Christophe Vanhaute, director MASTERS EXPO exhibitor Kaza Exclusive

With more than fifteen years of experience, Kaza Exclusiva fulfills its customers' wishes: finding high-end real estate on Costa Blanca. Director Christophe Vanhaute embodies entrepreneurship and knew from a young age what he wanted to achieve in life. "As a boy I saved relentlessly," he recalls. "I pooled all my hard-earned money, had it exchanged for one hundred Belgian franc notes and hid the money under my bed. I slept on top of my dream." MASTERS wonders: who helped him realize it?

With more than fifteen years of experience Kaza Exclusiva the wishes of its customers: finding high-end real estate on the Spanish Costa Blanca. Foreman Christophe Vanhaute breathes entrepreneurship and knew at a young age what he wanted to achieve in life: “As a young boy I saved a lot. I put all my hard-earned money together, had them exchanged for one hundred Belgian franc notes and put the money under my mattress. I slept on this, this was my dream.” MASTERS wonders: who helped him realize his dream?

Text: Mical Joseph
Image: Kaza Exclusiva

What was your very first job?

“I grew up in Belgium and helped my parents in their restaurant in West Flanders. Through my work in the business, I quickly developed a sense of independence as a child. This feeling quickly gave me the ambition to run my own business later. At one point I chose to become a hairdresser and at the age of 19 I had...e my own barbershop until the 32nd. I also started the cleaning company Greenhouse where I employed 2800 employees. The latter company had become bigger and bigger, so I was forced to sell the barbershop.”

How did you end up in your current job?

“Because we were always busy with the cleaning business, we bought a house in Spain where we occasionally went to relax. I liked life in the south and in 2008 my partner and I decided to sell half of the shares in the company. We then decided to withdraw from the cleaning company completely, so our entire focus was on Spain, but we did not yet know exactly what we wanted to specialize in.

Our first step was the purchase and renovation of Hotel La Serena – Altea in Altea. It was such a success that we participated in the Belgian TV program 'Met Vier in Bed'. A program in which four competing Bed and Breakfasts compete with each other. We won and this victory put me in touch with someone who was eager to buy the hotel. No sooner said than done: the hotel was successfully sold.”

Christophe Vanhaute with Vicky de Waele, Irma van Tellingen and Bert de Vooght

And then?

“We started by realizing high-end apartments, called Urbano Blanco Apartments, which attracted Belgian and Dutch tourists. The interior was sublime, but after this project I was not yet optimally saturated. I came into contact with Bert de Vooght, my current partner, from Kaza Exclusiva. Bert had the confidence in me that I would make Kaza Exclusiva a success again and together we put the company back on the map. The company got a new look and feel and with a new perspective we examined every aspect to achieve the result that it is today. For us it is not about quantity, but about quality.”

Villa in Altea el Planet, Ref. 5029

Who was your wheelbarrow in that?

“I believe that every entrepreneur needs one person in his or her life who tells the truth about business. That is also my job as a real estate agent and I used to expect that from my advisor. Throughout my career I have known several people in my network who guided me to achieve success. I also want to be a kind of wheelbarrow for my clients, but of course a coach in guiding them in their search for a home in Spain!”

What is your greatest passion in your profession?

“I have a huge love for both interior design and houses. My heart and soul is in the housing market. I learn a lot from contact with the customer and during the search for the right home I get a good idea of ​​the customer, which of course helps in finding a suitable home. I can say that my great passion lies 'in stones'.”

Villa in Benissa, Ref. 5099

What has been the biggest learning moment in your career?

“A big learning moment for me was starting the cleaning company. We were growing so fast and so hard, no one believed we had achieved this legitimately. The success was unprecedented and this was a turning point in my career. I grew enormously as a person during that time.”

What advice would you give to your 18 year old self?

“If you dream of something, make that dream come true! And when you are busy realizing that dream, don't let others hold you back. Support your own vision.

Have you been a wheelbarrow for someone?

“I try to be a mentor to the customers and play the story very honestly. Playing games is not for me and sometimes I even play devil's advocate to really keep my clientele down to earth.”

Visit Kasa Exclusiva at MASTERS EXPO. From November 18 to 22 in RAI Amsterdam: MASTERS EXPO – The Forward Edition. Ticket sales start this month.