Marson and Stefanie Griffith say Hipoteken mortgage advisors Alberto García and Luís Grateron became two more members of the family as they helped secure financing for the Griffiths’ dream home in Mijas, Málaga.
The Griffiths, currently residing in Stuttgart, Germany where Marson works for the US Government, bought a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom villa with an independent 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom guesthouse on a 1,300m2 plot in the foothills of Mijas. Both villas are on two levels and boast clear sea views. They acquired the property for €975,000 and Hipoteken secured funding for approximately 50% of that cost.
“We tested our financial viability in Spain by buying an apartment in Mijas Cala first, over two years ago, and that’s when we actually bonded with our real estate agent Liam and our solicitor Esther, so now we just added two additional people to the family,” Marson says in reference to Hipoteken experts Alberto and Luis.
Finding Hipoteken
Stefanie, who is currently studying a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice, says she first heard of Hipoteken on a Facebook group, before checking the company out on google and TrustPilot. She found 5-star reviews complimenting Alberto and Luis before reaching out to Alberto in person.
“We always felt like our points and our interests were always number 1 over any other offer or package,” Marson says.
Stefanie says they were recommended the services of another mortgage broker.
“We had a phone call with that person, but she said if you want to go with us, you have to pay an admin fee, a downpayment of 700€… before they even started their work. Alberto mentioned right away that their service was for free until we signed the mortgage and that is why they are looking for the best deal that they can find for us.”
The Mortgage
Barbados-born Marson plans to retire from his role as IT Manager in 8 months’ time and this meant obtaining a fixed-rate mortgage was important.
“We are not risk-takers, especially with something as important as our home, so having a structured fixed rate was critical and the team was onboard,” Marson says.
“We got an excellent rate. Our point of reference is the rates provided in the United States and even our last purchase in Hawaii at 3.7% was phenomenal. So, to receive the rate we did here (2.9%) we were more than happy.”
Why Spain?
Stefanie says they love to travel and that Spain is their preferred destination. So, when they started to look for a permanent retirement home, the Málaga region, which they had visited on numerous occasions, was top of their list.
“We were stationed in Hawaii before and I love the ocean, beaches and sun and I love that people when they are around these things are more calm and more relaxed. And I’m German, you know, the weather… up and down,” she says.
“Marson is going to retire, but he didn’t want to go back to Hawaii or Barbados, he wanted to stay in Europe.”
Our Dream Home
In terms of the house, Marson says ocean views, not too many stairs and independent accommodation were their prime requisites.
“Our priority was having a place that felt like us, that reflected our personalities, but also could host our families and friends without any problems. And we didn’t want to be climbing four stories like our house here in Germany,” Marson laughs.
What Stress?
“We have to say we have a team there (in Spain) that has worked with us – from Esther our lawyer, to Liam the real estate agent and you know, we’ve really formed a really good bond, as we have with Luis and Alberto (Hipoteken) that gives us a sense that although the process is challenging, they made it as smooth as possible,” Marson says.
“The transition between identifying the home, selecting the home, enquiring about the mortgage and mortgage rates was really as seamless as I have experienced – and I have bought a number of homes in the United States and I can tell you nothing comes close,” Marson says, attributing this to the excellent communication across the board which he describes as “par to none”.
“I don’t think we had any stress in the whole process. We were being kept informed at each level, so I really don’t think there was a stress where we panicked just because of the communication that was occurring with everyone,” Marson says.
Got more questions about mortgages, or a more general enquiry about mortgages in Spain?
Don’t hesitate to contact Hipoteken for a no-obligation chat with one of our experienced specialists.
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