It didn’t take long for eXp Realty Spain ( eXp Realty España) to catch Manuel’s attention.
Soon after eXp Realty opened in Spain, Manuel joined other real estate agents eager to learn about the innovative brokerage.
In this interview Manuel talks about his real estate agent business and eXp Realty Spain.
Contact Manuel Carlos De La Huerga
644-94-70-80
manuel.delahuergafeliz@expglobalspain.com
Transcript:
Chris Bounds 00:00
Welcome to the Invested Agents podcast. I’m here with Manuel Carlos Dayla Huerga. Did I pronounce that right?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 00:10
Yes, yes.
Chris Bounds 00:11
Good. Good. My wife’s half Colombian. I mean she’d be able to roll that in very well. It’s been a pleasure. I got to know you a little bit a few months ago. Manuel actually was one of the very first real estate agents to join eXp Realty Spain when they launched in Spain.
That’s how we get connected. Just kind of want to talk a little bit about your business and your experience with the real estate market there and also eXp. What is your business look like today? Well, what is the main focuses that you have in your real estate business today?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 00:56
Yes. My focus today is to list good properties, attractive properties for buyers and for investors. Maybe you see in my place in eXp Spain. You will see 10 apartments of new development in Barcelona. In the center of Barcelona.
In the best places of Barcelona. Starting at 595,000 euros. Starting there and reaching almost 1 million to 1, 290,000 euros. What I’m focused now is enlist this type of properties.
Chris Bounds 01:58
Okay. I did the quick conversion. That’s roughly 600,000 US to well over a million US dollars. That’s a high price point and is the market in Spain. In the United States, inventory is very low. There’s a lot of buyers. And some cases, there can be bidding wars and a lot of competition to get homes. Is that what you’re experiencing in Spain or is it different?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 02:32
No. There is a huge competition. It’s huge. If you’re into a portal of properties here in Spain, you see one apartment is promoted by six, seven, even eight real estate company. I found it.
How come I don’t like this type of business? I want to be exclusive and I want to have beautiful property attractive to one buyer.
Chris Bounds 03:15
Of course. That makes things simpler and easier to move. How did you get started in real estate?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 03:24
I got started in real estate in Dominican Republic when I lived there.
Chris Bounds 03:28
Alright.
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 03:29
Yeah. That’s my first experience in real estate business. And before that, I was in the pharmaceutical industry. Then it comes the time that I want to be older myself. I didn’t have a pharmaceutical company by myself.
But real estate gave me the opportunity to be alone, to have the time, to administrate my time and to do what I am passionate in is to sell. I started to do business in Punta Cana. Yes, in a private apartment, an apartment prior near the beach.
Chris Bounds 04:27
Yeah. You’re dealing with some popular destinations. So Dominican Republic, Punta Cana and Barcelona. These are all very good travel destinations. In Barcelona itself is a large city and also a large tourist destination. How has that experience been working in those kind of places?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 04:52
Yeah, I enjoy it. I enjoy it very much. Because, for example, as you say, in Barcelona, we have many foreign investment and the market is growing now is incomplete growth. For example, there was a lady from other company, real estate company. IAD is from a company from France they listed a hotel.
A complete Hotel in the center of Barcelona. She offered me to collaborate with her. To look for a buyer and see if we can collaborate. So I’m in the process of to list this property.
Chris Bounds 05:43
Oh, wow.
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 05:45
Yeah. It’s a real good investment because it’s in the middle of Barcelona in a very good place and you can have 50 rooms. The hotel complete is 50 rooms and with parking on the ground.
You can have all the building in 12,000,500 Euros. It’s a good price. It’s a very good price. As you say, I am lucky, I was born in Dominican Republic is a very touristic place. My father was from our stories. Our stories are the north of Spain. So that’s why I have the Spanish nationality since I was born. At the end of my life, I am hearing Barcelona.
Chris Bounds 06:43
Alright. Hey, if y’all didn’t hear that, if you’re looking for a hotel to invest in Barcelona. We have one for you. Yeah. You mentioned foreign investors or foreign buyers. In the United States, like China is one of the largest foreign buyers and especially in places like California. What nationalities are you seeing investing in Barcelona in Spain?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 07:10
Yes. Most of all is China because we have here a law that offers you if you invest in a property here more than 200,000 euros you get the golden visa. The golden visa is you can live here in Spain in many place. Chinese, I think the most investors we have here is the Chinese. We have also from Pakistan, Israel and Turkey. Not too much Arabians, but some. English guys likes to buy properties here in the beach.
Chris Bounds 08:09
Okay. Yeah. Their second home.
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 08:12
Yeah. All right.
Chris Bounds 08:16
You reached out to me once eXp had announced opening up in Spain. What was it about the eXp that attracted you to look into that opportunity more?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 08:31
Yes. It’s because I can be independent and I can administrate my time. I have all the resources I need. Because the CRM we have is very friendly. Allow me to operate my business very comfortable. Very comfortable.
Chris Bounds 08:54
How does the model compare? Because in the United States, the model is drastically different in the sense that we’re in the cloud. But as an agent, we can do all the things that we normally do. We get paid more.
We get more resources. But I know in other countries, real estate and the right real estate is conducted. It’s very different. How does the way that eXp operates? How does it differ from traditional real estate companies in Spain?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 09:29
Yes. It’s very different. It’s very different because traditional companies use their office. You have to go there. You have to be there to use the CRM. You cannot use it from outside most of the time and it’s very easy.
