PROPERTY IN GRAN CANARIA
The last few years have seen Gran Canaria’s property market take a hit from the credit crunch or la crisis as it’s known locally.
The upside, however, is that with a surplus of property – albeit with fewer bank repossessions than the Spanish mainland – prices are typically down 25 per cent from 2007. So even in this relatively expensive buying area, compared to mainland Spain, you can now pick up an apartment from as little as €100,000 (£83k) – and the majority of the islanders tend to live in fl ats.
One and two bedders dot the south coast (peaking at around the €200,000/ £166k mark) with duplexes – priced from €230,000 (£191k) to €750,000 (£622k) – more common in the newer developments in and around the capital, Las Palmas, and posh neighbour of Maspalomas, Meloneras, which claims a greater concentration of fi ve-star hotels than anywhere else on the island. Head to the mountains above the southern resorts, to Monté Leon for instance, for larger chalets and villas. This is the Beverly Hills of Gran Canaria, with high-end prices reaching the €1,000,000 (£829k) mark, though you’ll still be able to buy a three-bedroom detached villa there with a pool for €450,000 (£373k). You’ll fi nd traditional fi ncas in the centre of the island, in the likes of Vega de San Mateo. You’ll be able to purchase a renovated one for around €150,000 (£124k) and one that requires plenty of work for half that.
For a quirkier choice of accommodation, there are the cave houses, with hikers’
favourite Artenara boasting the majority of these. They don’t often come onto the market, but cost around €130,000 (£108k) when they do.
The traditional resorts of Playa del Inglés and Maspalomas remain good investments for those looking to rent out holiday accommodation, with one- bedroom apartments typically costing from €80,000 to €150,000 (£66-124k) and two-bedders from €125,000 (£104k) to €200,000 (£166k).
However, those looking to relocate may do better to look further west, to the rather more residential Puertos Mogán and Rico. Although they are resorts in their own right, they have a greater service infrastructure such as schools and feel less transient than Playa del Inglés. They’re also as competively-priced as the better-known Playa del Inglés.
An increasingly popular choice to buy is Arguineguín in the south-west – a working port and holiday destination with an established Swedish community and a growing number of Brits, encouraged by the family-friendly feel of the place and its good transport links.
“You’ll have no problem renting out any properties in this area as they’re popular with the Scandinavian market,” says Ramon Sanchez Bruhn of Cardenas Real Estate (
www.cardenas-grancanaria.com). Because of their continued oil-rich status and non-involvement in the Euro, they’re still looking to escape their winter here. “There are Scandinavian churches and schools in Arguineguín, but there’s more diversifi cation with emerging Dutch and Italian communities. It’s certainly an exciting place to be right now.”
Where: Monte León Price: €550,000 (£461,340)
High above the southern resorts, Monte León is also where the Gran Canaria property market peaks. With three bedrooms and bathrooms housed in a sleek modern interior plus heated outdoor pool, this family home nevertheless represents affordable luxury.
www.cardenas-grancanaria.com
THREE TO SEE IN GRAN CANARIA
Where: Puerto Rico Price: €300,000 (£249,005)
It might well be located in Puerto Mogan’s more boisterous neighbour, but the only noise you’re going to hear at this three-bedroom property is the rush of the nearby Atlantic. On a quiet complex with a pool.
www.canary-property.com
Where: Playa del Águila Price: €160,000 (£132,814)
This under-rated area is handier for the airport than the more southerly Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés. A manageable 60 m², this bungalow would suit an older couple, and it offers access to the beach too.
www.becker24.es
S/N) on your drive from the airport to Las Palmas. The spicker-than-span,
newer Complejo Hospitalario Doctor Negrin (Plaza Barranco la Ballena S/N) lies closer to the GC2 which connects Las Palmas with the north and west coasts of the island. Then there’s the wonderfully healthy outdoor lifestyle on the island.
Off the beaten track Our doctor advised that while nursery was a no-no for Alex, the beach was a perfectly safe environment – which burgeoned my developing love affair with the island’s warts-and-all north coast. Scruffi er than the Sahara-sand beaches on offer at the famous southern resorts of Maspalomas and Playa del Inglés, we ventured there on a daily basis after dropping Dani off at school. I used to phone my wife, who was
stuck behind a desk at the factory, and ask “Guess where we are today?” She
rarely guessed it right. After all, we were fi nding spots that few Canarians, let alone tourists, had ventured to, like Caleta Arriba where I had to be on guard as Alex acquired an almost magnetic fi xation with the fi shermen’s knives, casually left on the rocks above the beach – with no one else usually about. Expats, in the majority, live in the more arid south of the island. Here the younger ones tend to work in bars or restaurants, where their English is put to good use dealing with tourists while the older ones are more likely to run the restaurants. Those of us profi cient in Spanish
can work in schools, and when Alex was given the all-clear to attend nursery I found a job teaching English. Twelve months on from that,
we opened a language academy for children aged from three to 12 years (
www.play-school.es), teaching English through the medium of song, story and craft to make it more fun. There are
also jobs in medicine, though these will depend on language skills as well as qualifi cations.
Jobs for ex-pats Husband-and-wife team, Dr David and nurse Mary Beresford-Jones – originally from Carlisle and Brighton respectively – run the British Medical Clinic (
www.britishmedicalclinic.com) in the south-west’s Puerto Rico. “It’s the sheer diversity of the island
that appeals to me,” says Mary, 49. “Especially the small coves, long sandy beaches, British breakfasts and Spanish beach bars, fi ve-star hotels as well as lovely old fi ncas and lemon trees in mini grand canyons in the centre of the island. “Many expats’ nickname for the island is paradise, but being here on holiday should not be confused with living here full time. “If you’re moving here, come with enough money to support yourself for at least a year and don’t break all ties
aplaceinthesun.com 49
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