Property on the Costa Del Sol

Why You Should Feel Happy About Living Or Owning a Property on the Costa Del Sol
We wanted to buck the trend and lead with some positivity about the Costa del Sol. Here are some great reasons to feel good about living, working or owning a property on the Costa del Sol.

Spain tops the charts of best places to live in Europe

Spain was ranked second out of the 10 European countries for its standard of living by uSwitch.com, with the UK and Ireland officially ranked bottom. Some of the great reasons it highlighted to live in Spain:

1. Spain enjoys the most sunshine in Europe
2. The Spanish can expect to live a year longer than people in the UK
3. Spain enjoys the highest number of holiday days in Europe (41 days a year)
4. Spaniards pay the lowest fuel prices and the lowest prices for alcohol

The sun is still shining and tourists are still spending

Summer 2009 was glorious and the Costa del Sol had the driest and hottest November on records. All this sunny weather kept tourists happy and people sunbathing on the beach well into December.

Despite fears to the contrary the tourists still came in 2009. According to the data of the Association of Hotel Industrialists of the Costa del Sol (AECHOS) the average hotel occupation in July was 69.43%, very similar to the same period in 2008.

Self-catering accommodation was particularly popular, showing that people don't want to sacrifice their holiday abroad, but do want to cut their expenses whilst they are there. HolidayRentalontheWeb.com found that their holiday rental bookings were significantly up over 2008.

There have been a series of successful events on the Costa del Sol this year, bringing in much needed funds and tourists. The Davis Cup Quarter Final in Puerto Banus alone generated 10 million Euros in direct investment into the restaurants, bars, hotels, shops and businesses in the area and there were many other important events such as the first Food & Sun Festival.

New Businesses Open

New shops, bars and restaurants are taking advantage of empty premises and reduced rents and re-opening their doors. The highest profile new arrivals have been Marks & Spencer in Marbella and The Hard Rock Café in Puerto Banus. These new businesses bring more employment, encourage spending and provide positive publicity for the region.

Even the Property Market shows signs of recovery

The property market and the construction industry has taken a huge hit this year and demand for new properties has plummeted. On the other hand however, there are lots of property bargains to be had, and the signs are that investors with ready cash are buying in the downturn to make money when the markets are on the rise again.

As the rest of Europe comes out of recession, demand in Spain will rise again and interest in second homes will increase again. PrimeLocation International, a specialist property website, has seen a steady increase in searches for International properties since June 2009 and a 6% jump in November alone which is a good sign for things to come.

Experts are expressing the belief that things may start to improve sooner than later. Mikel Echavarren, head of Irea, a Spanish real estate consultancy was quoted saying "the recovery is underway". He feels that prices have reached the bottom and he predicts a rise of 10% per year on prices from 2010 onwards. Of course this is only a prediction, but it indicates growing confidence in the market. More confidence means yet more buyers looking to take advantage of the bottom of the property market so it's a positive sign of things to come.

There even seems to be some good news for the developers. The G-14 group of Spain's leading developers have announced that the market for new homes is on the road to a mild recovery. The sector touched bottom in April 2009 and, following huge price reductions, they have been seeing a steady increase in sales from April to date. They predict that sales of newly built homes will continue consolidating in the coming months.

Let's look on the bright side

We're not suggesting that the Costa del Sol is back to the highs of 2007, but things are certainly improving and it still is a wonderful place to live and take a holiday. Potential buyers and holiday makers can take advantage of the drop in prices for properties and holiday rental accommodation and we can all enjoy the great deals in the restaurants, bars and shops.

Marbella Town Hall are planning a new programme of events for 2010 and are launching an online marketing campaign with Marbella residents telling the world why this is a great place to live and work. They are also establishing a Tourism Consortium, working with International Businesses to promote the area and encouraging International Residents to register to bring more funding to the area.

All this must give residents, businesses and property owners hope that 2010 will be a good year for the Costa del Sol and staying positive always helps!

Tony Sidebottom, Managing Director HolidayRentalontheWeb.com
HolidayRentalontheWeb.com offers a portfolio of fully-managed Costa del Sol self-catering accommodation, from villas with heated pools, to apartments email info@holidayrentalontheweb.com for more information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Sidebottom

Spanish House Price Trends - February 2010

February 2010 could be the turning point for Spanish house prices.

When I last did an article about house prices in Spain I used data from the official Spanish price tracking model, Indice de Mercados Inmobiliarios Espanoles, the IMIE index. This house price tracking system showed that property prices rose from September 2002 by 15-20% per year until September 2006 then started to decline to a lower 5% increase in 2007, then -5% in 2008 then -10% in 2009. On checking this database again by February 2010 the slide to the bottom has now decelerated to -5% year on year decline. This is actually indicating an increase in prices over the last few months.

The Costas are still lagging behind as the property slide decelerates as they have seen a -7% drop year on year to February 2010. The lowest decline has been in the country municipal areas which did not benefit from the property boom, they have slowed to under -3% year on year decline.

Kyero the large property agent has another database of asking prices and their index is showing an average drop of only -1.4% with some modest and some spectacular increases in December 2009 as opposed to September 2009. They report small rises of 2% in Alicante with a large number of areas static or down slightly. However on the up side they report some winners with large rises of 19% in Caceres, 14% in Badajoz albeit from a very low base, 10% in Gran Canaria and 8% in Barcelona. The losers are Cordoba with -3%, Cadiz with -6%, Fuerteventura with a massive -17% but the prize for the biggest drop in only three months is a whooping -23% in Huelva.