Chris Bounds 09:53
It seems like that other companies are very controlling and restrictive. Then you found more flexibility with the eXp.
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 10:01
Exactly. Exactly. Just like that.
Chris Bounds 10:03
How’s your experience been so far over these past few months?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 10:08
The past few months. I’m very happy. We have a meeting on Mondays and we discuss everything in the in the chat. Also, we suggest to make changes for example to the documentation and too many things. We discuss it as soon we propose something they studied it and they apply it to the daily business.
Chris Bounds 10:46
One of the luxuries of being the one of the founding agents to in Spain is you are essentially and you’re in input is highly valued because you’re one of the first agents there and as it grows.
So will your influence both in the community and with eXp Spain. You’ve been able to influence some of those decisions and help the company grow. What is your real estate business? What does that look like over the next maybe two or three years from now?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 11:20
Well, I expect to sell at least six properties a year, including a hotel. Right. In the hotel. Yes. I wrote to a friend of mine who lives in Miami. He operates a few hotels in Dominican Republic in Serbia in Mexico and he told me well now the hotel business is down but well, maybe he can give to someone who’s interested in investing in Barcelona. Barcelona is a very good place to invest. The tourist is the best in Spain.
Chris Bounds 12:17
Is Airbnb, Is that popular in Barcelona?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 12:22
Yeah. Very much. Yeah.
Chris Bounds 12:24
I’ve seen some investors take small hotels and turn them into Airbnbs.
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 12:29
Yep. Yeah.
Chris Bounds 12:30
Okay. Just a couple quick questions. I asked these to everyone. We just kind of in closing, these are simple questions that I asked everyone that I interview. If you can give advice to your 20 year old self, what would that be?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 12:52
Wow. Don’t work for anybody. Work alone.
Chris Bounds 12:55
Alright, work for yourself.
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 12:57
Yeah, but a business say anything even small business. You can operate your small business for example. I don’t know if I told you about my son. My son has studied economy, then he goes to political economy as a master. Then he started working with a company that administrates buildings.
I mean, all the cleaning of the community areas and everything. And then now is only 30 years old and he has his own company. Yeah. He’s here in Valencia. Here in Spain. My daughter is a psychology she’s starting also with Instagram. She’s planning well. She started to do online consultation, psychotherapy, etc.
Chris Bounds 14:12
That’s the world we live in now.
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 14:15
Yeah. Yeah.
Chris Bounds 14:17
What book or books have greatly influenced your life?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 14:24
Sale to the mind.
Chris Bounds 14:27
Sale to the mind.
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 14:29
Sale to the mind. Yeah. I don’t know if it’s the title in the United States.
Chris Bounds 14:42
I think I see it here. I’ll send you a message and make sure I have the right one. Then I’ll put it in the in the notes for folks to look at. In the last five years, what new belief behavior or habit is most improved your life?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 15:06
Make exercise. Yes, because I like to run in open spaces. Right. It gives me the opportunity to think while I’m making exercise and to plan my day I start. I start to exercise in open spaces six years ago. It gives me another perspective of life. And when I when I’m doing exercise, I can plan my day and I can think of things to do.
Chris Bounds 15:57
You get a lot of time to yourself. I do the same thing. I’m a runner. Some of my best ideas come on the run. Yep. I just have to remember to write it down when I get back. Okay, last one. How can people reach out to you? Feel free to leave that in English in Spanish. How can folks reach out to you? How would you like people to reach out to you?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 16:00
Yeah. Oh. By any way, I have my email. I have my WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and by phone. You can call me anytime. I’m able to no, no. I don’t have any particular preference in that way. You can write me whatever.
Chris Bounds 16:53
Alright. I’ll put your your contact info in the show notes so people can reach out to you. Any last thoughts or advice or anything?
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 17:04
Oh, no, no. Well, I advise them the same because the company is growing now. While here in Spain. We were started a few months ago and we are more than 60 people now in Spain. Keep encourage people to join us. I will start to do that soon. I will start to do that.
Chris Bounds 17:39
Just take note because 60 today, this time next year who knows, maybe 160. Yeah. And then 400. Yeah. 1500. It all starts with one though.
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 17:55
Yeah, I will start to recruit people. Now, this month. I’m planning this with my daughter has a training in social media and everything. She’s helping me. Well, yesterday. No. Wednesday we have a shake game. She took me photos for my profiles and everything. She’s going to help me in that mission.
Chris Bounds 18:28
Of course, hey, actually you can have her reach out. If you want to send an email because we can plug them into the team with Connor. So folks like Connor Steinbrook is one of our business partners. And well, because that’s Connor’s specialty is social media and building social media, video marketing, and we’re happy to see how we can help. I’m looking forward to working with you over the years and just let me know if I can do anything.
Folks that want to reach out if you’re anywhere in the Spain area or if you’re looking to buy in Spain. If you’re looking to grow your business, real estate business in Spain or in the surrounding areas. Reach out to Manuel and we’d be happy to assist so thank you so much.
Manuel Carlos De La Huerga 19:19
Thank you to you. Thanks to you, Chris. Hey, have a good day.
Chris Bounds 19:23
You too.