Live News From Spain As It Happens

NEW road markings are being rolled out all over Spain after starting off on just a handful of highways, and the traffic authority wants to ensure everyone knows what they mean.

Broken lines and what are known as 'dragon's teeth' began to appear along each side of roads in 2021, but only in a few towns – although now, they are gradually spreading out all over the country.

The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), part of Spain's transport ministry, explains that 'dragon's teeth' – so named because of their shape – are a series of triangles painted along both edges of a road, with the apex, or point, facing inwards towards the centre.

They are normally found at the entrance to towns or built-up areas from a main highway, where the speed limit drops.

When drivers 'enter' the 'dragon's jaw', they should begin slowing down in preparation.

The idea of this is to prevent suddenly reduction in speed upon sight of a sign showing the much lower limit, which can lead to rear shunts if cars behind do not react quickly enough.

According to the DGT, the 'dragon's teeth' markings work by giving the driver the illusion of the road becoming narrower, which means they instinctively take their foot off the accelerator. 

In reality, this is not the case, since there is no prohibition on driving on top of the markings.

Similar, relatively-new road markings are broken lines in a zig-zag pattern, painted along a stretch of approximately 30 metres. 

These aim to warn drivers of an imminent zebra crossing, so they can slow down and be ready to stop in time. 

Is it illegal if you don't stop at a zebra crossing?

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SPAIN'S national women's football team is recovering from a night-long street party attended by over 20,000, which started almost as soon as they had landed after their gruelling 24-hour journey from Australia, having barely caught a few hours' sleep between their World Cup final match and catching their flight.

Olga Carmona, who scored the only goal in the tense and hard-fought final against England's 'Lionesses', announced ahead of the squad's arrival that she would be joining in the huge celebrations in Madrid, despite Sunday's having been 'the best and the worst day of her life'.

The 23-year-old from Sevilla clinched victory for La Roja – 'The Reds' – with her left-footed goal within less than half an hour of the start of the 114-minute match, catching out England's Mary Earps, affectionately known as 'Mary Queen of Stops'.

Despite making Spain work hard at every step up to the end of more than 13 minutes of extra time, England was unable to find an equaliser, which thrust their Mediterranean rivals into the sporting history books: The first women's World Cup, 13 years after the first-ever and so far only men's World Cup, and the only country other than Germany to have gained one of each.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

EXPATS and permanent foreign residents in Spain, as well as holiday home owners from abroad, often appear to be clustered around very specific areas – typically on the coast. 

But latest figures show they are beginning to spread out farther afield, heading to smaller, more traditional municipalities.

Still close to a beach or, at most, within a half-hour drive of the nearest shore, the top 15 favourite locations for overseas movers and buyers in 2023 have now been revealed – and the majority are along the Mediterranean seaboard.

Daily newspaper Levante EMV, which covers the Comunidad Valenciana provinces of Alicante, Valencia and Castellón, reveals that two of the most sought-after locations are in this same region, whilst three others are close to the French border. 

The article takes its data from residential property sales so far this year among people born outside of Spain, and who do not already live there at the time of purchase.

Here's a bit of detail on the top 10, with a summary of the final five at the end.

Number one: El Poble Nou de Benitatxell

Usually referred to simply as Benitatxell (the 'tx' makes a 'ch' sound in the regional language, valenciano), this quaint, coastal village is tucked into the mountains in the north of the province of Alicante. A close-knit community, the main expat area is the large cluster of urbanisations, or residential villa complexes, on a mountainside above the picturesque Cala Moraig bay.

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PROPERTY prices, housing quality, healthcare and education, living costs and the job market are among the factors that determine where the happiest locations in Spain are, according to research by a leading national consumer organisation.

Ease of getting around – parking, public transport, cyclist and pedestrian safety – clean air, and feeling safe out in the streets are also crucial, and the OCU ranked these in its 2022 report on where the nicest places to live in Spain can be found.

As yet, no updated study has been carried out for 2023, but little is likely to have changed in terms of living conditions in general in the areas researched since the report was published.

This said, as the investigation takes time, the data for the 2022 report were taken from surveys conducted towards the end of 2020. As a result, responses would still have been affected by the pandemic.

It is likely the Covid-19 situation at the time would have led to lower scores for job opportunities, entertainment and leisure, public safety, and healthcare facilities, but may have contributed to higher rankings for air quality, cleanliness and mobility – due to lighter traffic resulting from movement restrictions and not everyone's having returned to work, and more time spent indoors.

Whilst the OCU focused on Spain's 15 largest towns and cities – not delving into smaller villages or towns in their wider provinces – the great way of life in these urban hubs is a good indication of what you might find just a few kilometres outside them.

And although you might have expected the best quality of life to be found in more southerly, coastal parts, it turns out that living in Spain is easiest and most comfortable in some of its northern inland metropolitan areas.

A stratified sample of 3,000 residents were asked to score the 'liveability' index factors out of 100, giving a total percentage of quality of life. The average for Spain's main cities – which range in population from about three million down to fewer than 300,000 inhabitants – was 64%.

'Nowhere is perfect for everyone'

“Different cities, inhabited by very diverse people with very different priorities – and priorities that are often conditioned by age, family situation, and so on – means there's no such thing as 'the perfect place to live' for everyone,” cautions the OCU.

