Katja Range Email & Phone Number

Marbella, An, Es

Mijas, Andalusia, Spain

Greater Marbella Metropolitan Area

It was, is, and will always be, my utmost aim to find the best suitable property for our clients and to assure it is legal, with no Town Planning issue. I am therefore very happy to be able to combine my sales experience, product, legal, development and town planning knowledge, obtained since 1994, to the very best interest of our clients. As qualified Expert in Town Planning and Real Estate Developments, I carry out Town Planning checks and issue the correspondent reports for properties and plots for developers. With us property purchase will be trouble free. If it is not, I will inform our clients and advise not to buy. This philosophy of absolute transparency, honesty and integrity is the basis of our work and has brought a constant flow of client referrals over all these years. I added a more creative and practical approach to the marketing concept, starting our YouTube channel end of 2011, adding completely new methods of viewing properties in real time, showing properties inside out to clients abroad, from the comfort of their home, in real time, and also through pre-recorded, commented video tours . It is my greatest pleasure to constantly add additional values to our services, saving clients’ time and money on unnecessary travelling, allowing them to reserve great properties, before they may lose them to somebody else. Our vendors also benefit from us sending their pre-recorded video tours to clients, filtering really interested clients before viewing appointments. Since 2020 we also include videos regarding interesting general, legal and Town Planning news in our YouTube Channel. Crossing borders, leaving the comfort zone and constant training on new technologies, social media marketing and communication strategies thrills me. There is nothing better than new input for my brain to push my motivation and energy levels through the roof. My final aim is to make a great difference in the Real Estate Market and to be able to finance our own NGO project.

Casarabonela, Andalusia, Spain

Loving the Andalusian way of life and countryside, I moved to Casarabonela, in the mountains behind Marbella, to develop and build my own project: “Posada La Sonrisa de Andalucía”, a rural hotel on two finca plots I had bought. At the same time, I went on working in real estate sales and developed a project for 120 apartments on the coast, yet also sold fincas in Cártama, Coín, Alhaurín El Grande, Pizarra, Álora and Casarabonela, extending my product and legal knowledge to agricultural properties.The hotel project was my first Town Planning exercise “par excellence”, as I had to convert the rustic plot of land into one with “hotel use”, via a business plan and a project of “social interest” to the Town Hall. Against what I was initially told by the Town Hall’s architect, the hotel use of rustic plots was not officially registered in the building rules of the village. First, I had to arrange its inclusion, then I had to present my project in Málaga again. Finally, I obtained the “use for a hotel” and afterwards my building license. My persistency, resilience and adaptability were very much needed during the 4 years it took me to resolve this Town Planning issue.To obtain finance was another big challenge. Being a “foreigner”, Spanish banks thought I would take the money they lend me, plus the grants of the Government (IFA) I had managed to get preapproved and that I would run back to Germany, not paying the mortgage back, yet, after many fruitless attempts, I finally achieved it. Nevertheless, this whole process took further time and by then the Real Estate Market had gone through the roof. Both staff and material costs had tripled against my initial prices, and I could not start the building process, as it was way out of budget. I had to adapt to the market change, put the project on hold and moved back to the coast in 2002, to try to earn the lacking money at Ocean Estates International.

Marbella, Andalusia, Spain

As Expert in Town Planning, I issued town planning reports and helped the developer of Vista Lago Residences in El Real de la Quinta to find this marvellous plot for the development of 18 luxury villas. I sold it to him and was asked to help create and raise the development. I lead the organization and preparation of the building site including geological soil studies, topography and architectural plans, election of architects, engineers and project managers, obtaining estimates of building costs, planning of time scales for the developing and building process as well as of the necessary steps in the Town Hall to obtain the building license. In addition, I liaised with the Marketing specialist regarding the sales brochures and activities for the development.

Greater Marbella Metropolitan Area

I reactivated my own real estate sales, development and investment advisory services, applying all the area and product knowledge I had accumulated in previous years to attend clients both on the Costa del Sol, from Benalmádena to Sotogrande, as well as inland, in villages around Casarabonela and in the Guadalhorce Valley, where I had started to sell in 1998 with my company La Sonrisa de Andalucía, S.L.U.I developed new marketing skills to publish properties myself, obtaining clients through worldwide property portals and thanks to referrals from previous customers. When the crisis of the Real Estate market hit the sector most heavily, from 2008 onwards, I once again used my adaptability to the new circumstances. I did not leave Spain to sell in other countries, yet concentrated especially on my core competences and constantly growing town planning expertise, issuing urban planning reports for properties and plots of land, preventing clients of problems and adding further value to my services. In several cases I gave the advice not to buy, due to severe problems in the urban planning situation of properties, yet sourced and sold better suitable properties for my clients wishes and legal safety.My track record and previous experience in Project Development for 120 apartments in Riviera del Sol, Mijas Costa, was the reason I was recommended to developers from Córdoba, who planned to build new apartments in Mijas Costa and townhouses in Pizarra. I was their representative on the coast, constantly liaising with the owners and their technical department. I attended the building sites for any issues and viewings, and I sold two apartment buildings in Mijas Costa off plan, before we had even demolished the old properties on the plots of land to start building.

