No place like home

I first came into contact with Charlotte when she was helping to sell my house in Monchique in 2020. I recall that she called me one afternoon and politely told me that there might be someone living in my now-empty house that I was selling - there was a tent in one of the bedrooms. I smiled to myself on the other side of the line and reassured her that my son decided to pitch the tent in his ‘old’ room and use it as a den. For Charlotte, this was a relief of course, as her experiences in the UK as an Estate agent were somewhat different, and coming across squatters wasn’t something necessarily out of the norm.

Charlotte started out her career as a diamond sales specialist in the South Coast of England. She tells me that part of her work was sourcing diamonds from Spain and Italy. She especially loved it when men came in to choose their engagement rings for their fiancé’s to ‘hopefully’ be!

From a young age, she learned to deal with high-end clientele - a lesson that she took on gracefully and utilized when she eventually became an estate agent and worked selling property on the prestigious Sandbanks in Poole, Bournemouth. Here, one property, according to Timeout magazine sold for £4640 per square foot!

During her stint in Sandbanks, she modestly reveals selling homes to footballers in the premier league, one being a very famous English player, due to non-disclosure agreements, we aren’t allowed to mention names.

Charlotte has a knack for selling in areas that break records for price per square meter, this year selling a house in the sort after Arrifana area that did just that!

Describing her last few years in Britain as hard hats (visiting building sites) and stilettos, bling, and fast cars, the life here now is somewhat different, and she spends a lot of time outdoors in flip-flops and often deep in dirt tending to her garden, fingers submerged in soil instead of wrapped around a steering wheel of a brand-new BMW, perks that came with selling high-end houses.

She tells me of the days when people used to come into her office in England and have a cut-out circle from an advert in a newspaper, requesting to view that particular property. There were no mobiles or social media, and besides the international football players she sold houses to, she mainly dealt with English nationals. Now, like a doctor on call, she is practically available 24/7. Working with clients from all around the world means it is necessary to be available to clients in all different time zones.

Charlotte never envisaged being an Estate Agent in Portugal, instead, she dreamt up the idea of starting a Holiday Management company when they first arrived. Having already bought their house through Guthrie Rocha Properties in 2019, through an online viewing, and then moving almost immediately, she had naturally developed a good relationship with them.

The agency soon realized she had over 16 years’ experience in Real Estate and that she had also run her own agency for 3 years in the Bournemouth. it was a no-brainer to offer her a position. Gone was the Holiday Management idea and she found herself immersed in an all-male Portuguese-speaking sales team.

By quickly identifying her audience, resonating with them, and delivering what is needed to capture their attention, Charlotte’s posts on Instagram received enough attention from the team of ‘A Place in the Sun’ which runs on Channel 4 in Britain. On this show, agents are asked to showcase prospective properties in warmer climes for families hoping to move to ‘a place in the sun’. Of course, at the end of the show, they eventually must pick a property to buy. In the episode that will be aired in November 2023, they chose Charlotte’s property in Vila Do Bispo!

Along with advertising and marketing, the responsibility that Estate Agents face should not be underestimated.

I have come to realize, after buying a fair share of properties myself, that when you find an Estate Agent that you feel at home with - never mind the pun - you start a process that uncovers not just your need for - ‘a 2/3/4 bedroom house, similar count of bathrooms, sea view, land for a farm/vegetable garden, space for kids to play, no neighbours, etc etc’- haha - but a long-lasting relationship where your vulnerabilities, expectations, finances, and relationships are all brought to the forefront of not just your own life but laid bare for the Estate agent to experience too.

Being able to put your trust in a person or company that will effectively determine where you lay your roots for years to come, is a huge decision. This is, after all, probably the biggest asset you will ever buy.

Charlotte and the team at Guthrie Rocha Properties have nailed this experience. Appearing more like friends than sales agents, their approachable manner really sits well with the liberal thinking, and outdoor surf culture that is found on the Vincentina cosatline. No wonder they have received accolades from scoring.pt for the 4th time running as ‘top 5% of small to medium business in Portugal, 2023’.

Charlotte and James, her partner since she was 12 years old, yes, my mouth opened in shock too, promised themselves to never go back to a country they had visited on holiday and instead keep exploring other places around the world. But like many others, they couldn’t help themselves and just kept coming back to the Aljezur area. After having the opportunity to house sit for some people in Vila do Bispo, they got a better feel of the Algarve.

I was intrigued to find out what her experience of life was in England. She describes her days as ‘traffic’! And the logistics of dog care, school runs and no time for anything except ‘rushing to make ends meet’ - I haven’t personally lived in this type of environment for years now, so find it difficult to comprehend. And then I recall a friend recently telling me that he spent more time in his car in Britain than with his children, no wonder then, that people want change!

James had been an Aircraft Engineer and hardly saw their 2 children, because the working hours were so intense. They decided that they wanted to have more time with their children and access the outdoors in a safe environment. It was easy for James to make the transition because he already stopped his career as an Aircraft Engineer and became a Carpenter to have more time with their children. This skill translated seamlessly here, and he too found an abundance of work when they moved.

Still in their early 40’s this is an expat family that have integrated, worked, and will survive this normally very difficult place to make a decent living. With their choice to put their kids in the local school and immerse them in everything Aljezur, they are a big part of this little community and sit very well within the culture that has been created here in the last few years - young, dynamic, entrepreneurial families with good work ethic and an insatiable appetite for the outdoors.

If you are interested in any properties around the west coast then take a look at:

@charlotte_guthrierochaproperty

@guthrie_rocha_properties