buying an apartment in spain
Discussion
JeffreyD said:
What are the restrictions Spain are placing that Spain are placing specifically on the British?
Seems like a strange step for them.
Spain are applying specific restrictions to the Brits that they are not applying to any other ‘third-party’ countries or other EU countries. See my earlier post for details. In summary, since Nov 21 Brits can only enter Spain for tourism if fully jabbed (presently 3 jabs or within 9 months of the 2nd jab). There is no test to enter option. Therefore those not sufficiently jabbed are not allowed in to Spain but this only applies to Brits. Everyone else is offered a test to enter option if not fully jabbed. Seems like a strange step for them.
Some good travel news today, as of tomorrow there will be no testing or PLF required to enter the UK whether vaxxed or not. Some UK airports are also removing mask requirements.
dsl2 said:
I finally got out to Estepona / Marbella area last week for a long overdue nose around.
Realised that due to the proximity of the motorway to anything coastal in the area & massive premium applied despite the so so beaches that I much preferred heading a few miles inland to the golf urbanisations.
Centering mainly on the Benahavis area I particularly liked Los Arqueros & then viewed a stunning property on the Marbella Club Hills Golf development.
This one had everything I was looking for on my tick list & really hit the spot being built to a very high standard with lovely views & wide uncluttered open spaces. A car would be absolutely required up there though.
Had to have a strong word with myself before getting too carried away after realising what I thought was a decent budget was short by close on 300,000 Euro for this one, suspect its going to be hard getting it out of my head now.....
As others (Shnozz) have said, it’s worth making what will be a long term purchase first time as the fees to move are high in Spain so it might be worth revisiting (maximising) your budget before buying. Realised that due to the proximity of the motorway to anything coastal in the area & massive premium applied despite the so so beaches that I much preferred heading a few miles inland to the golf urbanisations.
Centering mainly on the Benahavis area I particularly liked Los Arqueros & then viewed a stunning property on the Marbella Club Hills Golf development.
This one had everything I was looking for on my tick list & really hit the spot being built to a very high standard with lovely views & wide uncluttered open spaces. A car would be absolutely required up there though.
Had to have a strong word with myself before getting too carried away after realising what I thought was a decent budget was short by close on 300,000 Euro for this one, suspect its going to be hard getting it out of my head now.....
Also remember to add c.10% in fees/taxes to the cost of purchase.
dsl2 said:
I finally got out to Estepona / Marbella area last week for a long overdue nose around.
Realised that due to the proximity of the motorway to anything coastal in the area & massive premium applied despite the so so beaches that I much preferred heading a few miles inland to the golf urbanisations.
Centering mainly on the Benahavis area I particularly liked Los Arqueros & then viewed a stunning property on the Marbella Club Hills Golf development.
This one had everything I was looking for on my tick list & really hit the spot being built to a very high standard with lovely views & wide uncluttered open spaces. A car would be absolutely required up there though.
Had to have a strong word with myself before getting too carried away after realising what I thought was a decent budget was short by close on 300,000 Euro for this one, suspect its going to be hard getting it out of my head now.....
We bought on Los Arqueros (Las Jacarandas) 7 years ago and I moved here to live permanently in August 2019. Realised that due to the proximity of the motorway to anything coastal in the area & massive premium applied despite the so so beaches that I much preferred heading a few miles inland to the golf urbanisations.
Centering mainly on the Benahavis area I particularly liked Los Arqueros & then viewed a stunning property on the Marbella Club Hills Golf development.
This one had everything I was looking for on my tick list & really hit the spot being built to a very high standard with lovely views & wide uncluttered open spaces. A car would be absolutely required up there though.
Had to have a strong word with myself before getting too carried away after realising what I thought was a decent budget was short by close on 300,000 Euro for this one, suspect its going to be hard getting it out of my head now.....
It’s a great location… San Pedro is a proper Spanish residential town and is virtually everything open all year round. Benahavis is lovely in the spring and autumn.
