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Never bought property abroad, so am a real newcomer, just looking for some advice and information.
When you see the properties listed, is this freehold or leasehold, it doesn’t seem to say, if it is leasehold, does anyone know how long the lease generally is?
Anyone got a general idea on how much maintenance/tax you would have to pay on a 100,000 euro priced property with a communal pool?
I have been before a few time to this area, but I always had a car, just wondering if anyone know anything about public transport in this area, cos i’ve never used it and is it okay?
What are soem general tips for first time buyers to look out for, we will be buying resale and it will be for cash.
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Hi liam10uk,
Welcome to the forum. I purchased a property 5 years ago not far from Villamartin in an urbanisation with communal pool. The maintenance I pay is in and around E600 per year, suma is council tax for refuse etc – I pay about E180 per year, La Renta Tax on my property at the moment is about E45. Have you tried other areas at all. I like the area we are in as it is convenient to shops restaurants, beach 5 min drive – but on saying that you still need a car as things can be fairly spread out. My advice to anyone is rent before you buy say in a different area than Villamartin. I don’t think there is much public transport around Villamartin but I could be wrong. If you need any more information please feel free to ask. With regard to your comment – I would only buy something that is freehold.
Angela
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Yeah, i Stayed in area near to where they built a new little square near the main square not sure of the exact name, (they had a pie and mash for the londoners in this new bit at one point, haven’t been for a few years, so don’t know if it has gone now?, there is an indian there as well) but I always had a car, but my mum is thinking about buying a property in this sort of area and she doesn’t drive, i know you can more or less walk to the plaza and all she really wants is that its near a supermarket to get her shopping, ut i’m wondering if it is easy for her to get to the beach, though i realise a cab will probably be only about 5 euros.
We also only want to buy freehold, its just that it doesn’t seem to be mentioned on the advertisement for the properties we were looking to buy, so was a bit confused.
Which area (Near Villamartin) do you think would be best for someone who doesn’t drive?
I thought the closer you got to the beach the price of properties goes up? Thats why we were looking at being nearer to villamartin plaza because its a bit more set back, I wonder if there is a bus route round here if she wants to go into Torrevieja or somewhere? Surely there must be something.
Its quite hard to find information on the internet about Villamartin, I’ve only found a few places, I’m trying to show my mum about the area, cos she has never been is more or less going off my recommendation as I really enjoyed it the few times I went and thoguht its a nice place for a holiday home as there is quite alot there without being over the top.
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There is no such thing as Leasehold in Spain. You have the vertical ownership. The leasehold is very British concept thanks to feudal landlords. The Queen, Duke of Westminter, Price Charles a few comes to mind in a modern sense.
The Spanish for that matter & other EU residents cannot get their head around to 99 years lease and than returning the property to the Freeholder ( Lord )
The above system has been a excuse for the unscrupulous Freeholders to exploit & to extract all kinds of monies out of leaseholders, Charging extortionate Insurance premiums, claiming works to be done on the block and passing the contracts to family & friends in addition charging their own management fee.
Sorry, I am slightly off topic here but I feel it indirectly related to the question.
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Hi Liam10uk,
I would recommend more towards the Playa Flemenca area for your mother – there are plenty of places for sale around and it is nearer the bus route – there is a local bus which goes round in a loop and you can get off I presume at the bus stops at La Zenia and from there you can get the bus in to Torrevieja. There is the Centro Commerical in Playa Flemenca – lots of restaurants and it is nearer to town hall, plenty of shops etc. There is also La Zenia and Punta Prima – they are all within striking distance of each other. I suppose when I bought I had two young kids one was 3 and the other 5 and I didn’t want to drive either so I was able to walk to the shops and get a taxi back from supermarket etc. So that is the only reason I would recommend the Playa Flemenca area just for pure convenience – also Murcia airport is 25 mins and Alicante is 45 so you can pick and choose your flights also.
Best of luck in your choice
Angela
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@angela wrote:
Hi Liam10uk,
I would recommend more towards the Playa Flemenca area for your mother – there are plenty of places for sale around and it is nearer the bus route – there is a local bus which goes round in a loop and you can get off I presume at the bus stops at La Zenia and from there you can get the bus in to Torrevieja. There is the Centro Commerical in Playa Flemenca – lots of restaurants and it is nearer to town hall, plenty of shops etc. There is also La Zenia and Punta Prima – they are all within striking distance of each other. I suppose when I bought I had two young kids one was 3 and the other 5 and I didn’t want to drive either so I was able to walk to the shops and get a taxi back from supermarket etc. So that is the only reason I would recommend the Playa Flemenca area just for pure convenience – also Murcia airport is 25 mins and Alicante is 45 so you can pick and choose your flights also.
