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About Us & Testimonials
Janet and Joe Gilbertson We have finally found our dream holiday home in Spain after searching for nearly 15 months! We started looking in the Granada region last September and discovered the lovely towns of Alcalá la Real and Castillo de Locubin in the Jaén region. We knew then that we had found the perfect place which is a lovely drive from Granada airport about 40 minutes. When we see the fortress in Alcalá la Real we feel we are 'home'. Olive Country Homes was the agents we decided to use as their website was attractive and easily accessible with a good amount of information provided. On our first visit to view property, Dee and Mandy from Olive Country Homes met us and took us to view a number of properties in our chosen town of Castillo de Locubin. On this occasion, as we were only there for 3 days, Alan picked us up from the airport and was very helpful supplying us with a lot of information about the area. We were fortunate that the house we have purchased was on the list and both Dee and Mandy supported us throughout. We feel assured that they are there at the end of a phone or e-mail to provide us with continuous support. We used our own solicitor, Myles Jackson from Granada who supplied all the legal help required. He met with Mandy and Dee and communicated throughout on our behalf. From the town of Castillo de Locubin we have visited Jaén, Córdoba and of course Granada. The beaches in Salobreña and Almuñéca are under 2 hours away. We would recommend Dee and Mandy if you are thinking of looking for Spanish property, there was no pressure from them and they provided us with all the help and support we needed.
Signed: Jan and Joe Isabelle Menant After thinking about buying a property in Andalusia for two years, I started to research the area seriously a few months ago and decided to look within a radius of 1 hour inland around Granada. I viewed many websites, contacted several agents and decided to come for a viewing trip from the US where I reside. Out of all the agents I had contacted, two individuals stand out, Mandy and Dee from Olive Country Homes. They were professional, very friendly and accessible and obviously knew a lot about the area. They answered all queries I could think of. They did not balk at my budget and were very helpful in suggesting some houses. They picked me up at my hotel the day after my arrival and we went to view several houses. The one before last was the one, though I did like the last one as well. I am able to make decisions fast but I am very picky as well so it really does talk in great favor for Dee and Mandy to have steered me towards two places I would like on the first day. I decided to make an offer and went back to the US. So far, everything went well as it should have but what put Mandy and Dee apart is that you can trust them, it is that simple! Really, today, how many people we do not know can we trust? Well, you can trust both of them and this is above and beyond! To feel you are in good hands is pretty invaluable in my opinion, especially when you are not physically at the location and most of everything happens through emails and phone calls. When I returned to buy the house, they had made sure the money wired from the US had arrived in my bank account in Spain (opened with their help), Francisco, who is a very trustworthy lawyer and can help you through all the red tape and intricacies of the legal system, took me in person to Jaen to get my NIE number and made sure all the paperwork was in order and took care of all the taxes, water and electricity for me. Dee and Mandy put me in touch with the people who will do the reform and helped me with the insurance. On my way back, it felt like not only I did buy a house in Spain but I made new friends in the process. And I am very grateful for this. Thank you, Dee and Mandy, you are great!
