Who we are

Aluma Real Estate

Independent property advisor & relocation specialist in the Málaga Region

We are not a traditional estate agency. Aluma leads with the buyer. Our core focus is independent buying advisory: we guide international buyers through purchasing property in the Málaga Region with honest, unbiased advice. We are also a licensed agent and can assist sellers, but buying guidance is where our expertise truly lies.

Buying a property abroad, or relocating entirely, is one of the most complex and emotionally loaded decisions you can make. Different legal system. Unfamiliar language. Agents you have never met telling you what to do. Deadlines you do not fully understand. It is overwhelming for almost everyone, even people who have bought property before.

Founded by Thomas, who made exactly this move himself, Aluma was built to remove that confusion and replace it with clarity, honest advice, and someone genuinely on your side.

Book a free call
Thomas te Raaij, Founder of Aluma Real Estate, Málaga
Our independence

Built on one principle: your interest first

Aluma Real Estate exists for one reason: to give international buyers genuinely independent guidance in the Málaga Region property market. We are not tied to any developer, sales office or financial incentive. We represent you, and only you.

Most agents working in Spain are paid by the seller or the developer. That means their incentive is to close the sale, not to find the right property for you. Many work on volume, moving fast from one transaction to the next. If you have already spoken to agents in Spain, you will likely have noticed: they show you everything, they follow up constantly, and they move quickly once they sense interest. That is not guidance. That is sales.

Aluma works differently. Our primary service is independent buying advisory, which means that when we guide a buyer through a purchase, we work for the buyer. We agree our fee with you in advance, we never represent the buyer and the seller in the same transaction, and we will tell you honestly when a property is not right for you, even if it means we earn nothing.

Thomas made the move himself, from the Netherlands to Málaga, and experienced every step of the process first-hand. He knows which agents are trustworthy, which neighbourhoods are overpriced, which developers deliver what they promise, and what the Spanish buying process actually looks and feels like from the buyer's side.

"I made the move myself. I know exactly what you are going through, and I know how to guide you through it."
Thomas speaks
DutchNative
EnglishFluent
SpanishFluent
"Thomas explained everything in plain Dutch, step by step. By the time we signed, we understood every line of the contract."
Dutch buyers, Nerja
What we stand for

The principles behind every advisory relationship

01
Honesty above all
We tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Every valuation, introduction, and recommendation is grounded in genuine market knowledge and personal integrity.
02
Discretion as standard
Every enquiry, every conversation, and every transaction is handled with complete confidentiality. We understand that our clients value their privacy as much as their property.
03
Long-term relationships
We are not interested in a single transaction. We are interested in being the person you call the next time, and the time after that, for property, for referrals, for advice.
No pressure, ever
Our advisory model is built on patience. We are never in a hurry, because the right decision, taken at the right time, for the right reasons, is always worth waiting for.
Credentials

Academic grounding, real-world experience

Thomas holds a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate from Fontys Hogeschool and a Licensed Real Estate Agent certification from FEI Business School (Spain). Both qualifications are independently verifiable.

His analytical background is matched by direct market experience across the Netherlands and Spain, giving him the ability to translate complex property dynamics into plain language for international buyers.

🎓
FEI Licensed Real Estate Agent, Spain Click to verify certificate
🎓
Bachelor of Science, Real Estate Management Fontys Hogeschool · Eindhoven, November 2024
2020 – 2024
Bachelor of Science, Real Estate Fontys
Fontys Hogeschool, Eindhoven. Academic foundation in valuation, market analysis, property law and investment strategy.
2024
Certified Property Appraiser
Certified to conduct professional property valuations across residential and investment markets in Spain and the Netherlands.
2025
Licensed Real Estate Agent, Spain FEI
FEI Business School. Certified professional qualification for real estate practice in the Spanish market.
2025
Baerz & Co · Independent Member
Member of the international luxury real estate alliance. Active across 22+ countries and 140+ affiliated portals.
22+Countries in Network
140+Luxury Portals
3Languages Spoken
12Curated Regions
Life in Málaga

Why the Málaga Region? Why Spain?

At some point, Thomas reached the limit of what life in the Netherlands had to offer. Not dramatically. Gradually. More traffic. Less sun. More of the same routine, month after month. The winters that dragged. The commutes. The sense that somewhere warmer, more alive, more human, was out there and he was not in it.

He made the move. It was not without stress, paperwork, uncertainty and moments of genuine bewilderment. But it worked. And what came after the difficult part was something he had not fully anticipated: a life that actually felt like life. Morning runs along the seafront in the early light. Padel on warm evenings. Weekend drives into the Axarquía. A city that is genuinely cosmopolitan, full of culture, food, people and energy, without losing its Andalusian soul.

The Málaga Region has transformed over the past decade. Remote work has opened it up to a new generation of Europeans who no longer need to live where their employer is. International schools, improved infrastructure, direct flights, a thriving food and art scene, and some of the most spectacular residential real estate in Europe. It is not just a holiday destination anymore. It is a serious place to live.

Thomas built Aluma to help others make this move well. With the right property, in the right place, with full understanding of what they are getting into. The things he wishes he had known are now the things he tells his clients first.

Málaga

Ready to start your property journey?

A free 30-minute conversation with Thomas. No obligation, no pressure.

Book a free consultation