ABOUT RURAL FIXER - WHO AM I?

My name is Ana. I moved to Spain with my partner and dogs at the end of 2021. We spent a while travelling around in a camper looking for a finca with olive trees. After viewing many properties in different regions of Spain (from Andalucía to Cataluña), we ended up in Calaceite (Aragon). We’d never heard of it or been there before. By chance, we stopped at the camper site here, and very quickly we both fell in love with this area—the Matarraña. Wonderful nature, lovely people, relatively close to the coast, airports, big cities, etc. All the peace and quiet we were looking for, with all the amenities nearby. It started with the purchase of a “finca rustica” with a ruin on it and lots of olive trees. Although we were over the moon, we soon realised it wasn’t all that simple... how do you apply for this? What kind of permit do you need? Can we live here? How long will it take? How much will it cost?

Like many people, we ran into all kinds of obstacles, and it took a long time to get any clarity about what we were and weren’t allowed to do. In the end, we decided to buy a house in a nearby village to have a legal home and a permanent base, at least. This turned out to be a good choice for us. It allowed both of us to keep working, integrate well with the locals and find our way through the Spanish system. After a lot of renovations and paperwork, we now have a beautiful olive grove where we produce delicious olive oil (check www.deolijvenwijven.nl) with a restored little house on it, as well as a lovely house in the village.

Because I’m half Spanish myself, I speak the language well and was able to find work here easily. In between, I spent a year working as an estate agent at a local agency, where I learned a lot about the ins and outs of the local property market and made some great connections along the way. After spending much time sorting things out for other people—because it’s just what I do, and people know they can turn to me—I've decided to make a living out of it. I know my way around, the people and the system (though there’s still plenty still to learn…), and I understand the culture. People know me and what I do. That’s how Rural Fixer came about: I’m a natural problem-solver.