From what I know, property sales are strong - I don’t think we have a single property for sale on Jacarandas (150 apartments), and there’s usually 4 or 5 for sale.
One piece of advice I’d have is to make sure you look at more than just the property itself - the quality of urbanisation management is super important… if there are issues with community fees it seriously impacts maintenance (painting, gardens, pool etc). We’re lucky that we have a great committee and run a decent cash surplus each year, but I hear a lot don’t.
The new builds are crazy expensive compared to stuff built 15-20 years ago…. Around double. Yes, the newer stuff has a more modern design and fittings, but square meters don’t seem to go up. You could easily buy an older property and do a refurb to get something you’d love… ie: new kitchen, bathrooms and remove interior walls to creat a more open design. My neighbour did this to his… it’s like a brand new apartment.
Chris Stott said:
The new builds are crazy expensive compared to stuff built 15-20 years ago…. Around double. Yes, the newer stuff has a more modern design and fittings, but square meters don’t seem to go up. You could easily buy an older property and do a refurb to get something you’d love… ie: new kitchen, bathrooms and remove interior walls to creat a more open design. My neighbour did this to his… it’s like a brand new apartment.
Exactly the same around where we are Chris and it amazes me. New builds are twice the price for same size properties on a plot size the same. Incredible how much of a divide there is yet they seem to sell. Target audience seems to be Scandinavians and Russian (perhaps less so currently). Modern style rectangles and glass everywhere. Very rarely do you see British buying these houses but then they seem to have longer pockets and shorter arms. Still amazes me how much of a price difference there is between an older established property and these sugar cubes. My partner is Scandinavian and so we have "scandified" ours inside from top to bottom, yet probably wouldn't appeal to anyone from that region based on its exterior aesthetics alone.
I've just recently finished renovating my property in Duquesa, there are so many of the Scandanavian style villas springing up around there, we went and had a look at quite a few before purchasing ours.
They are very nice, we love all of the open plan style and glass, but when I looked closely at the finish, it makes me wonder what the condition of these will be like after a few years day to day living, some of the fixings on the glass balustrades (of which there are many) were not confidence inspiring, the maze of spaghetti which is the heating system would be a nightmare should anything go wrong, and many other issues.
There are 2 just down the road from us which were completed 3 years ago, lovely to look at, but there always seems to be a steady stream of contractors arriving.
I got mine for a fraction of the price, renovated it to our own preference (altough we don't have an open plan kitchen
), and still had plenty of change.
They are very nice, we love all of the open plan style and glass, but when I looked closely at the finish, it makes me wonder what the condition of these will be like after a few years day to day living, some of the fixings on the glass balustrades (of which there are many) were not confidence inspiring, the maze of spaghetti which is the heating system would be a nightmare should anything go wrong, and many other issues.
There are 2 just down the road from us which were completed 3 years ago, lovely to look at, but there always seems to be a steady stream of contractors arriving.
I got mine for a fraction of the price, renovated it to our own preference (altough we don't have an open plan kitchen
), and still had plenty of change.Shnozz said:
Exactly the same around where we are Chris and it amazes me. New builds are twice the price for same size properties on a plot size the same. Incredible how much of a divide there is yet they seem to sell. Target audience seems to be Scandinavians and Russian (perhaps less so currently). Modern style rectangles and glass everywhere. Very rarely do you see British buying these houses but then they seem to have longer pockets and shorter arms. Still amazes me how much of a price difference there is between an older established property and these sugar cubes.
My partner is Scandinavian and so we have "scandified" ours inside from top to bottom, yet probably wouldn't appeal to anyone from that region based on its exterior aesthetics alone.
Same here. New white square boxes packed in together for twice the price which look scruffy after a year or so because they need constant painting. My partner is Scandinavian and so we have "scandified" ours inside from top to bottom, yet probably wouldn't appeal to anyone from that region based on its exterior aesthetics alone.
