Join the Villamartin forum
My name's Alex and this is my website all about Villamartin in Spain. Register now for free to talk about Moving to Villamartin: tips and advice and much more!
Hello, we've been thinking about buying a holiday home for years. I recently discovered Villamartin which looks to offer all that we'd b want.
We are a UK family. So the impact of Brexit may complicate things?
Can anyone offer any useful buying tips? What hoops would I need to jump through, and other than the cost of the property what local taxes and other expenses should I budget for?
Thanks!
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 11:15am
This post that was quoted has been deleted.
Thanks. I've read through other posts where it looks like people have had to apply for residency, and prove income.
Would that aapply when buying a holiday home, or is that only relevant to people coming over full time?
Also. I think you are referring to a tax on property sales? So the buyer (me) pays around 10% tax on purchase... but the seller also has to pay a tax?
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 12:41pm
Helpful member
Stephen10 wrote on Sun Jan 24, 2021 10:06am:
Hello, we've been thinking about buying a holiday home for years. I recently discovered Villamartin which looks to offer all that we'd b want.
We are a UK family. So the impact of Brexit may complicate things?
Read more...
Can anyone offer any useful buying tips? What hoops would I need to jump through, and other than the cost of the property what local taxes and other expenses should I budget for?
Thanks!
Hi Stephen10
Its a wonderfull dream but also a huge financial burden bearing in mind this is for life as reselling is very difficult and costly quite often at a loss.
We started our dream back in 1988 after watching alot of the programmes like a place in the sun and others, I was selling my business and we had a healthy pot to play with although we knew we had a long way to go as we both were in our late 30's so retirement wasn't really on the cards full time.
We first started searching at the Costa del Sol as my niece lived out there and had a small estate agency, we flew out for a week stayed in Benalmadena had a goodf look around but we quickly found out the cost of property was alot higher and for our budget we would be looking at an apartment rather than a villa, so we decided to go on a viewing trip out to Costa Blanca with a company called Millenium. We stayed at the Laguna Hotel in Dona Pepa fab hotel our guide was a lovely guy called Chris proper southerner young good looking (Wifes view anyway) but very pleasant, he showed us around for 3 days alot of areas including Villamartin which we loved but again for our budget we were looking at 165k for the new apartments at the time Las Violetas and Pau 8 as a later developement, we left without purchasing anything but returned the next year on our own for a week and tried to look around on our own but it was very difficult without knowledge so I rang Chris and asked if he could spend a couple of days with us and I would pay him so he did, long story short we ended up buying a villa on EL Raso above our budget and off plan but the dream had started. To shuttle on 10 years the dream turned into a nightmare loads had gone wrong with the house I end off going out with 2 of my friends to try and fix the pool to no avail I ended up paying a contarctor 13k to rebuild it as the builder decided he didn't want to speak to me anymore and walked away, our mortgage had quadrupled in price the costs had spiralled with people leaving on mass so the community bill had doubled it had became a money pit so we decided to sell we eventually sold at 70% of what we paid for it just to clear a bills and walk away without debt at the time 4 of our neighbours had handed the keys back and left leving a trail of Debt.
Moving forward to now we have bought an apartment on Pau 8 Villamartin for cash for a very good price as I was the one sitting in the driving seat this time and I dont say that gleefully I must say, its a lockup and leave but it still has a number of bills to pay every month, its not cheap but we can spend 90 out of 180 days in Spain with the new Brexit laws, my wife has retired I own my own business again for my sins but I can work from anywhere in the world so its ok, the sunshine is lovely we are a 20 minute stroll from the square with an abundance of bars and restaurants, we are 5 minutes drive from La Zenia Boulevard with all its shops,bars & restaurants and another 2 minutes to the sea with all the fabulous beaches, food is reasonable wouldn't say it was greatly cheaper than here poss on par even but the fruits taste amazing, eating out can be very cheap or quite expensive depending on your tastes generally you can eat good food cheaply .
