aidan1980

I know this is a widely vague question but thought it would be interesting and helpful to get people's feedback and experiences.

Me and my wife absolutely love Marbella and are planning on hopefully buying a place to split the time between uk and there as we see fit. which I may of mentioned here before.

Obviously property there is a bit more than elsewhere we could go and having read quite a bit on here I've been pretty much put off buying a flat or apartment due to noise (we live in a detached house so used to no noise). BTW is it true you buy flats and apartments freehold not like in the uk when it's usually lease?

Anyway, with the prices the most realistic option would be townhouse on an urbanization unless we wait it out and try and get more money together/hope the pound gets better which is obviously no safe bet.

As I mentioned above though a townhouse does make me a tad nervous as well due to noise and I accept you will get some but is it a legitimate worry? Also community fee's seem to vary quite a bit, which is something I need to consider.

I know there is no right and wrong answer and it's like asking how long is a piece of string but very interested in hearing everyone experiences please, good or bad

thanks

Loafing Along

Yes you buy apartments freehold and yes noise can be a problem but all depends on the quality of the build and the size of the apartment block and overall community.
Advantage of an apartment if you are not 100% of the time there is you simply turn off the water, shut the door and go away , more secure and more peace of mind.

Townhouse, yes less noise ( no neighbours stomping around in high heels above you ) but again depends on size of urbanisation as community gardens can get very crowded in summer and kids around a pool make a lot of noise.
Community fees do vary a lot but all have same basic components - employees or sub-contracted staff for garden & pool maintenance, lift maintenance ( in apartment blocks), community electricity and water, general maintenance of community buildings. When (if) you buy you should always ask to see Minutes of Community Meeting , these are a legal requirement and will show in detail how the money is spent and if everyone is actually paying up ( a frequent problem is a high level of non-payers ).

We opted for a good apartment in a small community with high residential content - best option as people concerned about maintaining their community and very, very few short term renters who cause noise and disruption in the summer. Community fees €200,- a month fairly average for our size community with gardener, pool and six blocks of five apartments with lifts in each one.

aidan1980

excellent post thanks

lurchio

We went to visit a mate in a big, modern and previously heavily feted urbanisation near Almeria in November. The place was 75% deserted as most were holiday homes for people from all over Europe. The letter boxes were over flowing in some, easy signs for a burglar who is doing the rounds with his team overnight in the estate on a regular basis.
The remaining permanent residents don't sleep too good as a result.
Stray dogs, some left by 'midnight flitters' when the mortgage got too much, those houses decaying as nobody now pays the service charge for them, crap every where, holiday cars just standing in parking spots, two empty houses now with squatters (Spanish speciality of a 'certain' section of the Community) etc etc. Just make sure there is an established permanent set of neighbours in and out of season, and that it is 'thriving' or yours could be the only lit up house in the street during the dark winters night!
My friend is now trying to sell his swish house at a loss because his wifes nerves are in tatters, not a bit of interest and I could see why.
Huge lesson to learn.

Moses2013

As nice as it might seem at first, I would not buy an apartment if you are already worried about noise. If it was a sunny day in Birmingham you probably wouldn't buy the apartment, so why do it in Spain? Like most people we were also looking South (for building land) at first but then realised that the prices are far too expensive and an apartment was never an option really. After looking all over Spain, we then realised that the Costa Brava/Girona region offers more what we are looking for within our budget and should we ever live there permanently it's also nice to have your own small garden to get away from crowds. We're still only 10mins away from the coast and if I want noise, it's easy enough to get in the car/bus and drive to the beach.



If I want the feeling of a resort (community pool) it's cheap enough to book a holiday. Of course you can argue that Marbella gets 2900 hours sunshine vs 2500 where we are but if it was just about that we'd all be in Morocco:-)

aidan1980

In reply to Moses, thanks, have had a look and a couple of urbanizations you can get on using air bnb, which then poses another problem if you have holiday makers next door each week partying. And to be fair I'd also be a little cuatious in renting/letting the gaff out myself in case people went in and made a racket and upset my neighbours and made their lives a misery

Moses2013

Exactly and although anyone can rent out their property, being in a so called urbanization with many holiday makers is also a problem. The thing is that there's also a huge difference what people think is an urbanization. Where we have a 2nd home is also classed as an urbanization but it's basically the outskirts of a town and every plot and house is different with no community fees. All it is, is basically houses with pavements and street lights but what you mean is probably a housing estate where most properties are similar?

aidan1980

No, the ones mainly in Marbella that come up are in gated communities on proper urbanizations, shared pools etc

Moses2013

Yeah that's kind of what I meant. What we'd call housing estate in UK/Ireland. You pay for the upkeep of grounds shared facilities etc.


I don't know how much you're looking to pay but when I hear some people are paying €200-€300 that would pay your own little pool.

Horlics

I'd say it depends on how much any noise would bother you. If you're the sort who can accept that you will hear others then fine, but if noise would wind you up then avoid.

I didn't feel like we had a choice because when we were looking we were planning on spending 3 - 4 months a year there, and I wouldn't want to leave a detached villa unoccupied for the remainder of the time. Lock up and leave is what we wanted, so we went for an apartment.

We did, though, make sure we bought in a small development that is mostly residential. We have a mix of retired people from several different nations, some Spanish retirees, and a few Spanish working families and couples.

Another factor that gave me some confidence is the town and location. It's not a place that attracts stag and hen dos, or the party-going crowd. There are a few apartments that the owners let out short term, but the visitors are quiet and respectful.

I really like the community aspect. We are good friends with many of the residents and socialise together quite often. There's a community pool but it's easy to either meet or avoid people. There are certain hours of the day when I know that I can go and be in peace and quiet on my own, and some when it's inevitable I'll end up chatting for the entire time I am down there. Of course, summer is busier because that's when everybody's families turn up, mine included.

A few years on and we're moving out there permanently, and we won't be swapping the apartment.

aidan1980

thanks for all the replies, all have helped

one thing I noticed mentioned was quality of build, which I fully understand. However I'd have no idea really what I'm looking for in terms of what would increase/decrease noise etc. Obviously if the place looks like it's falling down alarm bells would ring but is there anything to look out for as I'm guessing some places look nice and modern but are built crap with paper thin walls etc. Every bit of info helps, thanks

lurchio

Lately EVERY property offered for sale has to have an Energy Performance Cert, this is pretty new for Spain! Also, a house full survey can still be done, and cheaper than the UK. The surveyor should , if they are satisfied,issue a 'Certifcate de solidiez' I think it is called, vouching for the structure and compliance etc. There will be 'boletins' for the water supply and also in some cases electrical installations to quality assure them. The rest is up to you and what you will accept, albeit functional and properly done.

As with any purchase (even the UK) its buyer beware, but you can still take the usual measures to mitigate the risk, even in Spain!

Whats left is then what you want to spend your money on as regards a property that appeals.

Older houses are built like tanks,but often high maintenance and poorly insulated. Newer builds can be like modern UK housing estate houses but warmer / cooler depending on the season and easier to maintain.

Pays your money (with due diligence) and takes your choice!