Signed: Isabelle
In the summer of 2005 we bought our 1st house in Castillo De Locubin, NOT through Dee and Mandy! We became very disillusioned with the service that we received, and thought we’d made a terrible mistake. The house that we’d bought was a lovely little village house, that needed re-wiring. An easy job we were told, only cost you about 400 euros we were told, we’ll help you find an electrician we were told. But when the contracts were signed and the money paid these apparently HELPFUL estate agents didn’t want to know! It couldn’t have been more different with Olive Country Homes. In September 2006 I saw a poster for Olive Country Homes, and as we’d decided that we’d sell our little village house I invited them to come and value it for us. We’d decided that it wasn’t big enough for our growing family, and as we’re thinking of re-locating in the future, we wanted to move up the ladder. They gave us a very realistic opinion of the price that we could expect, and it matched our expectations perfectly. They managed to secure a purchaser for us within 3 months, which in Spain is virtually unheard of. On the strength of this we were able to then view some larger properties. By this time, Dee and Mandy were getting to know our requirements, and our very limited budget. We never ever felt pressured or as though we were wasting their time, even though we made several visits to several different properties till we found the ONE! In May 2007 we arrived back in Spain to complete the sale of our house, and on the same day we put down a deposit on our new Spanish home! After many months, and problems with our mortgage brokers in the UK we eventually took possession of our new house just hours before we flew home in September. Without Dee and Mandy this just wouldn’t have been possible! They were fantastic in a very nail biting situation. I would recommend them to all my friends and have, and hopefully others will find their dream homes with Dee and Mandy, and let’s not forget Francisco with whom I will one day have a conversation with in Spanish! We’re back out to Spain in a few months, to spend a week in our new home, we’ll no doubt have more questions and problems and I’m positive that I can rest assured that Dee and Mandy will be on hand to help!
Signed: Samantha, Bob, Poppy and Rafa
Have you ever had a dream about owning a place in Spain? Well so did we! We didn’t have a huge budget to spend and didn’t think we would find anything within our capabilities and we had also heard so many horror stories about buying in Spain. We looked for weeks at literally hundreds of properties on the website and managed to narrow it down to a handful that were within our budget, all on the Olive Country Homes website, which I might add was the most user friendly we had come across. Right from that first contact by email, Dee and Mandy were so friendly and helpful and had patience of a saint as we were not the most decisive of clients! We flew out to view some of the properties we had short listed and although we had severe delays with our flight and arrived in the village of Castillo long after midnight; Dee still greeted us with a smile and showed us to our accommodation. The next two days we spent looking at houses we had seen and some we hadn’t yet seen on the website. Dee and Mandy knew exactly what our requirements were and did everything to help us find what we were looking for. We found the house we were looking for and yes! it was the first one we saw. We were still a little unsure (being the most indecisive couple Dee and Mandy had probably ever come across) and returned to UK to have a think. During this time, the girls answered all our questions on the buying process and left no stone unturned. They were so informative and really knew their stuff. We felt absolutely confident that we were in safe hands and decided to put an offer on the house with Olive Country. The girls continued to be absolute stars, organising everything from start to finish that was necessary to carry out the purchase and they were always at hand to do the translating for us too, which was a great bonus. The whole process was so much more stress free than we could ever of imagined. I’m sure this would not have been the case if we hadn’t met 'The Girls'. We really do believe that Mandy and Dee understand the needs of their customers and offer such a personal service that we now really do consider them to be our friends. Must give a mention to Franscisco who was our solicitor (recommended to us by the girls) who was an absolute gem. We are now the proud owners of our beautiful casa in Castillo de Locubin (we still have to pinch ourselves) and we really do want to say to Dee, Mandy, Franscisco and not forgetting Alan (Dee’s husband) we couldn’t have done this without you guys! Thank you so much!
