IVAR DAHL, Real Estate with 50 years of experience at the Costa del Sol. 2018 marks the anniversary of our Real Estate Agency, few words to explain how important this year is for all the team at Ivar Dahl.
I fell in love with this beautiful country, Spain, when I was a teenager, the year of 1960: my family and I were spending an unforgettable holidays in Palma de Mallorca.
The way of living amazed me: how families enjoyed being together late at night including kids and eldest, full booked lovely restaurants and non stop shopping, the mediterranean fresh air and wonderful places.
Food was excellent in all ways, best quality and prices, what a rich gastronomy with influences from all around the world! And those “tapas” served with every drink you order.
The best of all, no doubt, the kind and attentive people that made every experience I had effortless and comfortable, made me feel like if i were in heaven. Perfect.
Days were never ending pleasant and sunny, but my way back to Stockholm was on date: how different my life was in my country, spending time in my office from dawn to sunset, without that light and energy the sun provides us. Being in the dark of those days we have at the north of Europe, no so much options to spare free time at the outside like beaches, parks… like in Spain.
Then I told myself I would came back to beautiful Spain with a no return ticket, because I really want to live there: all my memories were tinged with the sunny and salty scent of the sea and their way of living.
In December of 1966 i finished my studies and got my degree and specialization of Construction Engineer at the Tekniska Institutet, Sweden. And then my dream come true, I left my city and started working in Gran Canaria with the most important foreigner building company there, specialized in selling properties for nordic buyers.
Once again the good climate is the main reason why I choose this destination, their winters look like warm and sunny springs, and beaches and outside lifestyle can be enjoyed all the year. Nowadays living permanently on an island is amazing, but not those days without the facilities and transport connections they offers now, wasn’t easy at all, so that’s why I decided to move to the mainland again.
My new destination was the Costa del Sol, spring 1968: the sun, all I was looking for! Found this spot at the south of Spain really amazing. It was a great change in my way of living.
Marbella was a little sailors and fishermen’s town, and now was the place to be: great hotels like Marbella Club, Meliá Don Pepe were built early 50, and the nowadays fashionable Puerto Banús was a little harbor used by General Francisco Franco and his yacht Azor with the purpose of helping his close friend and promoter José Banús and give importance to that place, so it became a private port only for the jet set.
This town was ideal for many reasons: I love skiing, so the sky resort at Sierra Nevada, Granada, was a nice destination, the distance between Marbella and the resort was 4 hours by car at that time. 2 hours by the newest motorways today and more than 70 km of fantastic sky trails perfect for grand slalom training sessions or competitions. Even great swedish world champion Ingemar Stenmark visited Sierra Nevada and told me this was an amazing winter sports resort with different areas to practise. It has become the most important sky resort in Spain.
The Costa del Sol was seem more interesting than I expected, and not only due to its climate and its unbeated location, not even because it was fashionable,… The Costa del Sol had all the features to become a world reference and I was truly at my best moment.
I started working in the real estate sector that same year 1968 in collaboration with Exclusivas La Galeria, the largest and most established real estate agency in Torremolinos. We worked mainly in the adjoining areas, Torremolinos and Benalmádena.
I also helped the famous Swedish great actor Hasse Ekman found his dream home at the seafront of Fuengirola promenade.
I was a partner in a real estate company promoting and selling the Marina of Benalmadena. To YIT, largest construction company in Finland, I sold a plot of land to build 1000 homes in Torrequebrada Urbanization.
Life was smiling to me so i decided to open my own Real State agency in Sitio de Calahonda, Mijas Costa, in 1982. There I made another big operation, selling a big land ready to built 1000 apartments to Puolimatka, another of the largest construction companies in Findland.
In 1983, I was the first of my promotion as an investment consultant, by the Technical Institute of Business Education.
It was a good time and also a very important one in my life, because I married Anna Muukkonen, from Finland, in 1993, and since then she has become my partner in life and in all my project business.
In 1994 our daughter Ivana was born, English, Sweden and Spanish spoken, because for us were important her education. Ivana studied at Aloha College in Marbella, one of the best private school of the area; luckily, Marbella has a lot of excellent international schools, with students from all around the world. The perfect environment to understand and respect all kind of cultures, beliefs…
She went to Queen Mary University in London, UK, and University of Leiden, Netherlands. Also got a Master Degree at Georgetown University in Washington DC, USA, and currently works as a lawyer in London, at the Clifford Chance international law Office, now present in 26 countries. And all started in Aloha College, Marbella!
In 1994 I finished my training as a real estate agent with the Ministry of Public Works making my last exam at the University of Madrid. (API Agente de la Propiedad Inmobiliaria)
I am a member of the Confederation Européenne de L’Immobilier and of the Professional Association of Intermediary Managers in Building Promotions.
With more than 15 years with this office working in the area of Fuengirola, Mijas, Calahonda, Riviera, and of course Marbella, I had to move again, to the heart of Marbella Golden Mile, and found in 1998 the perfect place for my new office, right on the main road, with easy access and especially parking, in Marbellamar, next to the current DaBruno A Casa, and other good and well recommended restaurants.
Looking back now, we have sold many houses in Marbella, for example more than 25 houses in Marbellamar, and in these 50 years we have been moving forward and specializing in Apartments in Marbella center, properties in the Golden Mile, villas in Marbella East and properties in Nueva Andalucía.
In all those years of real estate experience and from the point of view of a foreigner, who came so young, it’s a great advantage when it comes to understand the needs of who consider a big change in their lives, such as a new country to live and not only in Marbella; or those who want a safe investment in a country that is not theirs, and there are more and more interesting alternatives to reside in this area due to the spectacular growth of the entire Costa del Sol and towns which are not at the seaside like Casares, Istán, Ojén, located in mountain side with impressive views of Mediterranean Sea.
Throughout all these years that I have lived here on the Costa del Sol I have been trained and updated my knowledge about the laws especially related to urban development, land, construction, purchase and sale of properties and plots, quite important for us.
The new and modern homebuilding has revolutionized the Costa del Sol, with more than 75 developments under construction, normally sold before they are finished, because investors and clients have guarantees and safety.
We are now selling up to date villas and apartments valued for their location and surroundings: golf courses, seafront or proximity to the beach, easy access to the main roads and connections, panoramic views over the sea or the mountains, hidden and private areas with 24/7 security, services such as schools, hospitals, shops and restaurants…
Ivar Dahl Properties offers a great and complete list of amazing houses in Marbella, Estepona, Benahavís, Mijas Costa…
Ivar Dahl
2018/09/03
