Seasons come and go… as do property cycles

In just a few months since the last edition of our HOT Properties Magazine, we can report that VIVA has sprouted – seemingly out of nowhere – three new area branch offices which are opening for business as we go to press. With a fourth new addition confirmed to follow in September, maybe it’s time to recognise that something is stirring, developing and beginning to happen in the Costa del Sol property market. What’s the story VIVA?

We’ve been selling homes for private vendors and developers alike – and now also major Spanish banks – for the past 15 years, and irrespective of the prevailing conditions. Because whether it’s a crisis, a booming or a stable economy and property market, there are always people who want to sell, want to buy and that cycle never stops turning.

VIVA's new branch office on Avda. de Santa María in Elviria. © Jorge Morales.

The right time to buy or sell has always been a subject of popular debate, but what our long experience tells us is that essentially, whatever point the current cycle may have reached, the decision to buy or sell is down to you, and you alone.

For some people it’s the best time to buy… and the worst time to sell, or vice versa, whether it’s a bull market or a bear market since it’s all about personal circumstances, necessities, timing and opportunity. There is one constant and over-riding factor though. People from colder, cloudier and rainier climes – and from every walk of life – have always wanted to move to our uniquely privileged part of the world, and to live and love life on the Costa del Sol. And you know what? As long as the sun keeps on shining, they always will!

In fact, despite – or perhaps because of – the seemingly interminable global financial crisis, we’re finding that that is truer than ever. In an increasingly smaller world with an ever more transient society, there are homeowners wanting to upsize, downsize or simply to relocate… and as is only natural, there are buyers waiting in the wings to purchase their properties. More of them than you might actually think!

Of course, it’s 5 years now since the first cracks in the global banking sector appeared with the collapse of Northern Rock in the UK, followed and compounded by the closure of Lehman Brothers in the US which triggered turmoil in financial markets around the world. People sometimes forget though, that the last property boom here on the Costa del Sol, which started in 1999, went into decline in 2004 due to overpricing and oversaturation, not to mention corruption scandals… and while it was a more localised crisis, that happened 8 whole years ago now!

Our VIVA Partner agreement with Ultimate Estates has resulted in a high-profile VIVA presence in La Cala, on Bulevar de La Cala. © Jorge Morales

So at VIVA we learnt way back to live with the fallout from negative media reports, bleak economic forecasts and an inevitably shrinking market. You get used to all that. You adapt and evolve. It’s called survival. And eventually, if you work hard enough, then survival becomes revival.

As world-renowned investment guru Warren Buffett recently said: “We might be in a recession, but we will come out of it.” The cycle goes on. The wheel that sometimes turns slowly, at other times spins faster than the eye can see. Meanwhile, VIVA carries on doing what we do best… and that’s selling homes on the Costa del Sol.

SOME CLOUDS DO HAVE A SILVER LINING

However, and seemingly against all the odds, the plain and simple fact is that after several years of downsizing and belt-adjusting, VIVA is again entering an exciting new phase of expansion and development…

Since 2009, our viewings – and consequently our sales figures – have significantly increased year-on-year, while in 2012 our yourVIVA.com website has received over 40% more visitors than during the same period in 2011.

In June we opened a new VIVA branch office in Elviria, a strategic move, particularly since it wrote its first sale quite literally within days! As part of our carefully considered expansion structure, we have also just entered into a VIVA Partner Agent agreement with Ultimate Estates, resulting in a new, high-profile VIVA presence in La Cala de Mijas.

The new VIVA branch office in Benalmádena Costa opens in September. © Jorge Morales.

With refurbishment work now well advanced, a second VIVA Partner agreement means that another new office is scheduled to open in Benalmádena Costa in September… while over the next few months we will be continuing the process with further branch offices launching in Nueva Andalucía, Estepona, Fuengirola and Alhaurín el Grande.

IT’S NOT WHAT WE DO, IT’S THE WAY THAT WE DO IT

Perhaps what is most interesting about what VIVA do, is not just that we help people to buy and sell properties whatever the market conditions. It’s how we go about it that makes the difference.

We will never apologise for loving life on the Costa del Sol. If we get knocked down, we get straight up again. If there’s a problem, we’ll find a solution. While some people see the glass as being half empty, every single member of the VIVA team sees it as half full. It’s a philosophy that has worked well for us for 15 years and we see no reason why it won’t continue to do so in the short-, medium- and long-term future too.

But in addition to expanding VIVA’s presence geographically, we’re also investing our time, energy and effort into a whole host of partner and co-promotional programmes – both with leading brands and smaller enterprises – throughout the entire Costa del Sol and across Europe.

In fact, it’s our avowed intent that when it comes to property and the presentation of Southern Spain generally, in many respects not only is there much, much more to come from VIVA, but the best is also yet to come for the Costa del Sol!

Intrigued? Then, watch this space…

This article first appeared in HOT Properties – The VIVA Magazine – Edition No. 94, published in August 2012.