Arthur357

Hi, new member here! We are a couple in our late forties who have decided to buy an apartment in the City of Valencia. We intend to use it as a holiday home and also hope to rent it out to cover some of the fixed costs. We are looking for a two bed minimum with a kitchen and bathroom that don't need replacing and a balcony of some sort as a little bit of outside space is, we think, important for both ourselves and potential renters. Also, we would like to be able to walk to the centre in about 20 to 30 minutes and live in an area with direct bus or tram routes to the beaches ( we don't want to live there. Its city first beach, second for us!). Our budget is on the low side at around e80,000 so we are not expecting to be residing in the historic centre and some of the more well known areas such as Russafa, Mestalla, Benimaclet and La Saidia are probably also out of our price bracket. We've only ever visited the centre and beaches so have no experience of the areas our budget stretches to.
My extensive searching on Kyero etc. has resulted in a few areas popping up which seem to fit the bill, notably Rascanya, Jesus and Benicalap (bit of a walk to town I know!) Are there any forum members who could perhaps assist us in making our choice. Thanks in advance

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

cricketman

I don´t know Valencia well enough to recommend which neighbourhood would suit you best

But just a note that there are 10,000s of empty flats in the city of Valencia, many in the city centre and offered to tourists very cheaply, so I guess that it would be difficult to attract tourists to rent in a neighbourhood that was a long way from the city centre and beaches and in a cheap neighbourhood

Arthur357

Thanks for the response cricketman. Much appreciated. Maybe we are being overly optimistic re; rental income but its not in itself a deal breaker. Don't want to live in a cheap, soulless area though. Is it possible to live in a characterful area on our budget?

mikelincs

I have to ask, with all of Spain to look at, why Valencia, you will have the additional problem of it's own language, and, while most people will also speak snd understand Spanish, I suspect official documents will be in Valenciano.

cricketman

Cheap areas in Spain aren´t soulless.

They probably will be ugly. e.g. a working class suburb full of 1970 high rises

But most Spanish cities are like that anyway. I live in a 1970s highrise and I love our neighbourhood

You have to realise that Spanish cities are very different to UK cities and Spanish people only want to live in new modern buildings. It is very difficult to find an old beautiful building to live in within a Spanish city that also has all the mod-cons and are comfortable to live in. And any there are, will be very expensive

An 80k flat in Valencia will either be a soulless highrise from the 50s-80s, a new build next to the motorway (or somewhere undesirable) or a crumbling old building

Rosemary

I found this one in Benicalap.

Piso en venta en calle dels plàtans, Benicalap, València

Rosemary

Arthur357

Thanks Rosemary, that is most encouraging! Cricketman , I take your point and its good to know you love your area. I fully expect to be buying in a high rise environment which, lets face it, won't necessarily be very pretty ,but I would like to live in a vibrant place with its own appeal. Benicalap, for instance has a lovely park with outdoor pool. I havent been but it looks and sounds great on Tripadvisor. Thanks again for the info!

NadiaN

I have been living in Valencia for almost 9 years now, and any and all official documents I have had to deal with have been in Spanish. There might have been a Valenciano version also, but there was definitely always a Spanish version. It is the official language of the country. Also, I never found a person in the city of Valencia who didn't speak Spanish. Some even speak English <br><br> As for areas to live, I'm afraid that I can't help there. I live across from the City of Arts and Sciences, and the apartments around here all seem to be selling for over 200,000 euro...

steviedeluxe

I agree that if (for example) rental income is necessary, another city would fit their bill better. At the moment tenants in Madrid are finding it very difficult to find their yearly digs, if the numerous threads on FB are anything to go by. Yes, that also means that prices are higher, but the chances of having a regular letting of 9-10 months a year is almost certain in central areas.But Valencia is a cheaper city, and is on the coast with a climate that rarely gets too cold. A question of weighing up swings and roundabouts I suppose.

Dick Dasterdly

Hi Stevie, welcome back to the fold.
Are you still in Madrid or maybe back in Blighty ?

jonboy

Nice to hear from you again Stevie.