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Selling a place in the sun: international
property mediation as production of
lifestyle mobility
Ulrika kerlund
a
a
Department of Geography and Economic History, Ume
University, S-901 87, Ume, Sweden
Version of record first published: 25 May 2012.
To cite this article: Ulrika kerlund (2012): Selling a place in the sun: international property
mediation as production of lifestyle mobility, Anatolia: An International Journal of Tourism and
Hospitality Research, 23:2, 251-267
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Selling a place in the sun: international property mediation as
production of lifestyle mobility
Ulrika A

kerlund*
Department of Geography and Economic History, Umea University, S-901 87 Umea, Sweden
(Received 4 January 2012; nal version received 16 April 2012)
Buying property abroad is not a new phenomenon, but academic research into the
complexities of international property mediation is underdeveloped. This paper adopts
a wide perspective on lifestyle-driven mobilities, including the semi-permanent
relocation of Swedes to warmer destinations in the Mediterranean and other regions,
and explores the functions of international property mediation. On the basis of data
gathered from interviews with property agents, the objectives are to describe the
organization of the international property sector, to understand the mediating roles of
property agents, and position property mediation as production of lifestyle mobility.
Property agents are understood to play a crucial role as intermediaries, inuencing the
clients decisions by combining instrumental, interactionary, communicative,
and social functions of mediation. Because of their superior expertise on property
transaction procedures and regulations, area characteristics and contact networks,
agents may inuence clients decisions; however this also depends on their skills in
interpreting client expectations and experiences, and the ability of the client to manage
the process themselves.
Keywords: lifestyle mobility; multiple dwelling; property mediation; international
migration; intermediaries
Introduction
Since the late 1950s, personal leisure-based mobility has grown remarkably fast
(Bramwell, 2004), and is facilitated by a number of factors. These include increasing
interconnectedness, exible labour markets (OReilly, 2007), and the growing numbers
of elderly with maintained good health and afuent personal economy (Warnes, 2004).
Furthermore, with the proliferation of magazines and television shows promoting lifestyle
migration (for example, A Place in the Sun, UK Channel 4) and the growing supply of
foreign properties on the market, the popularity of acquiring property abroad is growing.
The phenomenon of temporary migration, motivated by leisure values, has been observed
in many places in the world, and may be positioned as a form of lifestyle mobility since it
involves searching for a better way of life (Benson & OReilly, 2009), and includes
elements of self-fullment (Cohen, 2009). Property acquisition is a complex process and,
as will be argued in this paper, agents within the sector act in various ways as mediators
inuencing clients decisions.
The roles of agents in promoting and mediating property acquisition have to date only
been touched on briey, with the exception of Hoggart and Buller (1994), who studied the
ISSN 1303-2917 print/ISSN 2156-6909 online
q 2012 Taylor & Francis
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2012.687691
http://www.tandfonline.com
*Email: ulrika.akerlund@geography.umu.se
Anatolia An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research
Vol. 23, No. 2, August 2012, 251267
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roles of property gatekeepers. Research in this sub-eld is lacking, and the organization
of the sector and the agents roles are still to be more thoroughly explored. Subsequently,
this paper focuses on the following: (1) the organization of the international property sector;
(2) the mediator roles of the agents; and (3) property mediation as a producer of lifestyle
mobility. While not claiming to provide a full account of the global property market, this
study presents a snapshot of properties mediated on the Swedish market at selected points
between 2006 and 2010. The study is explorative with a qualitative approach, aiming to
capture variations within the sector and understand its functions rather than quantify them.
Data for the study have been drawn from a set of interviews with agents in the property
sector, observations on a major exhibition specialized in promoting international
properties, and collected information from property listings on major real estate websites
and promotional material. The analysis is further supported by a questionnaire survey with
property agents.
Findings in earlier studies show that a signicant number of foreign property owners
use their properties seasonally, and that ownership is motivated by warmer climate, a
relaxed lifestyle and recreation. This type of mobility has been variously termed as
amenity migration, retirement migration, multiple dwelling, second-home tourism, and
residential tourism (e.g. Breuer, 2005; Geoffroy & Sibley, 2007; King, Warnes, &
Williams, 2000; Moss, 2006). However, the variation in the sector is great, making it
necessary to develop a more inclusive terminology. As Benson and OReilly (2009)
perceive, the wish to be able to engage in a certain lifestyle is a major motivation, and this
phenomenon is termed as lifestyle migration. In the present framework, the preferred
terminology is rather lifestyle mobility to better grasp the full continuum between
temporary mobility and permanent migration. Lifestyle mobility may, naturally, occur
within one country as well as across borders, yet here international mobility is of interest.
Given the, in many aspects, complicated process of property acquisition, combined with
high value and risk, it is probable that property agents play an important role in the process.