Mine was 30 years old when I bought it. We extended, new kitchen, new exterior doors and windows, bathrooms refurbished, new central heating etc. Still upgrading 10 years on. A mix of new and traditional styles internally and traditional externally. The fabric of the building is sound and has survived the extreme Spanish weather for decades. And the builders here are great, reliable and not too costly. Definitely wouldn’t buy new.
Interesting point re quality of finish and longevity. That said, very few of these new style houses seem to attract either permanent residents or even owners who spend months of the year in them; so might take a long time before any lived in damage occurs. They seem very much the occasional holiday home, and a few listed on airbnb. One at the top of my street is owned by a Dutch guy who is probably the most regular visitor I have seen.
As well as the chunky prices, the other thing that didn't appeal was most of these style properties near me are built in identi-kit road grids, with every house exactly the same except for an occasional apartment block in between, the apartments also being built in the same style. For such smart houses, there is no individualism in the build style - row after row of identical properties, albeit nicely designed.
Coupled with the fact that seems rarely inhabited, it didn't strike me as much of a community. The shuttered houses and absence of different designs, or colours, or shrubbery or whatever, just made it feel a bit soulless.
I do think they are lovely to look at, both inside and out. However, never tempted me for those reasons.
Roll on next week and getting back to the....er.....rain and sand storms! Never seen such a month of bad weather and forecast to continue until 26th.
As well as the chunky prices, the other thing that didn't appeal was most of these style properties near me are built in identi-kit road grids, with every house exactly the same except for an occasional apartment block in between, the apartments also being built in the same style. For such smart houses, there is no individualism in the build style - row after row of identical properties, albeit nicely designed.
Coupled with the fact that seems rarely inhabited, it didn't strike me as much of a community. The shuttered houses and absence of different designs, or colours, or shrubbery or whatever, just made it feel a bit soulless.
I do think they are lovely to look at, both inside and out. However, never tempted me for those reasons.
Roll on next week and getting back to the....er.....rain and sand storms! Never seen such a month of bad weather and forecast to continue until 26th.
Shnozz said:
Roll on next week and getting back to the....er.....rain and sand storms! Never seen such a month of bad weather and forecast to continue until 26th.
It’s a bit unusually grim at the moment as is the forecast. I’m planning some DIY and attempting to locate somewhere with better weather to travel to either for the day or a few days. BTW I must have passed nearby your place yesterday as I did a run to Alicante airport and back to drop off a relative.
Phil. said:
It’s a bit unusually grim at the moment as is the forecast. I’m planning some DIY and attempting to locate somewhere with better weather to travel to either for the day or a few days.
BTW I must have passed nearby your place yesterday as I did a run to Alicante airport and back to drop off a relative.
Most of the month seems to have been pretty pants. The good thing about having a home there is that its not a "holiday" so if its raining I am not stuck in a hotel room or searching out indoor activities praying for the sun to come out the next day and not waste a precious few days holiday. Like you, some DIY and I can work at home office anyway. Only shame for me is we have a few visitors coming over for weekends who would no doubt prefer it was a sunny time and can't really suggest they help me with some DIY for their break BTW I must have passed nearby your place yesterday as I did a run to Alicante airport and back to drop off a relative.
If you took the AP7 then yes, right by the doorstep. If N332 its a few miles inland but either way, if you're passing again when I am in the vicinity, give me a shout and we can nip for a quick caña.
Agree about it being a home rather than a holiday. We had a relative visit weekend and were so lucky with the sunshine. Hopefully the weather will pick up for yours. The longer term forecasts are unreliable and have been changing daily recently.
Sounds like a plan. I’ll drop you an email when passing next time. Similarly if you’re anywhere near me feel free get in touch
Sounds like a plan. I’ll drop you an email when passing next time. Similarly if you’re anywhere near me feel free get in touch
Excellent news. Spain allowing the unjabbed to enter with a test and dropping masks indoors
https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2022/04/06...
https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2022/04/06...
https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2022/04/06...
https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2022/04/06...
