PROPERTY SECTION
PROPERTY ABROAD
Whether you’re buying a holiday home or dreaming of moving abroad, our dedicated property section gives you the latest insights
Wave hello to your second home!
A holiday pad in the Mediterranean is more attainable than you think. Our property sleuth has tracked down eight beautiful homes for sale by the sea – all going for under £250,000
PROPERTY NEWS
TO THE MANOR BORN
You don’t have to be super rich to get a slice of old-fashioned grandeur. Gargrave House, near Skipton, North Yorkshire, has been transformed into spacious, luxury apartments – set within six acres of landscaped grounds and mature woodland. The apartments offer many of the historic property’s original features, including period fireplaces, moulded cornices, ceiling roses and sash windows. Of the 12 apartments, 10 are two-bedroom and two are one-bed. The property is a short distance from Malham and beautiful Dales Gateway countryside. Prices from £230,000 to £560,000. Contact Harrison Boothman on 01756 799 993.
LIFESTYLE VILLAGE FOR THE OVER 55S
We’ve heard of residential complexes aimed at this segment of the market, but The Savannahs, near Almancil in the Algarve, claims to be the first lifestyle village aimed at people over 55. Popular in America, such specialised developments that cater to the needs and lifestyle of the senior demographic are growing rapidly in Europe, offering as they do the kind of security, on-call medical services, leisure and community facilities that are specially designed with older people in mind. Add comfortable but easy to maintain properties set in green surroundings within the sunny climes of the Mediterranean, and it’s not hard to see why the formula is proving so successful.
PEACE OF MIND FOR PROPERTY OWNERS
Buying a property in Spain? Here’s one more thing to add to your ‘to do’ list: write a will.
This is important because in Spain your estate doesn’t automatically pass to your beneficiaries unless you have a Spanish will. This means your beneficiaries wouldn’t be able to sell or refinance any Spanish assets until all inheritance issues are resolved. To complicate matters further, both your beneficiaries and UK executors would need legal assistance as all relevant English documents must be translated, notarised and legalised by the Foreign Office to be valid in Spain, increasing costs and creating further delays. The good news is that your Spanish will can be made either in Spain or in the UK for as little as £300. If you own property abroad somewhere other than Spain, it’s worth noting that the same principles apply in other countries as well. For further information, contact Stephen Coupland, head of international property at Legal 500 law firm Fox Hayes LLP on 0113 383 8187.
PALMA HAS MOST EXPENSIVE STREET
Not Madrid, not Barcelona but Palma de Mallorca’s Paseo Dalt Murada is now officially the most expensive street in Spain. Averaging €15,000/m2 but rising as high as €20,000/m2, luxury refurbished properties in period buildings that offer views of the sea and the port in Mallorca’s capital outstrip the €13,000/m2 area of Madrid’s Paseo de la Castellana or Barcelona’s Paseo de Gracia.
www.spanishpropertyinsight.com
RESTLESS BRITS KEEP MOVING
It’s official: Brits are the nomads of Europe, moving house an average of 12 times in a lifetime. We move within towns and counties, across the country and indeed around the world more than any other European nation, clocking up an average of 443.63 removal miles per person.
BUY BY THE SEASIDE
Property expert Michel Cruz scours Europe’s beaches in search of affordable holiday homes
for under £250,000
GET A NICE BARGAIN
Location: Nice, France
Description: one-bed apartment
Price: £173,000
Agents: Med In Heaven
Bet you never thought Nice would be on this list. After all, it’s on the French Riviera, and that’s not meant to be within the reach of mere mortals. In fact, Nice is surprisingly affordable – if you know where to look.
Scattered throughout the charming boulevards of the old city you’ll find many beautifully renovated classical apartments that won’t cost an arm and a leg. Here, in the Carré d’Or or the Quartier Musiciens, renovation specialists called marchands des biens create stylish apartments with modern facilities and comforts within the timeless architecture of classical French buildings.
