Autumn Sunshine Holidays

Autumn Sunshine Holidays in 2013 We have been delighted to welcome a steady succession of guests this year who have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather we have been experiencing here on the Costa Blanca. The summer this year has been a very long-lasting one with daytime temperatures in October in the high twenties or occasionally even the low thirties. Night temperatures are of course lower now, which means that the swimming pool is only usable by the more hardy of our guests, but there is still a great opportunity for getting a late tan and storing up some sunshine before having to endure the winter months ahead in northern Europe. There is still plenty to do here during such lovely warm days, and of course the sea temperature is still holding up well for those guests who are beach enthusiasts. And once the novelty of sitting and enjoying the sunshine at this time of year has worn off a bit, the slightly cooler temperatures mean that our guests can take part in outdoor activities which might be uncomfortable during the really hot months of the summer. Sue and Gareth for example came for a few days relaxation in…

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Spanish Property Hunters Galore!

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,…

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Spanish Property Hunters become Buyers!

Househunters become Buyers! Back in April, we had the pleasure of having Mark and Rosalyn stay with us on a Spanish property house-hunting trip. They loved the area and saw several Spanish properties that they thought had possibilities, but their visit was greatly marred by a serious car accident they had. It was not their fault – a car hit them on the wrong side of the road in heavy rain – and they were not seriously injured, but it inevitably cast a shadow over their visit. However, when they left they said they were still keen on the area and that we would see them again. It was therefore a lovely surprise when they paid an unexpected visit a couple of days ago – they were driving past our house on the way to Gandia. The bigger surprise, however, was that in the interim they had purchased a really lovely Spanish property, a villa in the area at a very realistic price! It turns out they had spotted some properties on another estate agent’s website, had viewed them on a couple of day-trips to area (which is why we had not seen them here as guests again), and decided…

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Spanish Property Hunters return for a second look

Spanish Property Hunters return for a second look! A couple of weeks ago we were glad to meet Malcolm who stayed with us for one night only at the end of a property hunting trip to Spain – but that was enough to convince him that this was the part of the country that would be right to look for a home in a serious way. He found a couple of properties that he liked during that visit, so now he returned to us, but this time with his partner Paul, in order to look again at some of the houses he had already viewed before, as well as to look at some others for the first time. They had in fact been staying in a hotel in the centre of Gandia for a couple of nights before coming to us in order to get a proper feel for the town they were thinking of making their home. This period spent in the town itself only helped to confirm in their minds that Gandia is indeed the vibrant place they had thought, with plenty of heart and soul to it and well able to supply everything they would want for…

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Costa Blanca Property Viewing Trips

Costa Blanca Property Viewing Trips

Costa Blanca Property Viewing Trips They came; They saw; They bought! We recently received a booking from Colin Mason and his family, wanting to take up our offer of a Property Viewing Package of three nights’ accommodation with a late check-out on the afternoon of the fourth day. They had already made some appointments to view property in the area, and wanted some friendly accommodation for their stay – possibly with some suggestions and advice thrown in at the same time! Colin was coming with his wife Christine and grown-up son Mike, and they were looking for a holiday property that would be easy to lock up and leave during the time when they would be in the UK. They only wanted a modestly sized home, although they were well aware that much larger properties could be purchased for only a small amount of extra money. However, what really suited them would be a villa with about three bedrooms and a pool, and preferably situated not far from the beautiful beaches of the northern Costa Blanca. It had to be near amenities that would suit them and their three grown-up sons and mutual partners for daily requirements, as well as…

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Spanish Property Hunters return to Spain

Spanish-Property

Bargain Spanish Property for Sale Property Hunters from Far and Wide! In line with recent trends, we have seen more property hunters come to visit us in a quest to find a home in our part of the northern Costa Blanca. In the last few months we have had an increase in the number of guests coming to look for suitable homes – either as permanent or holiday accommodation – but now they are coming not only from the traditional places such as England but also looking to relocate here from other parts of Europe as well. John and Pamela for example are an English couple who spent three days with us on their second visit to the area. Although from England originally, they have lived for the last ten years in Italy but are now wanting to move on again. This is not because of any particular dissatisfaction with Italy, but rather because they feel it is time for a change and they are aware that Spanish property values have now fallen to a much more realistic and affordable level on the Costa Blanca. Easy access to the UK is a consideration for family visits too, but much more…

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Spanish Property Viewing Trips

