[Anonymous]

My wife and I recently visited the Almeria district of Spain both for a holiday and to view property with the intention of making Spain our permanent home when I retire next year.
During the first week we were shown property in the Almanzora Country Park .
Once you get there along the single winding poorly tarmac and dirt track and unlit road for several kilometers you come across this oasis of houses. Granted they are lovely but the size of property advertised is that of the land, not of the property itself. Take off the garden, the parking area and you are left what I would best describe as a doll’s house. In other words a 2 bedroom semi -detached house costing £68,000 and unfurnshed only measures about half the advertised area of 120 square meters.
Some Lawyers deem it a high risk area. Well if you consider that the park lies on the south side of Vera, the nearest town, and between the town and the park lives what I would best describe as a community of gypsies of Spanish and Columbian origin . (I did not take the time to find out but I learned this from a local source.)
We were not impressed with the visit, in more ways than one

[Anonymous]

Hi
We also visited this site back in February 2005, after being taken there on a promotional excercise by Parador Properties. We too were totally unimpressed with what we saw. Unlike you however, we were given the hard sell and informed that the semi-detached properties were somewhat larger than they actually were and selling fast. We were told that the builds were on 250m2 plots but we disputed this after having made several calculations.

To make matters worse the plots offered in excess of 250m2 were calculated on an extra 1000e per m2 We have since discovered that no building licences had been granted for this site, and upon reading your description, it would appear that it hasn’t moved on much since our last and only visit. We have also learnt that most promoters of this site have now pulled out, however on visiting another of Parador Properties ‘road shows’ last month, still appear to be in the frame.

If you are like us and love this area of Spain but would like to live in the ‘Real Spain’ we would ask you consider looking further inland at properties in the Almanzora Valley region. You still have to be cautious though as there are illegal builds still in this area. If you follow Mark’s advise though, you should be able to avoid the pitfalls. Just remember to check and double check everything and obtain the services of an english speaking Spanish lawyer who is recommended by other clients and not the estate agent or builder.

Best of luck. Hope you are able to find your dream home in the sun

[Anonymous]

Hi
We also visited this site back in February 2005, after being taken there on a promotional excercise by Parador Properties. We too were totally unimpressed with what we saw. Unlike you however, we were given the hard sell and informed that the semi-detached properties were somewhat larger than they actually were and selling fast. We were told that the builds were on 250m2 plots but we disputed this after having made several calculations.

To make matters worse the plots offered in excess of 250m2 were calculated on an extra 1000e per m2 We have since discovered that no building licences had been granted for this site, and upon reading your description, it would appear that it hasn’t moved on much since our last and only visit. We have also learnt that most promoters of this site have now pulled out, however on visiting another of Parador Properties ‘road shows’ last month, still appear to be in the frame.

If you are like us and love this area of Spain but would like to live in the ‘Real Spain’ we would ask you consider looking further inland at properties in the Almanzora Valley region. You still have to be cautious though as there are illegal builds still in this area. If you follow Mark’s advise though, you should be able to avoid the pitfalls. Just remember to check and double check everything and obtain the services of an english speaking Spanish lawyer who is recommended by other clients and not the estate agent or builder.

Best of luck. Hope you are able to find your dream home in the sun

[Author]

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