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Broadening horizons By Sally Underwood HILE the Costa del Sol has long been known and loved for its magnificent coastline, it seems its inland offerings are quickly gaining traction too. According to property experts, the areas in and beyond the hills behind the coast are establishing themselves as a go-to area for both sales and investment properties. While the Costa del Sol itself is a large area, its inland space is even greater, incorporating a large number of typical Andalucian whitewashed villages, including historic sites such as Antequera, which offers settlements from the Bronze Age. These enclaves can make for both spacious and beautiful holiday and family homes, with plenty of land and stunning views, as well as investment properties for those wanting to do up or rent out a home. This smaller market is slightly more niche, but still gaining ground with foreign buyers from Europe and across the world. In particular, areas such as Mijas Pueblo now attract large numbers of investors from Japan and Asia thanks to efforts by local authorities to boost the Costa del Sol’s reach across the world. Frequently, buyers are continuing to come from northern Europe and Scandinavia as well, with large numbers of investors flocking to the Costa del Sol from Belgium, Germany, Sweden and Denmark, attracted by the lifestyle and strengthened Euro. While areas such as Mijas
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MOUNTAIN VILLAGES: Towns such as Mijas Pueblo offer a mountain alternative to life on the coast. Pueblo have always attracted property hunters and holidaymakers, other inland towns and villages, such as Benahavis, Ojen, and Alhaurin el Grande are also becoming increasingly sought-after. Experts say the locations’ proximity to the beaches and
Just in time
NEW Other parts of the Costa del Sol are gaining interest.
glitz of coastal areas Marbella and Mijas Costa, make these towns the ideal spot for those who like the quiet pace of life and open countryside of the mountains. Meanwhile, the abundance of local ferias, artisanal crafts and events, also mean those
WHILE buying a property in Spain to enjoy the Costa del Sol’s sun-filled lifestyle is always a good idea, it seems that 2019 might be a particularly good time for investors too. A number of factors mean the property market is especially attractive at the moment, potentially offering good returns on the right home. The first factor affecting the new build market is changes to construction laws which have
seeking property inland need never worry about missing out on the Costa del Sol’s thriving cultural activities. The presence of Moorish and even Roman sites have also made the inland areas an attraction for history enthusiasts.
brought Spain in line with the rest of the European Union, and meaning new developments are financially secured. Secondly, Spain’s mortgage market has also improved in recent years, with interest rates lower and banks lending more; up by 17 per cent from 2016 to 2017. Finally, property prices continue to rise, at a rate of around 5 per cent a year, making a return on investment more likely.
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N attention-grabbing first impression is vital to successfully marketing a property. These days home hunters invariably start their searches online. Think about how many listings they are likely to skim through on each property portal, and it becomes obvious that an eye-catching photo and interest-peaking caption are essential to get prospective buyers clicking on any particular one to find out more. The front page image might encapsulate the lifestyle buyers could enjoy if they put in an offer. If it’s a beachside apartment, then an image of sea views from an attractively set out terrace will have buyers picturing themselves sitting back and enjoying an al fresco glass of wine as they watch the sun go down. If it’s a renovated farmhouse with traditional features in a quiet country setting, then sell them the idea of relaxing in a cosy, character-filled sitting room. To get an interested house hunter to click for further information, the next step is to sell
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First impressions
ATTRACTIVE TERRACE: Sell the sea views to potential buyers. them the idea of going to view the property. Research suggests as many as one in three buyers will give less than five minutes of their time to checking out a property on the internet before deciding whether it’s worth a visit. So it is crucial that sellers give their
property the edge. Yes, it’s great your home comes with an underground parking space, a separate laundry or a downstairs loo. But save those images for the end of the report. The description should wow. Listing how many bed-
rooms and bathrooms it has and the fact it has air-conditioning is not enough. The guiding marketing principle is to make a property stand out from the crowd. Think about what makes it different from all the others: what makes it special, what is
its unique selling point. It could be its outstanding location just metres from the sea. It could be its huge roof terrace, complete with stylish chill-out zone. It could be the quirky nooks and crannies of a typical village house. A professional estate agent will be a dab hand at producing polished and effective property marketing reports. They will be able to recognise stand-out photos which best represent the property’s attractions. And they will choose the most appropriate order in which to group images online. Some estate agencies use professional photographers who know how to capture images to make properties look at their very best. Property sector professionals can also advise sellers on how to stage a property in preparation for photos and show it off to its best advantage. First impressions absolutely do count. To make sure a property reaches the widest possible audience, investing in a professional marketing strategy is a no-brainer.
