Good day Ladies and Gentleman

My partner and I (both 30) are looking to move to Spain later this year, we have maybe chosen Marbella for various reasons; weather, things to do, good transport links etc.

I would really like any advice on areas to start looking for property, i've seen lots on various sites but i don't know the area so i'm a bit lost on whether these locations are good or that no-one wants to live there.

We would like villas/houses of around a 300k close to beach areas, and not too far from Marbella but not too close either. We are going to rent first and see how it goes and how we feel about the area but would just like a starting point for now.

Any help and advice is greatly appreciated
regards
Ian

one person's heaven can be another person's hell

take any advice with a pinch of salt, get on a plane and get down here and find out What, Where and whether YOU like it.
it may be on an urbanisation or on its own or in a hamlet.

but whatever you do check, recheck and double check that the property is legally built, has ALL the docs and permissions. £300k is alot to spend on a house where you may wake up one morning to find a bulldozer pulling up outside.

and ensure you have work that is long lasting, there are too many people unemployed of your age (around 35%) who Spanish who can't get a job and there is essentially a "no benefits" state in Spain, and you will need Private Medical as well.

kind regards

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

don't worry i will definitely be going to check it all out first, I currently work offshore and I am lucky in that i can live where i want so employment isn't an issue for me there.

All i'm looking for now is a starting to point to work from before i get there so i have some areas and places already in my mind to visit and assess

Elviria area is good...just about 8 mins drive from the centre and less to local hospital and good shops. (I lived there over ten years and still think it is the best place). Despite those who do not know the place well it is not too touristy. Marbella is 70% Spanish and most professionals live in that area.

Having said that it would be difficult to get a decent villa for around 300K. to get anything reasonable would be at least 500k even though prices have dropped a lot. Nearly everything is legal in Marbella now, unlike the rest of Andalucia....

Marbella is a district centred on Marbella the town so you have a whole host of different places that are "in Marbella". There are lots of urbanisations right on the coast, Puerto Cabopino for example is built around a nice Marina and has plenty of bars, shops and restaurants. Urbanisations built around commercial centres such as Elviria, or El Rosario are closer to Marbella Town. Often these have largeish expat communities, sometimes with one nationality dominating.
Marbella town itself is a busy working Spanish town, lots to do, loads of bars and restaurants and all the shops you can think of. It can be quite sprawling, going a couple of kilometers away from the coast up to the AP7 at La Canada. My favourite area is off the main drag up by the copper tower, very central, nice beaches on your doorstep, good shopping centre and walking distance to most places but good transport links to the rest of the coast.

then currently that is ok, but remember that you need to allow the travel time to/from Malaga airport (but check out the stops available on the Metro line, which gives good service).
road transport can be a bit iffy at times and it wouldn't do to miss your ongoing transport because of a road problem.
the alternative is taxi, not cheap, or the BH meeting/dropping off at the airport.

hth