Signed:
Mandi and Chris
We had been thinking about buying a property in Spain for a couple of years but not had the courage to do much about it except make a few calls to local English agents selling in Northern Spain. Then we saw your ad in the local free paper, which attracted our attention and prompted a phone call. We were advised to look at your website. When we did we discovered there were several properties within our price range. So, David phoned again saying that we’d found some houses which took our fancy and which we would like to view. Unfortunately, I was unable to make the trip due to work commitments but David made flight arrangements to Granada and arranged with yourselves for Alan to pick him up from the airport and you also kindly booked him in to the local hotel in Castillo de Locubin. All arrangements went well, the flight was a little delayed but Alan was there to pick David up and take him to the hotel. The next morning he was picked up by yourselves and shown several houses, the last of which he fell in love with but said that, obviously, he would have to speak to me before proceeding with the purchase. Whilst in Spain, David asked if he could meet with Francisco, the solicitor, this was arranged and you very kindly took him to the meeting. David was also taken to the bank to open an account, where he met Sophia, who speaks very good English, and the account was opened without any problem. When David arrived home, he enthused about the casa and we decided to go ahead. So, a very excited phone call was made to Dee to set up arrangements to purchase. Dee set everything in motion, and we arranged a flight. Again, we were met at the airport by Alan who very thoughtfully took us on a tour of the area, then dropped us off at a house Dee had arranged for us to rent for a couple of day. Later Mandy picked us up and took us to the house so that I could view it before we actually bought it. On the day of signing for the house we had to go to the Bank to collect the money and then on to the Notary. There was a slight hiccup in the fact that the Notary would not accept money – panic! – but Dee & Mandy together with Francisco, the solicitor, took us to the bank and a special cheque was arranged with no fuss and then back to the Notary. Dee interpreted what the Notary said and the papers were signed, so, by 2 p.m. the property was ours. We were surprised at how quick and easy the whole buying process was but that is only thanks to Dee, Mandy & Francisco because we know there was a lot of hard work, running around and organisation behind the scenes to make it happen so effortlessly for us. So, many, many thanks. But, it does not stop there, since having bought the house, you have bought on our behalf and got delivered a fridge and mattress, checked post, paid bills for us, etc. etc……nothing is too much trouble……and we greatly appreciate it. Dee, Mandy, Francisco and Francisco plus Alan, Dee’s husband, are all lovely people, very professional, make you very welcome and put you totally at ease….not like estate agents at all! We have no hesitation in recommending Olive Country Homes.
Signed:
Joan and David Ridley
After research on the Internet, we stumbled across the Olive Country Homes web site. We contacted Dee and Mandy via e-mail listing our requirements and preferences. The portfolio of house they e-mailed us was quite interesting. We viewed most of the portfolio of houses with Olive country homes, and would have to say the portfolio matched our ideas perfectly. We found our house in La Rabita, and made an offer on Casa Ablandar. Mandy and Dee held our hands all through the buying process and they were both a tower of strength guiding us through the Spanish system of house buying. The Spanish solicitor Francisco was excellent and the visit to Jaen to obtain our NIE number was unforgettable. From the assistance in setting up our Spanish bank account, to signing at the Notaries Olive Country Homes were there to help. We cannot recommend Olive Country Homes and the work of Mandy and Dee highly enough. Making the buyers dreams come true seems to be a big part of Olive Country Homes.
Signed: A.
& H. Gibbons
Having never previously visiting the country, Spain was, in our minds becoming ‘too British’ and had never been on our dream list of possible places to live. Adding the frequently reiterated nightmare scenarios of property purchase in this foreign land from many before us, it’s difficult to explain how, or why we made the decision to visit in the first place. Undeterred by the rumours of government land grab, illegal building works, dodgy solicitors and over inflated property prices by dubious estate agents, two intrepid non-Spanish speaking explorers made the decision to visit Spain to view properties. After research on the internet, browsing hundreds of properties, arrangements were made with two estate agents to view a variety of properties, not really sure what to expect. The difference between agents was obvious from the start. One wanted to sell us a house, any house, but preferably at the top or over our budget, the other really wanted to help find the right house for us. The latter was Olive Country Homes; Mandy, Dee and Francisco, each with the patience of a saint, dealing with a couple who more or less knew what they wanted, but nevertheless wished to see all manner of housing before deciding. No rush, no pressure, no frustration, no bull#*~? and prepared to give advice and share their knowledge. They were brilliant, and once we had chosen a property, that’s where Olive Country Homes came into their own - the level of advice, assistance, guidance and aftercare (a word seldom associated with estate agents) was second to none. Through them, the services of an excellent Spanish solicitor was obtained and we were assisted every step of the way, including accounts with banking, insurance, electricity and gas companies, and even a bit of furniture shopping. Nothing is too much trouble. We would like to thank all connected with Olive Country Homes (Mandy, Dee, Francisco and their families), Francisco the solicitor, and the many friends we have made through this company, for the ‘continuing’ help and advice which has made a seemingly daunting process an absolute doddle! A friendly, reliable, professional company with integrity - perhaps should be more accurately named Olive Country Homes and Aftercare Service. We have no hesitation in wholeheartedly recommending this company to anyone, and can honestly state that no matter how far you have travelled to find your dream home in Spain - Olive Country Homes will go that extra mile, er, 1.6093 kilometres, to help you make you purchase and settle into your new way of life.
