Midlander20

Hello.

Recently my family has been talking about looking at getting a 2/3 bed apartment on the costa del sol as a second home or permanent home for 1/2 members of the family. Ive been looking mainly at the area of Benalmadena and Fuengirola, I was wandering if anyone had any information they could tell me about these areas in terms of what there is do and jobs in the area. Also if anyone could give me any property website links for me to use that would be great as there seems to be a wide variety but its hard to tell the quality of some of the sites.

Sorry for being quite vague and thanks for any help given

Moses2013

I'd always be careful buying an apartment, especially in touristic areas of Spain. Like everywhere you can get quality, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You might see a nice complex with pool etc. but if people aren't paying their service charges the whole place could be a mess in no time. Either your charge goes up, or they won't do a thing. You always need an engineer to do a structural survey of the whole building. I know people who bought apartments, and the neighbours balcony needed replacing. All other parties had to pay and if it keeps going on like that it can get expensive. Just something to think about, so best do your research and talk to people in the area.

Rosemary

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

jonnyx

Hi,
You asked for a property link here is one: MPA Homes
For Jobs try this: Jobs in Spain
For information about the area: Costa del Sol, Spain

And finally, my pictures from the Costa del Sol: Southern Spain on Pinterest

Welcome to Spain,

cricketman

Well, in the Benalmadena/Fuengirola area, it will be difficult to buy a house. Any houses will cost 2 or 3 times as much as a flat

Basically if the buildings look OK after 6 years of crisis, then they will probably always be OK. There are a lot of badly built apartments but some good ones aswell. Try and test the sound insulation and I recommend not living where the flats are rented out to a lot of holiday makers

I used to live in Benalmadena Pueblo, it was very nice and as Spanish or English as you want it to be. Loads of things to do across the whole of the Malaga province especially as the weather is usually good (although can be windy in the winter and flats get cold)

In the area, a 2-3 bed flat with terraces, parking and pool will be around 150k-300k euros. Although double that if you are on the front line of the beach/sea

Midlander20

Thanks for the replies so far. Firstly if we are going to buy a place or very interested in a area we will go over for a few days to check it all out. The previous poster has worried me a bit as we are not looking to spend more than 100-120k euros on 2 bed. Have you got any advice on areas which may be slighty more affordable nearby if that's the case. Once again thanks for any help given really do appreciate it.

cricketman

That budget is a bit low. You may be able to find flats in that price range in the Calahonda area, or Cerros del Aguila, the centre of Torremolinos or further inland e.g. Alhaurin En Grande

You do get what you pay for though and that is the very lowest end of the price scale for a 2 bed flat

Remember that on top of the purchase price you have to pay another roughly 10-12% in taxes and fees

IamStu

There are many properties around Riviera del Sol/Calahonda.
The banks are still holding many from builders that went bust. Our bank manager called to ask if we would be interested in 2-3 bed appt(s) ranging from 80 to 150k. Some where of high spec though most needed finishing.
We looked at a two bed overlooking a golf course with views down to the sea. Asking price approx 90k. Needed a loo putting in the bathroom and the kitchen sink putting in. Again, the builder went bust before he could finish. We didn´t go ahead as we were just toying with the idea at the time.
Do note property values seem to be on the up at the moment. Plenty from Scandinavia seem to be buying their holiday homes at bargain prices.
I prefer this area to Fuengirola as I don´t like the cities. Work is in very short supply though!!!

Try this http://www.fotocasa.es/pisos/malaga-...quiler/listado

Madridboy

With regards to buying, it's a buyers market. Find something you like and make a really cheeky offer, you never know, there's a lot of desperate sellers out there.

chrisjolly

Hi there, most of the other replies have covered everything you need to know but just in case you do not know estate agents are completely different in Spain. They are unregulated and the agents themselves do not require any qualifications to do the job other than try and sell the property with a usually much higher commission rate than 1.5%. You will find the same property being advertised by many agents and sometimes at different prices as there are no problems with multi agency here. The agents try and get what they can and can be unscrupulous so beware. If you see a property you like try and talk to the owner and make your offers to them. The buying process is simple but add 10% roughly to your property price for fees and taxes.
On your budget you should fine a modern 2 bedroom apartment along the coast but probably not towards Marbella as that is more expensive. Fuengirola is a lovely town and towards Calahonda, Riviera del Sol and Miraflores are also affordable. Spend a while just to see and good luck.

cricketman

Estate agents are unregulated and require no qualifications in the UK as well

IamStu

I know of a couple of agents, both previously having worked as bank managers.
Both very honest and above board.
On the flip side, I know of a dozen agents I wouldn´t trust with my Granny!

cricketman

The rule should be never ever trust an estate agent

We were constantly lied and cheated to by Foxtons in London. The tricks they played were unbelievable

chrisjolly

Sorry there is legislation which agents have to comply with. This is from the OFT
The Estate Agents Act 1979 regulates your work as an estate agent. Its purpose is to make sure that you act in the best interests of your clients, and that both buyers and sellers are treated honestly, fairly and promptly.

Why this information is important:

if you don't comply with the law, you could be banned from working as an estate agent
if you ignore a ban, you could be prosecuted and fined.

This does not happen in Spain.

chrisjolly

Not true as some agents go well beyond the call of duty. We knew one that redecorated an apartment in Totnes for an old guy who had bought it not realising the bad state of the decor. He stayed in a hotel on completion and the agents got together and redecorated it before he moved in and the removal company stored his stuff without charge for a few days. There are always two sides!