looking to buy in spain

[nigel1962]

We would like to buy in Spain, we would use the place a couple of times a year and the rest of the time would let out.
We know a lot of people where we live so if the we find somewhere nice we think we could do okay letting it out for holidays etc.

we need some advice on location, somewhere popular with couples and families, not too far from airport, near bars, shops and resturants and beach..
i also know a lot of keen golfers so maybe somewhere near a golf course.
above all it has to be a very nice place to go for your holiday.
does anybody have any advice they could give us.

 

[agentyumi]

Choosing the ideal location within Spain will depend upon your reasons for purchasing a property in Spain. If you are seeking an easily accessible winter getaway, then you may want to consider heading for one of the destinations in Southern Spain such as the Costa del Sol, Costa Almeria, Costa Calida or Costa Blanca. If you wish to be near the stunning city of Barcelona and the French border, then perhaps the Costa Brava is the place for you....or how about a home from home on one of the Balearic Islands - Majorca, Menorca or Ibiza. Then again, if flying a little further afield doesn't bother you, the Canary Islands of Tenerife, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and La Palma offer a superb year-round climate.

 

[Hanx]

Hi Nigel, I've owned property in spain for many years now and particularly like the Mar Menor area on the Costa Blanca. Its very safe for children and has great beaches. It is within 1 hour of 2 airports and close to bars and restaurants. One of the properties I own is close to 3 great golf courses and has bars and restaurants in walking distance. There is a hospital nearby and school which is very useful for attracting that long let over the winter. It is great to have your own property in Spain but I see it more as a lifestyle thing, don't expect it to earn you a fortune in the short term. Let me know if you want an unbiased viewa on running costs etc.

Kind Regards

Chris

 

[rowlandsbb]

Nigel

No problem in finding what you want it is just a matter of going to have a look ...you can get an idea on the web sites but that is all
I speak as a buyer as well as an agent both for a part tiome home for us to winter [ near Huercal Overa where 2 bed villas on 400m2 plots start from circa 160.000 € to buying for the same reason as yourself...to let...so it has to be close to a good beach , facilities and golf
Bought a 2 bed apart 100m from one of the best beaches in Spain and on a golf course with another nearby...no this is not a Polaris World buy [ I am a PW agent and if you want a resort they are very good]...it is between Aguilas and Mojacar : cost from170.300 € but I paid 177.000 €
Golf course ready this October, aparts late 2009
This and lots of other info available

 

[greg]

Hey Nigel

Spain is a great place that's without a doubt but the various areas you could consider such as the Costa Blanca / Costa del Sol / maybe the Balearics / Canaries... They all are rather different. Different climate. Different social and cultural elements...

If you want to rent it out then that will probably be around holiday times... You will need to take into consideration the increase in flight prices around holiday times... And ammenities.. And last but not least things to do... If you know people you know what they like.. As for Golf, well this is Spain most areas have some fabulous courses!

 

[rowlandsbb]

Agree pick your location with care and in general for max lets close to a good beach and golf and within walking distance of facilities

 

[egray]

we need some advice on location, somewhere popular with couples and families, not too far from airport, near bars, shops and resturants and beach..
i also know a lot of keen golfers so maybe somewhere near a golf course.
above all it has to be a very nice place to go for your holiday.
does anybody have any advice they could give us.

Hi Nigel,

Sounds like you've just described the Mijas Costa area of the Costa del Sol. There are various centres to choose from: La Cala, Mijas or Fuengirola for example, which all have lively bars and shops, as well as an abundance of golf courses.

The area is less than half an hours drive from Málaga airport, and this journey can be done by bus or even by train if you choose Fuegirola.

These are all popular tourist destinations and perfect for family or golfer holidays alike. The weather is fantastic pretty much all year-round, as you'd expect on the Costa del Sol, and the Mijas area is certainly much cheaper than the Marbella end.

I actually live in Fuengirola and love it here. There's plenty of spanish culture for those that care and there's a lot of English making it comfortably mixed. The bars and cafés are cheap and of a high standard, and the beach here is a blue flag one. A good sign is that even now, in October. there are still holiday makers on the beach and the bars are lively of an evening.

Most of the golf courses are further down the coast from us, but they are still accessible and many of the top courses are as little as 10 minutes away by car.

Whatever you decide, it would be best to visit the area, possibly talk to locals about it and investigate it as best you can.

Good luck!

Ed

 

[DC]

Yes, my advice is buy a bank repo

Hi Nigel, buy a bank repossession or a distressed sale, is cheaper than market rate around 20 to 50%, so you get better value. Yes, we have them. Good luck.

We would like to buy in Spain, we would use the place a couple of times a year and the rest of the time would let out.
We know a lot of people where we live so if the we find somewhere nice we think we could do okay letting it out for holidays etc.

we need some advice on location, somewhere popular with couples and families, not too far from airport, near bars, shops and resturants and beach..
i also know a lot of keen golfers so maybe somewhere near a golf course.
above all it has to be a very nice place to go for your holiday.
does anybody have any advice they could give us.

 

[rowlandsbb]

Don't we all!!!

There is a good choice at present but be selective

Make sure that if it is a re sale that the spec is good or if not make a good allowance in your offer to upgrade

Lots of older re sales need a bit of work to bring them up to current building standards which for new builds ready now are subject to
Check air con units, power supply [ often not large enough to run everything at once!!] boilers etc and does it have solar for hot water [ big item now in Spain and all new licences from April 2007 have to have it]

 

[rowlandsbb]

No such thing as a rental guarantee....nothing is for free in property anywhere UK or EU or world wide!!

it is just part of the marketing and built into the price...compare price per sq m with it and without it !

