I’ve been in Italy since August 2013. Every year since have spent between 1-4 months on vacation each year in the province of Puglia. It has truly grown on me. I should be more specific. Puglia is quite large. I’ve actually fallen in love with Salento Italy. When I heard from a viewer of my channel that there was a channel about Salento, I had to make contact. I’m glad I did!
Doing so, brough me into contact with David Mengoli who is now running Salento with Love. That’s the name of his property management company. He runs it with its sister real estate agency. Fortunately for me, Davide is a forward thinker. Not only do we have our name in common, but much of our interests and belief systems are in sync.
Touring with Davide
The plan was that I would come down and shadow him for a day. I was glad to do it, since as I mentioned I love Salento. Late October, I would slip down to Salento Italy. After completing my responsibilities in Monopoli for some Patreon members where I had been assisting them in their real estate endeavors.
The goal?
To find out, ‘What was so special about Davide’s property management plans.
A bit of History
Davide is Italian, but spent much of his life (30 years if I’m not mistaken) in the UK. Much of that time was spent as an Art Dealer. Nothing extreme, but he did very well. He explained to me that he enjoyed discovering new artists and helping them reach for their dreams. From my what I can tell he carries that same skillset into his endeavor managing properties here in Italy.
While an art dealer, he had been investing in Salento. He did have family there already afterall, and being a connoisseur of art, the historic architecture ‘spoke to him.’ After moving on from that venture he decided to see the world but found himself back in Salento enjoying early retirement in the land of the sun.
So how did he get started with property management? Ask anyone in early retirement after living a successful working career and you’ll probably notice a pattern where they are always drawn to being creative and giving life more purpose than to just sit on the beach all day. While in Salento he looked around at what he could offer the world and came to a conclusion.
Any successful business follows a simple process. They identify a problem, and they provide an innovative solution. Davide owning property in Salento all the while living in the UK gave him a perspective of some missing pieces to the investment puzzle. What was lacking in Salento was a solid property management solution for foreign buyers. All he did was recognize his own needs and decided to apply the solutions he had acquired over years of trial and error. For me it’s a breath of fresh air when I meet someone that has been through it and is willing to provide solutions for others like Davide is doing now.
He told me that it’s pretty much the same as before, he sees people wanting to fulfill a life dream and wants to help them fulfill it. You and I both know owning real estate in Italy is a life’s dream for many. Now in addition to his property management solutions, you can find him providing helpful insights on the purchase process in Italy.
Touring Corigliano d’Otranto
One of the first things he we did together was tour Corigliano d’Otranto which is just 20 km (12 mi) south east of Lecce. Lecce is the capital city of the province by the same name. We started with lunch at a local bar adjacent to a spanish castle built centuries past as a military barracks. It was once a staging ground to the numerous spanish forts that once lined the peninsula’s coastline. Some of which exist still today.
He gave me a glimpse inside his brain as he toured me through the streets showing me ancient ‘palazzo’s’ that were once or sometimes are still held by families of great importance in the community. In the town piazza we even had the opportunity to see some inside a giant first floor mansion complete with intricate ceiling frescoes and built in chapel. It’s so amazing to see how many of these century old buildings remain untouched for decades.
Property Management Services
Davide has his mind set on collaborating with real estate agents all over Salento. His services not only involve the management of short or long term property, but also the option of helping you find and fix them as well. One variation starts with you finding the property and requesting a property inspection. Others allow his company, Salento with Love, to do 100% of the leg work in this case. This allows you to merely give your stamp of approval all from the comfort of your home/office/ or favorite beach.
I estimate that not all will want this full service options. A hybrid solution is potentially more viable since part of the joy of owning real estate is the hunt.
What I learned
In the end, I hope you take the opportunity to watch some of the videos I’ve linked in this post if you haven’t had the opportunity to do so already. I learned that when I’m ready to buy my summer getaway next to the beach in Salento, which is 100% part of my retirement plans, I know exactly who to call in order to make sure it is well taken care of.
If you’d like to contact Davide with any questions you might have, feel free to fill out your email below and you’ll receive instructions for contacting him by email.
Next stop Arpino in the province of Frosinone. Feel free to check out the article I wrote about Arpino on anyexpat.com about that experience.
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