Signed:
Steve and Margaret Hill
To Dee, Mandy, Francisco and Francisco (Solicitor), also Alan (for whom nothing is ever too much trouble). We would like to say thank you but the words do not cover what we feel. From the moment we arrived in Spain you have treated us like friends not clients. You not only found us our dream home, but helped us create a new life. Without you, it would have been so very different, there should be a different name other than estate agents for your company, estate agents only sell houses, you help create new lives. There has not been one problem that you have not dealt with, we have been here 8 months now and in that 8 months you have been there every step of the way, from little things like buying food, to helping our daughter into school. There are most probably thousands of estate agents in Spain but yours is the only one I would recommend because not only are you honest and with integrity, but you are with us every step of the way. You feel our feelings and that makes you special. So to you all a BIG THANK YOU. All our love.
Signed: Janet, Andy, Emma and
Charlie
They found us the right property in the right location at the right price and the properties we requested to view they actually had for sale. Many Agents are using cheap properties as bait and then they inform you they are either sold or not available. This, we are glad to say, is not the case with Olive Country Homes. The legal side of things was carried out very efficiently, as with many houses in Spain you find there are several owners to one house and the organisation of getting all parties concerned in the right place at the same time can be very difficult. Dee, Mandy and Francisco seemed to arrange this with no problems and managed to keep smiling. The property we purchased was signed for within three weeks, which was fantastic. Their commitment to their clients continues, even after the sale of the house. Nothing is too much trouble! A special thanks to Dee and her husband Alan, who were extremely helpful in arranging our daughter, Lauren, to change schools with no stress at all. Many thanks to you all, you were great.
Signed: Debbie and Martin
Our 4-day house-hunting trip to the Alcala area was in October 2006. On the first day we had 2 appointments booked with another estate agent. The experience left a lot to be desired. The estate agent who showed us the properties was so preoccupied with himself and his life story that by the end of the viewings we felt mentally drained! By day 2 we were wondering if the trip had been worth while and then we met Mandy and Dee. From the very start of our meeting with ‘the girls’ we were put at ease. They wanted to know as much about us as possible so that they could ‘fine tune’ the properties they were about to show us. Mandy, Dee and Francisco were very knowledgeable about the properties they showed us and the areas in which the properties were situated. At no time did we feel under any pressure to make decisions or give opinions on any of the properties we looked at. For people we had only just met, we felt completely at east with them. At the end of our first day with Mandy and Dee we had short listed 3 properties. They asked us to get back to them the next day if we were interested in any of the properties. When we phoned the next day, we asked Mandy which of the 3 short listed properties she thought we had chosen, she answered correctly – not an easy task as this was the one which was in the most horrific state! The next step was also organized beautifully by Mandy and Dee. They took us to a bank and helped us open up a bank account with a very helpful lady called Sophia who spoke very good English. They then set up an appointment with a wonderful lawyer called Francisco. He explained the buying process clearly and simply and ‘bent over backwards’ to check over the deeds and get a pre-contract signed before we had to fly back home. In the subsequent months we were in constant telephone and e-mail contact with Mandy and Dee who gave us invaluable advice on currency transfers and even arranged for a builder to give us a quote in our absence. It was 12 weeks before we could return to complete on the house, this time we only had 2 working days to conduct business. On the first day we were personally taken by the lawyer to Jaen to get our NIE numbers and we had an appointment on day 2 to sign at the Notary’s Office. Mandy, Dee, Francisco and Francisco were all at the Notary’s Office to help us through the ‘signing process’, translating at every stage. Spanish red tape is notorious and we did encounter a minor town hall hiccup, but by lunchtime the house was ours. We had a celebratory bottle of Cava and lunch with Mandy and Dee and then they ‘tracked down’ the builder who spent time with us explaining in detail how the renovations would be carried out. By this time it was starting to get dark but Mandy still personally took us to see some of the work the builder was currently doing. For anyone who thinks buying a house in Spain is beyond their ability – think again. With very little Spanish we managed to do it, but only with the help of this amazing company, who literally ‘moved heaven and earth’ for us. We cannot thank Mandy and Dee enough for the help they have given us. We feel as if we have made 2 new friends and we would recommend the Olive Country Homes ‘experience’ to anyone.
