Who doth ambition shun,
And loves to live in the sun,
Seeking the food he eats,
And pleased with what he gets,
Come hither, come hither, come hither.
(William Shakespeare. 1564-1616)
So, no sooner had spring arrived, we now have summer hot on its heels!
We are always so surprised at the suddenness of the Spanish summer’s arrival. The swimming pools have reached a comfortable bathing temperature, the idea of a brief siesta after lunch is becoming increasingly difficult to resist (when time permits!). Mercifully, the nights are comfortably cool, in our particular location we do not need air-conditioning so with our windows open we are privileged to be able to enjoy a full dawn chorus. The regular singsong participants: blackbirds, robins, sparrows, finches and cockerel have been recently joined by a peacock, a mule and the ubiquitous goats!
With the hotter temperatures we are all starting to grumble about the seasonal chores: watering the garden beds and pots, sweeping the bougainvillea, vacuuming the pool etc. – all pretty churlish really, as we find this much less of an onerous task than trying to mow a soggy lawn or digging boggy clay soil back in the UK!
I am told that I missed a really entertaining program on ITV, last Friday with Trevor McDonald telling those still minded to be watching ITV these days, of the horrors of the Spanish property market. I am amazed at how they can get away with such fanciful messages on this type of nonsense without having to substantiate their claims or, even better, to broadcast a complete and balanced picture. The claims that were being made simply bear no relation at all to this part of Spain, or to the country as a whole. Savvy viewers will be aware that the UK media has been talking down the English property market for the past five years and that forecast has been totally wide of the mark too. Our advice has always been that those looking to move to or invest in Spain should buy a sensibly priced property in an area of quality and value not cheapness. There will always be dodgy deals and areas which are known locally as undesirable and there will always be a few fools who rush in – maybe that underlines the reason for serious buyers to use companies like ourselves and to benefit from our local knowledge of both the area and the respective property values. Ultimately what you get is what you pay for, whether we are talking of Spain, the UK or anywhere else in the world. We restrict our area of operation to a mature and consistently sought-after region and we spend our time searching out property that best suits our clients’ requirements and which represents good value and a sound investment, dodgy ‘bargain buys’ we leave to the naïve. In some of the less mature areas which I have always advised against purchase in, and frequently reject approaches of commercial links with, there are instances of dreadful over-development without proper infrastructure and which is exacerbated by the activity of greedy individuals speculatively buying batches of properties ‘off plan’ who are now getting their fingers burnt. Please look to most of the new Mediterranean property options – notably the Eastern Med. and even some North African, former Eastern Bloc and South American countries which are being heavily promoted at apparently silly low prices, you will find the same situation developing already. The ‘Shrewdies’ are already there and they are keenly awaiting the arrival of the naïve and their cheque books. We have golfing friends who have committed to buying a villa in Cypress. Apart from the obvious political, religious and cultural implications of the area, they are tied to long and expensive flights with no road option to the UK (or any other place, for that matter!) And have now been told that they will not even be granted planning consent for at least one year. No wonder Spain continues to be the number one choice for those Northern Europeans looking to buy in the sun!
We have been particularly busy recently with viewing visits of clients from the UK and elsewhere. Unfortunately we have also been entertained by the bizarre antics of a few fantasisers too, who for whatever reason, adopt the role of ‘recreational viewers’. Maybe when we are in a business which is based on helping folk to realise their ‘dream purchase’ then we should expect to encounter such dreamers along with the genuine enquiries. Thank God they are outnumbered by the sane, the serious and the sensible buying public.
Nothing else to report locally except that our regional capital – Valencia has been awarded its own (and Spain’s second) annual Formula One Grand Prix, to be held for the next eight years on a street circuit which will encompass both the reinvigorated harbour (currently hosting the America’s Cup) and the fabulously hi-tech area of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (City of Arts and Sciences). The event is in our 2008 diary already!
Chris Garwood
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2007
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May / June / July & August / September
2008
March / April
