Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2022 9:23am
Ideally rent a holiday let property for a couple of weeks, similar to the style and size you plan to buy for your visits. Don't treat it like a holiday though, live in the house, use local shops and spend your free time visiting different villages and towns to look at amenities - list pros and cons for each place you like. List what is important to you, what aspects really matter - this may change once you have spent a few days there. Think long-term too, buying and selling in Spain is an expensive business so you need to get it right first time and the property will need to meet your needs as grow older. Your NLV will take a while (especially with the strikes), so you can probably visit a couple of times to visit different towns. You need to choose WHERE you want to be first, you can adapt and change the inside of a house to your own taste but you cannot change its location. Speak to locals. Older villas are usually not insulated, newer ones are. Think about car dependency too, what happens if one of you can no longer drive?
This is a massive decision that needs to be made with no pressure. You need to be buying with your head as well as your heart, so if you fall in love with a property then take a step back and take time to think things through. The right property is out there for you but it may take time to find, there is no rush. You may even find it useful to rent for the first 6 months after coming to Spain before committing to a purchase.