Signed: Karen and Avril
We would like to thank Olive Country Homes for all their help and assistance they gave us in finding a home in Castillo de Locubin. Mandy and Dee have been wonderful, also their staff. They have guided us through the Spanish legal system in buying a home and also have helped us greatly with registering in Spain as residents. Thank you once again everyone at Olive Country Homes.
Signed: Lorna & David Veale
We were lucky, in that we found a property through a Spanish friend of ours, but we knew we could never cope with the paperwork, and that’s where you girls came up trumps for us, you agreed to handle all the paperwork while we were back in England. You came with us to open a Spanish bank account, the lady there speaks English so if we have any questions regarding our account she is able to help us. Then you took us to meet our solicitor who was very professional and really knew his stuff. You kept us informed at every step and not once did we feel that we were needed in Spain to sort anything out. We can’t thank you enough for all you did for us, nothing was too much trouble, the service you offered was excellent and we know without your professionalism, vast knowledge of the buying and selling system in Spain and the fact you genuinely want to help people achieve their dreams of owning a property in Spain, we would not have been able to have achieved this. We would both fully recommend your services in finding a property or for processing the paperwork, Thank you both once again.
Signed: Pauline and David Carter
We spoke to Dee on the telephone several times before coming out for a viewing trip. Dee & Mandy always listened to what we were looking for and compiled a portfolio of properties which they thought would suit our budget and requirements. We were very impressed as they had listened to what we were looking for and only showed us what houses we were interested in. There was no pressure, no hard selling and they were very informative. We viewed several houses through Olive country homes and eventually found our ideal home. At this point Dee & Mandy talked us through the buying process and we felt very comfortable with the explanations we were given. We met with the solicitor they recommended who was very helpful and reassuring and told us that he would ensure everything was correct and if it wasn’t would definitely advise us not to purchase, however if everything was in order then we could proceed with the purchase of the property – which it was. We had a very easy experience thanks to Dee & Mandy. They helped us all the way and made sure we understood everything. After we had bought our property they helped us with our residency and we still continue to receive their help and advice when we need it, we only need to ask. We now class Dee & Mandy as our good friends; they are two lovely helpful girls. We would happily recommend Olive Country Homes to all our friends, family and anyone we meet in Spain looking for a property (as we now live here). Signed: Mr & Mrs
Atherfold
Alison & Andrew Tilson-Phillips
We have great pleasure in writing a reference for Dee, Mandy & Francisco at Olive Country Homes. After deciding on this unspoiled and “real” region of Andalucia in which to purchase our eventual full-time home, we had viewed a few properties through an agent in Alcala la Real. However, their lack-lustre performance left a little to be desired, and, after literally bumping into Francisco in Alcala one morning, we were introduced to Mandy and Dee that afternoon. We explained our needs but felt rather embarrassed as our budget was woefully small (by UK standards), but Mandy was unfazed and lined up six suitable houses to view. It was fun for all five of us to troop around Castillo de Locubin, with Dee, Mandy and Francisco between them able to answer all our questions and put us at ease – these guys are so not hard sell and are very knowledgeable. We were concerned about buying in Spain as we had heard “horror stories” about dubious ownership and sharp-practice, but on Mandy’s recommendation we were introduced to an Abogado – a most honest and helpful man who checked-out every legal angle – even my father, a retired lawyer, was impressed! Once we had made our decision of which house to buy (a bit of a doer-upper it must be said), the rest of the process was extremely smooth and stress-free – we had to do very little organisation which was a welcome relief as our Spanish is very poor! We cannot fully express how well Dee, Mandy and Francisco looked after us – I expect that in the UK if we had invested such a small amount of money through an agent we would not have received even a tenth of the service we did in this instance. Olive Country Homes are in the business of making dreams come true – they seemed to enjoy it as much as we did, even discounting the Cava! Our home will take a while to reform, but we know that we’ll be helped out as friends to complete our modest dream.
