Entries Tagged 'Spain' ↓

Villa Entrance

This fantastic family villa in Tenerife is situated in Los Cordones, near San Isidro. They have nearly completed a new motorway exit before San Isidro, which will give direct access to the TF-1 motorway within just 5 minutes.

Located in a very safe and quiet neighbourhood with very friendly professional, local neighbours. The street running past the house is a no through road so there is very little traffic around.

Gardens

The plot is 1056m2, the current Escritura states 167m2 constructed area, but documentation is available from the Ayuntiamiento (council) for an amplification to add another 60m2 which will make the new Escritura constructed area 227m2. There is a Barranco at the rear of the property so there are no developments to spoil the view in the future. The villa is constructed 1 metre above ground level, so doesn’t have any damp problems.

The Tenerife property has 4 bedrooms - 3 of which have ensuite bathrooms and one guest room which has its own seperate shower room. Master bedroom has purpose built wardrobes; complete entertainment section with plasma screen TV, DVD player and CD stereo system. Dining kitchen, front terrace, rear terrace, established garden and large pool (10m x 5m) newly re-tiled last year (2007). Drive for 3-4 cars with electronic automatic gate entrance plus additional pedestrian gate entrance. Air-conditioning to 3 bedrooms and lounge.

There is an additional room (currently used as a computer room, which could be either a dining room, office/study or 5th bedroom). The separate room outside in the garden is used as an exercise room, but could easily be converted to an office or teenagers den, etc. Ample strorage space is available by the pool pump room plus a shower room and W.C. by the pool with a covered area - which could easily be converted into a granny/studio flat.

Swimming pool

The garden has various established palm trees, shrubs and other fauna with a fully automated watering system installed. The garden also has coloured lights dotted, the main pathway through the garden is lined with wall mounted lights and the pool has it’s own lights resulting in a great night time effect.

The annual rates are around 280 Euros per year. The 3 metre Satellite dish is already fitted for Sky and UK channels. There is a Securitas alarm system installed which connects to a monitoring station, for a monthly fee of around 30 euros and ADSL is also installed.

Shops, garages, commercial centres, notary office, medical centre, schools etc. are 5 minutes away in San Isidro. El Medano´s “European Blue Flag Beach” is 10 minutes away, Reina Sofia, Tenerife’s biggest international airport is just 10 minutes away (But the house is NOT on the flightpath!) and the infamous golfing resort of Golf del Sur is just 5 minutes away. Main commercial centre with all super markets are 10 minutes away at Las Chafiras. Los Cristianos and Las Americas are a comfortable 20 minutes away. Rural country areas are all around within 5-10 minutes drive and Santa Cruz - the capital city is just 35 minutes by car.

Extremely good value for money family home - perfect for any families looking to relocate to a quiet and safe area, within easy reach of all your amenities yet well away from the tourist crowd.

Lounge area

It isn’t often that we are given these opportunities but very recently, the developers have reduced the prices of their newest properties by 40%! Not surprisingly, there has been great interest and apartments have been selling on an almost daily basis. So if you are looking for an investment opportunity not to be missed in Spain - don’t miss this one!

Los Prados del Golf is a lovely frontline golf complex on the La Noria Golf course - just 5 minutes walk from La Cala de Mijas Village with its amazing beach, bars, restaurants and shops.

La Cala was traditionally an old fishing village in the Mijas Costa Region of the Costa Del Sol situated approximately half way between Fuengirola and Marbella - just 30 minutes from Malaga airport. Unspoiled by mass tourism, the past few years have seen La Cala develop in to an up market coastal town, popular with discerning tourists and residents alike. The town has recently received government backing for a modern, stylish marina that will house around 40 berths as well as bars and restaurants. It is estimated this will be completed by 2012.

Map of the Costa del Sol (Las Mijas shown)

The proposal on offer is absolutely fantastic with each unit available being discounted 40% off the developers price and an incredible 100,000€ below market value and bank valuation. These units are “key ready” and were completed in March 2007.

Available Units (going fast):

All apartments are 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms with underground parking included.

• 1st & 2nd Floor Units -130,000€

• Ground Floor Garden -150,000€

• Penthouse(3rd Floor) -177,000€

• Various orientations available.

