Big Place in El Rebollar

I went further than we normally go today to bring you a worthwhile investment property and somewhere great and quiet to live. 55km out of Valencia on the Madrid road, El Rebollar is a small village in the heart of the Valencian Wine Growing area. It is just five mins away from Requena.

The accompanying pictures are of the seven bedroomed house on the outskirts of the village with two very seperate parts in the main house and the possibility of converting the garage into further accomodation. There are also 5200m2 of land with 140 mature olive trees in full production as seen in the picture of the views. 297000 Euros will get you this impressive property.

Enjoy.

Fancy a Ground Floor Loft in Valencia?

We have just received two almost identical ground floor lofts (Is that possible?) in the centre of Valencia. Both priced at 220000 Euros and soon to be finished off with impressive kitchens to the design of those who buy them, these lofts have approximately 70m2 of floor space and have a small back terrace for that all important outside space and the light they provide. Blank canvasses for you to play with right by the Pilar area of the city, just a five minute walk to the central market and town hall. Excellent location and good styling from a reliable developer with a very good record of finishing jobs well.

More Trends

The BBC is today reporting on trends in Brits living abroad and why. Here is the report on Spain. There are now 990000 people in Spain, if part time residents are included, but if you look at the concentrations on the coasts, especially in the Alicante and Costa del Sol regions you can still find yourself living in the real Spain. Here in La Pobla de Vallbona according to the latest census there are fewer than 20 British residents out of a population of 17000 and even in an area such as Villamarchante where a lot of foreign buyers have settled there are still fewer than 300 permanent British residents.

The trends also suggest that more and more younger professionals are moving here taking advantage of the ability to work from home due to the internet and more liberal professions. Therefore it is important to consider location and communications above all when choosing a property and Valencia Property helps you to do this.

Frankly there are areas in Alicante where the only permanent residents are almost all foreign and the chance of hearing a Spanish voice is negligible. However we now find that people who have been here for some time are now moving into the towns and cities as they discover that they want everything to hand. If you are happy to use the car then by all means buy a house that is on an estate otherwise bear in mind that most small towns in Spain have everything to hand within walking distance because they are compact with flats rather than having urban sprawl. This also means you can get out of the town very easily and be walking in the countryside in just a few minutes.

To illustrate this point I have attached photos of a couple of places within walking distance of a town or village and a flat within the city of Valencia. All offer good value, great areas and a good standard of living. Prices of those illustrated range from 135000 Euros up to 300000 Euros and areas are Casinos, Gatova,
Lliria and Valencia itself.

Prices and Trends

Kyero have just published their price guide and request guide and there is a discrepancy. The average price of a property sold in Spain is now 250000 Euros whereas those who request details and want to come to the country are hoping to pay 150-200000 Euros. Our average house price sale for this year has been 261850 Euros an increase of just 13000 Euros on last year, or roughly 4.5%. The year on year increase in our average house sale last year was 64000 Euros or 33%.

Why has this happened? Well there are a few reasons, one is the slowdown in price increases, secondly, the willingness of owners to negotiate on prices and thirdly the fact that we have positioned ouselves at Valencia Property in this area of the market. It is easy to position yourself at the lower end of the market and sell 100000 Euro shacks for renovation but the satisfaction of the client is not guaranteed because firstly, and most importantly, the properties will not get planning permission to build and secondly the properties are usually out in the sticks and have no water, electric or gas and a telephone is a pipedream. It is easy to position yourself at the top end of the market and try to live on selling a couple of mansions per year with huge commissions involved but we prefer to work hard, give good possibilities for capital gain and renovation and make sure that our clients are satisfied with their purchase and their lifestyle here.

500000 Britons have a property in Spain and another 100000 people plan to move abroad this year. The majority of those purchasing want to do it for a permanent move whereas a reduced number now buy as an investment or for holidays. Investment in Spain is forecast to rise by 75% over the next three years. And the most important factor is always location.

For the whole report view the Kyero blog here

The photo accompanying this report is a house in Olocau on a large plot with four bedrooms but needing central heating, at 270000 Euros.

Holidays and Lofts

Valencia is closed. Wednesday was a holiday, people took off Thursday as usual to make up the week and Friday, today, was a holiday. The weekend of course is an extension of this. Tuesday night was gridlock trying to get out of Valencia according to those who eventually got to my 40th birthday party. Now it is empty. Tomorrow as we need to take more photos of flats and houses we shall see if there is anybody in town.

If you want a different style of living we now have some lofts available. I have attached some photos here but the emphasis is on light and space. A total change from the traditional Valencian type construction where people tried to keep sunlight out to avoid summer heat, these houses are well insulated and keep warm in winter and cool in the summer. They are also very stylish.