Indeed, Muller (1999) found that among German second-home owners in south-east
Sweden, about three-quarters had employed an agent. The importance of agents was also
noted by Opacic (2009), who suggested that the increased numbers of agents involved in
tourism, as well as the increased numbers of real estate agencies channelling property offers
to foreign demand are main factors of the internationalization of the second-home
phenomenon in Croatia during the past two decades. Considering the international sector,
where nation-specic legal and property procedures as well as linguistic and cultural
differences further complicate the process, the involvement of mediators is further promoted.
However, as in production of tourism experiences, the clients acquiring properties are also
themselves participating in the production of their lifestyle mobility experiences. The need
for involvement of mediators may vary depending on the capability and personality traits of
the clients. Division of tourists into a psychographic continuum as given by Plog (1974),
ranging from the adventurous allocentrics to the anxious psychocentrics, has relevance in
this aspect.
The article is structured as follows: rst, theoretical points of departure and a literature
review give a backdrop to the eld of lifestyle mobility and the complexities of
international property mediation. Research approach and methods are then discussed
before turning to explore the international property sector as promoted in Sweden. The
organization of the property sector and conditions for property mediation are explored, as
well as the mediating activities of agents. Finally, property mediation is placed within the
tourism production system, where lifestyle mobility is understood as an extension of
tourism mobility, and mediation as part of producing lifestyle mobility.
252 U. A

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Literature review
Lifestyle-driven mobilities
Structures in residential patterns have traditionally been explored within the elds of
migration and population studies (e.g. Castles & Miller, 2003), however, the phenomenon
of second homes and multiple dwelling has also raised the interest of tourism researchers.
Regarding the international market, the contributions have thus far focused mainly on
distribution of second homes (e.g. Barke, 1991; Casado-D az, Kaiser, & Warnes, 2004;
Hogan & Steinnes, 1993; Williams, King, Warnes, & Patterson, 2000), impacts
(e.g. D az Orueta & Loures, 2006; Gosnell & Abrams, 2009), integration within the host
community (e.g. Haug, Dann, & Mehmetoglu, 2007), and motivators for second-home
ownership (e.g. Rodr guez, Fernandez-Mayoralas, & Rojo, 1998). In 2002, Hall and
Williams bemoaned the lack of focus on linkages to tourism mobilities within the wider
perspective of mobility, and especially within studies of the migration experience. Types
of mobility undertaken by people by choice, voluntarily and driven by lifestyle values such
as self-realization, relaxation and recreation, extraordinary experiences or health have
attracted the interest of researchers for some decades now. These mobilities include
short-term mobility, such as day tripping, short stays or weekend stays; medium-range
mobility such as different variations of tourist trips; and long-term or permanent mobility
such as second-home tourism, multiple dwelling and other types of semi-, or permanent
lifestyle migration. During the past decade, scholars have begun to connect these
mobilities and conceptualize linkages between them (e.g. Benson & OReilly, 2009;
Hall & Muller, 2004; Hall & Williams, 2002; Paris, 2011), yet there have been
surprisingly little consensus about the denitions of such mobility.
Recently, however, the need for a wider conceptualization of lifestyle-driven
mobilities has been acknowledged, and the concept of lifestyle mobility is emerging
(e.g. Duncan, Cohen, & Thulemark, 2012). The concept offers a framework (Figure 1)
where types of lifestyle mobilities are placed on a continuum of time classied by duration
of mobility. Through this framework, intersections between tourism mobilities, multiple
dwelling, and lifestyle migration may be explored.
Through this framework, it is possible to see similarities between these mobilities,
for example drivers and motivations, and also more importantly the mode of production.
Smith (1998), among others, questioned the classication of a tourist industry from a
demand-side perspective where drivers and characteristics of clients are denitional factors.
Temporal Permanent
Tourism
mobilities
Multiple
dwelling
Lifestyle mobility
Lifestyle
migration
Figure 1. The lifestyle mobility framework.
Anatolia An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research 253
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Instead, he suggested a general production process for the generic tourism product; the
tourism experience. This production process includes primary and intermediate inputs;
consisting of physical resources, labour, and facilities, and intermediate and nal outputs;
consisting of services, hospitality, and the involvement of clients. The co-production
performed by clients is considered a key feature of the tourism production process, and
places the consumer as an integral part of the production of the experience. As we shall see,
this production model can also be applied to the wider perspective of production of lifestyle
mobility experiences, and property mediation can easily be integrated within the production
process. Looking at the supply side, Buhalis (2001) noted that the primary functions of
distributing tourism are information, combination, marketing, and travel arrangements.
These functions are organized in a distribution system where different agents contribute
with one or a range of elements to produce the nal product. In property mediation, elements
of evaluating, inspecting and showing property, arranging legal requirements, and
authorizing transactions are added to the distribution system.
The international property sector
A rather large body of literature concerns property acquisition on an international scale.
In the North Americas, researchers have explored the phenomenon of international and
inter-state seasonal migrants, referred to as snowbirds; leaving Canada and the Northern
states during the winter for the warmer states in the American Sunbelt (OSullivan &
Stevens, 1982; Smith & House, 2006). To a lesser extent, second-home owners in the
Caribbean fromNorthern America (Henshall, 1977) and Latin America (McWatters, 2009)
have been investigated. In Europe, Spain, including the Balearic and Canary Islands, is by
far the most researched area, quite naturally since it is a country that has experienced a great
change associated with mass tourism and, subsequently, international second-home
tourism. Indeed, Bramwell (2004) estimated the numbers of foreign-occupied dwellings in
Spanish coastal areas to be more than 1.5 million, out of which 30% were British nationals
and 25% German. A relatively large body of research is available in the Spanish language,
primarily focusing not only on consequences of residential tourism, but also on the
dynamics that have induced international lifestyle migration and the new lifestyles that
have emerged (e.g. Mazon, Huete, & Mantecon, 2009). In the 1960s, when international
property acquisition started to become popular, Swedes were certainly a part of this
phenomenon, even though their movements abroad are not as well monitored as, for
example, the Britons or the Germans. Swedish demand has continued to grow during the
past decades, and there is a quite substantial Swedish expatriate community in some
countries, Spain being the most striking example with an estimated 40,000 Swedish
residents in the late 1990s (Gustafson, 2001). Even though academic interest has been
relatively low, popular interest in foreign property has indeed boomed; this is evident in the
numbers of magazines, media reports, television shows, and handbooks on settlement
abroad available in Sweden, varying frominformative and practical guides to anecdotal and
personal storytelling (e.g. Gustafsson, 2002; Olsson, 2010; Provan, 2006).
Usually, property developments emerge along the coastal fringes, since a sea view and
convenient distance to facilities are highly desired, however, the individual tastes and
preferences of residents naturally vary (see, for example the typology of lifestyle migrants
by Benson and OReilly (2009)). In the international property sector, promotion and
mediation is often inspired by values corresponding to these preferences. Dispersion of
lifestyle dwellings also depends on approaches in local spatial planning and socio-
economic structures in the destination. In Croatia, for example, it has been noted that the
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building lobby (including investors and property developers) has gained increasing power
in spatial planning due to the liberalized economy, combined with rising prices of
attractive land and increased demand from foreign clients (Opacic, 2009). Also the
Spanish government uses economic growth related to foreign property acquisition as an
argument to suggest relaxing coastline protection regulations, which have given rise to
international protest (The Olive Press, 2012). Events in the global nancial sector can also
heavily inuence mobility decisions, considering the high levels of risk and large-scale
investment associated with property acquisition. Varying motives and preferences may
depend on, among others, differences in country-specic contexts of the sending and
receiving areas (Gallent & Tewdwr-Jones, 2000). In Europe, the EU has been a major
inuence on the international property sector, resulting in changes in the legal situation
regarding resettlement, property ownership, and transfer of capital, because of the
agreement on freedom of mobility within the Union (e.g. Barnett, 2007; Opacic, 2009).
On a country level, differences in the frameworks for property mediation can be
inuential; for example, the prohibition of foreign land ownership in Thailand, the
paradox of oversupply yet high price ranges in Malta (Vakili-Zad & Hoekstra, 2011), or
the requirement of a notary in several Mediterranean countries (Jingryd, 2008).
Muller (1999) found that several German second-home owners in Sweden bought their
property without viewing it beforehand, and in the study of British property purchases in
France by Hoggart and Buller (1994), about 40% of the purchasers had not previously
visited the particular departement where the property was situated. However, Hoggart and
Buller (1994) noted the importance of the clients knowledge about and feelings towards
the destination; built up, for example, through prior experience of tourism to the area,
social networks of friends or family, and counselling agents. Other information channels
such as television and the Internet may also inuence decisions.
The mediator
Looking at the tourism production process (Smith, 1998), we nd that the intermediate
output; tourist mediators, are important agents in the tourism sector, functioning as the
interface between tourist and destination. Analogies can be seen between tourist mediators
and property mediators, and comparing their functions may shed more light on the property
agents role in inuencing property acquisitions. Tourist mediators organize, package, and
promote the tourism product; provide information and access; and manage ancillary
services such as tickets and insurance (Buhalis, 2001). On an individual level, tourist guides
engage in more hands-on mediation, for example by structuring the partys attention and
pointing out objects of interest (Cohen, 1985). Cohen suggested four elements of the
tourist guide role: instrumental, social, interactionary, and communicative. By combining
these elements, the guide can mediate the tourist experience. As a mediator, the guide
both integrates his party into the visited setting as well as insulates it from that setting
(Cohen, 1985, p. 13), emphasizing the role as an interpreter. Therefore, language and
discourse plays a major role in successful guiding (Salazar, 2010). Tour guides, Salazar
further argues, may be seen as knowledge workers; however guiding demands not only
knowledge about the destination but also about the tourists feelings and expectations and
the context through which they interpret their experiences.
Property mediators essentially perform similar functions as do tourism mediators, and
they also add the functions of matchmaking, showing, and authorizing property transfer.
The mediating function of property agents has been called gatekeeping, referring to the
assumed power to direct the buyers decision (Hoggart & Buller, 1994). Muller (1999)
Anatolia An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research 255
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suggested four gatekeeping functions of estate agents: advising and counselling through
the help of their special skills, supporting customers with comprehensive service
packages, opening and promoting the market to foreign buyers, and dening the markets
geographical limits. Like the tourist guide, the property mediator has the possibility to
exercise some control over prospective buyers: not only will they see what he wants them
to see, but perhaps more importantly, they will not see what he does not want them to see
(Cohen, 1985, p. 14). Earlier, Evans (1976) noted that culture brokers might be able to
control the use of space as well as the amount and quality of communication. With a
reference to the concept of urban managerialism, Hoggart and Buller noted that agents
through their access to or control over information, nance and the right to legitimize
decisions, are able to promote or thwart the interests of specic groups or direct specic
change processes (1994, p. 179). This concept has mostly been used to describe the
situation in low-income or strictly planned neighbourhoods, where clients decision-
making space is limited. It could be argued that the concept has credit in international
acquisitions, given the agents superior area knowledge and expertise in legal frameworks.
Laws and regulations on property transfers vary between countries; within Europe
there are four distinct legal cultures (Jingryd, 2008). Between the systems adopted in the
Scandinavian countries and the southern European countries, where most properties are
mediated, a profound difference must be mentioned, namely the licensing of estate agents.
Real estate acquisitions involve large sums of money, and may therefore be considered a
high-risk sector. A great deal of trust is therefore placed in the hands of the agent.
In Sweden, real estate mediation is highly regulated by law and a professional license is
required (Jingryd & Segergren, 2009). The agent is obliged to function as an impartial
intermediary, with legal obligations to both seller and buyer (Hanberger, 1995). In most
southern European countries, a notary (a professional lawyer and public ofcial) is
required to perform the key function of engineering and authorizing legal documents and
contracts. The notary system is also highly regulated, even though rules on property
transfer vary between countries, and notarization varies from mandatory to quasi-
mandatory. Another important function of the notary is to give impartial assistance and
consultation to any party in the transfer process (Jingryd, 2008). The notary, however, is
not a mediator in the commercial sense, although this function is performed by a property
agent. The unlicensed property agent is not regulated by law in the same way as the
Scandinavian agent is; however, codes of ethics may control the agents activities to
some extent. In international acquisitions, regulations of both systems have to be taken
into consideration if, for example, the property is acquired in a country where the notary
system is used but is mediated by a Swedish agent. Still, the Swedish agent mediating
foreign property may not always hold a license. Many property agents lack broker
qualications, causing them to act rather as overseas agents for local agents (Hoggart &
Buller, 1994) or for constructors building new estate developments.
Property mediation may thus be understood as a complex activity, strongly inuenced
by contextual factors and inuential in clients decision-making strategies. Before turning
to explore the international property sector as it is promoted in Sweden, the methods used
in this study will be discussed.
Methodology
This study adopts a supply-side analysis of property mediation. The approach of this study
is exploratory and descriptive and the analysis primarily qualitative, aiming to capture the
variations within the sector and understand its functions. To support the ndings, some
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quantitative information is provided when available. To understand the organization of the
sector, an observational study was conducted. First, a visit to the exhibition Kopa hus
utomlands [Buying property abroad] was undertaken. The exhibition is held twice annually
in the three major cities of Sweden Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmo and in a few
other Scandinavian cities, promoting the purchase of international property. It is generally
considered to be a major marketing channel for this segment; almost all consulted agents
had participated in its activities on one or more occasions. The exhibitors are mainly
property agents based in Sweden or abroad, representing various destinations. Consultants
and specialized media agents also participate, and several seminars are given on topics
related to resettlement. Various promotional materials such as brochures, magazines,
exhibition catalogues, and agents websites were consulted. The observations and the
promotional material were used to pinpoint how values of lifestyle and property ownership
are mediated, what types of agents are involved and how they place themselves into
processes of relocation. Websites listing real estate were also explored to complement the
overview of the sector. Two websites were chosen (http://www.hemnet.se/ and http://
bovision.se/ [accessed 24 August 2010]) as they can be considered major marketing
channels in Sweden on the basis of visitor statistics, agent representations, and number of
properties. On these websites an agent can upload presentations of properties for sale,
which can be browsed by prospective clients in their homes before contacting the agent. As
these websites are Swedish, agents represented there were mainly Swedish-based, although
many cooperate with overseas agents. Fromthis, an overviewof the sector, its organization
and distribution channels could be pieced together.
The semi-structured interviews were carried out with agents within the international
property sector as promoted in Sweden. The agents are based in Sweden or in the destination
countries. Two respondents are tax consultants, one gives general advice on resettlement
abroad and one is a marketing agent, and all specialize in international property.