Now thats the glossy bit factor in all the changes with Brexit I am having to change all my DD's as Starling Bank uses GB IBAN with their Euro account which is chargeable now so I am changing over to Transferwise but its informing all the utillities who are also adding on as the DD's have failed, I am paying 35 euros a quarter to Sabadell in Bank charges as I cant close the account yet I only opened it as the house purchase required a bankers draft at a cost of 450 euro's, if you come out in summer the roads are packed you can barely get parked at the beaches, car hire and flights are extorionate rates and they put the tolls up for good measure also, you now have this pandemic going on which is crippling travel & tourism some people haven't been able to get out for close to a year but your bills still have to be paid and the property maintained, and lastly you are virtually forced into coming there year on year for your holidays or it becomes an expensive white elephant (Have I changed your mind yet...!!)
Ok enough of the realities........ we love the place lets be fair with all we have been through and I know we aren't the only ones who have the T-Shirt but to come back for a second go says something, my only suggestion and this would apply to anyone buying a holiday property abroad or anywhere for that matter is make sure firstly the sums add up, then look at the location as this is key (Phil Spencer sums it up LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION)
I hope I haven't spoilt your dream but I just wanted to put a reality check on it as sometimes people go in with staryeyes as we did and it costs you alot sometimes in one of our neighbours cases their marriage sadly, I will PM you my costs to purchase from July 20 and my DD's this will give you an idea of what your finances will need to be able to cover.
Best of luck and I hope you find your dream.
Regards
Andrew
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 1:48pm
Helpful member
This post that was quoted has been deleted.
Hi Baz52
I said exactly the same when we sold our place in 2010, I haven't written everything down to the penny but I would imagine the house cost me in the region of 45k a year give or take for the 10 years we had it, this includes buying, selling, furnishing and running, not the costs to get to and from, to my mind you can have some very nice holidays for that.
We wanted something to get away to as my wife has retired now I have another 2/3 years to go so we started to look at lodges but the cost and depreciation and the site fees this deffo started looking like a money pit, the final straw was the weather as I did a job to France for a client and was out there for 3 weeks the weather was fabulous so we decided Spain it was, as I said we have bought it outright and put enough to oneside to cover all bills for the next 10/15 years hopefully.
Regards
Andrew
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 4:42pm
Hi there
Some mixed reviews as you will always get .
I purchased my property in august and used a solicitor named Ramon at pastor law firm in Alicante.
They were fantastic and made everything clear and took care of any issues .
They will answer all concerns and outline costs before you purchase .
The only issue I have is getting there now but hopefully that will change soon.
There is a great agent les@5real- estate.com (Les Pritchard) again very helpful .
I havnt had the trips yet to advise on the fors and againsts ...
Hope this helps
Advertisement - posts continue below
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 5:06pm
We brought our holiday home nearly 5 years ago out right, I only worked it out the other night, with bank charges and all DD plus non resident tax, community fees, its about 1,200 euros a year to keep a place out there. And we love it and cant wait to get back.
Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2021 7:16pm
Legendary helpful member
If your dream is to buy a holiday home then go for it. Obviously buy wisely. Purchase tax is 10% of property value and allow an extra €3000 on top for purchasing costs.
Costs once you have purchased: community fees (vary greatly but allow 300 to 600 a year as a guide), suma/IBI (depends on property but allow 200 to 300 a year), stand charge on electricity and water allow 40 euros a month for them together then extra for when using the house, non-residence tax likely to be around 250 to 300 a year for two joint owners. You may also choose to have a fiscal rep to look after your tax affairs, shop around for prices. I recommend having a keyholder to check the property when empty. If you have air con it will need servicing. WiFi can be contracted on a switch on/off basis so not paying when not there. TV via a dish and top box can be free once items purchased. Such a lot depends on the property size, value and location, but hopefully that is helpful to you.
Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2021 11:32pm
Helpful member
Aspen1992 wrote on Sun Jan 24, 2021 12:41pm:
Hi Stephen10
Its a wonderfull dream but also a huge financial burden bearing in mind this is for life as reselling is very difficult and costly quite often at a loss.
Read more...
We started our dream back in 1988 after watching alot of the programmes like a place in the sun and others, I was selling my business and we had a healthy pot to play with although we knew we had a long way to go as we both were in our late 30's so retirement wasn't really on the cards full time.