Yetski said:
Or perhaps not
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/spain-opens-unvaccinated...
Where are you in Duquesa yetski?https://uk.news.yahoo.com/spain-opens-unvaccinated...
I’m currently staying around the golf course, hoping the weather improves this week.
IIRC you have a green lambo or am I confusing you with someone I have spoken to before?
Yetski said:
I've just recently finished renovating my property in Duquesa, there are so many of the Scandanavian style villas springing up around there, we went and had a look at quite a few before purchasing ours.
They are very nice, we love all of the open plan style and glass, but when I looked closely at the finish, it makes me wonder what the condition of these will be like after a few years day to day living, some of the fixings on the glass balustrades (of which there are many) were not confidence inspiring, the maze of spaghetti which is the heating system would be a nightmare should anything go wrong, and many other issues.
There are 2 just down the road from us which were completed 3 years ago, lovely to look at, but there always seems to be a steady stream of contractors arriving.
I got mine for a fraction of the price, renovated it to our own preference (altough we don't have an open plan kitchen), and still had plenty of change.
Heading down to Duquesa next week for a few days and looking at the area for a possible purchase. Staying in the marina in a rental apartment. Hoping the weather keeps improving !!!They are very nice, we love all of the open plan style and glass, but when I looked closely at the finish, it makes me wonder what the condition of these will be like after a few years day to day living, some of the fixings on the glass balustrades (of which there are many) were not confidence inspiring, the maze of spaghetti which is the heating system would be a nightmare should anything go wrong, and many other issues.
There are 2 just down the road from us which were completed 3 years ago, lovely to look at, but there always seems to be a steady stream of contractors arriving.
I got mine for a fraction of the price, renovated it to our own preference (altough we don't have an open plan kitchen
), and still had plenty of change.Yetski said:
Or perhaps not
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/spain-opens-unvaccinated...
What a mess! Will only be a matter of time though before their tourist industry forces a change. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/spain-opens-unvaccinated...
Yetski said:
Or perhaps not
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/spain-opens-unvaccinated...
Bugger ... my partner needs a jab as will be at 274 days by the time we travel next week. She suffered big time on the previous jabs so was really hoping they would drop the 270 day requirement and replace with test before we travel. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/spain-opens-unvaccinated...
Annoyingly she is EU citizen and in theory can enter with a LFT <24 hrs ... but not if travelling from the UK as the Spanish Health Form will not generate QR code and I suspect this will cause huge issues trying to travel ! :-(
I suffered a lot after one jab but had zero effects from the other 2. Can’t say I would have had any if it were not for the travel requirements and to enter stadiums etc but hey ho.
I was due to be in Spain for a month or so from my last post. However, I came back to the U.K. last weekend for a stag do. For a combination of reasons I didn’t bother catching my flight on Monday and looking at the weather haven’t missed much! More rain and may as well save some of my 90 days by staying in the U.K. this week. Back out Friday in time for the Elche v Real Sociedad match on Sunday. Forecast looks better
I was due to be in Spain for a month or so from my last post. However, I came back to the U.K. last weekend for a stag do. For a combination of reasons I didn’t bother catching my flight on Monday and looking at the weather haven’t missed much! More rain and may as well save some of my 90 days by staying in the U.K. this week. Back out Friday in time for the Elche v Real Sociedad match on Sunday. Forecast looks better
sc0tt said:
Yetski said:
Or perhaps not
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/spain-opens-unvaccinated...
Where are you in Duquesa yetski?https://uk.news.yahoo.com/spain-opens-unvaccinated...
I’m currently staying around the golf course, hoping the weather improves this week.
IIRC you have a green lambo or am I confusing you with someone I have spoken to before?
The Lambo has been a victim of Covid, it was sat in storage in the UK from the beginning of the pandemic, then somebody saw it, got in touch with a sensible offer, so off it went.
Now things are beginning to shape up with a little bit more normality, I'll start looking again.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff