A British couple who relocated to Spain have launched their own business helping other people who want to make the move to the Mediterranean.
Kate and Nick Austin, 52, from London, moved to the small Spanish seaside town of Sitges in Catalonia in 2014.
At the time they were running an online flooring and homewares business, which gave them the freedom to live anywhere.
“We were ready to escape the British weather and give our daughter the chance to enjoy a more outdoor lifestyle, which the Spanish sunshine made so much easier”, Mrs Austin says.
Their daughter, Lizzie, now 19, is studying in the UK, but visits them often.
Kate and Nick Austin with their daughter, Lizzie, who is studying back in the UK
The couple say they chose Sitges for its vibrant international community and its relaxed, bohemian atmosphere, and rent a 120-square-metre flat for €1,700 (£1,457) per month.
They recently launched two curated property listings websites to help potential expats looking to purchase their dream house in the Mediterranean by completing the first, most complicated and time-consuming step. They run the websites alongside their flooring business.
The couple house-hunt intensively online, scouring properties in Spain and Italy for all price ranges and types of home. They say they now know the best places to look to narrow the hunt down without getting lost in head-splitting web searches.
“We work really hard, help them find properties by searching through thousands of listings and selecting the most extraordinary ones and the best buys currently on the market, showcasing them on our website and our newsletter for our subscribers”, Mrs Austin, 54, tells The i Paper.
The couple’s flat in Sitges, where they moved for its vibrant international community
Each week they place the best listings they find on local property websites on their platforms Snoop Spain, launched in December, and Snoop Italy, launched this February, with links to agent contacts.
They currently have a few hundred subscribers, mostly Americans but 25 per cent are British.
The idea for SnoopSpain.com came from their passion for property.
They have always been a “little obsessed” with browsing listings, says Mrs Austin.
“Over the years we’ve helped friends find homes to buy and rent around Sitges, and we both have a strong interest in architecture and design. When it came to searching for property in Spain, we found the big listings sites overwhelming.
The Austins pay €1,700 (£1,457) per month to rent their 120-square-metre flat
“Most properties are listed multiple times by different agencies, so you end up scrolling through hundreds of duplicates. It’s exhausting”, she says.
Through their online platforms they hand-pick beautiful, good-value properties in Spain and Italy so their subscribers can discover hidden gems they might not find otherwise.
“We search through thousands of listings to find those that are truly special, whether for their design, character, or price. We save buyers a lot of time”, Mrs Austin adds.
Most of their subscribers, who pay $15.95 (£12) per month or $130 (£98) annually for both websites, are expats or soon-to-be expats, open to different regions and waiting for the ideal property to inspire the move.
“While all [subscribers] are keen on being near to the coast they are also interested in inland properties if they are good value and close to amenities. Mostly Brits are looking for a bargain”, says Mrs Austin.
Most of the selected homes fall between €60,000 (£51,440) and €400,000 (£342,934). Recent popular listings include a villa on the Costa Blanca with panoramic sea views for €270,000 (£231,480), a manor house in Granada for €125,000 (£107,166) and a 10-bedroom, three-bathroom riverside mansion in Galicia for €150,000 (£128,600).
“Prices like these are a fraction of what you’d pay for similar properties even in the most affordable parts of the UK”, says Mrs Austin.
Since Brexit, she adds, some people are moving more quickly to secure residency or visas before rules tighten further, while others are focusing on finding properties for stays within the legal time limits.
“At the same time, Brexit has created a stronger desire for some; feeling disconnected from the current UK climate has made the idea of life abroad more appealing.”
The Austins have precious tips to share for budget-friendly buyers in Spain: farther inland and off the beaten track, there are homes that need a little work available for under €50,000.
The Alpujarras region in Andalucia is full of charming village houses, while cooler Galicia and Asturias in the north offer great property deals.
But if being by the coast is “non-negotiable”, the Austins recommend Peñíscola in Castellón, Valencia.
Although they would like to buy in Spain, they say the property prices in Sitges are more than they can would like to spend, and so are considering moving somewhere more affordable in the future.
“Sitges has some of the highest property prices in Spain,” says Mrs Austin. “We are very tempted to move to another part of Spain with more affordable properties, but we have a lot of friends in Sitges.
“We are talking about all moving together to somewhere cheap and beautiful. But we need to wait till all of their children have flown the coop like ours has! Our experience in searching the Spanish property market will be invaluable when we decide to make the move!”