The biggest growth industry in the City of Soller is in real estate. At the last count there were fifteen Estate Agents plus an ‘Open House’ specialist. Attend any local party and you will find the agent that sold the house to the host in attendance. They are all very friendly, helpful people who have the skill of forming good relationships with their clients. The conversations over coffee in the square invariable discuss house prices and who is buying and selling.
Many of the 2014 visitors are here on a mission. They are here to find the perfect house/casita/apartment for holidays or permanent relocation. These are the serious buyers who have money in the bank and want to own a house here before the season starts. The estate agents windows are full of the latest offers ‘priced to sell’. The buyers arrive with idea that there are bargains to be had and that the sellers of Soller will welcome them with open arms.
I had coffee in the square this week with one such couple who were dissecting their dreams and working through the advertising blurb on all the houses they had been to see. Their view was that all the bargains here in the Hidden Valley have gone. There are many properties for sale at mid range prices but few of the owners are prepared to negotiate. The air of optimism in Soller is growing by the day and owners do not feel they have to give their properties away. This City is under the spotlight and all eyes are on this Valley and its expansion plans. A whole new generation is poised to be introduced to the Soller valley and all it has to offer.
A local Estate Agent who joined us for our chat said that many clients arrive saying how much they can buy a property for in other parts of the Island. It is true that the bank repossessions and overbuilds in certain areas have created bargains, but not on our doorstep. My friends had visited all parts of the Island in their quest for their holiday home but always returned to Soller. The combination of the best city square on the island, stunning mountain scenery and perfect horse shoe bay proving irresistible. This is now their dilemma and one they want to resolve this week. They are determined not to get on that plane next Tuesday without having put a deposit down on a Soller home.
A common sight this week has been that of the specialist removal vans moving families back to the UK. Webb’s and Whites vans park up on the main road out of town while their shuttle vans negotiate the narrow Soller streets. People leave for all the same reasons as they arrive and we are sad to see the departure of familiar faces. Their place is quickly taken by new friends ready to have their Soller moment and we wait for their input. Everyone brings something with them, new ideas, new businesses, new children for ours to play with. We never underestimate the contribution that all the new faces bring to our experience of living here.
There are many experts who can assist you in the process of buying a property here but in the end the most important consideration has to be location, location, location. Second consideration on my list is the quirkiness and eccentricity of its people. The theatre of life is played out for me here in Soller and fulfils all my criteria. You are welcome to join us – we are not an exclusive club.
