Viewing Trips

does your £250k include or exclude buying fees/ taxes?

Hi, we can squeeze a bit more but i would say the property would be circa £230k plus taxes/expenses etc.

That's a healthy budget and you'll have a choice of some smaller new builds and larger resales.

I've no experience of using an agent or company for a viewing trip but, as you say, you might end up viewing properties delivering the best commissions to them.

We are on La Finca Golf and you could choose from a mix of new and resale. Resale at the top end would get you a villa likely with a private pool but if you must have modern you might have to keep some money back for a property refresh, kitchen bathroom etc given many properties are 15-16 years old. New ones are springing up and are more expensive but they will tell you they are built to a higher/ modern standard - whilst there is some truth in this there is also a sizeable premium to pay and sometimes you'll have to fork out extra for aircon/ pool etc.

You will probably want to budget for keeping a small car in Spain depending on your circumstances and where you ultimately buy.

examples

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/90801772?currencyCode=GBP#/&channel=OVERSEAS

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/97697813?currencyCode=GBP#/&channel=OVERSEAS

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/105512174?currencyCode=GBP#/&channel=OVERSEAS

exciting times ahead for you and good luck :)

Thank you for the reply.

Being on a golf resort how do you find access to restaurants and bars?

There's two types of restaurant here - the one(s) at the golf course and those on the commercial centre here probably a handful from restaurants through to bar's brasserie. Then you have a few bars/ restaurants in the local village of Algorfa, mostly Spanish feel and then a 10 minute cab or car to montesinos/ benijofar/ quesada - 15/20 minutes into Torrevieja/ Guardamar. 15-20 mins to the beach by car.

There is no denying the fact that it's quieter the further you move away from the Spanish working areas or those well stocked with year round residents especially during the winter months but the trade off is that you can live in a more natural environment with orange and lemon groves.

That said a few people do end up buying property which didn't really match their initial spec which is often; 3 bed, detached, pool, 10 mins walk into "town" and up to 30 mins from the beach - that's what we thought we wanted when we first started looking.

Key is that you look at all sorts but to whittle things down try and find an area you like - which can be easier said than done :)

Thanks again for the helpful reply.

I’m pretty sure we will be visiting la finca to view property there during our stay in September.

Obviously if you are tied into a viewing trip with an agent then you wont have time to look around your on your own, which is important.  In fact deciding location should really be the priority rather than looking at properties.  No use falling in love with a great property if it is in the wrong place.  

30 minutes takes you quite a way inland and you mentioned wanting to spend winter months in Spain - the further inland then generally the colder the winter and the hotter the summer as away from the microclimate of the coast.  (Always exceptions to the rule, of course!)

Questions to ask yourself: Do you want a Spanish town, and international feel or an ex-pat urbanisation away from town?  If you are keen golfers then a golf course property will have attraction but take into account the much higher communal fees.  Will you want to stay there without relying on a car?  Will family use it and not have a car?  Do you want a private pool or a communal one - bearing mind that unheated pools are generally used only late May to early October at most but a private pool needs to be maintained all year by you.

New builds always come at a premium price and tend to have smaller plots.  Your tax on top of the purchase price is 10% (new or resale) and you will need to allow another €2500 to €3000 for all the other costs as well for a resale but probably more on a new build.

If there is no great urgency to buy straight away then book your own accommodation, hire a car and drive around a short-list of towns/urbanisations.  Talk to locals about what the town/place is like (in a 'normal' year) in the different seasons.

A 'good' agent will show you the properties that meet your criteria regardless of what is best financially for them (and there are good and honest agents out there), but unless you can be more specific about your priorities for the house, your likes and dislikes, how you will use the property, how it will work for you in the long-term, your preferred locations etc, then they wont necessarily show you what will suit you best as they wont know.

Make a long list of must haves, likes, dislikes, definite 'no ways' for both location and property.  Even better if you each right a separate list and then compare notes!  Think about orientation of the property, type of outlook, how far for you is 'near' amenities and what amenities you want - just a bar or two or a supermarket and range of shops.  Once you have a clear idea of the typeof property you want then start to look for that style property only in locations you like.

Most importantly, the process of choosing your holiday home should be enjoyable, not stressful.  

Thank you, some very good points there

Quite a bit to consider and we don’t need to rush into anything so will use our time to also get a feel for the areas and maybe return for a follow up trip.

Hi, We used a viewing trip first time to see the different styles of house's, There's not that many. couple of points do you want to live on a urbanization, golf resort, you are restricted on what improvement's you can make. We had no intention on buying on our first trip. The second trip we had an idea where we wanted to be, so booked an hotel and contacted a couple of real estates, They were both great not pushy at all, and we found one that we still love.We went with Costa Blanca sales and they sorted everything for us, NIF bank, insurance, and Sun lawyers.

good luck and dont be pushed into anything if your not 100%