80m2 built
Terraces/ Gardens from 12m2 to 80m2

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Los Prados del Golf (click to enlarge)

Good news for everyone selling property in Spain the Canary Islands or Cape Verde Islands; David A Wood and Associates have recently joined HomeLink, the UK’s largest network of professional estate agents. This means that David A Wood & Associates customers have the benefit of several hundred linked offices all working to help sell their home for the price of one!

David Wood explains; “Joining HomeLink made great sense for our customers and for us as a business. HomeLink works by helping agents like us find more buyers for our customers’ homes, more quickly and thereby generating better quality offers. There were a number of property referral networks to choose from, but we chose HomeLink because it is different in several key ways. One of the unique differences is that no business is allowed to join unless they are members of the NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents), entrance to which is by qualification only. HomeLink is the only referral network in the UK that sets such high entry standards.

“There were a number of property referral networks to choose from, but we chose HomeLink because it is different in several key ways”

“This means that everyone in the network is required to work to set standards; vitally important when dealing with someone’s home and their biggest asset! HomeLink has also invested in the latest secure referral system and website which allows suitable buyers from across the world to be matched instantly with our customers’ properties. Also important to us, is HomeLink’s commitment to ongoing training and support of our business to ensure that we are able to offer higher standards and achieve greater results.”

Chairman of HomeLink and current Vice president of the NAEA, Chris Wood commented: “I am delighted to welcome David A Wood & Associates as part of our growing network of professional agents. They are joining hundreds of like minded, professional, agents across the UK who are successfully using HomeLink to sell more property, more efficiently and at better prices under the umbrella of the most respected name in property professionalism in the UK today, the NAEA. If you are thinking of selling your home, a HomeLink agent such as David A Wood & Associates offers professionalism, peace of mind and much more. Give them a call!”  

If you asked an investor what they look for when considering property they would list a combination of the following; a favourable environment, guaranteed weather, good property prices and a strong rental market.  

Peter Loveday of Currencies Direct, the foreign exchange specialists, believes that through the strength of their local network in Spain, and as the first non bank provider of foreign exchange for individuals that they are ideally placed to comment. Peter believes “the area of Cape Verde and Canary Island property in general are an ideal starting point for people who want the best of both worlds. We have customers from all over the world, and we are in a unique position to become award of changing trends and the emergence of new markets.”  

Cape Verde seems to be able to provide the best of the surrounding areas in one place. It has the open white beaches of Barbados, the vibrancy of Jamaica, and a strong colonial heritage from the British and Portuguese. Cape Verde provides a warm welcome for investors with average temperatures of 25oC for the majority of the year, and between 10 - 12 hours of sunshine a day. Crucially however it is largely unknown to the UK market and therefore still retains a unique charm.  

However, financial decisions cannot be ruled by the heart alone, many investors have fallen in love with a location and then suffered due to them failing to do their homework. Peter offers the following 5 top tips to consider before parting with your hard earned cash.  

1. Accessibility
Proximity to the airport is only half the battle, it also pays to check that the location will be well served by direct and daily flights from the UK. The Canary Islands and Cape Verde are currently well serviced by a number of UK airlines, and Cape Verde recently signed an ‘Open Skies’ agreement with the US.  

2. Prices
The investment market has matured from the low cost model seen in central Europe. Opportunities in more developed markets, while seemingly guaranteed are oversubscribed and also fixed to a longer period before return on investment is realised. Canary Islands property offers huge potential, with average property prices around €208.000 making it very affordable and with a large potential for capital appreciation over the next 3 to 5 years. 

3. Rental Market 
The area is predicted to experience a 4x increase in visitor numbers in the next two years. With the favourable all year sunshine, very low rain fall, the topographical variety of the islands, investors should be assured that there will be a strong rental market for investors.  

4. Currency Stability
Cape Verde still retains its local currency the Cape Verdean Escudo, a throwback to its days as a Portuguese colony. However all property and international transactions are priced in Euros allowing for ease of capital inflows and outflows.  

