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Posted: Thu May 7, 2020 11:14am
Super helpful member
True, but highly likely the property will require major modernisation. Older people’s properties are what they are, comfortable and homely, beautiful in their eyes and unlikely to have been brought into the 21st Century.
We had to spend many thousand pounds recently in order to upgrade our home. All the bathrooms had to be upgraded and retiled and fitted with everything new and modern. That’s how life is if you stay in the same house for a lifetime!
Posted: Thu May 7, 2020 11:23am
Helpful member
Grannyrose wrote on Thu May 7, 2020 11:14am:
True, but highly likely the property will require major modernisation. Older people’s properties are what they are, comfortable and homely, beautiful in their eyes and unlikely to have been brought into the 21st Century.
We had to spend many thousand pounds recently in order to upgrade our home. All the bathrooms had to be upgraded and retiled and fitted with everything new and modern. That’s how life is if you stay in the same house for a lifetime!...
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Of course - but that would really apply 'anywhere' - a young couple (as an example), are not likely to have the same taste as a generation or two above them. If you are 'bargain hunting' - there's rarely a time when a compromise or additional works are not involved.
I've been looking at properties in Alicante - the less salubrious locations just outside the town centre, but with the access to bus/transport are very popular with local workers who rent. Properties from around €25,000 for a 2 bedroom, mostly in fairly grotty old apartment blocks and need a quick 'blow over'. Why worthwhile - €250 a month rent, easily filled, from 25k investment - factoring in rental company charges, that's a 10% return PA and as the property is already at the bottom of the market, it's only likely to go up. If it went up 5k in 5years, that's another 5% on top of your 10% p.a. Not something you would live in - but the question was originally a property bargain. This return wise is a lot more - over double you would expect for an average rental yield in the UK and that's with a 25k + expenses buy-in - not a chance in the UK of getting close to that!
So yes, bargains and money to be made - but there's a difference between an 100% unemotional investment and bagging yourself a cheap nice villa for personal use.
This post that was quoted has been deleted.
I had to laugh and chip in just to say that my brother's nearest town or village is Competa, inland and east of Málaga. We live in rip-off Ibiza and our experience of Spain is Vigo, a Coruna, la Linea, Seville, Barcelona, Almunica, Valencia and Grenada. You perhaps can imagine my surprise and suppressed laughter when having suggested that we stop for a beer and tapas that the Spanish owner produced what were essentially chicken curries and derivatives thereof along with fish and chips, etc. It was then that I noticed that all the clientel were essentially British. Ghastly place. Ghastly experience and only good to remind one of how rich a country from top to bottom Spain is.
tvtechnology wrote on Wed May 6, 2020 12:18pm:
Villamartin and Orihuela costa might be OK for some - but it's as far far away from being anything like 'Spain' - little Britain springs to mind. OK if your thing? I lived/rented in that area for 6 months - plenty to do in the summer (but noisy not when you always when you want it to be) - ...
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...the difference between living somewhere and being on holiday - no culture or Spanish feeling, no fiestas.
La Zenia is not a town or village - but a long parade of bars shops and restaurants, designed to suck up money from tourists. Good to visit, but would I live there? No - tried it for 6 months.
Villamartin - is for golfers and ex-pats who want to pay a premium for the local holiday priced restaurants in the plaza - again - good for a visit or holiday - but living somewhere permanently and a 2 week jolly are not the same.
If you do want to have a little more 'Spanish' in your living in Spain - there are plenty of small-mid sized Spanish towns near or on the coast, which have all the fiestas, Spanish culture, cheaper property, food and drink and are 10-15 mins inland. Many of these villages have an ex-pat community and give you both options of integrating more with the Spanish, but also have the convenience of being near other ex-pats & ex-pat services - such as your Indian takeaways & all the usual type of international eateries you would expect.
After my 6 month stint in La Zenia - the nail in the coffin for me in that location is the N332 and traffic in the summer is horrible, combine that with people screaming past my door at 3 am singing football songs, made me realise ok for holiday - but long term. I ended up in a little Spanish village, las Heredades, near Formentera/Almoradi/Rojales - population 600, 10 mins drive to the beach & close enough to everything you need as well as being 25 mins from Alicante airport. Properties cheaper, people little more chilled, traffic-less - bars half the price of Villamartin. I can get to Alicante town centre in 30 mins odd, which is far more interesting the 'La Zenia Boulevard' shopping mall & that I can get to with a 15-minute motorway drive (or 25 min b road).
It's good to take your time, perhaps rent for a while - get to know areas. The issue will be everyone will recommend their own preferred area - of course, & while I think living permanently in La Zenia would be tortuous, many others would not agree with my opinion ;-) Personally, I came to Spain to live in Spain - not some twisted version of the UK in Spain - otherwise i'd have headed straight to Benidorm.
Spot on , couldn't agree more!!
I just need some airplanes in the sky and I too will be joining you , can't wait - damn virus!
Tomred wrote on Thu May 7, 2020 7:26pm:
Spot on , couldn't agree more!!
I just need some airplanes in the sky and I too will be joining you , can't wait - damn virus!
Enough said. Stay safe meanwhile.
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