For this kind of money you can choose from a top-notch one- or two-bedroom apartment with hardwood flooring, a fitted (often American-style) kitchen, shower room, separate toilet, air-conditioning and a terrace as standard.
For those who don’t mind not being right on the beach, a property like this makes a sophisticated and elegant alternative to the usual holiday resort apartment.
PARADISE REDISCOVERED
Location: Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria
Description: one-bed apartment
Price: £75,500
Agents: Horizon Property Group
Although Gran Canaria, the capital island of the Canaries, is not a new holiday destination, it has been overshadowed by Tenerife and Lanzarote in recent decades. Out of these shadows of neglect, coastal areas like Puerto Rico in the south of the island are now emerging as future hotspots for visitors and investors alike.
You’ll have to be quick if you want to get in there before it all takes off – prices are still relatively low but there is excellent growth potential and an expanding holiday rental market as tourists rediscover Gran Canaria, and this part of the island in particular.
This is an excellent find even aside from such considerations. Close to the beach and all the other amenities in this up-and-coming resort area, apartments here are especially suited to young couples who want to discover the beaches, enjoy the nightlife or simply have a comfortable base from which to explore some of the typical Canarian villages and amazing, rugged landscapes found inland.
IN THE BEAUTIFUL SOUTH
Location: Chiclana, Costa de la Luz, Spain
Description: four-bed villa with pool
Price: £246,000
Agents: Iberian Homes Worldwide
Even in the under-£250,000 price bracket, it’s still possible to have your own little villa by the sea. Situated in Chiclana, a lively town and resort area along the Costa de la Luz, this 120m2, four-bedroom house is not really little, though.
Boasting spacious rooms, a modern kitchen, a garden with pool, terrace and barbecue, and all the other mod cons that you’d expect, the property is located a short distance from shops, restaurants, golf courses and the beach.
While you’ll have the maintenance associated with a house rather than an apartment, you’ll also have enough room to put up the whole family in an area that is gaining rapidly in popularity yet protected from overdevelopment by natural barriers – strong coastal winds that deter hordes of tourists, and national parks.
The rarity of affordable detached homes this close to the beach makes a property like this a good investment that can earn rental income as a holiday home but is also well suited to year-round occupation. In other words, a private villa for the price of a holiday apartment.
TUSCAN SUN
Location: Calambrone, Italy
Description: two-bed apartment
Price: £250,000
Agents: RealPoint Property
Excellent news! Owning a stylish apartment on the Tuscan Riviera is within the limits of the budget we set ourselves. Just.
This fine two-bedroom apartment set within the classic architecture of Villa Regina Elena stretches the budget to its limit, but offers modern comforts, classic Tuscan style and a seaside location in the pretty little village of Calambrone. Pisa and its airport are about 15 minutes away, Livorno just around the corner and a 10km beach only a stone’s throw away.
Pine trees and quaint beachside trattorias mark the coastline, while the dreamy landscape of Tuscany beckons just inland. Golf courses and spa resorts add to the kind of charm that will strengthen rental appeal, as does the fact that there is always a market for such charming regions as Tuscany, where demand tends to outstrip supply at times. Check the service costs out, but otherwise it’s quite a find if you like culture, history, beaches and Italian food.
ISLAND CLASSIC
Location: Golf del Sur, Tenerife
Description: luxury one-bed apartment
Price: £210,000
Agents: Tenerife Property Shop
Where better to seek idyllic beachside living than on a warm, subtropical island? Tenerife’s climate and beaches make it a year-round favourite, and although this property is not exactly cheap, it is located in one of the most exclusive complexes in Golf del Sur. This southern part of the island, once a mecca for mass tourism, is restyling itself into an increasingly upmarket destination, with newly improved infrastructure, opulent resort hotels and increasingly frequent jet-set sightings.
Such a focus on exclusivity, if done well, attracts a more affluent visitor, higher prices and great rental potential – especially if you consider the year-round nature of tourism on the island. Yes, this is a lot to pay for a one-bedroom apartment, but if you’re to make the most of the upward mobility of this resort area for rentals, you should aim for a property that combines quality, style, comfort, security and such facilities as sauna, gym, steam room, pools, restaurants and beach clubs.
