Property advisory for investors in country houses

Music industry investors purchase a country house for a recording studio and accommodation

A success story from an investor service in the Alt Empordà, Girona.

A group of investors from the music industry were looking for a large, secluded property for an ambitious project: a top-tier recording studio where their artists could come to record. The isolated location was not a drawback, but part of the appeal.

We proposed this 16th-century country house in Maçanet de Cabrenys: two floors of 470 m² each, a covered area of 450 m², and three annexes set within 10 hectares. Ample space for the studio and everything that would follow.

As the studio was far from airports and cities, the project expanded: converting the annexe buildings into apartments where musicians can stay. On the outside, the stonework remains intact; on the inside, we have designed a modern interior that contrasts with the rustic character of the country house.

Here our role went beyond the sale. As an agency specialising in country houses for renovation in the Alt Empordà that also carries out the works, we managed project approvals and planning permissions, and are overseeing a renovation that is still under way. An example of how we support an investor from purchase through to the completion of a complex project

We had the rural tourism country house that was missing in a highly sought-after area

A couple wanted to invest in a country house for rural tourism in the Pla de l'Estany, around the Estany de Banyoles. The area was a clear choice: very popular with hikers and cyclists, with the combination of nature, sport and tranquillity that their project needed.

The problem was the supply. Available country houses in that specific area were scarce, and what they found on property portals was either too far away or lacked the potential they were looking for. After weeks of unsuccessful searching, they contacted our director, Àngels Sabater.

We had exactly what was missing: an off-market country house in the precise location they wanted, the kind that rarely makes it to public listings. It was the first one they visited, they bought it, and today they are developing their rural tourism project there.

It is an example of how our portfolio of country houses in the Pla de l'Estany, including off-market properties that other agencies do not have, places an investor in the area they are looking for when supply is limited.

From Ruined country house to Luxury Estate: An Investment That Multiplied Its Value

A few years ago we sold an 18th-century country house in Cornellà del Terri to a couple of investors. At the time it was practically a ruin: no swimming pool, no garden, and outbuildings in a state of abandonment. But it was a clear buying opportunity, and that is exactly how we presented it to them.

Before closing the deal, we prepared a rehabilitation proposal for them: how to approach the renovation, what potential the property had, and with what indicative budget. That vision was key to them purchasing with a clear plan in hand, not just a property.

The buyers carried out a spectacular full-scale renovation, in which we also participated, respecting traditional Catalan architecture: original chestnut beams, lime-washed walls, a bespoke oak kitchen, aerothermal heating, underfloor heating, and 27 solar panels with batteries. Today the estate has 574 m² of built space set on 10.8 hectares, a 20 x 5 metre swimming pool, and potential for an equestrian project.

The property is now back on the market, this time as a luxury estate in the Pla de l'Estany valued at €2,300,000 in our portfolio of country houses for sale in Pla de l'Estany.

An estate with two country houses: one to live in and one for a rural tourism project

In early 2026, some buyers were looking for a property that would allow them to live in it whilst also generating income. They found both in this 18th-century estate in Sant Julià de Ramís: nearly 6,000 m² of land with two historic farmhouses, Mas El Porxo and Mas El Racó.

The plan was clear from the outset. Restore the main farmhouse as a residence and transform the second building into a rural tourism accommodation, making the most of the natural surroundings, the proximity to amenities, and the access to Girona and the Costa Brava.

Our role went beyond the sale. We presented them with a restoration proposal that has already been approved, managed the project licences, and are overseeing works that are set to begin imminently. We supported the investor from the search for the right property through to the launch of the project.

An example of how we combine our portfolio of country houses in the Gironès with the ability to carry out the restoration and realise the investment potential of a property.

We Sell Can Morgat to Investors with an Eco-Farm and Rural Tourism Project

A group of investors were looking for a large historic estate for an ecotourism project: a rural hotel linked to regenerative agriculture, in a setting with natural and heritage value. They found what they were looking for in Can Morgat, an 18th-century masia a few minutes from Banyoles, with 8 hectares of land, views of the lake, and strong historical roots: the estate features in the legend about the creation of Lake Banyoles.

