Our Croatian story
In late 2005 and with dreams of a sea fronted holiday appartment on the Croatian Dalmatian coast we headed to Dubrovnik. We had a fantastic trip, Dubrovnik and the surrounding area is truely gorgeous however for us it didn't tick the boxes needed for a holiday home...it's more of a long weekend destination and we like our long relaxing holidays. One thing did stick though...Croatia had much more to offer than we had possibly imagined !
With some more research under our belts, and Christmas just around the corner we were now headed to Istria, the large triangular peninsular in northwest Croatia often compared to Tuscany. We were blown away by Istria and on our last day we squeezed in one last property visit where we discovered an old stonehouse which was being renovated by Ivo a German builder. The property was huge and was being re-developed as 3 units: The 3 bedroom house was already sold to another English couple and there were 2 remaining houses, a 2 bed and a lovely 1 bed cottage. We struck a deal with the builder to buy both the 1 and 2 bedroom properties, negotiated some additional land and headed home to sort out our finances.
A few trips later (setting up a limited company to buy through, various solicitor meetings etc.) and we were the proud owners of what would become Casita One and Casita Two, collectively The Casitas (www.croatiacottages.com)
With the houses finished and furnished, the garden landscaped and the pool (something very special about owning your own pool) full of crystal clear water we enjoyed our first proper holiday at The Casitas in June 2006. In this same month we also welcomed our first guests to The Casitas, the bookings were flooding in through Owners Direct. We haven't looked back to be honest, not only have we enjoyed numerous holidays with friends and family but the success of the rental business is phenomenal.
The Casitas are not for sale, but they are a key part of the story as they allowed us to re-invest in Croatia and 2007 another opportunity presented itself. This time it would be a full on 'grand designs' type project, we found an old barn ruin in a very real Istrian hamlet with no water or electric supply but with real potential. We could just about afford to buy it and lock up until we could fund the renovation. In 2008 we started and finished what would become a labour of love. Casita Lozari is an absolutely stunning property and has become our home we wished we had at home for the last 3 years. It was really tough to advertise Casita Lozari as a holiday rental villa...we wanted to keep it for ourselves but needed to stick to the business plan.
Casita Lozari is so popular as a villa rental that we could sell it many times over in the summer season (running May - Sep). The old and new style of the property combined with it's location in the hills of the Mirna Valley, very close (5km) to the stunning hilltop village of Grosnjan (Jon's favourite place in the world) and only 20 minutes drive to the coast really make it a very special place to stay. So special that after 2 children and14 years together we decided that having Casita Lozari as a venue was reason enough to get married... mandyandjongethitched.com
It was tough to advertise Casita Lozari as a rental and it is painful to even consider the thought of selling the property, but here we are and the business plan must roll on. We are ready for our next project and need to release the capital from Casita Lozari to allow this to happen.
So that's our Croatian story to date in a few paragraphs and now we'd like to be part of your story .... let us help write your 1st chapter.
So why should you buy? How can we help? and How can we save you money?
With some more research under our belts, and Christmas just around the corner we were now headed to Istria, the large triangular peninsular in northwest Croatia often compared to Tuscany. We were blown away by Istria and on our last day we squeezed in one last property visit where we discovered an old stonehouse which was being renovated by Ivo a German builder. The property was huge and was being re-developed as 3 units: The 3 bedroom house was already sold to another English couple and there were 2 remaining houses, a 2 bed and a lovely 1 bed cottage. We struck a deal with the builder to buy both the 1 and 2 bedroom properties, negotiated some additional land and headed home to sort out our finances.
A few trips later (setting up a limited company to buy through, various solicitor meetings etc.) and we were the proud owners of what would become Casita One and Casita Two, collectively The Casitas (www.croatiacottages.com)
With the houses finished and furnished, the garden landscaped and the pool (something very special about owning your own pool) full of crystal clear water we enjoyed our first proper holiday at The Casitas in June 2006. In this same month we also welcomed our first guests to The Casitas, the bookings were flooding in through Owners Direct. We haven't looked back to be honest, not only have we enjoyed numerous holidays with friends and family but the success of the rental business is phenomenal.
The Casitas are not for sale, but they are a key part of the story as they allowed us to re-invest in Croatia and 2007 another opportunity presented itself. This time it would be a full on 'grand designs' type project, we found an old barn ruin in a very real Istrian hamlet with no water or electric supply but with real potential. We could just about afford to buy it and lock up until we could fund the renovation. In 2008 we started and finished what would become a labour of love. Casita Lozari is an absolutely stunning property and has become our home we wished we had at home for the last 3 years. It was really tough to advertise Casita Lozari as a holiday rental villa...we wanted to keep it for ourselves but needed to stick to the business plan.
Casita Lozari is so popular as a villa rental that we could sell it many times over in the summer season (running May - Sep). The old and new style of the property combined with it's location in the hills of the Mirna Valley, very close (5km) to the stunning hilltop village of Grosnjan (Jon's favourite place in the world) and only 20 minutes drive to the coast really make it a very special place to stay. So special that after 2 children and14 years together we decided that having Casita Lozari as a venue was reason enough to get married... mandyandjongethitched.com
It was tough to advertise Casita Lozari as a rental and it is painful to even consider the thought of selling the property, but here we are and the business plan must roll on. We are ready for our next project and need to release the capital from Casita Lozari to allow this to happen.
So that's our Croatian story to date in a few paragraphs and now we'd like to be part of your story .... let us help write your 1st chapter.
So why should you buy? How can we help? and How can we save you money?
