At the first Christmas meeting of Gesció Vitalici Vivenda, company workers and clients shared an evening where they could chat in a relaxed way over a small aperitif and cava wishing each other happy holidays. There was also a raffle with several gifts while they were able to share this emotional moment with the journalist Mari Pau Huguet. Precisely, the company took advantage of this event to communicate the renewal of the representation and image contract between Gesció Vitalici Vivenda and Mari Pau Huguet. This marks eight consecutive years of this successful collaboration.
Christmas offers the opportunity to reflect on what really matters in our lives: family, friends, health or well-being and with that toast, looking towards the future, they wanted to celebrate life and also celebrate the new year.
According to Ivan Escolà Gandia, founder of Gesció Vitalici Vivenda SL, “with this meeting we begin a new stage where we consolidate our founding principle of being with the elderly and forming a big family with our clients, this proximity fills our work with meaning; “All the members of the company were really looking forward to it.”
Although the objective was to hold this meeting a few years ago, the pandemic prevented it. Finally, in 2023 it has been possible to organize this first meeting which, according to Ivan Escolà himself, they want to repeat every Christmas and to which all clients who wish will be invited.
Regarding the origins of the society, Iván Escolà explains that he founded it in 1998 in response to a social need such as the economic well-being of the elderly. When they reach maturity, these people have significant assets – the property in which they live – but, on the other hand, their disposable income is often insufficient to maintain the standard of living they want and need.
This problem continues to occur today and, precisely, Iván experienced it firsthand with his grandmother. That experience led him to promote Gesció Vitalici Vivenda with the founding principle of “improving the well-being of older people.” The entity was a pioneer in Catalonia at a time when little had been heard about what, years later, would be known as asset liquefaction or obtaining income from the property.
The most used formula to obtain the highest income has been the Real Estate Life Annuity, where a person or couple, over 65 years of age, reserves the lifetime usufruct of the property and transmits the Bare Ownership, that is, the Property minus the usufruct. Through this transmission she will receive a life annuity that will allow her to live as she deserves. An initial provision can also be offered if the interested party so wishes.
With lifetime usufruct, which is reserved by the beneficiary and which is registered in the property registry, the beneficiary maintains the right to live in the home as long as he or she lives and can even rent it and receive its benefits.
In the first period of Gesció Vitalici Vivenda, operations were carried out with the collaboration of prestigious insurance companies. During the first half of the 2000s, with the real estate boom, the market experienced an evolution due to the growing interest of the sector in the evolution of prices. This circumstance attracted some banking entities offering the well-known reverse mortgage and other companies in the real estate sector that also joined.
However, with the outbreak of the financial and real estate crisis that began in 2008, when real estate stopped being attractive, the reverse mortgage stopped being marketed and real estate companies that offered solutions to older people disappeared entirely.
In these turbulent periods Gesció Vitalici Vivenda survived thanks to its perseverance and work in the search for resources, this allowed it to continue with the founding principle and continue providing solutions to clients, some of them present today at this meeting.
After this period, and with the real estate sector in the process of stabilization, the proposals for the sector have been reactivated little by little, the bank was gradually offering reverse mortgages again and many real estate companies have reappeared to offer various services.
Managed Vitalici Vivenda is always constantly studying the market in order to offer the best solutions to older people. It also maintains contact with financial entities that offer reverse mortgages, having signed collaboration contracts with some of them, although currently, with high interest rate levels, it has lost appeal. He also knows well new, more minority alternative formulas such as sale with rent or reverse housing, being able to give the best advice and the best solution in each case.
With the reverse mortgage, the heirs have the possibility of redeeming the property, once the beneficiary has transferred it, and they will have the option to assess whether they are interested in paying the amount of the debt plus interest to recover the property.
The Real Estate Life Annuity continues to be the option that most optimizes and therefore obtains the most money for its beneficiaries, since all its potential reverts to the elderly and is not as focused on heirs as would be the case with the reverse mortgage.
Gesció Vitalici Vivenda SL, in addition to being a pioneer, places the elderly at the center of the operation, informs in a clear, understandable and transparent way, prioritizes the social aspect, maintains attention and support with all its clients and has worked uninterruptedly with them goals. For all these reasons, it is a leader in Catalonia and offers maximum guarantee and confidence to those elderly people who want to improve their quality of life.
