Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2022 3:36pm
Hi, I live a bit north of Benidorm, so can't give you advice on towns inland from there.
Regarding costs of buying property, a very good rule of thumb is to budget 15% on top of the actual purchase price. This covers all the other associated costs, mainly Spanish property purchase tax and your legal fees. You shouldn't be paying anything towards estate agent fees, thats a matter between agent and seller.
I live in Adsubia near Pego. My partner and I have made a big effort to learn Spanish since we got here, but I don't think we've met any Spaniard in a professional position in the Denia/Javea area who doesn't speak at least some English. I'm talking about the lawyer we used to buy the house, the many health professionals we've consulted in four years including our local GP, my optician and podiatrist, the guy I bought my new car from, my insurance brokers, my Sabadell bank consultant, the notary who drew up our Spanish wills, the list goes on. Maybe the only places where Spanish was useful was the police office for getting residencia (funnily enough in Benidorm) and the town hall for getting the padron. If you attempt a bit of Spanish, they will meet you more than half way in my experience, at least in this area.