This was no straightforward purchase. The property comprises 1,250 m² of built space across the main masia, a farmhand's cottage, old stables and outbuildings, as well as a small chapel, and much of the complex was still awaiting restoration. An operation of this scale demands impeccable legal foundations, and that is precisely what we handled: we managed the entire legal side of the transaction so that the investors could complete with complete peace of mind.

Their plan was to transform Can Morgat into an eco-farm: a sustainable rural tourism accommodation supported by regenerative agriculture, making use of the cultivated hectares and the protected environment of the Pla de l'Estany. An ambitious project for a property worthy of it.

The case also attracted media attention: the sale and the Can Morgat project were the subject of a TV3 feature. An example of how we support an investor in the purchase of a unique estate, from the search through to legal completion, within our specialisation in masias in the Pla de l'Estany.

We found the property and profitability for a hotel group in Alt Empordà

A success story of an investor service in Alt Empordà, Girona.

A hotel sector group, which already managed several hotels, was looking for a property for a new project. For an investor like this, the property has to add up financially: an acquisition cost that matches the available rooms and the expected return. Not just any property will do.

The one that met the criteria was this 17th-century fortified country house in Roses, surrounded by vineyards and with enormous historical value. We worked with the investor on the project viability, adjusting the property's characteristics to the profitability needed.

The challenge was that the property came with a complex legal situation: charges and register discrepancies to resolve, and vineyard boundaries that had to be fixed with precision through satellite geolocation. We set this out clearly from the start and took care of resolving everything, so the investor could buy with confidence. The transaction closed at around 2 million euros.

An example of how we support a hotel investor from the search for a profitable property through to closing a legally demanding purchase, within our portfolio of country house in Alt Empordà.

From a roofless ruin to rural accommodation within the Cap de Creus Natural Park

In 2019 we sold the Mas dels Arbres, a country house from 1750 and 685 m² located within the Cap de Creus Natural Park. It was in ruins, without a roof and used as shelter for livestock, but it offered something unusual for country houses in the Alt Empordà: the possibility of creating a rural tourism accommodation.

The opportunity only made sense if the buyer knew what they were facing. That is why we put the legal situation of the property in order before the sale – measurements, registrations, water rights with its own well and electricity supply via autonomous solar installation – and provided them with a free rehabilitation proposal adjusted to the park's regulations.

For example, the investor could not extend the building and had to rebuild the walls using dry stone technique. The investor bought with a realistic plan in hand.

The buyer, a Scotsman settled in the area, subsequently carried out a two-year restoration that respected the farmhouse's original elements to the maximum: dry stone walls, arches, oak beams, historic tiles and a wood-fired oven still in use. The farmhouse obtained its rehabilitation licence in October 2020.

Today Mas dels Arbres operates as rural accommodation, with capacity for fourteen people in four independent areas, and its recovery has appeared in Diari de Girona and on the national channel Canal Decasa.

We are launching Mas Bertran onto the market, the country house that Kat Von D restored as a Gothic castle

Few properties combine heritage, design and a name recognised worldwide. Mas Bertran, a seventeenth-century country house with a tower in Quart, is one of them: tattoo artist and reality TV star Kat Von D purchased it in 2018 from Cottage Properties' portfolio, when it was a roofless ruin, and transformed it into a Gothic castle.

Overlaying the original structure of the Catalan country house – stone walls, cylindrical tower, ogival windows – sits an interior with pronounced Gothic character, featuring a kitchen with pointed arches and black marble.

Today the estate returns to our portfolio and is launched onto the market for €1,950,000: 670 m² built on 35 hectares of land, with protected forest, overflow swimming pool and views of the Gavarres massif. It is categorised for residential, hotel and rural tourism use, which opens up various opportunities for an investor.

The case has received widespread coverage: the property has appeared in Hola! and in Idealista News, and we have also featured it in our blog. An example of how we manage the sale of singular properties in the luxury segment, within our specialisation in country houses in Baix Empordà.