It would not surprise many to learn that Spanish banks are hiding their true losses by not declaring properties in negative equity on their balance sheet. In order to off load some of the repossessed homes on their books, Bancaja's has issued a new mortgage deal which requires no interest or capital repayment for three years, has no administration fee and offers a LTV of 90%. However it is only available on homes that belong to Bancaja. The properties are mostly located on the costas if anyone is willing to take the risk.

H. McDubhgaill is the publisher of http://www.OwnerDirectSpain.com - the online resource for buying or exchanging property in Spain from owners direct.

Click the following link to list your Spanish property for a as little as €9.99 http://www.ownerdirectspain.com/page-spain-selling-your-property-direct-19.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=H._McDubhgaill

Going Around Torrevieja in Spain

Torrevieja, Spain is a magnificent little village in the Alicante province on the famous Costa Blanca. Costa Blanca is a collection of fantastic beaches located across the Mediterranean Sea. This area was actually a fishing and salt mining village that grew around a old tower, which gives the region its name. Torreviejo's location has always been what made the area so popular, whether in the security, fishing, salt mining or tourism industry. The area's microclimate is created by the surrounding 2 salt lakes and the southern border of the Mediterranean Sea.

Torrevieja is located about 30 kilometers, or a little less than 19 miles, away from the capital city of Alicante, giving it close proximity to the region's busy airport and providing easy access for tourist and sight seers. The weather is amazing all year long, which also lends itself to year round tourism. Summer is the most popular time for most visitors, but the outdoors are very accessible to all who would like to participate in a winter time round of golf or visit the salt baths.

Museums in Torrevieja include the Museum of Sea and Salt, as well as the Holy Week Museum of Tomas Valcarcel. The Museum of Sea and Salt details the areas very successful history of salt mining and fishing. There are also a variety of displays of crafts made from sea salt. There are many photographs and models of the fishing ships as well as a model of a Torrevieja sailing ship on display at this museum to give people a good idea of what the salt mining and fishing industries in Torrevieja have been like throughout the years.

The Holy Week Museum of Tomas Valcarcel made its debut in 1992 and is named for a local artist. The central theme of the Holy Week Museum is the city's tradition of passion processions. There are many statues, sculptures, painting and works of embroidery that are all focused on the very popular current and historical parades that have demonstrated throughout the streets of Torrevieja since its inception.

Torrevieja has a rich cultural heritage with many festivals planned throughout the year to celebrate this. Anytime a tourist comes to Torrevieja, they are likely to encounter a fantastic festival to enjoy.

Winter festivals include the Festival of the Patron Saint and the Christmas Festival in December and The Procession of the Three Kings and New Year's Festivals in January. The spring season brings many Easter festivals and processions and the May Fair is, of course, held in May. This festival is one of the most highly anticipated and heavily attended festivals of the year. Summer is the high season for the tourist trade, with several festivals to attend at this time of year. The San Juan bonfires occurs in June, the Seafarer's Festival and Haberneras Festival is in July. The Habernaeras Festival is a internationally attended and very famous choral festival. September brings the Festival of Vendimia and October is popular with its El Pilar and Halloween festivals, and November sees the festival of All Saints, an especially important holy day in the area.

Ray Walberg's publications can be encountered on different online sites related to what is around Torrevieja and tips on the city of Torrevieja in Spain. Working on his documents like http://www.alicante-spain.com/torrevieja.html, he proofed his knowledge on topics corresponding to map of Torrevieja.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ray_L._Walberg

Breathtaking Places in Spain - Mojacar

Mojacar is in the south east of the Province of Almeria (Andalucia) in southern Spain, close to Costa Calida.

There are two parts to Mojacar - Mojacar Pueblo (town) and Mojacar Playa (beach), which are about 2 km apart

Mojacar the town is really no more than a village on the side of a mountain, which you need a good pair of shoes for and not be frightened of walking. Parking is free at the bottom of the hill, and your legs do the rest. At every turn you will encounter incredible views. The streets making up Mojacar are narrow, and visitors get the impression this is a part of Spain which hasn`t changed much throughout the centuries, and it retains much of its Moorish past. This is a village made for exploring.

One interesting thing we discovered here was that Walt Disney was reputed to have been born here at the pension El Torreon. Around 1900 it belonged to the local doctor who is supposed to have had an affair with his assistant. He allowed her to stay in one of the rooms until she had the baby, but the scandal was affecting his business and family so he paid for her to emigrate to America with the baby. According to the locals this baby grew up to be the famous movie director by the name of Walt Disney. The five rooms are rented out at a very reasonable price. For approximately 25 euros you get bed and breakfast. We stayed in the room next door to Walt`s room (if the story is to be believed), and although basic it was very clean and tidy.

This is the old Spain, and although coach loads of visitors do come here it is off the normal tourist beaten track. If you stay in Mojacar it is not far from the coast where the more energetic will find sailing, fishing, and other watersports.

Geoff writes more about Spain. He has also written about the wonders of Olive Oil

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Geoff_Cummings

Check out these videos of property for sale in Spain right now, there are some great bargains to be had still all over Spain - Prices can only start rising again soon as the market recovers and more people start looking for their Spanish dream home.
Gordon Bloomfield http://gordonbloomfield.blogspot.com