“Not even the cities given the best scores are, in fact, the best in all areas; nor did those which ranked the 'worst' score badly in all criteria.

“And we're not all influenced by the same criteria. We asked respondents to tell us which factors on the index most affected their quality of life, and it is these that contributed the most to the overall score.

“For the average person in Spain, the most determining aspects are living costs, public safety and crime, mobility, environment and pollution, and health services – more so than other variables like arts and entertainment, schools, or even cleanliness of their town.”

Property market 

Starting with the quality of homes available for sale and rent, and their prices – where you get the most for your money – Madrid and Barcelona ranked among the lowest, given that inner-city property is highly sought-after, meaning it tends to be much more expensive.

Zaragoza, Spain's fifth-largest city in the land-locked north-eastern region of Aragón, ranked top for its wide variety of homes, affordability and ease of finding a suitable house or flat to live in, either as a buyer or a tenant.

Second was Valladolid, in the centre-northern region of Castilla y León, just north of Madrid, whilst Valencia, the third-largest city in Spain and home to around 800,000 residents, also came third for quality and price of residential property.

Valencia is the highest-ranked coastal city for its housing market – others with at least one beach out of the 15 surveyed are Alicante, Vigo, Málaga, Gijón, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Barcelona, and Palma de Mallorca. Murcia was on the list and, although this south-eastern city does not have a coast, the single-province region does, and the nearest beaches are 30 kilometres away in San Pedro del Pinatar and San Javier.

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A HOUSE or apartment near the beach is usually the most sought-after property among buyers and renters in Spain, especially in the age of remote working where those employed in big-city firms do not necessarily need to live within comfortable commuting distance of the office. 

And this ideal location transcends nationalities, ages and cultures: Spanish people seeking a new home in their own country, northern Europeans seeking to retire to warmer climes, younger adults no longer tied by needing to be close to the workplace, and everyone in between, if asked, would probably say their ideal property is in a coastal town.

But towns with a beach in them tend to be among the most expensive – for exactly those reasons. 

Not always, though: Some locations on the coast, as yet undiscovered by mass tourism, can be every bit as affordable, or even more so, than larger inland urban parts.

National average prices

At present, the average price of a home for sale in Spain is €2,809 per square metre, if it's brand-new, or €1,801 per square metre if it's pre-owned. This means a spacious three- or four-bedroomed apartment could cost you €180,100 or, if you opt for one that's just been built and has never been lived in before, up to €280,900.

Clearly, this figure varies dramatically according to property type, region, town, and even street. Other features, or lack of them, such as off-road parking, communal or private swimming pools, closeness to shops, schools or other facilities, all make a difference. Two identical properties a few streets apart in the same town could vary in price by over 100%. But those near the coast have traditionally carried the highest price tag, after homes in major cities.

And with residential property prices having been gradually climbing since early 2021, it helps to know where you can get the most space and the best location for your money.

In fact, in coastal towns, these prices might be anything from €844 per square metre to €2,404 per square metre – not counting the most-coveted stretches, such as certain sea-view areas in Jávea (Alicante province) or the Costa del Sol.

Read more at thinkSPAIN,com

HOME prices in Spain show a substantial year-on-year increase despite rising mortgage interest and a general fall in sales, according to a leading valuation group.

Tinsa publishes monthly figures showing fluctuations in market prices for residential property, and has recently released data for June 2023.

Although Tinsa expects home values to experience slower growth in the medium term as a result of Eurozone interest rates soaring, the property survey society says many sought-after areas in Spain are 'hanging on' – or even 'thriving'.

The association's research reveals that home prices went up across the board by 4.6% between June 2022 and June 2023, although this growth was less marked than year-on-year rises seen in May, at 4.8%.

New builds rose in value by 6.4% in June this year, based upon the same month in 2022.

Fastest Euribor rises in history

Overall, residential property prices have been climbing non-stop since 2021, although at a gradually slower rate due to drastic financial decisions taken by the European Central Bank (BCE).

After more than six years with the Eurozone interest rate in minus figures – since February 2016 – they rocketed to around 4% within 10 months, and have gone up yet again in July by 0.25 percentage points.

The Euribor, as the common currency interest rate is known, currently stands at 4.153%.

Exactly one year ago, in July 2022, the Euribor was just 0.992% - and only rose above zero for the first time in April, when it hit 0.013%.

Rate increases at this pace have never been seen before in the history of the euro.

Tinsa cites two factors that have kept the property market reasonably buoyant despite the somewhat extreme Euribor rate hikes: The popularity of Spanish homes to overseas buyers, who are less likely to need a mortgage, and 'stability in employment' in Spain which is 'contributing to consumer confidence and household solvency'.

“To this end, residential demand is becoming more moderate, but without plummeting, and average home prices are maintaining the trend towards stabilising, or slowing down very gradually,” clarifies Cristina Arias, service manager for research at Tinsa.

Where the growth is: 'Resistant' regions

Price growth slowdown in the past eight months has been most notable in provincial capital cities, says Tinsa – particularly very large metropolitan areas. 

Back in November 2022, residential property values in cities had scaled fresh heights of growth – 8.5% in 12 months – but by June 2023, the inter-annual rise was just 4.1%.