Property Management Company?

We have an apartment in the complex Spa Valley,Archena, Murcia which we have recently completed furnishing & are now in a position to start to rent this out for long or short term lets, Does anyone have any Property Management companies that they can recommend to manage the property for us as everyone one we have been in touch with has said we are out of there area. We consider this as excellant rental oppotunity as its close by the Archena Spa which there on site Hotels are fully booked most of the year. Or any advise anyone can pass on regarding cleaners etc. this would be very much appreciated.

Calling All Owners of Spa Valley Archena .  Please have a look at this thread under Overseas Property Investment in the site Ask About Money

This is mainly an Irish Site but some owners (myself included) are trying to get information about what is going on and possibly have a meeting or exchange of views.

Hi all

I have also bought in spa valley 1 was there in early november spoke with the letting agent about the long awaited rentals and was told he is now waiting for all out outside areas  to be completed first when this will happen is anyones guess.I need to rent out asap as this was supposed to be an investment that is now turning into a bit of nightmare I heard of one person renting there themselfs but not sure how they are doing this if anyone finds a rental agent we could work will you please let me know

Hi Anthony B,

We have just arrived back from Spain & have finally arranged an agent to manage the rental of our Spa Valley Archena apartment & Luz De Almoradi in Almoradi.

I will post the details below of how to contact her, she really is  very nice, helpful & doesn't pressure you. 

She is Englist ( Which in my opinion does make a huge difference) called Gayle,

She can do as little or as much as requested, Long Lets, Short Lets, Key holding, marketing , cleaning or all the lot @ very reasonable rates too.

This for me has been the best opportunity we have had & having spent time in Spa Valley ourselves in the summer last year we had a really nice break. The area is very quiet, but hopefully with the help of Gayle we can get a clients in & make the place what it should be, She advertises on the internet & keeps you updated all the way, she seems very enthusiastic about the area & is making a big splash about it On Line.

We had a couple stay for the first two weeks in February for there walking holiday & said it was absoulutely perfect for what they wanted, so there is hope!

There only complaint was that there was no pool heating, I am trying to contact Spa Valley about this as it would make a huge difference in the winter months.

Go ahead & call if your interested, I'm glad I did.

Gayle Hickling

Vegaelx.com

European Sales Adminstartor

Property Rental Agency

Office : 0044 966 783 821

Mobile : 0034 661 985 852 / 0034 664 452 223

E-mail : gayle@vegaelx.com.

Hope this helps you & others in this situation.

Keep in touch.

Sarah x

Hi AnthonyB,

Did you get hold of Gayle? Can she offer any help to you or others?

Hi Sara & Anthony B,

Have just come back from a brief visit to Archena . Stayed one night in Termas Hotel on Balneario site . Got very good deal for one night mid week.  At peak times the hotels are expensive but off peak you can get good value and fully appreciate the relaxation aspect being right on site.  Had a look over at the Spa Valley ii Development .  Worried still no progress on the walkway / path to connect thro the orchard to the Balneario.  At present would have to use a car even though it is short distance as crow flies. Also surface parking now restricted as new development at Balneario is an Underground Pay Car Park. An Any recent new development at the Balneario is just front reception shop and the underground car park . No recent increase in the pool capacity which is really what is needed.   Still no confirmation that developers rental scheme is getting off the ground . They do not seem to have got official approval for touristic rentals.

I will consider waiting for confirmation about the footpath and the approval for tourist rentals before completing as I consider these 2 items to be very important from a rental investment point of view. Also , the contracted prices now appear too expensive for what we are getting.    

Has anyone actually spent a few nights in Spa Valley II.

I'm happy to say that the appartments have FINALLY got the necessary "turistic apartments" seal. The works on the road have ended, so is now fully asphalted. Regarding the other comments, the works at the Balneario are finished, I was there last saturday and I have to admitt, it was worthwhile waiting for it. The indoor car park is finished, as well as the new pool area. Swimming pool is still the same, but they hace now a new private area (balnea) where if you pay an extra 15€ you can enjoy various new services like different saunas, diferent small pools (lemon, salted, etc) and you even have an iglu!

The direct path from Spa Valley to the Balneario is not finished though. I see them working on it everyday, but I think it will take them about a month or so to finish it. Anyway, I walk to the Balneario myself, through the lemon trees, which is also a nice experience.

Now with the good weather, I see more people around, people from the neighbouring tows of Archena and Villanueva come to enjoy on the public parks around.

That's it, I'm glad I found this forum. Remember I live in Spa Valley so if you guys need enything from here, just let me know. I know the developer, the construction company, the "porteros" (door-keepers), etc. In a few weeks we will be having the annual meeting, it is important that we have there the maximum number of owners. There are some important issues we need to discuss.

By for now.

