I wouldn't tell estate agents directly how much money you have to spend.
it sort of undermines your ability to negotiate the price.
Also, you need to set aside about 10% for fees.
Unfortunately, it is down to legwork.
You would be better renting first and getting a small car to get you about.
Then you can explore at your leisure.
I would not buy without living in the region first!
Good luck with your search!

 

If you want cheaper and still mainly Spanish towns, I suggest looking at Alicante City or Torrevieja, or Orihuela City which is more inland. For Alicante and Torrevieja, choose the area carefully as some parts aren't as pleasant.

 

May I suggest you research Aguilas, Murcia.
Very attractive Spanish coastal town with NOT an English shop anywhere a d only Spanish bars.
Most unusual these days.
Does however have a sprinkling of expats of all nationalities within Aguilas, Lorca area who have weekly meets on Plaza de Espania for those who feel inclined

 

Not in that area but the typical Spanish feeling can be found everywhere, the only difference is that Expats often have a certain image of Spanish culture. You can be in the most touristic area and will find places where the Spanish go to, often these places can look uninviting from the outside and are away from the main promenade. Sometimes these places can even look like a fast food restaurant with outdated interior etc. Of course Spain has also changed and locals also eat burgers, pizza and pasta. The last time I was on the Costa Brava I passed a Rostisseria serving all types of meat including rabbit, Irish lamb and not one foreigner in sight (apart from us). It looked like a private garden with run down building, but absolutely packed. Just saying that Spanish culture is not only a tapas bar and the typical Spanish place is often to attract tourists.

 

The Spanish are quite unadventurous and conservative, when it comes to food!

 

You sure.. There has been a Chinese and a curry house near us for at least 20 years. Most weekends you cant get a table and its almost always full of Spanish..

My downstairs neighbour does a better stir fry than any Ive had anywhere in the world and he is a 50 something bloke who has never left Spain.

 

Times are changing, dancing spider.
Chinese restaurants have always been very popular with the Spanish and Valentines day husband and I were the only 2 Brits in a busy Indian restaurant , and not for the first time.
Same with Fosters Hollywood, Mexican and all the fast food emporium
These all in Lorca area which is 99% + Spanish city.

 

thanks for all the opinions and suggestions

does anyone on her live in denia or outside it? gandia? el campbello?

i will research murcia- Aguilas, Murcia.

thanks ever so much

 

Campello is pretty dead in the winter and in the summer the population is 3x to 5x more... It does have a nice surfing spot tho.

Gandia is a nice town. Train to Valencia is easy...

Another option would be the villages of the Valldigna or around Sanguto - Camp de Morvedre .

You will hear hardly any english spoken in any of the above villages..

 

That is the best, or perhaps worst, (because sometimes at certain times of day parking is difficult ) as Aguilas is busy all year.
To be honest unless one is a child or extremely gifted fluency in adulthood is difficult and hearing another speak you language is comforting.
Personally would love to hear of other resorts that are free of British establishments.
There must be some

 

At the end of the day it's you who needs to be happy and everyone will recommend the area they know. You say it's a holiday home/retirement home, so maybe things like access to an airport from Ireland, quality of hospital nearby are important, should the town be dead in winter or very crowded in summer? The downside with some apartments is that they can be loud and if you are not used to it, the dream is more like a nightmare. Much of Spain is very similar along the coast and you will always find a promenade with large apartment blocks and smaller villages in-between. It's no different where we are near Costa Brava and anywhere that's nice will have tourists in summer, but you can easily escape by being a few mins away from a centre, or smaller village. If your dream is Estepona, maybe there are places a few mins away from main area?

 

as time has went on, estepona is now almost out of the question.

its quite a distance from the airport, difficult to get parked in and any property that ticks most boxes is out of reach.

i understand what you mean about noise!

 

we also have seen nice properties in duqesa / casares but this area seems so far away from everything?

 

As hydrospain mentioned, maybe near Sagunto would be an option and not far from Valencia. Totally understand that budget is the biggest issue, but it's always about compromise. Don't know Casares but looking at it, the place seems very steep which might be challenging for elderly.

 

My father actually looked at Sagunto, but after reading about the size of the oil refinery’s there it put him of.

currently we have narrowed it down to denia or Gandia, or possibly going close to Valencia as we have seen some very cheap properties there.

many estate agents I speak to in denia or Gandia warns me that theirs fees are 10% + 3%……this appears to be greater than the Costa, anyone of any experience of this extra fees?

Thanks everybody for the help

 

Maybe you mean the buying costs? If you are buying there are usually no estate agent fees as the seller pays the estate agent. There are some who might want additional commission, but then I would avoid and looks like they want to rip you off.
What fees are involved in buying a property in Spain?
When purchasing a property in Spain, several fees and expenses must be considered. These include property transfer tax or VAT, depending on whether it's a resale or new property, ranging from 6% to 10% and 10%, respectively. Stamp duty, typically 1-1.5% of the property price, may also apply.

