Property Hunters Galore!
Maybe the title is a slight exaggeration, but it is undoubtedly true that we have seen a significant increase in the number of guests who have stayed with us recently with the intention of looking for a Spanish property in our part of Spain. Some have been looking for a holiday home and others for a permanent residence – or even sometimes with the intention of eventually moving here but only holidaying here to begin with.
Obviously, everybody has different tastes and requirements (and of course budgets!) but at the present time there is a wide choice on the market so it’s a good time to think of buying, whatever your situation. Spanish property is now being recognised once again as representing good value for money – and not only for purchasers from the UK.
An additional consideration for non-EU citizens is the concession that the Spanish government has very recently introduced, whereby residence entitlement is automatically granted in the case of Spanish properties that are purchased for a price in excess of €500,000. Full details can be seen in the article here: Golden Visa to non-EU citizens
Amongst our guests from countries other than the UK, we were recently pleased to welcome a couple from Belgium looking for a holiday home, for example. Guy and Lieve were checking out the area in our immediate vicinity, having already spent a few days slightly further inland. By the time they reached us, they had decided that a property nearer to the sea would suit them better, so spent a few days viewing homes in our area. They were then carrying on slightly further south to check out what was available around Javea for a couple of days before returning to Belgium and maybe making a decision.
Other guests have included a couple originally from Russia (although now resident in the USA) who wanted a home here to use initially as a base for exploring the rest of Europe before possibly retiring here in the fullness of time. Happily, this was their second trip to our part of the country, they found a suitable property and the legal wheels have now been set in motion for its purchase.
Past property hunters have also returned to us for a subsequent trip and felt more able to make a good judgement on what would suit them now that they were more familiar with the area and what was available. Colin and Christine came back to view more houses recently and intend putting in an offer on one that they saw during their visit. Also, Malcolm and Paul returned to us to look at more homes and decided which one was right for them. After going back to the UK they put in an offer on their favourite property and happily it was eventually accepted, so once again the legal wheels have been put in motion for them as well.
Other guests have included a couple from the UK who already own a small holiday apartment considerably further south. They have just sold their main home in England and now want to buy a villa here that would be appropriate for permanent living. They saw several that they liked very much indeed and so have now returned to their apartment near Murcia to make a final decision.
Although it is too early to say that the property market in Spain is hotting up again – and this is certainly not going to happen again in the immediate future – it is nevertheless true that we are seeing not only many more guests staying with us and looking at property for sale, they are also serious prospective purchasers who have come with the intention of finding a good value home if they possibly can. Following the dramatic fall in property prices in recent years and the stabilisation of many other national economies, people are aware that Spanish homes represent good value once again and that now is a good time to buy. Hopefully this trend will continue and we will see more guests during the autumn and winter who come to see what property is on offer here on the Costa Blanca. The weather is holding up well as the year progresses, air fares have dropped from their summer holiday peaks and resorts are less crowded. All this gives the opportunity to prospective house hunters to come out here at their leisure and have a pleasant autumn or winter break at reasonable cost, whilst seeing what is available for their longer term plans.