The remaining respondents are property agents, active in different countries. All respondents
cater to the Swedish market, and were selected by browsing exhibition catalogues and
searching web listings. Nineteen interviews were carried out, lasting up to 90 minutes,
during which perspectives on property transfer, differences in the contexts of countries,
types of customers and agents, linkages between agents, opportunities and difculties in
mediating property abroad, and activities carried out by the agents were discussed. When
analysing the interview material, the segments were categorized into labels inspired by the
production model by Smith (1998), modied to t property mediation. Thus, the labels were
(1) resources; (2) facilities; (3) services; and (4) experiences. The rst label included
mentioning any physical resources needed, for example land, amenities, construction sites,
and capital. The second included reference to facilities needed for promotion or mediation
activities. The third concerns activities and services performed by the agents, while the
fourth regards performance of clients and observed client outcomes. Focusing then on the
intermediary output, the mediator roles and their functions were analysed by pinpointing
singular elements of the mediation activities and evaluating in what way they are addressing
client needs: instrumentally, interactionary, communicatively, or socially.
The questionnaire survey was solely aimed at property agents. Both Swedish and
foreign agents responded. The survey explored the agents activities, characteristics and
offers, as well as their perspectives on customer characteristics and on the environment
within which their activities are carried out. The respondents were found mainly through
the exhibitor registries of the aforementioned exhibition. To complement the sample, a
web search for property agents added respondents not found through the registries. Of 74
agents invited to participate in the survey, 21 (,28%) responded. This list of agents is not
Anatolia An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research 257
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proposed to be all-inclusive, but is rather a snapshot of the supply of international property
available on the Swedish market as of spring 2010. The survey results are used here for
descriptive purposes, and to support ndings from the interviews.
Results
Study area and sector organization
Almost all the countries promoted on the Swedish market (see Figure 2) are located in
the European Mediterranean; the coastlines are especially popular, and one common
denominator is the 3s characteristics of sun, sea, and sand. As such, the localizations
certainly follow general tourism ows. The same is also true when looking at the most
popular country outside Europe, Thailand, which has become a very popular tourist
destination among Swedes in recent decades and has also been quickly established on the
property market.
The countries highlighted in Figure 2 are countries that were represented at trade fairs
during the selected time, and on web listings on Swedish real estate websites. Tables 1
and 2 hint on the most popular destination countries. Table 1 lists the number of exhibitors
Figure 2. Destination countries.
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who offered property in a certain country at the spring and fall exhibitions in the three
major Swedish cities. The aggregated numbers of country representations at all exhibitions
have been added to this table. It should be noted that exhibitors may represent more than
one country simultaneously, which is why the numbers of representations are higher than
the total number of exhibitors. The table lists the three most often exhibited countries
(number of exhibitors representing a country at their stand), which are ordered as rank 1, 2,
and 3. The number of representations is shown after each country.
Another major marketing channel is the Internet. Thus, web listings of properties were
explored to get a snapshot of properties offered through this media (Table 2). Almost
without exception, the properties offered through these websites are mediated by estate
agents based in Sweden. This table shows the ve countries that generated most hits at a
search through the listings. When reading Tables 1 and 2, the time frame difference as well
as the measurement scales should be noted (Table 1 shows country representations for
three selected years while Table 2 shows the number of properties at a given point in time).
The popularity and attractiveness of destinations on a national level depend on a
complex mix of motivations and drivers, and are not covered by the data used in this study.
The inuence of agents, as Hoggart and Buller (1994) suggested, probably matters on a
smaller geographical scale and on an individual basis. Even though there are geographical
differences in the frameworks of property mediation, this does not seem to inuence the
aggregated trends in property purchases on the national level. However, the choice of
distribution channel and the role of marketing agents (such as exhibition organizers and
media) are important in making destinations visible to and available on a market. For
example, at the fall 2009 exhibition a Portugal Pavilion was set up, greatly increasing
the availability of Portuguese property at that exhibition. Major marketing channels
mentioned in the questionnaire are the agents own website, advertising elsewhere on the
web (for example on listing websites), and participation in exhibitions.
Generally, no clear distinction can be made between permanent and seasonal use of the
properties. Promotional material and interview extracts suggest that even though leisure
Table 1. Representation of destination countries at Kopa hus utomlands exhibitions.
Year Exhibition
Total no.
of countries
represented
Representations
per country
rank 1
Representations
per country
rank 2
Representations
per country
rank 3
2006 Spring 21 (Spain) 38 (Thailand) 28 (Turkey) 15
Fall 24 (Spain) 47 (France, Turkey) 15 (Bulgaria) 14
2009 Spring 23 (Spain) 46 (Thailand) 28 (Turkey) 23
Fall 23 (Spain) 23 (Thailand) 22 (Portugal) 13
2010 Spring 21 (Spain) 52 (Turkey) 22 (Thailand) 18
Fall N.A. N.A. N.A. N.A.
Table 2. Hits on web listings, number of properties available at two major real estate websites.
Destination No. of hits (Hemnet.se) Rank No. of hits (Bovision.se) Rank
Spain 1534 1 1899 1
France 802 2 1700 2
Italy 360 3 557 3
Thailand 218 4 162 5
Greece 182 5 177 4
Anatolia An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research 259
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lifestyles in general and retirement migration in particular are the main selling points,
the mediated product is by no means homogenous but rather varies quite profoundly
between areas. The character of the properties also varies; some destinations are highly
associated with the more touristic values where purpose-built property is promoted,
while other destinations are associated more with the picturesque and idyllic traditional
lifestyles, and in these places existing housing stocks make up the majority of available
properties.
