Holiday home in spain?

Question

i am looking at buying a 2 bedroomed apartment in spain. Im not fussed whether it is on the mainland or on one of the islands. I need it to be within easy reach of the airport, but not too close. can you suggest any areas that i should be looking in and if there is any estate agents online or in england that i could get in touch with. Thanks

Answer 1

Well...

I specialise in certain sites in Cyprus, and the only properties in Spain I deal with are in the La Manga Beach Resort (close to Alicante airport), which for a 2 bed apartment will probably be out of your price range.

You never mentioned if you wanted to buy off plan, or if you wanted the finished article, but prices currently start at 165,664 Euros for a one bedder in La Manga, and 208,939 Euros for a two bedder. The generally accepted deposit is around 20%, and if you are buying off plan, you will not have to make payments on the mortgage until a month after the construction is completed.

If you would consider Cyprus, believe you me, it is a very up and coming area, with an excellent potential return on your investment should you buy now. The same rules apply on the deposit, though the prices are currently a bit less, and the quality of apartments we are offering I'm confident in saying are nothing short of excellent.

I realise I'm pitching here! But seriously, let me know if you're interested (I am emailable through Yahoo Answers), I can see what can be done for you.

Thanks,

Jonathan

Answer 2

Dangerous ground, simply because there are so many sharks out there (I used to work in that industry) But some words of advice may help you. If you are thinking of buying here DO NOT go to property shows in the UK and be conned into an inspection trip, these are geared solely to get you to buy their product and no one elses and it will be off plan, not resales which are obviously ready to go now. Free trips to Spain advertised by large UK companies are a sprat to catch a big fish (you) I know as I used to work for a UK company before starting my own here in Spain.

My advice is come on a trip yourself independently, then you are free to do your own search without anyone trying to sell you something they want to. Come with a clear idea of what you want, and what you want to spend and stick to it.Whilst we can never always get all on our wish list and sometimes we have to compromise make your list of priorities like i.e near hospital, near airport as you said etc, and other less important things further down your list.I never sold someone a property that covered all their wishes!

Alicante airport has the most and the cheapest flights, Murcia is a second but property in this area from Alicante going South is saturated with Brits trying to sell to new comers. I live in Benidorm and with it's all year round night life is obviously popular with Brits if you want an income too. However, it's not the cheapest resort for that reason.

If I were you I would take a look at the local paper here and see if anything catches your eye:

http://www.costablanca-news.com/

http://www.roundtownnews.co.uk/content/v...

But the main thing is that remember you have to have your finances in place as sales of resale properties sell within days, you could come on Monday and by the following week go to the notary and sign it's that quick.

Also you must calculate an additional 10% more or les on top of the sale price for taxes, land registry etc

I know an excellent lawyer that speaks English that can help you if you do decide to buy. But of course you may prefer an independent one.

Anyway, please be careful. I can give more advice if you wish to know anything else. You can email me if you like.

Good luck in your search.

Answer 3

Calasparra, about 3/4 hour north of Murcia. Great place.

Answer 4

try here http://www.spanishpropertiesuk.net/

Answer 5

Before you do anything else, you must first get yourself an abogado (Lawyer). They must be fluent in English, which most are. Find one who is recommended. Look for expat sites on the Internet and do some research. The best idea is to come to Spain for a few days to look around and ask an abogado on exactly how to proceed. Believe me, what you are intending is a minefield of problems. I should know, I've been through it. Beware of estate agents, many will have their own agenda. Never use an estate agent's abogado, find one of your own.

You say your budget is £100,000. That isn't going to get you much at the moment, though prices are falling. The exchange rate into euro's may prove a problem. Once you sign a contract, then if the pound falls further against the euro your budget will be less, possibly by 5% if it get's really bad.

Answer 6

why not rent to start with?  prices aren't going up and you will learn a lot just by being there and talking to people.

be very particular about location.  if it overlooks a nice field, unless you own that too, the field will soon be full of new apartment blocks, taller than yours!

in Europe it is not so easy to sell a property, it costs more to buy, 10 to 20% so you have already paid a premium.  There are hundreds (thousands?) of places already on the market so it can take years to sell, if at all.