend years trying to reform it and make it really homely. So it’s been quite a journey, but sometimes I have to assist clients with that too because they don’t always necessarily have that vision, you know, of what could be, because maybe they’re not so experienced buying and renovating. But that’s all I do all day long is looking at properties. So I say, “Look, this, you could do this, open this up.” So I think that’s helpful for some, not all clients. Some clients are very experienced and obviously with your contacts, you put people in contact with the right people.

Yes, with interior designers, architects, whatever they need, which can be a great, again, there’s a lot of people offering things here on the island. You need to know which one is the right one for you that’s going to be a good match. Yes.

So we’ve talked about your life in London. We’ve talked about your buying of a property off-plan which I think is really good. I think the idea of going to a kind of lesser known village where you can get maybe a premium property for a little bit less than what you’d pay in the more sought after locations was a very good insight. And then all the information we’ve talked about, and within our conversation, there’s a lot of tips there. There’s a lot of insights for people which they probably have to decipher a little bit. But of course, that’s the access that they get when they work with somebody like you who’s been a long time on the island.

Main Tips Lucy Can Give When Buying a Property in Mallorca

I think the biggest, the main tips I would give is, you know, not to rush, take your time, to connect with the right people to guide you, not to feel pressured because there is a lot of that here on the island. And, you know, come at different times of the year so you really get a real feeling of the different parts of Mallorca and how they are in the winter versus the summer. I think those would be… I mean, we’ve had clients who bought within three weeks, yes, and we’ve had clients who who took two years. Yes. But it doesn’t matter, it’s a big journey that you embark with them, right?

Exactly. So of course, some clients are more ready to make the decision than others. It’s clearer and that’s fine. That’s fantastic. But yeah, there will be a lot of, we hear a lot of stories, especially on views. “Oh, there’s another offer.” It’s always like that, you know, this kind of pressure to make a decision, whereas I think you can take your time, you can do it in a right way.

North American Clients: Perceptions, Opportunities, Mortgages & Visas

We’re working a lot more with North American clients from the US, from Canada. Are their requirements different than the European which we would have been more the traditional foreign buyer here in Mallorca?

Yeah. I think the requirements, the dream is very similar, you know, this Mediterranean dream. However, of course, they’re further away. A lot of them still do have bases in the US and Canada, so it’s not close by. They need something that they can just lock up and leave without a lot of maintenance or a lot of cost. So maybe that’s a bit of a difference. But I’d say, yeah, it is. I think because maybe Europeans use it more frequently, the property, whereas I think Americans, if it’s a second home, they’ll come for a longer period of time, but less frequently, let’s say. So also then the potential to rent to make an income to cover the cost, that’s also quite interesting normally for these kind of clients. Which is also… and service-wise because I think Americans are very service-orientated and service-driven.

Yeah, they are. They are lovely clients. I really enjoy working with clients from North America and they but they do have very high expectations of the level of service and that they should be really taken care of throughout the whole process. But you know that’s I love to do that. So that’s okay. Easy for you. That’s easy for you. And obviously they’re English speaking, which all there’s a really great infrastructure here. And what about financing and legal and visas and all of that?

Yeah. So we can give advice on all those things. But of course, I’m not qualified to give tax advice and financial advice, so we collaborate with different partners. We have a whole panel of different professionals in Mallorca who can help on the visa and the mortgage. And you have been able to successfully acquire mortgages and visas and all of this for American clients?

Yes. So for the American clients and now obviously British clients that are not EU as well, for the visa, we’ve helped many clients. And the financial side, yeah, because the interest rates, certainly in the US, are extremely low. Here it’s very interesting. There’s a feeling that because also the dollar is more or less the same now, it’s on par with the euro, that it’s very cheap for Americans to buy here. It is. It is. We don’t feel it’s cheap at all, but the perception is that for US buyers, it’s actually quite reasonable. Is that true?