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Prefab homes FOR those of you who have not seen the British television series Grand Designs, prefabricated houses have come a long way since the grey ‘prefabs’ of the post-war era. Nowadays, these houses, often referred to as ‘modular,’ are factory-manufactured and then erected in a matter of days; indeed the paperwork and ground works will be the processes which take the most time. The design is limited only by your own specifications, but these houses are generally built from modern materials, which will naturally provide a house with a low ecological profile and consequently be cheaper to run. The cost will normally be lower than conventional housing, but you are a lot less likely to suffer from the vagaries of the weather or overspends. The packages which companies offer tend to be comprehensive from design, to construction, right down to the last details and are well worth investigating.
BUILD YOUR OWN: Prefabricated houses.
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Moving inland? HAVE you ever considered moving away from the coast, away from the hordes, away from the world of urbanisations? Recent reports show that housing inland is increasing in value far quicker than coastal properties. There are, however, bargains to be had, as there is a general depopulation of inland areas, away from the urban conurbations. One of the areas we looked at was the Rioja Baja; in the famous wine-growing province, we found a seven-bedroomed house in a lovely village, fully equipped, immaculately decorated and with a tourist licence for the asking price of €200,000. Another was a beautifully restored and extremely tastefully decorated stone house in a pretty mountainous village. Four bedrooms for €100,000. Or how about a tidy, traditional village house with wonderful dark wood beamed ceilings and a myriad of rooms. Five bedrooms and an outside
CHOICES: Bargains to be had inland as well as on the coast. courtyard for the price of €40,000. Next, we looked in the CastillaLa Mancha Province, around the area of Cuidad Real. Here we came across a beautifully decorated six-bedroomed detached house, with a small courtyard and terraces for €130,000. Or even a one-bedroomed brand new apartment which
even has a garage for €40,000 and it even comes with a communal swimming pool. And in Castilla la Mancha a five-bedroomed house, uniquely ‘old Spain’ can be picked up for around €60,000. Spain offers a wealth of house buying opportunities whether you want to live close to the beach or inland.
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What to negotiate on VERYONE knows that is worth negotiating the price of their homes when buying, within Spain some 62 per cent of buyers saying they managed to get an average of 10 per cent knocked off the price.
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Sometimes it can be as simple as just making a lower offer, but at other times a little more thought may be required. Whether you are a first-time homebuyer or a seasoned veteran, the negotiation part of the transaction
can be a little daunting and stressful. However, it is necessary to ensure you are getting the best possible deal for your money. So, what should you negotiate when buying a home?
Closing costs. Your closing costs are determined by a variety of factors. Ask the seller to cover some or all of these costs within the agreed price. Furnishings. Love how the seller has furnished and decorated the home? Buyers often negotiate keeping couches, fixtures, landscaping items, patio furniture, appliances, and more. And many sellers agree, wanting to make the home more appealing. Inspection and closing timing. Buyer offers
NEGOTIATE: Some buyers have saved 20 per cent. which include a quick inspection and close timeline are often more at-
tractive to sellers who have been going through the process for
far too long. Just ensure you allow yourself ample time to get your financ-
ing in place and complete proper, thorough inspections.
Repairs. Your inspection may uncover small or large repairs needed to bring the home up to standard. You can negotiate to have these items fixed before closing or ask for a price reduction to cover the costs. Of course, the seller is always within their rights to refuse, but to clinch a deal they may be willing to shift their position closer to yours. If they don’t the choice is still up to you - do you love the home enough to pay the full price, and if you don’t will someone else? Whatever the answer, it is always worth asking!
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O you have learned some Spanish, brushed up on how to cook a paella and you have decided that you want to live in ‘real Spain.’ The type of property you can buy, the people, the languages they speak, the lifestyle they live and the food they consume can vary, not only region by region, but even town by town. In Andalucia, the hot, deep south, a traditional house might be a village house in a pueblo blanco with their whitewashed houses adorned with flowers and steep, narrow streets. These inland villages, nor-
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Explore ‘real Spain’ mally huddled around a castle, are a legacy of the Moors, who ruled southern Spain for seven centuries. In the Valencian region, a traditional village house will normally be terraced on narrow streets, with tall carved wooden double doors (for access of the animals and carts of earlier times). The ceilings will normally be the unique barrel design and there will be ornate tiles. In Cataluña, the houses almost have a French, rustic style, with stone walls and small windows. The village
TRADITIONAL: Villages around a castle.
may well be built on a hilltop with sheer drops to the side (originally to deter invaders). In Galicia, to the north-west of Spain, the villages tend to be centred around the coast, in quiet fishing villages which seem a million miles away. The houses around these villages tend to be tall and narrow and built to withstand the harsher Atlantic weather.
