

The story of Savvy Cat Realty
Follow our savvy paws journey

It all started with ...
Ana Caramujo
Family Background
My family is tightly connected to real estate investments, going back to my great grandfather and my great uncle, which means I have been unconsciously involved in this trade as far as I can remember. I also was blessed with a father that always tried to include me in the family business and decisions, long before I even appreciated it. At 14 I was already helping choose materials and designs for renovations, even participating in meetings with engineers and architects.
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Most of our family properties are old, rented, and under-managed, my father was aware of this but did not believe he had the profile to deal with them, but he believed I did. Right after university he started asking me to develop projects and find solutions for family properties, and so I did. We worked together to develop a project for a Rural Charm Hotel, and I started to be more involved in the rental properties management (renovations, contracts, terminations, etc). Unfortunately, due to Portuguese Bureaucracy this project is currently on hold.
Past market experience
My next step was to move to the Algarve and work in tourism, decided to do some property investment and was shocked with the real estate service I received. This made me realize that in the end, I could make a better deal if I took matters in my own hands, since I had more knowledge about the procedures of many of the agents I contacted. To be honest I was not looking to dwell into real estate services, but something changed – my father passed. I was going to have to deal with a lot of real estate, plus we didn't conclude the project for his family home that we had been working on together. Suddenly I had a sense of urgency – time runs out.
I decided I wanted to find a way to fund this project myself. At the same time, I was contacted by a lovely British Lady who was talking about her experience with buying property in Portugal, and how it was not about specific locations, and that made things harder for her. Suddenly a light bulb switched on – I can work with this kind of person. I could make a difference...do better! - realizing there is a need for it, and my skills and knowledge fulfill it.
Savvy Cat is born
So, I created a business model, not just about buying real estate but more targeted on finding the right location and the right property for each client, while making sure they aren't over paying. About helping with the culture shocks, and supporting the relocation so foreign citizens can truly enjoy moving here. I designed it to benefit everyone involved, focused on service and not on profit. I believe profit comes when clients are happy, and everyone is doing their part, and so far, that is exactly what is happening.
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Things grew so quickly that now I have a Savvy Team of locals to back me up and we aim to improve and grow as a business and as people in every step of our journey! I hope to, with time and effort, help change the market for the better, and contribute for service focused businesses to thrive, opposed to profit focused businesses.