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Women With Vision

Kerrie Hanafin and Rose Lock High Value, Luxury Spainish Properties Women With Vision
The Beauty of Spain

Several years ago, ex-banker Kerrie Hanafin hit the headlines with her painting and decorating firm A Woman’s Touch. Now she has teamed up with property specialist Rose Lock, to launch Vision Board Properties. George R Vaughan caught up with both ladies to discover why in a time of recession, they still believe bricks and mortar to be a sound investment.

The first time I met Kerrie Hanafin back in 2005 this bright young woman was decked head to toe in white overalls and smiling enthusiastically at me through a paint speckled face. At that point she was making a name for herself as the successful city investment banker who turned her back on the riches of the city to pursue a life more satisfying with her female focused building and decorating firm.

Today, she has seen that business grow and diversify, with branches stretching beyond London to Spanish shores. However, her ethos never changed and thanks to the innovative approach she adopted with A Woman’s Touch, she has won numerous accolades.

Natwest Business Woman of the Year, BT Female Entrepreneur of the Year and one of Management Today’s “8 Women to Watch” are just a few of the awards that have been bestowed upon her but she has not rested on her laurels. Now she is back with her latest project in partnership with property expert Rose Lock to embrace the opportunities that exist in the Spanish market.

“It’s true that the property market here in Spain has suffered but the area we are looking at is more high-end. As a company we are focusing on around 20 properties at any one time with prices starting from close to a million Euros upwards.

“I met Rose whilst I was here expanding A Woman’s Touch and she soon made me aware – through her expertise in the property market – that there was an opportunity to be had. Her knowledge combined with my financial background seemed to present possibilities that were too good  to overlook.

Rose herself has spent many years in Spain although she began her career in the UK with Savills Estate Agents.

“I spent much of my early life travelling and in fact my first career goal was in sports but following an accident I was forced to revaluate my ambitions and that change of direction took me into the property trade.

“What Vision Board Properties is seeking to do is source high quality investment properties for their clients, to provide them with the opportunity to make significant returns on their money. At the moment consumers with this level of Euros to spend can expect a much higher return on their investment through property than they can from savings schemes.

“Because of our unique position in the market we always aim to offer investors a minimum of 25% potential return on any property they buy through us and in all cases we conduct due diligence on all properties and clients on our books, including obtaining copies of bank valuations, land prices, project costs for development and the times scales involved, as well as market comparables to back up the forecast returns.”

But even in Spain estate agents have a pretty poor image, although both Rose and Kerrie were quick to point out that they are both doing is some way off the standard fare of estate agents in general.

“For us this is all about going the “extra mile” in an effort to provide our customers the very best service. Some of our buyers might not even want to see the property they are investing in outside of a few images on the web, they rely solely on us to provide them with an assessment and return on investment that meets what they are looking for.

“It’s another reason why we don’t tend to have a large book of properties listed with us. We want to ensure that every client is given our undivided attention – at the moment this company is being run solely by Kerrie and I so all our customers are dealing with us directly.”

Although both women have set careers at the top of their agenda, they also have interests away from work and they realise that a life outside of your career is equally important.

Says Rose, “With any new business it is imperative to put in the time and the effort to ensure that it is successful however not to the detriment of your social life, friendships and relationships. There is always a balance and these days it is perfectly acceptable for women to be at the forefront of businesses previously assumed to be “men’s work”. We want what everyone wants, a successful career and a fulfilling life outside of the workplace.”

When one looks at the progress both women have made in the business arena there is no doubting that they can look to the future with a significant degree of optimism. If you would like to find out more about these two fascinating women or perhaps Vision Board Properties then visit their website at http://www.visionboardproperties.com

 

George R Vaughan

 

Rose Lock's picture

Posted Tue, 11/03/2009 - 16:13 by Rose Lock

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