House hunting

Hi Rosie, One thing to check after the storms we have had this year is how susceptible the area you are looking at is to flooding.

You need to decide what sort of environment you want to live in.

Beach areas - can be packed out in the summer and no facilities in the winter

Spanish areas where you can enjoy the Spanish culture, people and food

English urbanisations where you live amongst brits with fish & chips and pubs, but very little of Spain

Inland by 15-20 kilometers - you need a car but only a short drive to the beach.

There is a big difference to the requirements for a holiday home and a permanent one later.

We wouldn’t want her living in a ghetto where she had to be rescued would we.

The housing market is such that, if you buy and decide you've made a mistake, then it could take years to sell again.  Why not try renting in various areas for a year or two first?

We holidayed in the area a few times before deciding to rent in Torrevieja in the av habaneras area, and had difficulty finding a suitable property.  We'd just about given up when a property to the west of Torrevieja came up for rental and we decided to take it for a year, on the basis that we could keep looking in our preferred area.

We've since decided we are happy here, local bars, shops and eateries are open year round, we are not living in little Britain and renting means less headache for our children when we go out feet first.

Just a thought to add to the confusion, I'm sorry.

Thank you. Given that I just feel ready to take the plunge, I'm concerned that I'll end up not being able to make any decision at all!

I think Purple gran talks a lot of sense.

Unless you already know an area well, a week isn't long to find your eventual home.

When I first came to visit with a view to eventually buying, I didn't really know what I wanted. The idea of a beach house in the sun, where I could roll out of bed into the sea, turned out to be completely impractical. Eventually, after looking at several different scenarios, I found the place which suited me - 20 Km inland!

Renting for a while is a good idea, as it gives you a base from which to explore and also gives you an idea about what sort of area and environment you really want to live in. You aren't committed and can change your mind when you find what you really like.

I understand what you are saying...I've moved around a lot with work and really just want a base to call my own,the plan is to explore Spain while I still have the use of my legs and my mind!  

Hi, we are in the throws of purchasing a detached villa in Lo Crispin, near Ciudad Quesada, hopefully gonna be moved in early December, glad to keep you updated on our Journey and the area, ours is a really retirement, so living permanently in spain, we are both excited and scared at the same time!

Don't let your desire to find a base outweigh the need for it to be the right base. As others have said, if it is the wrong one it could take months, if not years to sell and you will have estate agents fees on top plus another set of solicitors fees.
Some areas change beyond all recognition between November and August. I will repeat the advice about flooding. It is not usually the inland rural areas that get the worst of the flooding but the built up coastal areas where drainage channels overflow and debris is carried along the streets as the water rushes to the sea or lakes. The CV905 is usually closed at least a couple of times a year due to flooding but that said, I like the general feeling in the area, it has many facilities and there will be homes which are less at risk than others. Rojales and Formentera are quieter and have a more traditional Spanish feel in my view.
Will you have a car? If you do then you will need allocated parking if you are close to the beach, if you don't then you will either need everything very local or be close to a bus stop with a regular year round service.
Many Spanish homes are not built to the same standard as in the UK and can feel very cold in winter and noise can be an issue between adjoining properties and nearby bars and restaurants especially in the summer when everybody is out and about.