Moving to area

Trouble is there are so many nice places

One of our main criteria was distance to airports as flights are expensive unless you can use either / more than one.

I would suggest you spend a week driving different areas and then once you have narrowed your search only then start looking for property

Best wishes

Both those areas, like lots around the coast, can be very hilly. I love Altea even though it only has a stony beach but getting from the beach and boardwalk area up to the town is a bit too much sometimes. Plus prices of property seem a lot more than similar towns, especially if you are close to the beach or port areas. 

Gran Alacant has a good bus service and lots of amenities but, again, very hilly in places. Property prices not as high as Altea and you'd get more for your money there. Also very close to the airport (could be a plus or a minus although I think the planes come in from sea area and shouldn't be too noisy in Gran Alacant. 

If you are working online then it won't matter where you go but, if not, you'd have to consider which area has the type of job you are going to do. 

Best of luck and hope you find what you are looking for.

Hi, we are moving over in July.  Last November we were looking around Gran Alacant, Elche, Algorfa,  Quesada, Benijofar, Benimar, Rojales....we went to Alicante again in May to be on a TV show but the house we bought came on the market the day before we were flying home. A lovely 4 bed villa. We are retirement age but have family and friends waiting to visit and stay hence the 4 beds. We were first to view and bought it there and then! We love it and can't wait to move over now we have our visas, insurance etc. in place. The area we bought in is El Raso, Guardamar Del Segura. I'd read up on the area beforehand so knew we'd like it. It is half an hour from the airport, 10 mins from beach, has local amenities, bars and restaurants close by and 10 to 15 minutes to other amenities so really accessible from most places. Have a look you might find something suitable for you both there. Good luck! 

Hi Philip and welcome to the forum!

Have you thought about renting for, say, 6 months before committing to a purchase?  It's expensive to buy and sell property in Spain, so if you can get it right first time, you'll save yourself a lot of money in taxes and fees.  For example, IDP ("Impuesto sobre Transacciones Patrimoniales", or property transfer tax) in the Comunidad Valenciana autonomous region is 10% of the property purchase price, plus an extra 3-4% for lawyer, notary and land registry fees.  Selling agent fees are typically between 3% and 6% of the sellng price, plus legal fees.

I know both Altea (coast and old town) and Gran Alacant (coastal, but no great age as such), so it may help others offer ideas if you could say what attracted you to each area.  Have you looked at Santa Pola?  Also, what type of property are you looking for, e.g. low maintenance apartment on a community of owners with shared facilities, or detached property with private pool?

Kind regards,

Kim

Rent first for a month in both places and you can decide it better. I am in Gran Alacant because the airport is important to me. Many Russians live in Altea, they even has a beautiful orthodox church that you can see from a bus or tram. Beach is not sand, but pebbles. Gran Alacant has many different people, lots of British, too.

Think outside the box!  Your pension and finances will go further if you move slightly inland and north.  After COVID lockdown era cost of living has rapidly increased and many shops, restaurants and cafés have closed.  Many places are ghost towns.  You might like to look at Lliria, Valencia. Generally cheaper.  I live 3kms away from all the public amenities, food shops (football size Lidl, family cash and many other food shops), banks, hospital, doctors, dentist, veterinarian, computer shops, post office, Asian shop, a few resturants, English café etc. Local bus takes you to town.  Some of the big shops offer a special taxi service for €4 to bring all your food home.  Parking is free. Fuel cost is cheaper and many homes have fast speed fiber optic cable (movistar); I pay just under €30euros per month.  WhatsApp is popular and delivery transport drivers use Google location coordinates.  If you live slightly on a hill you get a natural cool breeze so you do not need to use air con.  Many people have solar panels to reduce their electricity bills.  You can buy water from an agricultural farm for about €20 per fill which is sufficient to fill a pool, run the washing machine, shower, and watering the garden.  No need for a tumble dryer.  Advisable to drink bottled water. 

Caution:  Do NOT use the estate agents recommended solicitor/lawyer/abogado.  Best to visit the property together in person.  Many websites stretch their images and do not give metric measurements.  Generally Spanish properties tend to be tiny/small. 
Many Spaniards own dogs, so be prepared for some barking, and some folks making smoking bonfires.