Help Buying Property: what is the La Laguna / Pau 26 area like?

Hello SuzyP,

Welcome to the forum.

I don't live in Villa Martin but it is nice and the Plaza is good, although it can be extremely busy and noisy in high season.

When buying our holiday home (in Ciudad Quesada) we wanted somewhere within walking distance to a supermarket & shops and some places to eat and drink. You may not always want to drive all the time you are there. It's also worth thinking about whether the area you want to buy in is an all year round resort or village. Some places, particularly areas near the beach will close down in low season and can be 'ghost town' like in Winter.

We chose a place where quite a lot of Spanish and ex-pats live all year round and the local town was well established as an 'open all year round' town. There are no doubt many areas like that but it's worth checking out with the locals before deciding on your place to buy.

The other thing is, we have found that Estate Agents will obviously only tell you what they think you want to hear and can easily say that there there will be commercials such as shops, restaurants etc 'going to be' built in an area, which may be true but 'seeing is believing' in Spain. Many plans are made for building that take years or never get built. An established area is better than a new area, unless you are willing to wait years for the area to become as you would like it.

Take a look around areas yourself, talk to the locals, ask what is open in Winter or out of high season. Most people love to talk and tell you about their area. Look for Se Vende (for sale) signs on houses in areas you like the look of.

Again, A good Estate Agent can be helpful but they can only show you what they have for sale at the time and sometimes they will try to show you properties that are not in your criteria, so stick to what you want from a property and area and try to make your own checks.

If you are thinking of living in Spain many people now are renting first to see if they enjoy the area and the life, possibly renting out a UK property to fund the rental in Spain. The other consensus, if living in Spain, appears to be try to keep a base in the UK, even if it's just a small low maintenance flat, as life changes can happen in time and going back isn't always so easy. This doesn't apply if you are buying a holiday home but just worth a mention as lots of Ex-pats have found it difficult to afford to go back, years later, when they need to for health or family reasons.

Good luck with your search. If you need any more information just ask. 

Jan

Thanks Jan.  I lived in Spain for a short while over 10 years ago but Costa Del Sol.  The place has changed and is - I feel - completely overpriced.  I haven't been to Quesada but I'm going to try to have a look.  I'm in Spain at the moment but only for another week.  I'm looking for a holiday home at the moment as I'm  my early 40s but eventually would like to retire here.  We have a home in the UK as well.

I' ve seen lovely parts of Villamartin, but I'm a bit worried that this development is too far in the fringes.  But it's the perfect property for me so I'm a bit torn!

It's not easy finding the right property in the right location but I think location is the most important. Even the area we have our holiday home in, which is a large area, has some fabulous properties that are priced to sell but are in a part where it's quite a long walk from any shops and some are in steep hilly locations - These may be OK for people who want to drive everywhere or very fit people who can walk up steep hills but health & circumstances change.

Also selling potential is important, even more so in Spain where there is a surplus of properties for sale. Good properties in good locations near commercials (not so close to hear noisy entertainment though) always seem to sell better than those off the beaten track but there are lots of properties in Spain now that are taking ages to sell, sometimes years.

I expect you know all this, having lived in Spain, but just a thought.

It still seems a good time to buy - price wise and the bargaining power is certainly there no matter what anyone says! :) 

Hope you find the right property for you.

Jan