A Home In the Sun? Head for the Spanish Hills

While British interest in buying property in Spain continues unabated, it does so with a subtle but important change. Increasingly, UK buyers are turning their back on custom-built, gated communities, where their neighbours are more likely to hail from Birmingham or Rhyll than Benalmadena or Nerja, and turning inland for a taste of ‘real’ Spanish life. All across Andalucia in southern Spain is scattered a myriad of ‘pueblos blancos’ (white villages), where time seems to pass more slowly and the simple joys of life are more easily savoured.

On the other side of the mountain ranges which fringe Spain’s south coast stretches an enchanting landscape of jagged mountain peaks, olive and citrus groves and turquoise lakes. Anyone familiar with the alpine meadows and craggy backdrops of the American southwest will understand why much of that territory seemed so familiar to the Spanish conquistadors who ventured up from Mexico.

While not necessarily a cheap option for prospective property buyers from the UK - many Spanish sellers still overestimate what British buyers are able to pay and quote unrealistically high prices – with good local contacts and some determined negotiation, there are still good deals to be had in the local property market. (Besides, the cost of living in rural communities – thirty to fifty per cent below the UK for most things – will tend to compensate for any disappointment at not finding a real bargain.)

First, a few word of warning. Local realtors complain that Brits question house prices more than prospective Spanish buyers, and it is not uncommon for a seller to reject a reduced price however reasonable, and let a property sit unsold rather than ‘lose face’ by accepting less than the asking price. This situation is not helped by the fact that Spanish estate agents do not advise their selling clients on price, listing a property at whatever the owner wants for it.

A great area to search is around the Sierra de Grazalema, a region of spectacular beauty best reached by flying into Malaga then driving west along the E-15 ‘autovia’ (motorway) to Marbella and north on highway A376 to Ronda, a journey of up to two hours. From Ronda, a town famed for its spectacular gorge and home to the oldest bullring in Spain, continue on the A376 in the direction of Seville before joining the ‘Ruta de Los Pueblos Blancos’ to explore an undulating countryside strewn with whitewashed towns and villages, as if some giant hand had scattered gleaming pebbles.

If you are on your first exploratory trip, you may just want to criss-cross the area and let the right place find you. Places well worth checking out include: the spectacular cliff-top fortress of Arcos de la Frontera; Zahara de la Sierra, topped by a Moorish castle; El Bosque, famed for its fresh river trout; the neighbouring hamlets of Benaojan and Montejaque; Grazalema, gateway to the beautiful ‘parque natural’ of the same name; Setenil, where some houses are built cave-like into a huge rock overhang; and Olvera, which seems to beckon the traveller from its hilltop.

You’ll know the right place when you find it…

Words of advice
The no. 1 priority when purchasing property in rural Spain is to visit the area and see it for yourself. Unlike new builds, which can be bought ‘off plan’ with confidence, older houses may not be what they seem in their website or prospectus photos.

Hire a Spanish lawyer and negotiate with the seller through a local estate agent (‘inmobiliaria’). Most ‘inmobiliarias’ would much rather sell to someone with a lawyer. The lawyer’s fee is normally 10-20 per cent of the deposit. The estate agent’s commission is usually 3-5 per cent of the purchase price.

Ten years ago in rural Spain there were no estate agents, and buyers would deal direct with the property owner or go through a ‘corredor’ (middle man). This has given rise to a catalogue of horror stories of properties bought only for the new owners to discover that the transaction was invalid, because legal ownership had not been established and the deeds therefore not properly registered. A common problem is that many properties are jointly owned among several family members, and any one of them may pop up at any time to make a claim on the property you thought was yours. Often the claim is backed up by neighbours willing to testify to a family’s long-held ownership of a property. A good lawyer will help establish legal ownership beyond dispute.

Even if you are meeting with an estate agent or property owner who speak English, to avoid any miscommunication take your own Spanish speaker with you if you are not fluent in the language yourself.

If you are refurbishing, get used to the local timeframe when dealing with suppliers and workers. Says one English property owner now living in Andalucia: “We’re used to things being done on a regular schedule. In Spain you just have to go with the flow – which is very, very slow. The ma?ana (tomorrow) attitude is still alive and well. Also, if you’re renovating, speaking Spanish is a big ‘must’. You can be ripped off so easily. I made my builder put in a skylight three times before it was right.”

Getting there
easyJet has daily services to Malaga from Glasgow, Gatwick and Luton. www.easyjet.com, T 0871 244 2366

Getting around
Helle Hollis Car Rental has offices at Malaga Airport, Marbella, Fuengirola and Nerja. www.hellehollis.com, 0871 222 7245

13 September 2006