Each town and region will also tend to have its own lifestyle, from industrious Cataluña to the agricultural Valenciano villages to the slow-paced Andalucia, where everything is dictated by the heat of the land. The languages spoken are also as diverse as the regions, with dialects and indeed unique languages being spoken locally. Whilst these languages are totally different, everyone
tends to be able to speak ‘Castellano,’ the national language of Spain. You should be aware that the regional languages are not necessarily Spanish dialects, especially the Basque language, which would not be normally understood, whatsoever, by a native of Madrid. There are some things though, that are universal throughout Spain. The Spanish love of paperwork, the fiestas, of which each town will hold its own unique celebrations, as well as national ones and the sociability of Spanish people. So when people say they want to live in real Spain, you could legitimately ask, which ‘real Spain’ is that?
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F you are thinking of marketing your home, then you should think about showing it in its best light. Taking time to highlight its strengths and fix up some of its possible weaknesses can make a big difference in how fast it sells. Not only that, it should help you get the true value of your home and achieve a realistic asking price, whilst ignoring the below points might actually reduce the amount you can realise from a sale. Here are our top five recommended repairs to make before selling your home. • Repaint walls Giving your home a fresh coat of paint is one of the most cost-effective ways to spruce it up, and generally, it can be a do-it-yourself project. Make sure to cover any walls with scratches and chips and consider updating any accent walls with a more neutral coat. • Repair floors Hardwood floors are a very desirable feature in a
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Repairs to make before selling
HARDWOOD FLOORS: Desirable feature in a home. home, so you want to ensure they look their best by fixing scratches or dull areas. If your carpets are worn or stained, consider replacing them. And don’t forget the tile in your kitchen or bathrooms.
SIMPLE: A few small touches can go a long way.
Regrouting can go a long way in making dingy tilework look brand new. If you have marble floors, consider investing in having them repolished so they sparkle like new - it makes a huge difference.
• Refresh the landscaping Show buyers that your home is the full package by dressing up the outside as well as in. Clean paths and driveways, plant seasonal flowers and plants, trim hedges and trees, install outdoor décor pieces and fill in mulch and gravel. Any estate agent will tell you first impressions count, so adding a little kerbside appeal is a definite must. • Fix your fixtures Leaky tap ? Rusted drains? Loose drawer handle? Making these small fixes can make a big difference to potential buyers with detail-orientated minds. Improve your kitchen. An out-dated kitchen can be a real eyesore. Updating cabinetry, repairing or replacing countertops, and installing new taps and sinks may be worth the investment. A little thought, and relatively little expense can go a long way to helping you make a sale in a timely manner at a good price.
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Living in Spain, by design HEN you buy a house in Spain, particularly an older house or one which is built for the Spanish market, you will notice appreciable differences to the houses in Northern Europe. Appreciating these differences in design and the reasons behind them could make your life more comfortable. The first and perhaps most obvious difference is that Spanish houses rarely have carpets or wood floors. Whilst this means that any dropped cups or glasses are guaranteed to break, it does mean your house will be cooler in the hot summer months and is a lot easier to clean. Some people put rugs down in winter, and take them up in winter, a sen-
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sible option as the winters do get cold. The next is that most houses have persianas, the wooden or plastic roller shutters to cover the windows and doors. During the winter months, these will keep the heat in, far better than curtains ever will, then during the summer they insulate the house from the extreme summer heat. The added advantages of having persianas are privacy, and they make life difficult for burglars. Air conditioning is far more prevalent here and more of a requirement, but the trick here is to use these units sparingly. With electricity prices similar to England, leaving all your air conditioning units running on full blast 24 hours a day can be an expensive luxury.
PRIVACY: An advantage of persianas and rejas. To counter the heat the Spanish will tend to live downstairs during the hot summer months, in the coolest part of the house, and it is not un-
usual to see families gathered around a table in the garage with the garage door wide open. The Spanish will also often take to sitting outside, on the pavement, enjoying the cooler evening air. Of course there is the
famous siestas, where shops and offices close and a lot of people have their main meal and then a nap (a siesta). This is actually still common and ultimately a relief from the summer sun. Another small differ-
ence is that the Spanish will rarely have their washing machines in the kitchen, they prefer them close to where they are going to hang out the washing. So do not be surprised to find a washing machine in the bathroom, in a garage, outside on a balcony or even in a little storage unit in the garden. The other thing which is a great idea is that clothes are often dried on expandable, concertina racks placed outside windows or from balconies. Another difference is that many older properties will have rejas; wrought iron grills to cover the windows. These are designed to prevent burglaries, but be beware that you still should have adequate fire escapes.
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