In Uk it has been a valuation issue for a while and now Chartered Surveyors have to take these type of deals into account
A property with a rental guarantee is not in general worth the price being quoted anywhere!

 

[Mahyar007]

Renatl gurantee

I was in Marbella today in a complex which did offer an excellent rental revenu and it was all sold out.

I know where you are comming from, but there are certain areas which can be done in.

 

[rowlandsbb]

it is the word 'can' which is important not guaranteed so it is always, by developers built, in to the price..that is just a fact of life

If the rental guarantee is say worth 10.000 € then you will be able to buy the unit without the guarantee for 10.000 € less

Now if you are buying in a very good location which is good for letting then you will get good lets.......but.....in these locations the developer will not give a rental guarantee.....why!!!....does not need to!!!!!

Sorry guys......in the current economic crisis it is value for money that the life style buyers want....not marketing offers

In UK we have lots of flats in city centres where rental guarantees were given for say 2 years......novice investors bought.....what did the developers do....just left them empty!!!.....no hassle as it was built in to the price..after it expired the investor was left with an empty property which no one wanted!!
Spain is no different

 

[Lysos]

Spot on, Brian. "Imagine Homes" is a classic, plus you have to buy Anthea's furnishings package - though I do here that all is not going so well with the company; heavily involved with HBOS.

 

[andyintheworld]

No such thing as a rental guarantee....nothing is for free in property anywhere UK or EU or world wide!!

it is just part of the marketing and built into the price...compare price per sq m with it and without it !

In Uk it has been a valuation issue for a while and now Chartered Surveyors have to take these type of deals into account
A property with a rental guarantee is not in general worth the price being quoted anywhere!

When will people get this into their heads though and actually start realising it?
it is the same the world over - there is a thread on here about Caracola in Margarita Island - 50 great reasons why the rental guarantee is absolute horse-s*** - and still - they argue

"No, no - its great, it will payout - good deal, insurance bond blah blah blah"

And who are these supporters? - Those agents who are selling it, the same agents who will wipe their hands of you a couple of years down the line when it bombs and you go complaining to them.

Anything with a rental guarantee I just don't take seriously. Even if the guarantee is rock solid there is still - inherently - a lack of transparency in the prices as, has been rightly pointed out, the money has to come from somewhere.

 

[andyhoney]

Murcia in my opinion is the place to be at the moment. Very close to airport and beaches also many golf courses. The Costa Calida offers a varied selection of bars and restaurants. If you are not going to live permanently in Spain, I would recommend somewhere around Los Alcazares area. Only 10 mins from San Javier/ 50 mins From Alicante. Still has a traditional Spanish feel about the place.

 

[andyhoney]

The region of Murcia is an up and coming area. There are a lot of investment properties available at the moment and prices are still dropping. I have lived in the area for 2 years and find it offers something for everyone. Apart from an average 300 days sunshine per year, there are also the lovely beaches of the Mar Menor, an abundance of Golf Courses, and the City of Murcia itself is steeped in history. With a new international Airport ready to open its doors in 2010 and a rumour of Euro Disney on the doorstep, Murcia is definitly a worthwhile place to invest in.

 

[karenb]

We would like to buy in Spain, we would use the place a couple of times a year and the rest of the time would let out.
We know a lot of people where we live so if the we find somewhere nice we think we could do okay letting it out for holidays etc.

we need some advice on location, somewhere popular with couples and families, not too far from airport, near bars, shops and resturants and beach..
i also know a lot of keen golfers so maybe somewhere near a golf course.
above all it has to be a very nice place to go for your holiday.
does anybody have any advice they could give us.

Oliva Nova is nice - good access to AP7 so roughly an hour to Alicante and Valencia airports

 

[fuentearriba]

Dos preguntas

Question 1: Do I want to come and live in a part of Real Spain where you can:

a) Use traditional tools to learn Spanish but be in a location where I can practice my learning?

b) Live just 45 minutes inland from the hustle and bustle of the traditional playas ( Busy as Hell in the summer but Dead as a Dodo in the winter) but its there if I need a fix!

c) Don't have to cook and washup tonight so would like to pop into the village to have a Menu del Dias for less than the price of a UK takeaway!

d) Shop in the village and never feel "ripped off" and staggered at being told that what we didn't have will be here tomorrow!

e) Pub crawl with the boys and be amazed that you have change from your €10 contribution to the pot!

f) Send your kids ( imporant that they are less than 8 years old) to the local school where within 3 months they will be fluent in spanish and can take you shopping!!

e) Pay just €22 bi-annually for your rubbish to be collected 5 times a week and not once every fortnight!

f) Pay even a more ridiculous cheap Council Tax which includes a contribution to 4 main fiestas a year!

g) Experience Xmas the way it should be i.e non-commercial where all the businesses close down and not stay open until Santa is about to climb down the chimemia!

Question 2: I rest my case!!!

 

[DC]

Rentals

Nigel be careful with the rental market, you need to know what you are doing to get rentals.

Best to buy in my opinion is bank repossessed stock, is the cheapest.

We would like to buy in Spain, we would use the place a couple of times a year and the rest of the time would let out.
We know a lot of people where we live so if the we find somewhere nice we think we could do okay letting it out for holidays etc.

we need some advice on location, somewhere popular with couples and families, not too far from airport, near bars, shops and resturants and beach..
i also know a lot of keen golfers so maybe somewhere near a golf course.
above all it has to be a very nice place to go for your holiday.
does anybody have any advice they could give us.

 

[gwm]

One of the nicest places is Elviria just east of Marbella, nice bars and restaurants and lovely beaches. 10 mins Puerto Banus, and 5 mins Marbella, plenty of shops etc. 40 mins Malaga, and not too many english like some other areas on this part of the coast. contact me should I be able to help you. there are some bargains around at the moment.