28 Apr 2012 09:39: My wife and I retired to the south Costa Blanca almost 4 years ago to a quiet Urb in the Algorfa area. We absolutely love it as do our many friends in the area. Maybe it's a Brit thing or maybe it is because the south is more residential.
With regards to Maddiemacks comment about people leaving for "obvous reasons" , it seems to me the people who are going back are those who need to work over here and work is hard to find, even if you are Spanish. That of course applies to the U.K. as well but Spain does not give the benefits to foreigners that the U.K.does.The Spanish health system though is excellent.
If you can afford a holiday home or are retired now is the time to buy.
Someone commented that because something was cheap it did not mean it was good value. That is true but generally the value these days is fantastic.Many people overstretched themselves financially in the good times and are now struggling to pay the mortgage.They tend to try to let long term initially but tenants are very hard to find so they end up having to sell very cheaply or lose the property, so yes, if you ever want to buy a property in Spain I would say now is the time to do it.
It is also true that some Urbs have trouble getting in the fees but by the same token others are managed well and have no problems.
We had our AGM yesterday and yes, we have some people who are behind with the community fees , but we also have money in the bank and are in a sound financial position. I might also add that our fees are only 260 euro's a year!
So I would say yes , pay due diligence, use a reputable agent , but don't let people with negative attitudes put you off.
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