We first started searching at the Costa del Sol as my niece lived out there and had a small estate agency, we flew out for a week stayed in Benalmadena had a goodf look around but we quickly found out the cost of property was alot higher and for our budget we would be looking at an apartment rather than a villa, so we decided to go on a viewing trip out to Costa Blanca with a company called Millenium. We stayed at the Laguna Hotel in Dona Pepa fab hotel our guide was a lovely guy called Chris proper southerner young good looking (Wifes view anyway) but very pleasant, he showed us around for 3 days alot of areas including Villamartin which we loved but again for our budget we were looking at 165k for the new apartments at the time Las Violetas and Pau 8 as a later developement, we left without purchasing anything but returned the next year on our own for a week and tried to look around on our own but it was very difficult without knowledge so I rang Chris and asked if he could spend a couple of days with us and I would pay him so he did, long story short we ended up buying a villa on EL Raso above our budget and off plan but the dream had started. To shuttle on 10 years the dream turned into a nightmare loads had gone wrong with the house I end off going out with 2 of my friends to try and fix the pool to no avail I ended up paying a contarctor 13k to rebuild it as the builder decided he didn't want to speak to me anymore and walked away, our mortgage had quadrupled in price the costs had spiralled with people leaving on mass so the community bill had doubled it had became a money pit so we decided to sell we eventually sold at 70% of what we paid for it just to clear a bills and walk away without debt at the time 4 of our neighbours had handed the keys back and left leving a trail of Debt.
Moving forward to now we have bought an apartment on Pau 8 Villamartin for cash for a very good price as I was the one sitting in the driving seat this time and I dont say that gleefully I must say, its a lockup and leave but it still has a number of bills to pay every month, its not cheap but we can spend 90 out of 180 days in Spain with the new Brexit laws, my wife has retired I own my own business again for my sins but I can work from anywhere in the world so its ok, the sunshine is lovely we are a 20 minute stroll from the square with an abundance of bars and restaurants, we are 5 minutes drive from La Zenia Boulevard with all its shops,bars & restaurants and another 2 minutes to the sea with all the fabulous beaches, food is reasonable wouldn't say it was greatly cheaper than here poss on par even but the fruits taste amazing, eating out can be very cheap or quite expensive depending on your tastes generally you can eat good food cheaply .
Now thats the glossy bit factor in all the changes with Brexit I am having to change all my DD's as Starling Bank uses GB IBAN with their Euro account which is chargeable now so I am changing over to Transferwise but its informing all the utillities who are also adding on as the DD's have failed, I am paying 35 euros a quarter to Sabadell in Bank charges as I cant close the account yet I only opened it as the house purchase required a bankers draft at a cost of 450 euro's, if you come out in summer the roads are packed you can barely get parked at the beaches, car hire and flights are extorionate rates and they put the tolls up for good measure also, you now have this pandemic going on which is crippling travel & tourism some people haven't been able to get out for close to a year but your bills still have to be paid and the property maintained, and lastly you are virtually forced into coming there year on year for your holidays or it becomes an expensive white elephant (Have I changed your mind yet...!!)
Ok enough of the realities........ we love the place lets be fair with all we have been through and I know we aren't the only ones who have the T-Shirt but to come back for a second go says something, my only suggestion and this would apply to anyone buying a holiday property abroad or anywhere for that matter is make sure firstly the sums add up, then look at the location as this is key (Phil Spencer sums it up LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION)
I hope I haven't spoilt your dream but I just wanted to put a reality check on it as sometimes people go in with staryeyes as we did and it costs you alot sometimes in one of our neighbours cases their marriage sadly, I will PM you my costs to purchase from July 20 and my DD's this will give you an idea of what your finances will need to be able to cover.
Best of luck and I hope you find your dream.
Regards
Andrew
What a fantastic answer Andrew has given, an honest and very in depth appraisal of buying in Spain, I dof my cap to you sir.
Regards
Jim
Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 12:07am
Helpful member
Jimmy Mack wrote on Mon Jan 25, 2021 11:32pm:
What a fantastic answer Andrew has given, an honest and very in depth appraisal of buying in Spain, I dof my cap to you sir.
Regards
Read more...
Jim
Thanks Jim 👍👍
Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2021 7:56am
Aspen1992 wrote on Sun Jan 24, 2021 12:41pm:
Hi Stephen10
Its a wonderfull dream but also a huge financial burden bearing in mind this is for life as reselling is very difficult and costly quite often at a loss.
