[angie]

Have just seen Viva’s latest Costa del Sol price reductions email and two things stand out.

The first is that many properties advertised are still well overpriced eg Benahavis penthouse 780k euros, San Pedro penthouse 1,150,00k euros, yes, over a million for 3 bed apartment in that area (San Pedro) but reduced from nearly 1.5 million. Are these properties, many flats/apartments, look-a-like townhouses etc really worth that sort of money and would they hold that value as newer properties get built? IMO I don’t think so. The Benahavis ones are looked down on by an urbanisation that looks like a prison barracks, view from window shows large pylon, and both sites as well as others look out on urban sprawls and rough ground (just ready to be built on and block your views) I really can’t see the value in these properties and certainly not at current exchange rates for Brits.

The second point is that so many properties look so similar internally like hotel rooms, modern but little character, and externally hard to tell apart from another site or 100s of sites. IMO so much Spanish property has lost it’s character. Who wants to live in a hotel room all their life or for every holiday in the same room, it must be so boring after a few months in the sun especially if the property is an apartment or townhouse on a vast complex? No wonder Brits take to booze! 🙄

The South of France I think is a much safer long term bet as is the UK IMO 🙂

[Anonymous]

Could never understand the attraction of Benahavis ( I dont mean the village ) all the propetties left & right hand side of the road going upto Benahavis.

France may be a good bet if you looking to buy to let and if you are a Francofile…… and live with their arrogance.

[angie]

You can’t beat a bit of French arrogance shakeel, especially if it is served with superb French cuisine 😆

Their beautiful stone properties take some beating too, and much sounder and stronger generally than Spanish construction, and what character too! 😉

[katy]

…and they usually have central heating 😀

[Anonymous]

i drove down to ernee in france recently and the villages i drove through had so much more charm than the spainish ones but when my sat nav died they didn’t appear to understand english and most didn’t even respond when asked

[Anonymous]

Sat Nav, broken down !!!!!!!!! Its almost like losing one’s limbs. I never use it infact I dont have one & refuse to have it. The sad truth is that many people just cant read the map’s due to over reliance on technology.

[angie]

I have to say that I do like many of the ‘white villages’ in Spain, but overall the beauty of those honey coloured stone villages and towns of Southern France set in fabulous unspoilt countryside (no cranes, little ugly urbanisation etc) knocks spots off the overbuilt Spanish lands. There are so many fantastic looking stone houses in France, you’re spoilt for choice.

Back to my original point though about overpriced Spanish properties, don’t you think there are just too many look-a-like ‘hotel room sets’ in their apartments and townhouses, fine for a week or two’s holiday, but to invest in???? They’re still overpriced even with the reductions and will become old news when the next new blocks are built next door as often happens in Spain.

I once bought at Cabopino next to the golf course, duped by Ocean Estates. Nothing will be built on adjacent piece of ground, that is there forever, oh yeah, I fell for it, within a couple of years there was a massive block of new builds completely obliterating the view and the Westerly sun. Furthermore, the new block failed to sell even though it was even more up to date.

Can you believe, the adjacent apartment to ours then had two huge dogs and their owners moved in, the dogs barked and crapped all over their terrace, madness buying an apartment! 😥 We forced Ocean Estates to buy it back on completion and with a profit of sorts or face the wrath of Angie and the ensuing bad publicity 😆 I think marching in to their offices with my RPG also focused their minds 😆

No Sat Nav for me either! 😉

[Anonymous]

RPG, Que ?? Does it mean replica gun ??? surely it was not rocket propelled gun that you carried into their very posh office’s behind, Puerto Banus !!!!

[angie]

shakeel, RPG stands for Rocket Propelled Grenade allegedly 😆

Although, I’m sure mine was a ‘Really Powerful Gripe’ at them 😉 Either way, we WON and, drove them out of town too 😆

[Anonymous]

i can read a map but didn’t have any maps with me till i stopped and bought one,i was a lorry driver for 14 years all long before the sat nav was even invented

[Anonymous]

I bet eight out of ten young lorry drivers will be lost without it in todays time.

[Author]

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