Maria0104

Good afternoon all

Just signed up to the forum when I found it whilst browsing about- it seems you lot provide a lot better information than the rest of the net

We are looking at purchasing a holiday home in the Costa del Sol to use mostly during the winter months from the cold English weather. However, we are having a little trouble with the areas to hone in on our search.

Are there any particularly recommended areas?

We really, really, like the Estepona area but it seems if we want to get near the town itself we need to be in an apartment and would rather have a villa. There are areas around with nice property such as Forest Hills, Buenas Noches and further up the coast Cancelada, but not having been to these particular parts we were worried that there might not be much there. We are coming over in a couple of weeks and have spoke to some realtor's but don't really want to waste anyones time if there is not much in these areas. Some advice on this would be really good as google is not generally yielding much information outside the main town.

The general areas we have looked are Puerto Banus (but it seems we can't afford a decent villa with private pool there for love nor money), the Marbella area (not our ideal area if we are honest) but no further up. We have had a look at some guides for other areas but Estepona area would be our ideal.

I personally like the look of Elviria as well, but there is one page I have found on it (Which sounds nice, but then again not much information!).

Apologies for the ramble, I was just looking for a bit of help

Moses2013

The areas you're looking at seem to be pretty pricey and a private pool will come at a cost, but it depends what your budget is. You might also want to rethink the idea of a pool if it's just a holiday home, because of all the maintenance etc. It might also be a good idea to consider other areas, as you'd get far more for your money.

Maria0104

I think I agree too. Can you let on where we may get more for our money? We understand that nearer the coast we will get less and less for our money but I think we were far more hopeful we would get something decent than we have found so far. I think thats how it always works though when buying a property! Our budget is around EUR 600,000. I know Marbella is extremely expensive, but in all honesty I would rather not be in Marbella itself (good job as we can't seem to afford to be!)

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

Moses2013

Well to be honest that is a huge budget, so even in that area you should get plenty, but there would be far cheaper areas all along the coast to be honest. Others might be able to help with areas. We have a holiday home on the Costa Brava, so that would probably be too far up North for you

cricketman

For EUR600k you should be able to get a very nice villa. Not near Puerto Banus, but I wouldnt advise that anyway

Have a poke around Idealista. They have maps to help you out.

This one jumped out at me which you may be able to get in your budget. Close to Estepona pueblo (apparently)

casa independiente en venta en urb. nueva atalaya barrio centro. estepona

But once you get under 500k then looks like you are more likely to get terrace houses rather than villas

If you go further up the Coast to the Mijas area then you will get a little more for your money

Let me add that if I had EUR600k to spend in that area then I would look to buy a 2-3 bed penthouse overlooking the beach in Marbella. For me, that is the ultimate in quality of life. Some of the blocks have communal swimming pools and tennis courts etc. and you can walk the 7km stretch of beach between Marbella and Puerto Banus to your heart's content. Tremendous!

Prices have come down a lot in recent years too and way easier to manage as a holiday home

Maria0104

Thank you for all your advice.

I agree, an apartment would be lovely but as a 'family' decision we have come to the choice of a villa for the privacy and independence. I think a more lock up and leave choice would be better as an apartment, indeed.

I haven't been on Idealista but I will now, I guess I stuck to the generic search websites

Moses2013

To be honest with you, I would not buy an apartment if you're used to living in a detached house. If you like peace, you're better off buying a house and there are plenty of affordable properties. Especially when apartments are rented out, you never know who you'll get.

Maria0104

That is part of the reason we decided upon a villa. We have always lived in detached properties and value our privacy greatly. I agree about renting out apartments- I have been in the situation myself when some guests can be less than desirable, and we were concerned with any fees we may need to pay on an enclosed community (we rent out a city property here in England and service charge, ground rent fees etc became extortionate for a while)

Fredbargate

Personally I wouldn't buy at all
€600K could earn you €30K a year interest which would pay for some very nice rental properties in the winter months
Not tying you to any one area and not putting you in a position of owning a property you may never sell in the future should you want to.

Moses2013

Or they could buy something for 200K and keep the rest. People are still buying properties and if you buy in the right areas at the right price, you won't have problems selling. Renting is fine, but I'm sure they have reasons why they want to buy and it is a lifestyle choice too.

Maria0104

It is partly a lifestyle choice yes. And we can come and go when we please, a casual weekend, let family members use it in summer etc.

And as the property will be in the names of the children of the family, who plan to keep it for as long as possible, I don't think turning over the property when the time comes should be too much of an issue. Inheritance tax would strip any benefit of keeping the money in England, in our names, unfortunately, especially with the forthcoming election looming, so keeping the money for poor interest rates does not seem appealing to us.

We aren't buying the property as an 'investment', but hopefully we are not silly enough to make a poor choice when it comes to what to pay and where when we gain more information.

cricketman

Actually yes that is what I would do, and indeed what I partly do

And you are not stuck to one location

Neptuno

We don't have many lottery winners on here!

cricketman

I have rented out a number of "aticos" and you dont hear nearly as much as underneath, but sure in an area where people holiday a lot then it is a risk

However in terms of community fees, maintaining and running a big villa and pool will be more expensive than any community fees. You will be talking about 300-500 euros of electiricty per month to keep a medium to large villa with pool ticking over

Oh, and you have a £1 million inheritance tax free threshold in the UK. Correct me if I am wrong, but your property in Spain would fall under Spanish rules and would be taxed heavily as a second residence