My Story
Background
I was born in Gent, the coolest city of Belgium, the city where I grew up and went to university. I worked as a business lawyer for major corporate law firms in Brussels. Around the age of 30, I decided to make a switch and step out of the rat race.
My whole life changed when I decided to take a sabbatical to go traveling to Central & South America, a continent I always had a fascination for. I visited several countries from Central to South America and met so many amazing and inspiring people along the way. The immersion in different cultures and getting to know different habits and lifestyles, all contributed to a fantastic personal journey which shaped my vision of the world.
I was a very bad swimmer but during that journey I decided to work on my fears, started taking scuba diving lessons and became a PADI Diving Instructor in Colombia. I had the time of my life, happily dancing salsa every night and teaching scuba diving during the day.
After going back and forth to Belgium, I finally decided to leave my corporate legal career behind. That decision brought me to Rio de Janeiro where I lived the happiest years of my life, running my own hospitality business. I truly lived the life I had always dreamed of, working on flip flops wearing summer dresses all year round! Receiving international travelers from all over the world, helping them feel at home and giving them local insight in the Brazilian culture, while Rio was hosting fantastic events such as the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, were truly memorable experiences.
During my time in Brazil I started to invest and remodel properties with the intent to turn them into profitable short term rentals. Many of my clients followed my example, so building up my portfolio was easy as I always focused on building long lasting business relationships with my clients, based on trust, professionalism, and total transparency.
I had never imagined that I would leave Brazil behind, let alone move back to Europe. But political circumstances and growing violence pushed me to close that chapter and move again, this time with more luggage as I moved back with 2 kids, a husband and mom-in-law in tow.
My Love story with Portugal
My journey to Portugal started end of 2016, when my husband and I took the decision to leave Brazil to give our kids a better future. We chose Cascais in sunny Portugal as our new home base and could not be happier with our choice!
During the relocation process and our property hunting, I noticed there was a total lack of transparency in the Portuguese real estate market. Even though I was fluent in Portuguese and was an experienced investor, I found the process very complicated with so many pitfalls, misinformation and lots of time wasted…
After some reflection, I decided to become a real estate professional to make a difference, determined to help international investors navigate the Portuguese real estate market, and take well informed decisions, without stress and wasting precious time.
I can truly say I found my happy place in a country where I belong, doing what I love most, connecting people with their Portugal dream.
I love Portugal for its mild climate, stunning landscapes, amazing beaches, charming villages and beautiful towns hidden around every corner with their unique traditions, tasty foods and world-class wines.
Actually Portugal is more than a country to me. Portugal is for me a synonym of a unique quality of life: a country where human interaction is still valued, where "slow living" never has been out of fashion; where people are genuinely friendly, authentic, welcoming, easy to connect with and down-to-earth.
Portugal lets me breathe again; makes me feel I ended up where I am meant to be. The special energy I find in Portugal truly fills my soul. I hope it does the same for you!
Get in touch with me if you'd like help finding your happy place in Portugal! The time is yours, I am here to assist you and make your life easier!