5. Talk to a specialist  
When it comes to moving or investing abroad, not only do you need to be savvy about exchange rates when transferring money for the purchase, but you also need to be aware of extra fees that agencies and banks may charge you. Mark O’Sullivan, director of trading at Currencies Direct comments, “regular transfers overseas may be needed, perhaps to service a mortgage. High street banks can leave buyers out of pocket even after the first lump-sum transfer by charging fees of up to £20 on small successive transfers.” To ensure your returns are optimised and you receive the best possible rates you need to look beyond the high street banks.  Any foreign exchange specialist worth their salt should be able to offer you a considerably better exchange rate, potentially saving you up to £4,000 on the cost of an average property abroad, and many will not charge you any fees or commission for the pleasure.

I’m about to roll out my new overseas property web site David Wood & Associates and would like to take this opportunity of inviting holiday home owners throughout Spain and it’s islands to list their properties with us. We welcome letting agents and property owners to take advantage of this free service and look forward to you contacting us here.

According to the Spanish daily news ‘El Pais’ 10 of Spain’s largest estate agencies have closed more than half of their offices in the past 6 months with more to follow.

Two of Spain’s largest estate agents, Don Piso and Fincas Corral, have been put up for sale. Don Piso has cut the number of it’s offices from 400 last year, to 140. MC Inmobiliaria, another leading agency, owned 218 offices last year, but now operates from 60 - a fall of 72.5%.  Read more..

The Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has recently announced a €20 billion package of 24 incentives to boost the country’s economy, the scheme which was first announced in April this year now needs to be approved by the Spanish houses of parliament then it will become law.  

What it means 

It means that Spanish wealth tax will no longer be due on assets owned by individual owners, including foreign property owners. Read more ..

“The Mallorca property market is the most stable in Spain, and one of the most stable in all of Europe” – Spanish Hot Properties. High-end properties and services have been developed on the island over years around an already existing beautiful and easily accessible location.

El Mago - One of the many beautiful coves scattered around the coast

What makes the island so inviting to exclusive property hunters?
Starting with the physical attraction of the jewel of the Balearics - Mallorca boasts countless stunning beaches with white sands and turqoise blue waters along with small, quiet, picturesque coves.

Dotted along the coast are numerous marinas including the infamous Puerto Portals that harbors the very sleekest yachts around. Its 2 Michelin Star restaurant - Tristans, several other up-market restaurants of various cuisines and fine collection of bars, cafes and shops give the port a lively, distinguished vibe.

Palma de Mallorca - the island’s capital and primary port is rapidly becoming more attractive to younger buyers and Euro commuters. The city is a chic, safe city with everything to offer. From its abundance of unique nightlife along the Paseo Maritimo, to the medieval quarter complete with cathedral and labyrinth of small streets containing small boutique shops, cafes and restaurants - to Jaime Tercero, Palma’s high street – home to countless exclusive designer outlets.

With over 53,000 EU residents (of which 19,000 are British), there are services available to satisfy almost all our home-comforts. From British Food Stores to
English Schools to fish and chips – there are endless remedies should you ever encounter the slightest sense of homesickness. Nevertheless, if all else fails - remember Palma International Airport is just a couple of hours away from home.

This is just a taster of what Mallorca has to offer but if you would like to find out more, please do not hesitate to visit The Other Mallorca after you have read our brief property report.

Some of the facts
Brits are still, after records started in 1970, the primary overseas buyers. Followed by Germany, France, Italy and South America.

Unlike other popular areas in Spain for buyers, Mallorca has resisted the urge to over develop the island. Instead, existing laws regarding planning approvals and property inspections have become stricter resulting in a limited supply of quality properties in heavily demanded locations. This guarantees any purchase of high end properties will prove to be a valuable investment in the future. Properties in some areas are even said to increase by 7 – 10% over the coming year. This is due to increased demand on new builds and massive current and future investments by the council in road, marina and golf infrastructure.

Having said that, quarterly statistics released by the Spanish Ministry of Housing indicate developments throughout Spain have fallen on average by 33 – 35% in 2007. In Andalucia, development fell by as much as 64%. However, planning approvals in Mallorca increased

Ending on a personal note
Having lived in Mallorca for 6 months now, I can definitely say I have caught the “Mallorca Bug”. I was told that it wouldn’t take long for me to get attached to the island and now I can certainly relate to that! The concoction of beautiful scenery, friendly atmosphere and Mediterranean climate is certainly spell bounding.

San Agustin Marina at dusk