Discover why San Miguel de Allende, famous for its artistic heritage, rich history, and a vibrant multicultural community, is exploding with even more diverse opportunities for investment and lifestyle as it sees an influx of residents and a hip new generation of young entrepreneurs making an impact. Luxury Real Estate Specialist Ann Dolan, Luxury Real Estate Specialist and Broker Vanessa Garay, and seasoned real estate developer Erick Sakal, had a conversation with MND about this exciting evolving landscape.
San Miguel’s attraction centers around the 7 C’s: community, cuisine, care, culture, color, cost of living and climate.
“There is so much diversity right now,” Ann Dolan, Luxury Real Estate Specialist of CDR San Miguel | Forbes Global Properties tells us. Traditionally, San Miguel has always welcomed a wide variety of nationalities, and in the last few years, many more urban Nationals seeking change. Since the pandemic, there has been a rush of relocating and investing, with the city now hosting around 60 nationalities. CDR San Miguel | Forbes Global Properties is keeping up with those changes and has recently expanded their agent roster to 25, all of whom are working with buyers and sellers in countries ranging from the US, Mexico, Canada, Australia, China, India and many countries around Europe.
Ann and her husband, Jim Dolan, Owner/Broker of CDR San Miguel | Forbes Global Properties along with Nancy Howze and Vanessa Garay, are thrilled to witness the wave of younger, wealthier entrepreneurs relocating, keen to integrate into the community.
CDR San Miguel | Forbes Global Properties’ reputation has grown to that of the preeminent, advisors in the local luxury real estate market. Jim, one of the first successful country estate developers in the city, lends his expertise to the avid new interest in the country living sector: haciendas, ranches, exclusive residential communities or state of the art modern homes. “We live in the country, and Jim knows so much of what there is to know about the ‘campo’ lifestyle: from water rights to the best use of land to embracing the surrounding community,” Ann comments.
According to a Global Luxury Real Estate Market Report, 2023 at Retail Group See, the luxury real estate market has adapted and built resilience against the turbulence of the global landscape. The report references the investor’s priority as a mix of the tangible (a good investment made as well as the right setting), and the intangible (it should make you feel good).
Ann explains, “We’re a local, independent company that proudly boasts 4 affiliates. We love attending conferences all over the world to network and improve our expertise and witness how that expertise helps our team continue to improve.” Not being a franchise means CDR San Miguel | Forbes Global Properties can be affiliated with multiple companies, which helps the agents’ connections and broadens their global reach for clients.
With that in mind, this team of expert multicultural and multilingual agents and their long list of affiliations like Forbes Global Properties, REALM Global, Luxury Portfolio and Leading Real Estate Companies of the World offer a deep and intuitive knowledge about their real estate market.
Why you need a real estate brokerage that offers longevity and expertise
Ann’s stellar reputation working in the luxury segment also extends into many corners of the community. Passionate about every aspect of the city’s growth, she’s active in a number of NGOs of which San Miguel boasts the greatest number in Mexico. She likes to get very involved in all aspects of the community. “I enjoy sharing our experiences and advising our clients about the dynamic, multicultural and philanthropic endeavors available, just as other members of the San Miguel community once advised us.”
“We’ve been doing this a long time, love it and really understand the intricacies of this city. We don’t look at deals as only transactional, but rather we like to share our combined knowledge about what different neighborhoods offer, what the cuisine is like here, what the culture is like, what special events are offered in the city and what local activities are available to be a part of,” Ann shares with MND.
Over the years, Jim and Ann, and their team of agents have become true friends with many of their clients because of the type of advice offered to them and because they all go the extra step to make clients feel like a special and welcomed part of the community which will be their new home.
“We’ve curated our talented and diverse team of professionals to act as an essential resource providing the best insight into all things San Miguel”, Ann continues. Half the team is from San Miguel and many of the other members of the team have been in SMA for over 20 years and thus have perfected a streamlined process for buyers and sellers. This includes aspects of the buying and selling process such as: comprehending the role of the notario, Mexican real estate law, what to do to get permits for foreign nationals to purchase real estate in San Miguel, and how to best use escrow services.
Discover the benefit of a multilingual, multicultural realtor and agency
“Our office is a large and cohesive family,” Ann says, citing that several times a week the team of agents gathers together with their strong sales and administrative staff to share their experiences and learn from each other. Several of the CDR agents speak 2 or 3 languages, reflecting the growing diversity of the city itself and thus they are able to act effectively as ‘cultural translators’.
