Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2021 12:35pm
Welcome to the forum, when this pandemic allows try renting in the area you are interested in, that way you can get a "feel" for the place before you commit to buying.
Some areas are mostly residential which means there will be more people about during the winter months whereas mostly holiday home areas will be much quieter in the winter months and possibly quite noisy in the summer months.
My advice would be to buy somewhere near amenities and a medical centre as there may come a time when you can't or dont wish to drive.
If you dont speak Spanish dealing with bureaucracy and hospital and Doctor appointments can be difficult and you may be asked to bring a translator with you, which of course will be at your expense.
Medical treatment here in Spain is very good, but little or nothing in the way of after care, another thing to think about. However not being in receipt of UK state pension means you will have to take out private medical insurance.
Not all Supermarkets deliver, for instance I have a Mercadona less than a kilometre away yet they dont deliver to our Urbanisation, very few supermarkets sell newspapers and magazines it's nothing like the UK where you can get practically everything including picking up a prescription and getting your eyes tested under one roof. There are no little corner shops to pop to if you forget something or just fancy a bar of chocolate! There are no Boots type shops but the pharmacies are very good and the staff who work in the pharmacies are very knowledgeable.
Winter can be very cold and damp recently we had 4 days of rain when everything felt damp and very cold, my advice would be bring your electric blanket, brushed cotton sheets and plenty of warm clothes.
July and August are stiflingly hot and humid, very uncomfortable.
Plenty to think about, take your time dont be rushed into making any hasty decisions. You will know what's right for you.
As a footnote, if you ever think about getting some building work done go on personal recommendations and never, ever pay up front. You will find a lot of what I would call false friends ie Brits who offer to do work for you, and I think we have all fallen for the " a brit would not rip off another brit" scenario until Brexit forced peoples hands there were a lot of so called tradesmen working illegally cash in hand paying no tax and not insured, they may give lower quotes for the work but there will be no come back should things go wrong.
I know it annoys the tradesmen who do everything by the book, pay their taxes, are insured etc as they can't compete with the low prices the others charge.
Good luck with your search 🥂