Read more...
We started our dream back in 1988 after watching alot of the programmes like a place in the sun and others, I was selling my business and we had a healthy pot to play with although we knew we had a long way to go as we both were in our late 30's so retirement wasn't really on the cards full time.
We first started searching at the Costa del Sol as my niece lived out there and had a small estate agency, we flew out for a week stayed in Benalmadena had a goodf look around but we quickly found out the cost of property was alot higher and for our budget we would be looking at an apartment rather than a villa, so we decided to go on a viewing trip out to Costa Blanca with a company called Millenium. We stayed at the Laguna Hotel in Dona Pepa fab hotel our guide was a lovely guy called Chris proper southerner young good looking (Wifes view anyway) but very pleasant, he showed us around for 3 days alot of areas including Villamartin which we loved but again for our budget we were looking at 165k for the new apartments at the time Las Violetas and Pau 8 as a later developement, we left without purchasing anything but returned the next year on our own for a week and tried to look around on our own but it was very difficult without knowledge so I rang Chris and asked if he could spend a couple of days with us and I would pay him so he did, long story short we ended up buying a villa on EL Raso above our budget and off plan but the dream had started. To shuttle on 10 years the dream turned into a nightmare loads had gone wrong with the house I end off going out with 2 of my friends to try and fix the pool to no avail I ended up paying a contarctor 13k to rebuild it as the builder decided he didn't want to speak to me anymore and walked away, our mortgage had quadrupled in price the costs had spiralled with people leaving on mass so the community bill had doubled it had became a money pit so we decided to sell we eventually sold at 70% of what we paid for it just to clear a bills and walk away without debt at the time 4 of our neighbours had handed the keys back and left leving a trail of Debt.
Moving forward to now we have bought an apartment on Pau 8 Villamartin for cash for a very good price as I was the one sitting in the driving seat this time and I dont say that gleefully I must say, its a lockup and leave but it still has a number of bills to pay every month, its not cheap but we can spend 90 out of 180 days in Spain with the new Brexit laws, my wife has retired I own my own business again for my sins but I can work from anywhere in the world so its ok, the sunshine is lovely we are a 20 minute stroll from the square with an abundance of bars and restaurants, we are 5 minutes drive from La Zenia Boulevard with all its shops,bars & restaurants and another 2 minutes to the sea with all the fabulous beaches, food is reasonable wouldn't say it was greatly cheaper than here poss on par even but the fruits taste amazing, eating out can be very cheap or quite expensive depending on your tastes generally you can eat good food cheaply .
Now thats the glossy bit factor in all the changes with Brexit I am having to change all my DD's as Starling Bank uses GB IBAN with their Euro account which is chargeable now so I am changing over to Transferwise but its informing all the utillities who are also adding on as the DD's have failed, I am paying 35 euros a quarter to Sabadell in Bank charges as I cant close the account yet I only opened it as the house purchase required a bankers draft at a cost of 450 euro's, if you come out in summer the roads are packed you can barely get parked at the beaches, car hire and flights are extorionate rates and they put the tolls up for good measure also, you now have this pandemic going on which is crippling travel & tourism some people haven't been able to get out for close to a year but your bills still have to be paid and the property maintained, and lastly you are virtually forced into coming there year on year for your holidays or it becomes an expensive white elephant (Have I changed your mind yet...!!)
Ok enough of the realities........ we love the place lets be fair with all we have been through and I know we aren't the only ones who have the T-Shirt but to come back for a second go says something, my only suggestion and this would apply to anyone buying a holiday property abroad or anywhere for that matter is make sure firstly the sums add up, then look at the location as this is key (Phil Spencer sums it up LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION)
I hope I haven't spoilt your dream but I just wanted to put a reality check on it as sometimes people go in with staryeyes as we did and it costs you alot sometimes in one of our neighbours cases their marriage sadly, I will PM you my costs to purchase from July 20 and my DD's this will give you an idea of what your finances will need to be able to cover.
Best of luck and I hope you find your dream.
Regards
Andrew
Excellent reply !
Lots to ponder and always worth looking at the negatives , I did !
Find more Moving tips and advice topics from a particular area:
Or view all Moving tips and advice topics in all of Costa Blanca.