ALGARVE CHARM
Location: Boliqueime, Algarve
Description: three-bed villa with pool
Price: £250,000
Agents: Azul Properties
If you want a seaside location and a bit of private space but have a limited budget, you’ll have to make some compromises, such are the realities of today’s property market. Let’s face it, beachfront sites are prime locations usually snapped up by hotel chains or large developments of apartments. Those who want a little extra will often have to contend with a location close to the beach, not on it, but if you’re willing to consider this, a world of new opportunities opens up.
This charming little Algarve villa is a prime example. Situated in the countryside only a few kilometres from the beach, it offers space, privacy and lots of character, within open sight of the sea. A perfect summer getaway, it will appeal to the kind of seasoned traveller who doesn’t want to be surrounded by hotels and apartment blocks, let alone by promenades and nightclubs. If well marketed, there is always demand for this sort of holiday let, and if you think it is a bit on the expensive side, just consider what you get in return and how much more a similar property would cost in many parts of the Mediterranean.
HOOKED ON TARIFA
After writer Natasha Smith got to know Spain’s Costa de la Luz on holiday, she couldn’t resist getting a piéd-a-terre in its most laid-back town. Interview by Michel Cruz
To those in the know, the little fishing town on the very tip of southern Spain is not only Europe’s kite-surfing capital, but also one of the coolest, most laid-back places around.
Natasha Smith, a writer based in Ireland, recently bought a studio in the old town: “I discovered Tarifa three-and-a-half years ago on a camping holiday with friends. I remember waking up that first morning, leaving the tent and walking on to the beach at Torre de la Peña. It was just so beautiful, I immediately knew I wanted to live there. I was back six months later, and have been coming regularly ever since.”
Asked what it is about this area that attracts her so, she answers: “Tarifa’s beauty, its rawness, the mix of sub-cultures, the cultural identity of the locals, the old town, the beach, the nightlife, the misty mornings… need I go on?”
Natasha, who prefers the rustic charm of the Costa de la Luz to the bright lights of Marbella, found a ground-floor studio situated in Tarifa’s quaint old centre through a local agency. “Although €130,000 may sound quite a lot, it’s a lovely bright, spacious property. The last owner refurbished it, so the plumbing and electrics are all new, and the roof has been reinforced.
It has a high ceiling and a mezzanine floor with a second double bed, so it’s perfect for renting out when I’m back in Ireland.”
She describes the buying process as remarkably quick and easy, from finding the property to having a lawyer check out its paperwork and then getting a mortgage. Older properties in the villages and countryside can present problems in terms of paperwork and ownership titles, but since many have been bought and renovated in recent years there are more and more available that are fully registered.
Natasha now makes it down to Tarifa several times a year, staying for as long as she can to really let the town’s chilled-out ambience take effect. “I come down a couple of times a year for my business, In the Write Light, a creative writing workshop I’ve set up here. So when I’m not taking care of my In the Write Light clients, I am usually writing an article for a local magazine or working on my book.” Spending a lot of time with her laptop, she doesn’t always make it to the beach. “When I first arrived in Tarifa, I had a hectic social life, but now I like the place for its quiet and healthy lifestyle.”
Natasha decided to start her workshops a couple of years ago. “The important thing was to find a peaceful, rustic location with the right kind of atmosphere, and I must say I came across the ideal place in the little farm I still use today. It’s a beautiful spot that originally attracted primarily people from Ireland, but I’m happy to say that I now also bring groups in from the UK and have quite a few locals signing up too.”
Children and trips to South America are also in the pipeline, but for the time being this free-spirited young woman is happy to enjoy her sunny new abode and focus on writing and travels, “and I’ll see where that takes me”.
For more information about Natasha’s In the Write Light Tarifa writing workshops, visit www.inthewritelight.com
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