There's no better place to be than home

I first contacted Charlotte when she was helping sell my home in Monchique in 2020. I remember that she called me one evening and politely informed me that someone might be living in my now empty house that I was selling - one of the bedrooms was a tent tent. I smiled on the other side of the line and assured her that my son had decided to pitch a tent in his "old" room and use it as a gazebo. It was certainly a relief for Charlotte, as her experience in the UK as an estate agent had been somewhat different and encountering illegal squatters was not unusual.

Charlotte began her career as a diamond salesman on the south coast of England. She says part of her job was to search for diamonds in Spain and Italy. She especially loved it when men came to pick out engagement rings for their brides. From a young age she learned how to deal with high profile clients, a lesson she gratefully learned and used when she eventually became an estate agent and worked in property sales on the prestigious Sandbanks Coast in Poole, Bournemouth. Here one house, according to Timeout magazine, sold for £4,640 per square foot!

While in Sandbanks she talks modestly about the sale of houses to Premier League footballers, one of whom was a very famous English player, but due to a disclosure ban we can't name names. Charlotte has a special talent for selling properties in areas where prices per square meter are setting records. This year she sold a home in the coveted Arrifan neighborhood that did just that!

Credits:

Posted image;Author:Joao Gonçalo Furnas Serafin;

Describing her last few years in Britain as helmets (visiting building sites) and stilettos, glitter and fast cars, life here now is somewhat different, and she spends a lot of time outside in flip-flops and often deep in mud tending to her garden, fingers buried in the soil rather than wrapped around the steering wheel of a new BMW, perks that come with selling expensive properties. She tells me of the days when people would come into her office in England and bring a cut-out circle from a newspaper ad, asking to see that particular property. There were no cell phones or social media, and aside from the international soccer players she sold houses to, she dealt mostly with English nationals. Now, like a doctor on call, she's practically available around the clock. Working with clients from all over the world means you need to be available to clients in different time zones.

Charlotte never envisioned herself as a real estate agent in Portugal, instead she came up with the idea for a vacation management company when they first arrived. Having purchased her home through Guthrie Rocha Properties in 2019, through an online preview, and then moving in almost immediately, she naturally developed a good relationship with them. The agency soon realized that she had over 16 years experience in real estate and had also run her own agency in Bournemouth for 3 years. Offering her a position was the obvious solution. Gone was the idea of vacation management, and she found herself surrounded by an exclusively male team of Portuguese-speaking real estate agents.

By quickly identifying her audience, finding common ground with them and offering what was needed to grab their attention, Charlotte's Instagram posts received plenty of attention from the team behind A Place in the Sun, which airs on Channel 4 in the UK. In this show, agents are asked to show potential properties in warmer countries for families hoping to move to a "place in the sun." Of course, at the end of the show, they have to choose a property to buy. In the episode, which will air in November 2023, they chose Charlotte's property in Vila do Bispo!

Besides advertising and marketing, the responsibility that real estate agents have should not be underestimated. I've learned, after purchasing a fair amount of real estate myself, that when you find a real estate agent with whom you feel comfortable - never mind the banter - you begin a process that uncovers not only your need for a "2/3/4 bedroom house, with as many bathrooms, sea view, land for a farm/vegetable garden, a place for the kids to play, no neighbors," etc. д. - ha ha - but also a long-term relationship where your vulnerabilities, expectations, finances and relationships are brought to the forefront of not only your own life, but exposed for the experience of a real estate agent.

Credits:

Posted image;Author:Joao Gonçalo Furnas Serafin;

The ability to trust a person or company that will effectively determine where you base your roots for years to come is a huge decision. After all, it's probably the biggest asset you'll ever buy. Charlotte and the team at Guthrie Rocha Properties found the right approach to the experience. They look more like friends than vendors, their approachable style is a great match for the liberal mindset and surf culture of the Vincentian Coast. Not surprisingly, this is the fourth time they have been recognized by scoring.pt as "top 5% of SMEs in Portugal 2023". Charlotte and James, her partner since the age of 12, yes, my mouth dropped open in amazement, promised themselves not to go back to the country they visited on vacation again and instead continue to explore other places around the world. But, like many others, they were unable to hold on and kept returning to the Aljezur area. After being able to look after some people's house in Vila do Bispou, they had a better understanding of the Algarve.

I was intrigued to find out about her experience of living in England. She describes her days as "traffic jams!" And the logistics of caring for dogs, managing children and not having time for anything other than "rushing to make ends meet" - I personally haven't lived in that environment for years, so it's hard for me to understand it. And then I remembered a friend telling me recently that he spends more time in the car in Britain than with his children, and no wonder people want change! James was an airplane engineer and hardly saw his two children due to his intense work schedule. They decided they wanted to spend more time with their children and enjoy the outdoors in a safe environment. It was easy for James to make this transition because he had already finished his career as an airplane engineer and became a carpenter so he could have more time with his children. That skill had no problem finding use here, and he's found plenty of work since the move too. Still in their early 40's, this is an immigrant family that has integrated, worked and will survive in this usually very difficult place to make a decent living. Through their choice to send their children to the local school and get into all aspects of Algecourt, they are a big part of this small community and fit in perfectly with the culture that has been established here over the past few years - young, dynamic, entrepreneurial families with a good work ethic and an unquenchable desire to enjoy the outdoors.

If you're interested in west coast real estate, check out:

• @charlotte_guthrierochaproperty
• @guthrie_rocha_properties

Disclaimer: The views expressed on this page are those of the author and do not represent those of The Portugal News.