Spanish Property Viewing Trips For the last few years – since 2008 really – foreign property hunters wanting to buy a home either for holidays or for a permanent move have been a rare breed indeed in Spain. However, in recent months we have noticed a distinct rise in the numbers of guests visiting us on one of our Spanish Property Viewing Trips, with the thought of looking for a property in the area. More such guests are Adam and Helen, who spent a week with us very recently, bringing their 7 month old son Zac with them, and they had their entire time here arranged around estate agent visits and property viewings. They were already familiar with the southern part of the Costa Blanca, but felt it was not typically Spanish enough for them and had too large a proportion of non-Spanish residents for their liking. They therefore decided to acquaint themselves with our part of the northern Costa Blanca, where there are properties of all sizes to choose from, and often at comparatively bargain prices. They had visited the Place in the Sun property expo in London before deciding to come out here, so were in a good…

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Spanish Property Hunting – Canadians in Spain

Spanish Property Hunting We recently received a reservation for a 6 night regional inspection tour, from Andy, who intended to fly here from England, where he had been visiting his daughter. Andy, however, now lives in Canada (although comes from the UK originally) and is interested in the possibility of purchasing a property here on the Costa Blanca. He is one of a growing band of people who are recognising that Spanish property now represents far better value for money than a few years ago, when prices had risen to unrealistic levels. Andy had done a fair amount of groundwork before arriving here and had contacted various agents to arrange viewings and be shown around the area to make sure that this part of the country would suit him. He arrived with us in the late afternoon on Saturday and took advantage of our evening meal service that night, rather than having to find a restaurant in unfamiliar surroundings. The next day was spent looking at various different types of property, as he did not have fixed ideas of exactly the type of home he was seeking – but knew he would know it when he found it! One thing…

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Spanish Property Hunters – Spanish Property Inspection Trips

Bargain Spanish Property

Mark and Rosalyn arrived with us on Wednesday lunchtime from England, and are members of an increasing group of people – house hunters in Spain! Now that Spanish property prices here have fallen to levels not seen for several years, the possibility of buying a home – whether for a permanent move or for holiday use – is seen as much more realistic again. They soon settled in to their room and had some lunch here, before setting off on there property viewing trip, to see some properties that they had already shortlisted with an agent on-line. This gave them the opportunity of familiarising themselves with the area a little and getting a general idea of what was on offer. They were also being very philosophical about the appalling weather that we were having during their visit, saying that if the area and properties appealed to them now in the pouring rain, then they would absolutely love the place when the sun was shining! After dinner with us and a good night’s sleep, they set of the next morning with another Spanish property agent to see more houses for sale in several different towns and villages in the area. They…

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Sold! Spanish Property Sellers

Spanish Property

Sold! Spanish Property Sellers Jeanette and Kevin from the UK made a booking to come and stay with us this week, as they had sold their holiday villa in La Drova to another couple who had been property hunters – also from the UK – who were wanting to have a holiday base in the La Safor area.Jeanette and Kevin decided to make an unhurried trip of it, arriving with us on the Sunday and staying until the following Saturday, with the appointment at the notary’s office scheduled for the Wednesday. They were driving down from the UK in their car, crossing by ferry to Santander, which is something they had often done in the past when visiting their property. Apparently they used to come on average for about six weeks each year, and had owned property in this area for over ten years – their house in La Drova was their second one. Property hunters seem to be slightly on the increase now that house prices have fallen to levels not seen in Spain for a very long time. Foreigners who want to buy a home have become aware that Spain now offers good value properties once again, and…

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Walking Holidays Spain (and a little property hunting too!)

Some time ago we received a reservation from David and Miranda for a three night stay here in November and so we were pleased to welcome them when they arrived this week, having stayed their first night in Valencia. They had originally booked their trip to us with the intention of considering the area for a possible house purchase, although now their emphasis had changed somewhat. Although still thinking about maybe purchasing a property in the future, they were now more interested in having a walking holiday in Spain. They had already realised what a beautiful part of the country this is and how many opportunities there are for walks and hiking along well marked routes in the area, so they decided to combine their interest in the outdoors with a little time spent viewing properties as well. After arriving early on Friday afternoon, they settled in to their room and soon set off on a short walk through the orange groves here to the rear of Villa Florencia. They walked up to the tree line of the hills behind us and came back tremendously impressed with the views stretching right across the valley. This part of the Costa Blanca…

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House-hunters Return!

  It was with great pleasure that we welcomed Bernard and Grace back again recently. They had also stayed with us,in our Bed and Breakfast  in May of this year, during which time they found a house they wanted to purchase. This is with a view to moving to Spain on a permanent basis, not just as a holiday home, so it was a decision they had to be really sure of. This time they decided to rent our self-catering apartment for a week in order to combine some rest and recreation with practical matters concerning their impending purchase – not least of which was to have a good and leisurely look around the house and gardens to get a proper “feel” for it. Using the self-catering option was also going to give them the opportunity to get to know the local shops and supermarkets, so that when they made the big move, they would know some of the basics of where they liked to shop and would feel more at home straightaway. Much of their time was also spent in the gardens here at Villa Florencia relaxing and having a real holiday around the pool – which was even…

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