Many agents construct and sell large numbers of purpose-built properties in new
developments and gated communities. These properties are often presented in the form of
a prototype and are sold to the client already during the construction phase. In many
instances this is indeed successful, and has contributed to the quick pace of development in
several countries, for example the aforementioned boom in the Croatian littoral
(Opacic, 2009). However, the general image of property agents has frequently been shown
in a bad light, especially in media and public discussions on special interest web forums,
for example Svenskar i varlden [Swedes in the world] (http://www.sviv.se/ [accessed
7 June 2010]), due to some unserious developers and mediators; this was also
problematized in the interviews. Several respondents complained that the international
property sector has been, and still is, suffering from an image of unseriousness, fraud, and
ignored ethic codes. Stories of title frauds, unnished projects, and devious contracts are
widely told. Therefore, many of the agents activities are related to increasing trust and
adding value, such as counselling or after-sale assistance. This value-adding service
package often extends months after the acquisition has been carried out. Viewing trips are
heavily promoted, and several agents guarantee a refund of travel expenses during the
viewing trip if a property is acquired through their services. Furthermore, trust may be
added by formalizing the mediation process and making it more transparent through
meticulous controls of, for example, ownership patterns before the transaction to ensure
the legality of the transfer (Property Agent 1).
Property mediation as a production process of lifestyle mobility
Agents within the international property sector can be roughly divided into direct and
ancillary agents. Agents directly involved in mediating activities are the main players; the
face of the sector, performing the selling process. Developers chiey focus on building
and managing the properties, and usually let the actual sale be handled by intermediaries.
Developers are usually place-bound, but are organized at the international level in
investment groups. Since the developers are intimately engaged in the supply and also
often in the management of built property and after-sale services, they are counted here as
direct agents. The sector organization can be illustrated in a distribution system (Figure 3).
The primary functions of the property distribution system are matchmaking, information,
and notarization. Agents establish relationships between seller and buyer, provide buyers
with adequate information and advice, and establish the necessary legal requirements that
enable and authorize the transfer of capital and property. As Figure 3 illustrates, the
distribution may be carried out though different distribution channels. There is a relatively
high level of interaction between the direct agents. Half of the survey respondents
cooperate with other brokers in Sweden, while about three out of four cooperate with other
agents and developers abroad. The ancillary agents indirectly facilitate the mediating
process. Most often mentioned among ancillary agents were banks and mortgage lenders,
consultants, rental agencies and tradespersons. Cooperation and networking are generally
deemed important for property mediation, especially at the destination. Therefore, agents
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expressed a need for access to an intimate network with competence for special conditions
and circumstances at the destination (Property Agent 3).
The four steps of the tourism production model by Smith (1998) may be widened to
include the production of longer-term lifestyle mobility experiences (Table 3). Primary
inputs are essentially the same; natural resources, buildings, and capital. Intermediate
inputs needed to permit migration are, for example estate agents ofces, display housing,
transportation modes, and convention centres. Intermediate output includes property
mediation services, counselling services, and guiding services. Finally, in the same way
that production of tourism demands engagement of the consumer; production of migration
also involves the client in the production process, for example when viewing properties.
Property stock (existing stock and purpose-built)
Property
agent
Property
agent
Property
agent,
'overseas'
Property
agent,
local
Developer
Ancillary agents
Property purchasers
Developer
Figure 3. Property distribution system. Source: Reworked from Buhalis (2001).
Table 3. Property mediation as a production process of lifestyle mobility.
Primary inputs
(resources)
Intermediate
inputs (facilities)
Intermediate
outputs (services)
Final outputs
(experiences)
Land Show rooms Guiding/showing Viewing
Properties Convention centres Interpreting Acquisition
Building materials Display Legal services Recreation/relaxation
Capital housing/blueprints Conventions/seminars Lifestyle mobility
Amenities Estate agent ofces
Websites
Counselling services
Source: Reworked from Smith (1998).
Anatolia An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research 261
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From this perspective, property mediation becomes an integral part of the production of
lifestyle mobility.
Properties are mediated by Swedish as well as local agents, and their ofces may be
based either in Sweden or at the destination. Swedish-based agents are often organized in
bureaus or groups, and they either mediate international property exclusively or are
Swedish-oriented with an extended foreign supply. The bureaus often represent local
agents, and function as overseas distribution channels. Usually, a professional license
is held and the activities of these larger agents are commonly limited to the actual
property mediation, and there is less focus on extra service packages and long-term
commitment. However, trustworthiness, qualied service, counsel and impartiality are
important aspects, as well as helping with procedures regarding mortgage, permits and
such. Unlicensed agents are usually organized in quite small business units, such as
family or micro businesses, and differ greatly in character and activity, and almost always
engage in value-adding activities. Swedish agents usually work together with local
agents on site, or are themselves located at the destination. At the destination, local agents
are often organized in national real estate associations that promote professional codes
of ethics, whether a professional license is required. The associations are also often
associated with the national Chamber of Commerce and may function as lobby groups
representing the sectors interests (Property Agent 2, Ancillary Agent 1). It is not
uncommon for Swedish agents to relocate themselves to the destination, in some cases
to get closer to the supply and to be able to cater to their clients on site. A stronger
motivation may be a personal lifestyle choice; and the fact that the agent has chosen a
career in real estate can be a natural step on from their own lifestyle migration. In some
destinations, running a company may be a strategy to enjoy benets otherwise limited to
citizens; for example, in Thailand foreigners are not allowed to own land privately but
must lease it in 30-year periods, yet for foreigners running a company there are some
exemptions (Ancillary Agent 2).
Mediator roles
The mediation of property includes different elements such as matchmaking, notarization,
the translation and authorization of documents, guiding and showing houses, help with
renovation, and integration into society. These elements are not all essential for making
property transfer possible; however, a fuller mediation offer can be a valuable competition
strategy. According to the agents responding to the survey, almost a third of their
customers want nancial advice before decision-making, and two-thirds demand other
forms of consultation such as information on legal procedures or the health care system.
The interviewed agents described generally similar ways of dening search spaces and
selecting properties to show; this is usually worked out together with the client in an
interview in which the clients characteristics and wishes are matched with available
property to nd the most suitable places to show. Properties are chosen from a list
provided either by the agent or by the client from a database. However, most agents
interviewed also prefer putting in a few objects of their own choice, to give the client a
wider spectrum. Even though clients nal choice of destination, at the aggregated level, is
not heavily inuenced by the geographical framework of property acquisition, agents may
indeed adapt their performance accordingly. For example, in Malta, estate agents do not
have an exclusive right to properties for sale, but all agents virtually use the same database
of available properties. Thus, agents expressed a need for personal relationship-building
with clients, to ensure client loyalty:
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The only difference between one agent and the other is the quality of service that is given, or
on the other side received. So, on the side of an estate agent here, its obviously that which is
the most important thing; the quality of the service and the trustworthiness of the person.
(Property Agent 1)
Mediation may be carried out in different ways, depending on both the character of the
agent, and on what elements of mediation the client demands. Thus, the agents may
perform different roles as mediators, offering different elements of the mediation service.
Four roles are suggested here: (1) the distributor; (2) the facilitator; (3) the pathnder; and
(4) the lifestyle broker (Table 4). Mediation activities are placed here as output elements
of the production process (Smith, 1998), and the mediation functions are divided into
functional elements (Cohen, 1985). The four roles are listed progressively, each offering a
fuller mediation service.
The distributor
The distributor basically distributes property including basic guiding and showing houses,
contract engineering, matchmaking, managing the bidding process, and so on. The acquisition
is generally performed quite independently by the buyer:
I cant go with them every time someone is about to buy an apartment, I wont buy double
tickets, and also they wish to be by themselves too, I cannot hold their hands . . . people are
grown up and can manage themselves. (Property Agent 4)
On the international market, however, the pure distributor is a quite uncommon agent since
there is often a demand for a fuller mediation and after-sale services. As the next quote
illustrates, sole distributionwas usuallydescribedas beingperformedat the wishof the client:
There are really people who want to do everything themselves and they say they enjoy the
challenge. And they come down and: Listen dont worry, Ill do it, Ill go today to the water
service to have my meter checked. They enjoy it; its part of the experience for them. And we
just guide them. (Property Agent 2)
The distributor performs instrumental functions of the mediation process, whereby the
agent is essentially a means of validating and making the property transfer possible, and
the clients are relatively independent. The function can still be rather complex, however,
since the mediator has to possess a genuine knowledge of legal requirements and be able to
give the client access to a formally organized territory when engineering and authorizing
contracts.
The facilitator
The facilitator eases the acquisition procedure for the customer in various ways. The
facilitator provides access; not only to physical space (e.g. entering houses), but also to
Table 4. Mediator roles and functions.
Role Output elements Functional elements
Distributor Showing, matchmaking, authorizing Instrumental
Facilitator Counselling, access network, translating Instrumental, interactionary
Pathnder Dening search spaces, interpreting,
suggesting
Instrumental, interactionary,
communicative
Lifestyle broker Integrating, relationship building Instrumental, interactionary,
communicative, social
Anatolia An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research 263
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counselling, information, and other resources. The translation of documents and
paperwork are also included:
You know, anything can come up. Problem, maintenance, structure, this, that, whatever it is.
And those are things sometimes which you, as a foreigner, dealing with it is not always easy.
(Property Agent 5)
The facilitator, in addition to basic instrumental functions, also performs the interactionary
functions of a middleman, giving the client access to a wider network of resources.
Therefore, the agent has to be closely involved with local conditions and settings.
The pathnder
The pathnder denes the search spaces for seeking out properties; not only geographically,
but sometimes also navigating the customer through bureaucratic jungles and unfamiliar
procedures. The facilitator and the pathnder both communicate the local conditions to the
customer, but the pathnder may also seek to suggest, direct, and dene objects of interest:
I show them our lifestyle, not the touristic areas. Because the touristic [sic] are completely
different, its our way of life. We show them our countryside, which [sic] most of the tourists
dont go, the villages. [ . . . ] I am a good promoter of these houses, especially for foreigners.
(Property Agent 6)
The function of the pathnder, thus, is also communicative in that the agent interprets
meaning from the context to inuence the clients experiences of the locality.
The information given can be quite personally designed, or modied, to correspond to the
destination image the mediator wishes to present.
The lifestyle broker
The lifestyle broker does not consider himself or herself primarily a property mediator, but
rather a lifestyle mediator. This agent is deeply engaged with the customer, seeking to create
an understanding of and integration into the way of life at the destination, or to construct a
gaze that captures the lifestyle he or she wants to sell. Mediation activities are full and
inclusive, and extra service packages extend months after the transaction has been closed:
We really take care of them, in a very personal way. [ . . . ] So its not only houses that we show
them [ . . . ] the whole geographical area, what youre gonna nd, in these areas [ . . . ] we dont
only sell them the house but help them into everyday life. (Property Agent 3)
Since the lifestyle brokers overall task is to sell the lifestyle, the pervasive mediation
function is strongly social, integrating the client into the locality and building a strong
place relationship or place attachment.
These mediator roles should be regarded as rather permeable. Agents do not necessarily
performone role exclusively but may instead adapt their performance according to howthe
client perceives the process of acquiring a property abroad; the clients knowledge,
personality, and ability to cope with possible difculties and unfamiliar procedures.
Conclusion and implication
This paper set out to explore the organization and mediating functions of the international
property sector. While earlier literature has mostly discussed the question why? people
engage in lifestyle-driven mobility, this paper contributes to answering how?; exploring
how property mediation is organized and performed and how it functions as production
output of lifestyle mobility. Placing semi-permanent lifestyle-driven migration within a
wider mobility framework is useful. The term lifestyle mobility offers a conceptual
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framework within which linkages and overlaps between these various forms of mobility
may be better understood and emphasized. One advantage is that it places short-term and
long-term or permanent mobilities within the same framework, thus offering a stronger
connection between the tourism experience and the migration experience. It is argued
here that they are both driven by the same values and aspirations, and that they are in
essence outputs of the same production model. However, the property mediation sector is
further complicated by differing legal, nancial, and social contexts that complicate the
procedures. Therefore, some links within the system become crucial or even mandatory
and are irreplaceable. The characteristics of property acquisition; high value and
risk, and the need for specic information, knowledge, and trust make it especially
sensitive to economic and political uctuations, negative images and damaged relations
with customers.
Another analogy between tourism and property mediation lies in the characteristics of
the sectors agents. The motivations and business expectations of the agent inuence how
the mediation will be performed, and what types of property will be mediated. In tourism as
well as property mediation, lifestyle entrepreneurship can be a driver to do business.
The agents social capital and social competence become important aspects of the mediation
performance, both because the network of cooperating agents is important for the ability
to perform fuller mediation, and because the agent must understand the expectations
and experiences of their clients in the co-production process. In the same way, the agents
knowledge, personal experiences, and feelings about the place and the local property market
inuence the way the mediation is performed and howthe destinations identity and character
are presented.
The mediator has been described here as similar to travel agents and tourist guides.
The mediator is understood to be an important inuence on decisions, especially when it
comes to promoting and dening destination areas, and it may be tempting to think that the
agent has the power to control and direct a purchasers decisions due to their superior
knowledge of procedures, area characteristics, and contact networks. However, even
though some functions are mandatory, from a broader perspective the agents activities
seem rather inuential. The structure of the distribution system and the possibilities for
customers to nd knowledge and contacts in other ways disperse the control exercised by
individual agents; therefore the mediators function more as assistants than directors.
The mediator roles illustrated above describe increasingly fuller involvement and
importance of the agent in the acquisition process; however, they do not necessarily imply
an increase in power to direct a client into a decision. The actual responses to mediator
activities and acquisition strategies are out of the scope of this paper, and must also be
studied from a clients perspective.
This study has contributed to describing the process of property mediation abroad, but
there is a need for a far extended exploration of this area to increase the understanding of
property mediation and acquisition. Some main areas can be indicated at this point.
A further mapping of the sector; its frameworks and agents is needed, for example in
detailed case studies, to point out geographical differences in legal, political, and cultural
frameworks for property mediation, as well as local distribution channels and sector
organization. The client perspective needs to be highlighted, exploring not only
characteristics of clients but also the social networks that may function as intermediaries in
the acquisition process. Client responses to agent activities and subsequent acquisition
strategies also need to be explored. Finally, as pointed out earlier, the monitoring of
lifestyle mobility is decient, and new methods of data acquisition are needed.
Anatolia An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research 265
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