Greater Marbella Metropolitan Area

Knowing how I had worked with him before at Ocean Estates, my previous direct superior asked me to join the Real Estate Agency Four Seasons Estates as General Manager. My rule was to lead the 12 team members of the company to the expected success of minimum 10 sales a month, which I achieved. I focussed on training the sales executives of different nationalities and property lister individually in achieving their best capacity, improving skills, product knowledge and procedures to obtain better results in a market that now requested to also have knowledge in resale properties, not only concentrating on new off plan developments. My role involved liaising with the sales support manager and administration department as well. Despite of having achieved and surpassed goals I had been given to obtain further investment into the company by the owners as a reward, to be able to increase the marketing budget, means and my salary, these promises were not kept, which is why I decided to leave and go on working for myself again.

Greater Marbella Metropolitan Area

3 months after entering the company as Sales Executive, I was promoted to Manager of the Listings Department. I used my team building ability to convert the individually existing members of the department into a team. I developed and implemented a time management system that allowed the office and external work to be covered at all times. Using my sales and legal knowledge, I trained all team members in improving property descriptions and pictures, the legal process of property sales, laws affecting vendors, tax laws and calculations, town planning issues, etc. I planned and monitored the goals of the Department, transmitted them and followed up on them in weekly team meetings that I also used to improve the teamwork and interpersonal relationships. My position included client care and troubleshooting, especially when investors had bought in off plan developments and needed to sell on before completion at Notary, obtaining a certain ROI, etc. I also helped the development department regarding Town Planning questions and issues. During the time I first started in sales I improved my product knowledge about the Western area of Marbella, as far as Estepona, Manilva, Sotogrande and Alcaidesa. I learned how to survive as “the German work machine” amongst mainly English staff. I decided to leave when the company was heading towards serious problems I could not help to solve, due to the lack of provisions for the market change it had already started to suffer several months before.

Mijas, Andalusia, Spain

I rebuilt the whole sales department from scratch, which was inexistent since I had to leave it in June 1995 (see further below) and also went on translating Annual General Meetings simultaneously. I was pregnant when I was offered the job, yet clearly saw the great opportunity to grow and make the sales department work again. In addition to building up the portfolio of properties for sale and closing sales, I carried on dealing with all the paperwork involved in both the property purchases and sales, without need of a lawyer. I worked until the last day before giving birth (Friday) and was back at work the following Monday, worked half day for 6 months (whilst breastfeeding) and was then back to full time. It would not have been me to leave the department unattended for a single day, after having been granted this opportunity and trust by the business owner.I gave half a year advance notice when I decided to build up my own business and actively searched for a person to substitute me, before I went inland and started my Real Estate and Development company La Sonrisa de Andalucía, S.L.U. and the project to build my own hotel.

Mijas, Andalusia, Spain

I wanted to share the very effective way of learning Spanish in an easy way I had experienced myself when studying Spanish for 3 months at Inlingua (Münster), before I went to study at the University in Seville. I created a more extensive course myself, adding lessons and exercises from further books and taught Spanish to elderly German women, who thought they would never be able to learn it "at their age". I proved them wrong and was very happy with their success.

Marbella, Andalusia, Spain

I worked as sales executive for German and international clients in the newly opened office in Guadalmina, Marbella West, gaining new product knowledge of this area and towards Estepona. Yet, I had to learn that the values and philosophy of the business owners were not coherent with mine, due to which I decided to leave.

Mijas, Andalusia, Spain

In this first job in my career as Real Estate Agent on the Costa del Sol, I was the secretary to one of the two company owners, who was dealing with property sales. The other one was the Administrator of Communities of Owners. I was very lucky to start working here, as I was attending clients from the very first day in sales, yet also carried out all the paperwork involved in a property purchase and sale, as we did not use lawyers for it. Thus, I learned all the ins and out of buying and selling property in Spain from scratch: obtaining N.I.E. numbers, Residency Cards or fiscal identification numbers for companies, organizing private purchase contracts and Notary appointments, paying taxes, registration at the Land Registry, bringing the whole purchase and sales process to a clean end for both, our vendors and buyers.At the same time, I simultaneously translated Annual General Meetings of Communities of Owners from Spanish and English into German, as well as the minutes of such meetings. This way I could learn in detail how communities are run, where and why problems can arise and how to prevent or solve them, a knowledge that is of great use for all purchasing clients. My position was forced to end due to my direct chief leaving the company.

Diploma Mathematics, Mathematics And Business Economics

Activities and Societies: Terre Des Hommes: It was always and still is my aim to help people in developing countries. During my studies.

Certificates, Macro Economics, Economic Policy, Economy Development, And Financial Management, 3Rd

The year at Seville’s University was a changing point in my life. It is the reason I live in Spain since 1994. I fell in love.