Best of luck in your choice
Angela
Thank you, when i went i was always walking distance to the plaza, but if my mum is gonna spend alot of time there, i don’t soppose she will walk to there every night, i only went there all the time, cos i was on a weeks holiday.
thanks for the tip[, i will have a look around playa flemenca.
Can you walk to the beach from this area?
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Hi Liam10uk,
You could walk to the beach but to be honest would not recommend it as you have to cross the busy N332. Playa Flemenca has all the amenities within easy distance – you can get a taxi from here no more than E6 either way and it is closer to the buses. La Zenia or Punta Prima or Cabo Roig would be nearer to the beach you could walk but you may not have as many of the larger supermarkets in walking distance. To be totally independent in and around Torrevieja you probably don’t need a car – I hear La Mata is nice and right on the beach and good bus service – but Torrevieja would be busier and noiser. I think before your mum buys she should rent and check out the neighbourhood, for noiseness etc. The houses in Spain are not as well insulated as the ones here in Ireland or England and you can here noise more.
Angela
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The advice from Angela is spot on. Orihuela Costa, which includes Playa Flamenca, has a British and Irish expat population of some 30,000 people, most of whom live there happily and enjoy their expat lives.
But they’ve had many problems over the years and some still persist. Property prices have crashed badly over the past three years with repossessions everywhere.
Renting first is the answer, there are thousands of suitable rentals available, and you can judge whether the area is for you. Playa Flamenca is more convenient than Villamartin, and along with it’s name, the beach isn’t far away.
If you rent and it’s not for you, you can move on; if you buy, you might be stuck with a property you can’t sell.
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TBH, its just going to be a holiday home for our family, but if my mum retires in the next ten years, she may be staying out there for longer periods of time, if she wishes, she isn’t going to move out there (or no plans to at the minute)
I’ve been reading on another forum that the el Galan area is nice?
and has a lot of amenites in the general area, but obviously further to the beach.
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Hi Liam10uk,
We use ours as a holiday home and have enjoyed many a lovely holiday over the last 5 years in a very popular urbanisation excellent location but with increasing flight prices and we always pay peak prices as we go during school holidays we don’t get there as much – so we tried to sell – but in a falling market you may as well be trying to get blood from a stone – sure we could sell it if we’d take a hit of E80,000 or more – so instead we’re renting it out and getting good interest too. My advice even if it is a holiday home make sure it is location, location, location – one day you or your mother may want to sell and no point in buying in a place that may not be popular either to rent or to sell. I can’t comment on El Galan, sorry but as I say I do thing the only way is to rent and get a feel for the place.
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El Galan is a slightly better urbanisation than the dozens of others around the place, but you need a car if you live there. Please listen to what Angela has said, if you buy, you’re buying into a falling market and that applies to the whole of Spain at this time.
That applies even if you’re looking years ahead, with a bankrupt construction industry and an overhang of well over a million empty homes, Spain is not a country to invest in at this time.
Reading between the lines of your post, you need to be careful that your mother doesn’t find herself in an urbanisation where she has no neighbours for miles around, which is not uncommon in some parts of Orihuela Costa. Read the other forums too, there are more people leaving than arriving.
Having said all that, if you’re really careful and extremely lucky, especially further south along the coastal stretch, there are still some spots that make for happy retirement and holidays in the sun.
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@Rocker wrote:
El Galan is a slightly better urbanisation than the dozens of others around the place, but you need a car if you live there. Please listen to what Angela has said, if you buy, you’re buying into a falling market and that applies to the whole of Spain at this time.
That applies even if you’re looking years ahead, with a bankrupt construction industry and an overhang of well over a million empty homes, Spain is not a country to invest in at this time.
Reading between the lines of your post, you need to be careful that your mother doesn’t find herself in an urbanisation where she has no neighbours for miles around, which is not uncommon in some parts of Orihuela Costa. Read the other forums too, there are more people leaving than arriving.
Having said all that, if you’re really careful and extremely lucky, especially further south along the coastal stretch, there are still some spots that make for happy retirement and holidays in the sun.
Its not really an investment as such, more like a holiday/retirement home, its for the family so we can their for breaks and when my mum retires she can stay out there for long periods, where not looking to buy then sell it in 5 years time or nothing.
But with saying that, you don’t wanna buy anything for 100,000euros, then in 2 years time it is worth 50000, cos you might as well wait that two years and get it half price, how low do you think the houses will fall?
I know next to nothing about property markets, so i appreciate any adice given.
Thanks
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Hi Liam10uk,
Gold courses houses are like ghost towns in the summer and busier in the winter. Unless you or your family like golf there is no point in buying on a golf course. Costal area is the way to go. No one can see in to the future how far prices are going to fall. As I said when we bought we bought for long term i.e. for future retirement which is a long way off – but circumstances change and prices of flights can become expensive. Go out rent for two three weeks in the general area and make appointments to view properties and by the end of the three weeks you will have a better idea.
Angela
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