Yes. And I think the value when they compare the value of what they would get in places like Miami or New York, for example, these big cities, it’s or LA, you know, it’s really actually you get a lot more for your money here still, even though for us it’s relatively expensive compared to other places. And there is a direct flight now from New York and they say they’re going to bring one from Miami in the future and even there’s talk of one from LA. So yeah, I think that’s just going to increase the connections over there because the Newark flights, they’ve increased the number of flights now. It was very successful and they’re running for a longer period of time over this summer. Yeah. So that’s very good and that will help just to increase the interest from from buyers there.

One Thing Lucy Wished She Knew Before: Patience – Bureaucracy & Adjusting to Island Pace

Super. So Lucy, to finish off, if there was one thing you wish you knew before, what would it be? One thing I wish I knew before? Yeah. You know, when you think, “Oh gosh, I wish I’d known that.” Well, I think probably I would say the having the patience needed in a lot of the transactions here with the paperwork, primarily. So obviously when you initially come, if you want to be a resident here, there are a few bureaucratic hoops you have to jump through with, you know, health care and residency paperwork and you have to go through a lot of the government channels for that. So of course, that now I know there are a lot of professionals that will do it for you and you can save a lot of time and energy, but I did a lot of it myself. And I think which is maybe a good way to learn. Very good way to learn and now I know exactly how it all works. But even daily things like service in the bank, you know, it’s not even comparable. So you have to, when you come here, you have to be more Zen, more patient. Yes. And relax and you got to kind of, yeah, you got to slow down.

That’s why we promote slow living in Mallorca because there isn’t a fast living in Mallorca. I think in a way it’s positive, it forces you to slow down. You stop getting stressed about it because it’s out of your control and actually that’s a good thing for all of us. Exactly.

I have some quickfire questions I want to ask you. So are you a beach or a mountain girl? Mountain, I would say, yeah. Are you a sunrise or a sunset? Sunset. Sunset, romantic. Yeah. Summer heat or winter calm? Summer, I think so, right? Well, you’re British. Exactly. Siesta or fiesta? Fiesta. I knew the answer of that one, that wasn’t difficult. Pamboli or Ensaïmada? Pamboli. Okay. Pamboli. You’re a savory girl. And the north coast or south coast? I would say the north. I prefer the north, the north coast. Yeah, more rustic, rugged. Yeah, beautiful.

Final Thoughts: Why Mallorca Ticks So Many Boxes

Lucy, thanks a million for being here today. It’s been a great chat, really. I hope our listeners have been able to glean some new insights, new information, and you haven’t managed to discourage people from moving here, because I think the island is paradise, right?

Of course. I mean, the lifestyle here and everything is really, really great. So you can’t beat it. You can’t beat it. But as many people say, it ticks a lot of boxes. It just does. Mallorca ticks a lot of boxes for people. So when you compare it to other places you could live in the world, Mallorca just seems to, and although it is an island like we said, it’s a small island, it’s actually doesn’t feel small. You’ve got lots of variety and so many different people coming. I thought I would be bored coming from London after a while, but it’s really not been the case at all with the people we meet. I think we can both say, we were saying the other day, it’s just so interesting, all the different people. It’s a real mix of many different nationalities.

And I love the authenticity of life here. For me, that’s one of the things. It’s the cosmopolitan nature of the island, but it’s also this very, I don’t know, you’re very connected to to nature because you have sea, you have mountains, you have everything really. Yes, it’s green. The island’s green actually. It’s not a burnt up, you know, no. It is super for all of that. So yeah, so come and connect with Lucy and she can show you Mallorca and help you with the paperwork. I would be delighted to take all of that away from you.

All right, great. Thank you, Lucy. Thank you for tuning into today’s episode of Mallorca Living. We hope you found it inspiring and uplifting. If you’re planning to relocate to Mallorca and buy a property here on the island, we would love to guide you and support you in your journey. Reach out to us today, book a consultation, and let’s start your journey together to move to Mallorca.