Notary and land registry fees, based on the property price, usually range from 0.1% to 2%. Legal fees, around 1-2% of the property price, are advisable for handling legal aspects. Additional costs may include mortgage fees, real estate agent commission, property survey, utilities connection, and home insurance. It's essential to budget for these expenses to avoid surprises and consult local professionals for accurate information tailored to individual circumstances.

https://www.idealista.com/en/news/financial-advice-in-spain/2024/02/15/7875-the-costs-and-taxes-associated-with-buying-a-home-in-spain#:~:text=When%20purchasing%20a%20property%20in,property%20price%2C%20may%20also%20apply

.

 

I think it is good that buying and selling is costly as it puts people off property speculation. The reason the UK is so expensive is because the buying and selling is so cheap and lobby groups often scupper new builds. The result is that buying property is probably the best and safest form of investment for UK folk- and this is reflected in the price- so much so that my son will never own his own house in UK. That is a sad situation. At least in Spain few fools buy to invest unless they are hiding money. The vast majority of ordinary properties in the towns don't have any inflation and often they actually decrease. I bought my flat for 67.000euros and I doubt it would get more now 8 years later. Take off the costs and I would make a small loss. Thats fairly typical in Torrevieja where there is ample housing stock even at the high end.

 

I agree that buying and selling is costly but even in Spain a lot of Spanish feel they will never own a house and there seems to be a lot of investors. I see the opposite in Girona region and it looks like prices increase all the time and very few properties come on to the market. The only properties that are now cheaper are bank owned properties from the crash that never sold and properties with Okupas. I do hope that it stops and feel we've reached levels that are unaffordable, but it looks like more and more wealthy Europeans will be retiring in the coming years and that will drive prices up further.

 

On the other hand, the penultimate paragraph of this article lists the places in Málaga province where property prices increased by over 20% in 2023.

El precio de la vivienda en Málaga sigue su escalada y sube un 20% en el último año (malagahoy.es)

We've seen prospective buyers commenting on the forum that they expected prices to have fallen following the pandemic but have in fact realised that areas like Estepona have risen beyond their budget.

 

My memory had faded, I thought that it was 2% foreign buyers, but @Monivea you are right, it is 2% British.

Even if Brexit had a negative effect, reducing the demand of 2% of the market was never going to have a big effect in prices, the other nationalities were obvioulsy not affected so the reference to them is irrelevant.

 

Regardless of British buyers, it does probably show that the foreign influence is there when one in five properties sold are bought by foreigners. Going back to the original post, authentically Spanish still exists although even Spain is changing. As others have said, going to a Chinese or Indian restaurant is now quite common and nothing wrong if people enjoy it. Coming from Ireland I avoid Irish pubs, still know quite a few Spanish who enjoy having a Guinness in Spain.

 

I live inland from Oliva, which is between Denia and Gandia. I go to both fairly often as they are great towns. Gandia has the added benefit of having the train to Valencia, which is convenient. Denia has buses. (I have a car and drive everywhere, but that's me. I like the convenience.) I think it's worth a look at both places, and your budget should be fine. Denia and Gandia have slightly different feels, but they are both great. (I find Gandia a bit more elegant, and Denia a bit more sporty. I like Denia's port/marina area much more than Gandia's.) If you aren't too wed to the idea of a sea view, try the smaller towns inland. They are beautiful, very Spanish, and the mountains in the area make for spectacular views. I find the mountain views more interesting than sea views, but that's personal preference. The sea is still a short drive away, and you can get more within your budget just going a few kilometers inland. Both Gandia and Denia have active expat communities if your parents would like to be involved, but you can avoid them if you want.

 

Completely disagree that the Spanish are adventurous, when it comes to food.
Foreign restaurants tend to tone it down when it comes to the Spainsh palate.
Still waiting to get a decent curry here in Spain.
The Chinese restaurants have large unhealthy technicoloured buffets.
Italian food is just another mediterranean food variation with a bit of pasta and some more herbs thrown in.
The Spanish regard their own 'cuisine', as the best in the world, and everything else is second rate.
The good thing about Spain is you do get first rate ingredients like fish, seafood, meat, veg and fruit.
The problem is that the Spanish mess it up when they cook it and just churn out bland 'cuisine'!

 

Hey guys, been reviewing the thread and thanks to everybody for the contributions, very insightful.

my dad was in denia, grandia and olvia today having a look about.

he is going to Calpe tomorrow, does anyone have any opinions on this area is regards to what we are looking for?

Thanks!

 

I like Calpe in fact back there tomorrow for a walk.
Its a bit of a sprawling mix is Calpe. Near the beaches its all high rise, bars etc.

If you go to the Rock and look back there are actually two sea fronts. The one to your right is the quieter and the road there leads to Moreira (which is Ok if not a little expensive for my taste). If I were to move here then this is the side I would go (Platja de la Fossa)
On the left is the main drag and at its end (nearest to the N332) is the old town. Which for me is great, but again out of my price range.

As you can see by the map its a big area.

 

I wasn't aware that propery prices went up by that much in Spain.

 

Location, Location, Location
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