Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2018 10:37am
Hello Pat, I live in the foothills of the mountains that divide Albatera from the Hondon valley and have spectacular views towards the distant Mediterranean coast, taking in Catral, Benijofar, Elche, Guardamar and Santa Pola, to name just a few. It is classified as "Campo" and I need the car to go anywhere.
The Hondon valley has a good ex-pat community and is very friendly but it is on the flight path to the Airport at Elche and is always a few degrees cooler than the coast side of the mountains. As far as I am aware, any major shopping would entail a trip to Elche which has most things you could want.
Anything in the flat area of the Segura basin, such as Catral, Dolores and Almoradi is in the flood plain (no flooding issues that I am aware of due to drainage channels) and sits just above the water table meaning mozzie central and damp issues, although damp, surprisingly, is an issue in most areas, just more so, the lower you get.
If you are looking for a country property, to be fully legal it needs a minimum plot of 10,000 m2. Many properties have been built on less and are illegal, however there are ways of making it "accepted", usually by installing a new septic tank costing about 4,000 euros and these properties do sell, even without the septic tank. All country properties are known as Casa Rural and if built on less than 10,000 m2, even if it has a Habitacion Certificate, come with strict rules re further building which includes swimming pools and hard landscaping. Catral has many illegal properties.
Buses in country areas are usually few and far between.
Many Spanish houses are built to keep the heat out in the summer, not to keep warm in the winter, and you will absolutely need a heating system of some sort. Most villas have open fires or wood burners which I personally find to be dirty, smelly and dusty (adding to the usual layer of dust from Saharan sand) and do not heat the whole house. You also need to have somewhere dry to store the wood. Air conditioning, which also heats in the winter, is a popular choice as you are covered all year. Portable bottled gas fires should only be used as a stand-by due to the fumes and moisture produced. I understand that storage heaters have come a long way. I have had bottled gas full central heating installed from a combi boiler so have hot water as well. We have fans in all rooms and may add air conditioning to the bedrooms in the future. We have survived 2 very hot summers without it but I can take the heat much better than the cold. Fully tiled bathrooms get especially cold and unless you like a bit of Scandinavian torture (hot bath/shower into freezing room), or need night time visits, please consider adequate heating.
There are hundreds and hundreds of all types of property for sale, some taking years to sell, so don´t fall for the Estate Agents sales pitch and don´t put down the initial 3,000 euro deposit until your solicitor says it is ok. Estate Agents will do and say whatever is needed to sell a property so NEVER use their recommended solicitor and take everything with a pinch of salt.
Be very careful with tradesmen if you need work done and don´t assume that British is best as many have reinvented themselves on arriving in Spain. Properties being sold furnished, which is very common here, often means all the good stuff has gone and a collection of relative´s cast-offs remain. Weigh up the cost of removals with purchasing new here (Ikea in Murcia, for example) Check if you have a postal delivery to the door or if you need to collect from the nearest Post Office as having parcels delivered to country properties can be an issue.
Unless you are fluent in Spanish, I would suggest getting someone to help you with all the legalities. Your solicitor can arrange transfer of utilities into your name but charge a lot for it, so I would suggest getting someone like uma@getlegalinspain to sort everything out for you, have a look at her website as she has been our saving grace. She can help with NIE (foreigner´s register), IBI (Council tax), SIP (always get your medical records in UK before leaving), Residencia, Driving licence (which will have to be changed to a Spanish one with the UK one returned to DVLA), Padron (list of all residents and usually gets you access to free Spanish lessons via Town Hall /Ayuntamiento) and tax.
Search on this site for jim´s guides under everywhere which has a lot of very useful and well researched information.
If you get everything right, this is the most amazing place to live and I wish you all the best in this adventure.
My name's Alex and this is my website all about Elche in Spain. Register now for free to talk about General Elche discussion and much more!