Signed: Andy & Ali T-P
Alison & Gary Richman
I have heard many horror stories about buying a home in Spain. I spoke to several estate agents on the telephone whilst in the UK and found Dee and Mandy very easy to talk to. I also loved their lack of pressure. My family and I arrived here and felt instantly at home, mainly due to the relaxed and informative help we received from Olive Country Homes. We only looked at properties when we asked, and then only at those we had asked to see after chatting to Dee and Mandy. We were never under false impressions about houses, if a house needed complete reform, we knew before hand. Once we found our lovely home the whole buying process was explained to us and we soon realised we were in very safe hands. We were more than happy to let Olive Country Homes arrange the paperwork side of things. Whilst the legalities were taking place we were kept informed of the process at all times and were very happy with the speed and simplicity of this. When we had purchased our home we continued to receive advice and help when needed from Dee and Mandy. This included the most important part of our move to Spain – our children – the help we received was invaluable to their integration into their new lives in Spain. School was my biggest worry but when the time came my only worry was that I wasn’t worrying enough! My family and I continue to be very happy here in Castillo de Locubin. I continue to pick Dee and Mandy’s brains occasionally and I am very happy to recommend Olive Country Homes to anyone thinking of moving to this beautiful part of Spain. If you are looking for sales talk, jargon, pressure and false hopes you need to look somewhere else!
Signed: Alison and Gary
Jon & Lesley Beaumont
After spending some months
researching where to buy we eventually decided on somewhere within an
hours drive of Granada. Olive Country Homes was the 4th (and final)
agency we saw in an intense 3 days of viewings and they listened to our
requirements as the first property they showed us was the one we ended
up buying.
Signed: Jon and Lesley
We had been looking to purchase a house in Spain for over 2 years and throughout this time made a couple of unsuccessful trips to Spain, many due to bad Estate Agents. We had begun to loose faith that we would ever find the right place, property and estate agency. Having spent many long hours searching through websites we came across Olive Country Homes. We contacted Olive Country Homes and sent them a list of properties that we were keen to look at during our next visit to Spain. The website had properties for rent and we felt that staying in one of the houses would give us an opportunity to taste what it would be like living in a house that the company had renovated. Mandy and Dee, from Olive Country Homes, made all of the necessary arrangements for our stay in the house. We provided them with our flight details and they emailed us the directions from the airport to the village where we were staying, ‘Castillo de Locubin.’ We were given a telephone number and told to ring it when we reached a certain point and that Alan would come and meet us. Alan took us to the house; he told us were to find somewhere to eat, as it was quite late and how to get to the supermarket and the baker the next morning. Alan and Dee had also left us a welcoming bottle of wine in the fridge, which we drank before turning in for the night. Our visit turned out to be very well organised. Mandy, Dee and Francisco (their Spanish agent) met us the following with colour portfolios containing all of the properties details. We were shown only the properties that we had expressed an interest in and that were in our price range. They informed us of other properties that had recently come onto the market to find out if we were interested in viewing them and told us they could leave us with information to look at if we felt it would be worth while. (This we found very reassuring as other estate agents had got us over to Spain and only then informed us that the properties that we were interested in had either been sold or were no longer on the market, one agent in particular had been given a list of 11 properties that we had expressed an interest in and needless to say not one was available when we arrived.) After viewing half of the properties on our list we went for lunch with them and talked about what we had liked and disliked, but never felt like we were being pushed into purchasing any property. After