Angel Velez

About Angel Velez

I am Angel Velez, real estate coach and broker since 1996, specializing in the Spanish residential market. I have helped hundreds of families, mostly from chilly northern Europe, find new homes in the warmth of southern Spain. Now, it is my mission to open that door for Americans, helping them sell their houses and find new homes in Spain where they can enjoy more authentic, affordable, and fulfilling lifestyles, whether they are families, individuals, or retirees.

Experience

For more than ten years I worked in home sales along Costa Blanca, Costa de Almeria, and Costa del Sol. The global crisis of 2008, which deeply affected the Spanish real estate market, marked a turning point in my professional life and opened the door to a new chapter in the United States, first in New York and later in Texas, where I lived and worked in both the academic and business fields. This experience gave me direct insight into American life and the needs of many families who are looking for a more affordable place and more comfortable way to live.

After helping hundreds of families with renting, buying, and selling homes, I now put all my training, knowledge, and experience at your service to help you achieve your goals. Whether you’re selling your home with a tailored, results-driven marketing plan, investing in properties with flip potential to maximize their value, or searching for a new home in Spain where you can enjoy a fuller, more balanced life, my commitment is to guide you every step of the way.

The Turning Point

When I first arrived in the United States, I was impressed by what I saw: energy, opportunity, and a very active social life in New York. Everything was close; it was easy to get around and socialize, something that reminded me of Europe. However, when I moved to Texas, the experience was very different: long distances, daily traffic, and the constant need for a car greatly reduced the chances of seeing family and friends. Life became almost a closed circle of home to work and work to home. I rarely met anyone new because most people were trapped in the same system. That routine and isolation slowly made me more reserved when I had always been very extroverted. It was then that I realized how much I needed to recover the balance I had always taken for granted in Spain. At one point, I felt that I was living only to work, without the personal space I had always known in my own country. Little by little, I understood that reality did not always match the image people in Europe had of the U.S., as if everything there were perfect.

While working as an academic in Texas, I noticed something that struck me deeply: Many colleagues, after a lifetime of effort, could not retire comfortably and had to keep working. I also saw young people who, even with full-time schedules and overtime, barely managed to pay their bills. There was an almost anxious desire to get extra hours or work on holidays for double pay, something unthinkable in Spain. I was also surprised to learn that, on average, Americans work about 300 more hours per year than Europeans, yet without the same labor rights such as paid vacation or parental leave. On top of that came the hostile, unpredictable Texas climate, with extreme summer heat, sudden winters, and storms or tornadoes that affected daily life.

By contrast, life in Spain is lived differently. I must confess that while living there, I never truly valued all that I had: a quality of life in which work and personal time easily fit together, paid vacations, access to healthcare, fresh and affordable food, safe streets, cleanliness, modern infrastructure, and above all, an extraordinary climate that allows people to enjoy both the beach and the mountains, along with countless outdoor activities, throughout the year. If I live in Madrid, in less than four hours I can be on the northern coast enjoying the green mountains and ranges of the Atlantic or reach the warm waters of the Mediterranean with its microclimates. Spain is easy to travel through: thanks to its modern network of highways, freeways, and high-speed trains, in less than a day I can go from the north to the south in about nine hours, or from the east to the border with Portugal in only seven. Fast, comfortable, and safe, so I can enjoy seas, mountains, and historic cities all in one trip. Added to this is the ease of flying from Spain to other European countries for under 50 euros round trip. Only after living in the U.S. did I truly understand how privileged I had been to have all of this.

Over the years, as I shared these observations with friends and colleagues in the U.S., I saw a growing interest in alternatives to staying in America. They asked how to retire in southern Spain, what the cost of living was, and what family life looked like. That is why I decided to return to Spain and place my experience at the service of those who are looking for another way of life.

I want to share all of this with my American compatriots, who taught me so much and supported me as well because they truly deserve it. They are exceptional, hardworking people who never give up and who live constantly in survival mode, regardless of age or circumstance. They too deserve a better life. My goal is to help transform those difficulties into new opportunities, so that those who have worked their entire lives can finally retire with dignity in their later years, and so that younger generations can seize today’s possibilities, innovating, working remotely, and building a less stressful future. I want my knowledge and life experience in both countries to help Americans discover that in Spain, it is possible to live differently, with more time for family and friends.

Back to Spain and the Birth of USpania Realty

After a decade in the United States, I realized the time had come to return to Spain. It was not just about going back home, but about transforming everything I had learned on both sides of the Atlantic into a personal mission. What had been an experience of contrast and discovery for me could now become an opportunity for others: I want to show Americans that in Europe, and especially in Spain, there is another way of living, one that is more affordable, safer, and above all, more balanced between work and personal life.

In sharing my observations with so many friends, colleagues, and families in the U.S., and after gathering data that confirmed what I saw around me ( colleagues unable to retire, young people working full time yet barely making ends meet, families trapped in exhausting routines or relying on overtime to cover basic expenses), I realized that, through them and their life experiences, I had felt it almost firsthand. I then understood that this reality needed to be transformed into something greater. I recalled my background in real estate and recognized that it was the perfect path to unite those two realities: my deep knowledge of Spain and my direct experience in the United States. Out of that connection came the idea of returning to real estate and, together with my colleague Kathryn, we made the decision to found USpania Realty. More than a company, USpania is a family, a bridge between cultures and lifestyles, created with the conviction that every American family deserves the chance to discover in Spain a life full of opportunities, and enriched by the true human quality that is part of our European values. As Aristotle taught, happiness is found in the golden mean. This is also the essence of USpania Realty: to share that opportunity with you and accompany you in discovering that a different, more fulfilling life is possible.

Welcome to USpania Realty

Today we work across the Costa Blanca, Costa Calida, and Costa del Sol in the sunny south, and in Asturias and Galicia in the cool, forested north, bringing together a highly qualified team and trusted partners to offer our clients the best choice of areas and multi-leveled services.

I enjoy meeting people and sharing my experience of Spain’s wonderful culture and lifestyle, and I am very clear that the relationship with every client does not end at the closing table. We recognize the importance of post-sale services, accompanying every American family in whatever they need, from legal and financial procedures to the practical aspects of everyday life in Spain.

Personal Interests

I am passionate about Greco-Roman philosophy, history, and art; these interests are part of both my professional and personal life. I also enjoy reading, traveling, gastronomy, spending time with friends, and collecting antiques. On a more modern note, I am interested in technology, especially the world of 3D printing, as well as movies and Marvel comics, wrestling, golf, and video games.

Language: English, Spanish