Hi my name is Ann, I’m from Cork in Southern Ireland, hoping to relocate to Alicante in the next year. I will be looking for a 2/3 bedroom apartment/villa as my family will be joining me for hols/ weekends etc I’m reading all I can at the moment on what to do and the pitfalls etc . To be honest I’m s bit scared but excited about the prospect too . I look forward to this new chapter and hopefully getting some advice when the time is right😊

Hello Ann
Ive just seen your post. My husband and I have bought an apartment near Alicante University. We are from Meath :thumb:
Have you checked out the Costa Blanca Forum as well? It certainly was scary but exciting going ahead with our purchase.
Most research was done online. We were looking for a holiday home that we could retire to within next few years. Having spent some holidays on costa del sol we knew that the property market there was difficult within our budget. Remember you have to add at least 15% on top of sale price. We found out that Costa Blanca seemed best area to find property within our budget. Alicante City itself appealed to us due to fantastic transport links, great year round weather and location beside the sea.
So off we went... we loved the new feel of the airport as we arrived. Then 20mins into city center for €3.75. Stayed in apartment and explored everything that the city had to offer. Buses approx €1 with multi-trip ticket. Trams, trains and fast trains to anywhere can be accessed easily. The town beach and marina are lovely, yes very busy in hot weather but we’ve always managed to find space. A 7km beach is a short tram or bus ride away!
So we went back home and researched online properties in or near Alicante. Different agents got in touch with us and we decided to set up an appointment with one or two to go back out and view at our own expense. The first trip opened our eyes with some reality checks. For instance our budget couldn’t reach to anything other than a complete wreck in city center. In hindsight that was good as city center can be very noisy 24/7. Lovely to go in to feel the great atmosphere and buzz but we like to sleep most nights!!
Then we were shown properties down streets with brick walls the main view, and up flights of stairs with no lift!!
We went home disappointed but determined to widen our search area. Having got a good impression from one of the agents, she could speak English and she collected us in her car to take us to viewings, we choose another 6-10 apartments to view.
Off out to Alicante again and this time we found our apartment. I can go into more details if you need later.
Lots of people would advise you to rent somewhere in Spain for some months that you might like to live in. Great advice yes.
But we weren’t in a position to do that. Plus it costs a lot, flights living expenses etc... We could see our budget melting quickly if we did that. Our apartment is lovely, not overlooked, balcony, 2 baths, clear views of the mountains, sea view from one window and panoramic view from the roof. It is in a high rise but has a lift and green area all around outside. It came fully furnished and needed nothing to be done. It’s in a Spanish residential area with lovely parks nearby. We literally moved in the day after we signed at the office. It’s a 15min bus ride to the promenade, and 10mins to city center, fabulous.
Hope this helps a little. Best of luck with your plans :)

hi
Delighted to hear from you, I’m still in the planning stages and trying to read/research everything I can. One question do you speak Spanish, is it better to learn basic before moving etc or to take classes there? I know paperwork etc can be taken care of by lawyers as I believe they can be complicated . Is there anything to do with the purchase I should be particularly careful of . I hope to get a villa with pool not too far from sea without paying an arm and a leg . I hope to go out for a holiday in Oct to suss out places I like . Thanks again for replying .
Ann

No we didn’t have any Spanish and honestly haven’t formally learned much yet. The estate agent spoke English and arranged everything for us in terms of paperwork. But certainly while we get by pretty well, 🤷🏼‍♂️ we need to learn at least basics! We keep putting it off, too busy etc... There are different types of Spanish spoken, depends on which area.

Seems to still be a buyers market here so that’s good. A villa with pool by the sea is a lovely dream. We have an apartment, 15mins from seafront, beach and Marina, no pool. We don’t swim. Only being here for a few weeks would make a private pool very very expensive to upkeep. There are towns with very good municipal indoor and outdoor pools, deck chairs, lifeguards, very nice. Very low payment like €2. And of course there are community pools which are lovely but could add €100++ to your monthly community fees. Water is metered as well and we pay quarterly. Utilities are similar cost to back home, but standing charges are high and add up while you are absent. New regulations have been introduced to have everyone get a license to let out their holiday homes, seemingly quite difficult to obtain. For example 1 bathroom has to be 4.5 meters sq. Many people are caught out on that one point alone.

It is vital to have an independent solicitor it seems as everyone says so!! Another woman I’ve met had a so called independent solicitor but in fact she found out that within this industry they actually collaborate. Estate agents and solicitors who work in housing “know” each other within their catchment areas. Same in any Country I suspect.
The weather is a huge factor in life in Spain. The blue so blue sky in Dec/Jan alone is enough to cheer us. Fabulous.
But it gets cool/cold in the evening so heating is required. August in particular is so humid and hot.
We choose to live just outside a city with great transport links as we choose not to drive in Spain. Make lists of things you “must have”
There are forums for different areas. For example have a look at Costablancaforum. Lots of people are very blunt with their info but a lot have taken time to research and post full helpful how-to guides!!

Two things you will need to purchase property are NIE first, a fiscal number ( No it’s not the social security number) .
That will enable you to open a Spanish bank account which you will need.
Good luck, please return to forum with your findings. 😎