viewing a few more they arranged for us to revisit a couple that we had found interesting. As we were looking at properties in two villages Dee picked us up the next morning and drove us to Alcala la Real to look at the rest of the properties. It was here that we found the Casa that we had been looking for. The village is clean, proud of its history and keen to retain many of its traditions. Many of the main buildings have been or are being renovated, hardly anyone we met spoke English, there is a good assortment of bars and restaurants, a great shopping centre with traditional Spanish and up and coming designer shops, banks etc that surround a newly renovated park with under street level car parking. There is one road that takes you out of the airport straight to the village and which is only a 40 minute drive from Granada. The buying process was explained to us in great detail and we received help with opening a Spanish bank account. Mandy and Dee had arranged for us to see an English speaking assistant, with Mandy and Dee translating anything that the assistant found difficult to explain. We returned to Spain 5 weeks later to complete on the purchase of our house. We only had 24 hours in Spain before having to return to the UK due to work commitments, so it was therefore vital that appointments had been made prior to our visit to ensure things ran smoothly. On our behalf Mandy and Dee had made arrangements with the bank to have the necessary funds available at an identified time, they had found us an English speaking Spanish solicitor and all of them came with us to the notary. The notary appointment would have been exceptionally difficult only for Mandy, Dee and our solicitor’s help, they kept telling us what was happening and what was being said and kept on asking us if we understood and if we had any questions. It was very reassuring to know that you could put your trust in people who you had only known for such a short time. The girls as they are know known to us also arranged to have the water and the electricity transferred into our name and arranged for the payments to be collected by direct debit from our bank. They also arranged for our NIE number to enable the transfer of the house over to our name. Having completed the sale we took Mandy and Dee for lunch and to thank them for their help, Mandy’s two children came along and it felt like we had known them for years. The day that we bought our Spanish Casa was John’s birthday and to our surprise Mandy’s daughter had gone home and made him a very special birthday card which she gave to him when we arrived at the house later on in the day, whilst Mandy turned up with a cold bottle of bubbly and two of her crystal glasses to help us to celebrate the purchase of our new home. Our Casa is in need of some tender loving care. It needs to be completely rewired; lots of building works knocking down walls, taking out false ceilings, which to our joy have revealed beautiful beamed ceilings, a new bathroom and shower room, new windows etc. Mandy and Dee had also arranged for us to meet with the builder and electrician so that we could take them around the house and discuss the project. On returning home they have emailed information on house insurance and have collected our mail for us. We have received a few pictures of the building work in progress and regular updates as to any problems, but these have come with possible solutions so as to keep the building work on track. We have chosen the colour scheme for the bath & shower rooms and sent sample tiles over of what they should look for. This part of the project is really important; being so far a way and having limited time to go and look for the things that you want for the house is really frustrating. We are excited, worried and nervous that we will get it wrong and that when we go over next time that we won’t like it. Having pictures of the work in progress sent to us and by being able send things to them helps to make us feel like we have a say in what is happening to the home that we have just spent two years trying to find. We cannot recommend Olive Country Homes and the work of Mandy and Dee highly enough. We would like to thank them for all the help and support that they have given us to enable us to purchase our first home in Spain. We felt un-pressured and found them to be extremely professional, knowledgeable, and trustworthy and above all we hope we have met new friends! Signed: Pam and John |