By Mikel Díaz, investor
When I first started investing in real estate, I managed some properties myself. It makes sense at first – you want to understand the business from the inside out, control every detail, and know exactly what's happening in every unit. But There comes a point when day-to-day operations start to compete with what you really want to do: continue analyzing the market, finding the next opportunity, scaling, being calm, etc.
My portfolio includes properties in Barcelona and Andorra – tourist apartments and coliving spaces. Different markets, different logics, but with a common denominator: to get the most out of them, you need professional and dedicated management. I couldn't be that person for all the assets at once.
That's when I contacted Alina, Andrei, and the BCN Flat Management team.
What has changed since the first moment. We don't start with operational management. We start with analysis. They helped me understand which areas of Barcelona offered the best profitability and greatest potential for appreciation. They accompanied me to view properties and prepared potential income analyses that directly informed my investment decisions. Also I was advised on the regulations which was about to come into effect — something that in Barcelona right now is not a minor detail, it's a central part of any purchase decision.
I manage your tourist apartment in Barcelona comprehensively: more bookings, less hassle, and greater profitability. No stress, no surprises.
Then came what I like least: the renovations. Any homeowner knows what a renovation in Barcelona can be like. Budgets that skyrocket without explanation, quality that doesn't match what was agreed upon, constant delays, contractors who disappear. With Alina, that didn't happen. She informed me when the work was finished and the photo report of the apartment was done. That was it. I didn't have to manage a single issue. From now on, I won't do any renovations without her team.
Real numbers. My apartment in Eixample generates a net return of approximately 10.1% per year – a figure hard to find in the current Barcelona market with an asset of this nature. I have real-time access to the booking calendar and receive payment within the first 5 days of each month. No surprises, no delays, no having to ask.
The rest consists of other co-living operations – one in Barcelona, newly renovated and about to start generating revenue, and others in Andorra that are already fully operational. The idea was never to have a profitable apartment. It was to build a diversified portfolio that would run on its own while I moved on to the next thing.
Today he/she does it.
What I value most isn't just the numbers – it's not having to deal with the day-to-day headaches.. Guest issues, the homeowners' association, daily maintenance, etc. – the team handles it all without bothering me. For someone looking to scale a real estate portfolio, that's worth as much as profitability.
