When Sharon and Les Edwards moved to Galera four years ago, they thought by now they would be running a successful traditional Spanish restaurant and bar in the village. After a year of struggling to make the restaurant a success and seeing the potential in marketing and selling local quirky cave homes to UK ex-pats, the family have never looked back and can be proud that Spanish Inland Properties is one of the best and most respected rural and country property experts in Spain .
It was Sharon and Les's son, Craig, now 28 and Managing Director of Spanish Inland Properties, that can be credited with the family's change of lifestyle and careers. After studying Spanish and sampling 'Authentic Spain' in Sergovia on a placement as part of his Modern Languages and European Studies degree, he then worked for Budweiser and was posted in Spain. It was while visiting a friend already living in Spain that Craig started to explore the idea of making working and living in Spain more permanent. Now fluent in Spanish and often mistaken for a local (!), this is how the Edwards' first discovered Galera and the restaurant opportunity that would ultimately make them move lock, stock and barrel to Spain - and eventually create their family business, Spanish Inland Properties.
Les and Sharon were no strangers to working and living abroad. Les's previous career as a mechanical engineer had taken the family to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Zambia and India. Never a couple to shy away from a challenge, Les and Sharon had sold all they had in England and embraced the idea of moving to Spain and owning their own business. Les explains: '“Foolishly, or with amazing foresight, we went for it! However, the restaurant wasn't meant to be, and at one time we were down to our last ten Euros. Whilst all this was happening we could see that cave home development sector was a real opportunity. We initially thought that holiday rentals would be the main business and within three months we formed Spanish Inland Properties S.L. and were marketing cave homes to the UK. We haven't looked back since and the business has gone from strength to strength.
Spanish Inland Properties now employs three people on a full time, permanent basis, and many others have been involved with the development of the business. The company prides itself on the high level of communication with clients and customer support for UK nationals. They understand that the buying abroad can be a daunting prospect, and offer a unique, personal after service, especially when taking on long running renovation projects. With their experience and knowledge of the area combined with Craig's impressive language skills, Spanish Inland Properties is fast gaining a reputation as the area's premier property expert.
Bringing the all important female touch to the business, Sharon has carved out an important role in Spanish Inland Properties for herself. She acts as personal shopper for many of the company's clients, taking them to furnish and equip their new homes at all the right places, making sure they get all the best deals. She is known for being able to fully equip and furnish a property for a client in less than a day! (Just another of those daunting tasks when setting up home abroad, where Spanish Inland Properties can offer the personal touch, understanding, and down to earth advice.)
Les added: 'There are still so many opportunities for us here and so much potential for development. We currently have two hundred cave homes to sell and so many more to develop. Inland there is so much space and the appeal of the area is growing rapidly. On the coast the true Spanish lifestyle has gone and property is so much cheaper here. As a family we have certainly settled and the success of our business has secured our future here'¯
With a long list of happy clients and growing number of friends including the locals and ex-pats, the Edwards family and Spanish Inland Properties have made themselves a huge and much welcomed part of the local community in Galera and its surrounding villages.
For more information Spanish Inland Properties, logon to the website at www.spanish-inland-properties.com
