For this month’s Agency Focus we talk to Mary Dunne, CEO and founder of MPDunne Marbella. Mary is a highly qualified real estate broker with a great deal of experience in the Marbella luxury market. She is a licensed Real Estate agent and member of the Association of Spanish Property Professionals (GIPE). Fluent in English and Spanish she also has an MBA in Spanish Real Estate Management. A driven, ambitious individual with a “can-do” outlook, she is a strong negotiator with a proven track record of getting the best possible deals for her clients.
Mary founded MPDunne Properties in Marbella in 2004 and in 2014, MPDunne expanded their global reach by partnering with Hamptons UK and their sister company, John D Wood & Co. With a network of over 90 branches in the UK’s Prime sector, these partnerships give them access to an international offering of luxury real estate markets across 35 destinations. And, as representatives of Hamptons, they are part of an international team that has guided customers through their property journeys for 150 years.
Their goal is simple – to help clients through what can be the most exciting and challenging aspects of their lives.
How would you describe the MPDunne philosophy?
I would say that we are client-focused, and we offer what is really a 5-star service for buying and selling properties. We focus on the client’s needs so that people can feel comfortable and at ease throughout the whole process and can really trust us.
Our brand philosophy is that “We are in it together,” and it really “is” how we approach every client. It’s a good statement because we are in it together. I meet so many people from all walks of life, and we often end up being close friends.
What do you feel sets our agency apart in this area?
I feel that we really offer a full-service high street real estate experience for several reasons. Firstly, we are completely focused on working with our clients and getting results together.
Secondly, we have embraced the future and gone big on digital marketing to get maximum exposure for our properties.
Thirdly, our partnership with Hamptons International means that our sellers benefit from a richer pool of international buyers that helps them sell their properties faster. With those three points in mind, we aim to offer our clients the best possible high-street real estate service in Marbella.
What prompted the association with Hamptons and how did it come about?
I was approached about 10 years ago by Hamptons UK. It’s one of the biggest and most famous UK real estate brands, bringing over 150 years of premium experience, and we have been working together for over 10 years very successfully.
How are you integrating AI strategies into your marketing and workflow?
We have embraced AI strategies, and we are very lucky to have our creative director, an extremely talented forward-thinking tech expert. We engaged him to integrate AI into our day-to-day workload.
After a couple of record-breaking years, as far as sales go, how is 2024 shaping up?
So far, our 2024 started off quietly, but it is certainly getting busy now! I expect it to be a record year.
Have you noticed a rise in demand in any particular areas?
Yes. The Golden Mile, Nueva Andalucía, Benahavís, and Estepona are becoming very popular.
What is your favourite area in Marbella and why?
My personal favourite area in Marbella, I would have to say, is Benahavís; I am a huge fan of La Zagaleta; it is certainly one of the most beautiful and top areas to live in.
BRIGHT’s new development, Vista Lago Residences, is located in Real de la Quinta. What do you think of this area?
It’s in Benahavís which, as I said before, is one of my favourite areas. Real de la Quinta is an amazing project in an up-and-coming area. It is going to be a long-term project with huge facilities. They are building a whole new area up there.
What are the most challenging and satisfying areas of your work, and the most satisfying?
I would say that the challenging areas of our work are the fact that our real estate industry is completely unregulated in Andalucía, which makes it difficult to operate under those circumstances, and there is also a lot of competition. Another challenge is clients’ perceptions, particularly our sellers’ conceptions that it is a sellers’ market, while it can sometimes be difficult to find committed buyers.
The most satisfying area of my work is getting the deals done. As I say, “It’s a Dunne deal!”- that is when the sale is agreed, and everyone is happy.