Vanessa Garay is a highly experienced luxury agent and recently joined CDR San Miguel | Forbes Global Properties as a broker for the company, bringing global travel and work experience and exceptional language skills – Spanish, English, Italian, and French. Raised in San Miguel, she was educated in Mexico, the US and in several countries in Europe. She’s naturally positioned to work with Mexicans, Americans and Europeans. With CDR being the inevitable leader in luxury real estate, Vanessa is thrilled to be working in this sector, adding, ”Having cultural diversification in the city, being culturally diverse and aware ourselves, and understanding our city and its many diverse facets is what sets us apart. It’s not just about properties. It’s about connections with our clients and showing them just how special San Miguel is and how well we know it.” “We want to share OUR San Miguel with our clients and have them be a part of it and add to it.”
Having worked abroad for many years, Vanessa was excited to return to San Miguel several years ago as the city continued to boom. The team’s connections and longevity in this market positions them uniquely in the real estate landscape, and Vanessa is excited to be a part of that. Ann tells us: “Vanessa went back to some Italian clients after my initial meeting with them for a listing appointment and later to some French clients after that, and she was able to do touch points in French for the one set of clients and do the same for the Italian clients. This added another level of comfort for them. We were able to list three properties after those conversations.” Vanessa adds: “It’s helpful to be able to compare and contrast how the market and system works in Mexico versus how it works in a client’s country of origin. It is extremely helpful to be able to converse in a client’s native language. Although we want our clients to feel at home in San Miguel, we want them to feel comfortable and “at home” in all respects and being culturally savvy and sensitive is a big part of that. Inspiring client confidence, establishing a fluid understanding of their needs and providing trusted guidance is very important to us. We are not only agents but cultural ambassadors for our city.”
Erick Sakal, a charismatic and experienced real estate agent who joined the CDR family a year and a half ago, was born in Cannes, France, and raised in Mexico City. He was previously a real estate developer in Querétaro, Celaya, and San Miguel and speaks French, English, and Spanish fluently. He tells MND: “I had options to join other agencies, but it’s more challenging to learn with the best, which is why I chose CDR San Miguel | Forbes Global Properties. Plus, the support, high standards, and collaborative team culture really appealed to me.” When Erick works with clients from CDMX, thanks to his chilango background, he intuitively understands their culture and their needs, whether they’re investing in a second home or moving to San Miguel. “Now with what’s being called the ‘super peso’, more Mexican nationals are taking advantage of the current moment by investing in property, which is interesting.” He adds, “I also enjoy connecting with clients from different nationalities and cultures. For example, I can easily switch to French to make French-speaking clients feel at ease by conversing in their native language. I also recently secured a commercial gallery space in Centro for a Dutch couple in their 40’s and found the perfect 3-bedroom home in Guadalupe for a young Chinese couple living in LA who viewed and purchased remotely through video tours, calls, and a lot of trust in their agent!”
What are the benefits of a brokerage that has long-time affiliations?
“All four of our affiliations over the years have hugely benefited our knowledge, and each affiliation plays a different role,” Ann explains to MND. Presenting San Miguel to the world is one of the additional perks of the conference circuit, and this is another way we have become ‘cultural ambassadors’. ”I always carry collateral material and share our blog San Miguel Life through pamphlets I bring with me. It is important to share San Miguel with whomever is interested at the conferences- whether they are in France, Ireland, UK, somewhere in the US or elsewhere in the world.”
CDR San Miguel | Forbes Global properties agents are naturally proud of their association with Forbes, which is globally recognized, resonates with everyone and drives 78% of their market from the brand halo effect. They are founding members of REALM Global, which is agent-driven and requires being in the top 1% of realtors/brokerages worldwide to be a part of. In Luxury Portfolio’s listings (another affiliate) 86% of the properties are listed at $1m USD or more. Finally every other year, some of CDR San Miguel | Forbes Global Properties agents have attended the Leading RE conferences where they garner important and strong connections, some of whom inevitably become friends.
Another new bilingual team member, Paola Turandot, office and marketing manager, emphasizes, “I love being a part of this healthy, motivated crew!”
Whichever country or city you’re moving from, this dynamic group of multicultural and multilingual agents with the full gamut of expertise are solidly equipped to inspire confidence when buying a home in San Miguel de Allende, not only making it a reassuring and exhilarating experience, but also taking you on a deep dive into this beautiful and flourishing city.
Disclosure: This content is sponsored by CDR San Miguel | Forbes Global Properties.
