THE EXPERTS To help Marion and Bob with their purchase, some words of advice... Steven Bromley, of Hondon Valley Homes, on inland Costa Blanca THE BRIEF
WHO: Marian and Bob Szulc, in their early 60s, live in a three-bedroom house in Northampton. Bob retires in July, so now is the time to start seriously looking for the property in Spain that they have long dreamed of escaping to.
WHAT THEY WANT: A two- or three- bedroom home, with around 1,000 square metres of land – Marian has an allotment in Northampton and is already planning her crops in Spain. The couple are relaxed about style, generally preferring “rustic and attractive”, but happy to consider new-builds in the right location. They prefer open-plan rather than “cosy”. Bob is an HGV driver, but he can turn his hand to basic building and DIY, so the prospect of putting in a new kitchen or bathroom doesn’t deter - but it must be structurally sound. Bob would like some sort of workshop though – maybe an outbuilding or garage – while Marian likes the idea of having a wood-burning stove. They would both like views of open countryside, and a pool would be a bonus. Their budget is £100,000.
WHERE: Marian has done extensive research and has found an area of inland Costa Blanca that she likes – having ruled out the Costa Tropical as too expensive and Murcia as too arid. The villages she likes the look of include Yecla, Crevillent, Fortuna and Aspe to the west of Alicante, and then Caudete, Villena, Sax, Ibi. Further north, Ontinyent, Alcoy, and up to the hinterland behind Gandia and Oliva. The house must be rural, within a short drive and a bus route of an authentically Spanish town or village with good facilities - no expat enclave. Within an hour of an airport/sea would be ideal, as they have family visits scheduled.
REASON FOR BUYING: A year-round warm climate for health reasons, living on their state pensions,
pottering around the garden, going out for coffee.
STEVEN BROMLEY PROPERTY AGENT
You only get a true taste of Spain – its people, food and traditions – when you venture away from the tourist tracks. Only 30 minutes from the coast you’ll fi nd authentic villages, with bars and restaurants where you can drink wine that’s been produced from the vineyards surrounding you. Inland Costa Blanca has sleepy, traditional villages but also cosmopolitan cities like Elche, Alicante and Murcia, surrounded by the Sierra Crevillente and Sierra Algayat mountains and with mile after mile of fruit groves. Last year we had a real mix of international buyers, and a four-fold increase in sales, including many investment buyers, and in the rental market demand is outstripping supply. A recent villa was rented within an hour of going online. With access to some of the best beaches in Spain, a fantastic road network, Alicante international airports and a new airport opening soon in Corvera (Murcia), the area will always be popular.
PETER DOVASTON, from FINCA4SALE.
www.fi nca4sale.com explains what to do with extra farmland
PETER DOVASTON PROPERTY AGENT
Bob and Marian will be lucky to fi nd a country house with only 1,000 square metres of land. Most come with several thousand, but this isn’t necessarily a problem. Their fi rst option is to do nothing; just mark out a garden and leave the rest to its own devices. Another option is to rent it out to a local farmer for money. Although a nice top-up to the couple’s pension, this could have legal consequences if they sell up (they may have to offer it to the farmer fi rst). Another option is a more ad hoc arrangement with a local farmer, along the lines of swapping the use of the land for a few gallons of olive oil. Or they could farm it themselves. If we’re just talking olives and almonds it’s very simple – a local contractor will come round with the equipment and harvest the crop. With land of over 10,000 you have a good chance of selling the land, because you can – subject to planning approval – build on parcels of land over that size.
Amanda is presenter of Channel 4’s hit TV series A Place in the Sun
AMANDA LAMB PRESENTER OF A PLACE IN THE SUN
This area behind the Costa Blanca is a good halfway house, feeling Spanish but with other British people around if needed. They may regret it if they don’t buy a property with a pool, however, especially with grandchildren coming to stay, and you aren’t guaranteed being allowed to build one later. The budget of £100,000 is at the lower end for a fi nished property with a pool, but they can turn that to their advantage; the key is to be imaginative. Often we see people’s faces fall as they look at a rundown property with unkempt land - it just isn’t the dream they pictured. With a lower budget, Bob and Marian will have to visualise the potential of a house, as sometimes they’ve been empty for months and don’t look their best, but with even just a few hours tidying and a few euros spent at the garden centre you can make them look €50,000 better, so Bob better be ready with his toolkit and Marian with her trowel! Doing a property up how they like it right from the start gives them a good project while they settle in and helps make friends in the local community.
FAST FACTS INLAND COSTA BLANCA
THE PLACE: The Costa Blanca stretches from Denia in the north to just beyond Torrevieja in the south – a coastline of 200 kilometres that includes such diff erent cities as Alicante and Benidorm. The interior changes too: the south, towards Murcia, is more dusty and arid but with amazing palm forests, while the north is more lush, fi lled with orange trees and pines as you near Valencia. In the middle are high sierras, regional parks, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and villages that are in many ways unchanged for hundreds of years.
WHERE TO GO: There are hundreds of wonderful towns inland from the coast, and the best thing any househunter can do is to spend several weeks driving around seeing which they like most. Elche is a city of 230,000 people, most famous for its palm forests.
Crevillent is far smaller, but has its own mountain range named after it and is famous for its Moors and Christians festival. Further west, over the border into Murcia, is the town of Yecla, on the border of the Sierra del Carche, with hiking and biking trails. Back over the border the area around Alcoy, Bocairent and Ontinyent has become much more popular with overseas buyers, and north of here you’re into Valencia.
CLIMATE: The cut-off point for many buyers is the city of Valencia, north of which winter temperatures can take a tumble. Further south the sun shines all year (320 days on average) but almost never onto snow. In summer, temperature highs average 30ºC. Rainfall is mainly in October and November, with virtually none in July and August.
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Turn over to see the four exciting properties we found for Marian and Bob
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