Fernando

Hi FERNANDO,

Great to hear from someone actually living there, and such postive reports for a change. You say they have the tourist approval this is great news and a great relief to us.

we were there last summer and loved it and it really is a lovely development unfortunatley we may not be able to make the meeting but would be grateful if you could keep us updated on anything happening as you see fit,

Regards

Anthony and June

Fernando

Thats great news, hopefully now things can start moving & make this what we all wanted when we originally bought.

Keep us updated as much as possible on anything you find as this is very useful knowing you actually live in the Complex.

Please let us know when the meeting is, we are n Spain in the first week in June, so could make it then, but if not, any news you have from the meeting would be very useful.

Which Apt is yours? We are in Block 5 Apt 171, corner ground floor. facing the gardens & gym.

Sarah & Richard

Hello anthonyb and Sarah25, mine is 200, facing the hills and the balneario, also in block 5 second floor. I'll keep you posted with all the news, remember the "administrador" should have your right addresses so he can send you the report of the meeting. After you receive that report you have 10 days to vote for anything decided on the meeting, should you consider voting against any of the agreements, and those votes have to be accounted. You guys (the foreign ones) are a good number on Spa Valley, so that's why your votes could be important.

I made some nice pictures this weekend, I'll upload them tomorrorw (I forgot my camera today)

Fernando

Hola ,

Fernando, Sarah , Anthony and all others with an interest in Spa Valley .

It was good to hear some positive news about the development.  I myself have not yet completed on a Penthouse as I am awaiting on final agreement of some issues with Oasis and clarification of the Rental Management Scheme.  I have grave doubts if the rental scheme will ever get going off the ground as at present from my experience with them I do not have confidence in the present rental management.

I am still awaiting confirmation that the direct walkway across the orchard will be completed. There is very little to be done at either end but there appears to be no movement for some reason perhaps legal issue ?  My other concerns are the poor quality of the handrail finish on the internal stairs and the delay in obtaining touristic licence. Even if it is granted , the Bedrooms are very small and Bedroom No. 2 will only be approved for 1 person - does this mean only 1 small bed allowed ?    The longer these issues remain unresolved makes me re-consider and look at cheaper alternative opportunities with similar facilities that are available in other countries. Perhaps it would be better to walk away now rather than get into something that could be a nightmare to sell and impossible to rent out due to the oversupply of rental accomodation in the Archena area.  I agree it will be a very nice place to live but as an investment, I now have my doubts.  I will also be in Spain in the first week of June. I could go to Archena but only if it is worth visiting to see any progress since Easter.  I would be grateful if anyone can give an update on the direct walkway, the touristic rentals, and the heated pool.

To those of you who have already completed, I wish you well and happiness with your new acquisition.

Hi All

My name is Ger and I bought a penthouse in Spa Valley 1 off plans in 2004 with my husband Dennis.   We are delighed with our purchase.  We use it as a holiday home and the whole family stay there regularly.

It's great to have this forum, as I find it very difficult to speak spanish, although I am trying.  Also anytime I go to Spa Valley I never meet anyone.  So my only source of information is the Spa Valley Sales office, which I find very helpful.

Apparently the problem with the famous pathway from Spa Valley to the Spa is that the owner of the land has decided he wants more money for the sale.  I got the feeling that this could go on for a long time, as there are a number of local authorities involved in the negotations.  This pathway was very important to us when we decided to buy.  Like Fernando I walk across the lemon groves, its really beautiful. 

My passion is birdwatching and the area we have all bought in is an ideal habitat for all species.  I notice the local authorities have a interest in developing natural persuits.

Finally, I will be visiting Spa Valley for yet another holiday on 26th June for one week, so If anyone would like to meet up please let me know.

Ger

Hola Ger and All Spa Valley People,

Glad to hear you are making good use of yr apartment and enjoying the area.  Like you , one of the main reasons I signed up to buy at Spa Valley was the promised direct footpath connection to the Spa.  I have walked thro the orchard a few occasions, No problem myself , but with wife and child it is far from ideal.  Also possibility of danger in the dark from mugging/robbery although I have not yet heard of any actual attacks and hopefully it will remain so.  I consider the footpath across the orchard to be very important as residents and renters in Spa Valley would like to stay late to enjoy the music, dancing and have late drinks at the Casino Bar in the Balneario and avoid having to drive all the way around and through the town after consuming alcohol.

 Without the direct footpath connection, the whole convenience of being near the Spa is lost. Also future marketing of Apartment Rentals will be pointless without this peatonal /footpath facility. For example look at the Internet prices of the Archybal Touristic Apartments and Hotel Hyltor in the town which are very competitive and right beside bars and restaurants. Also good value prices for midweek stay in the On-Site Balneario Hotels.  Note also the restricted parking at the Balneario, you now have to pay for underground parking which further adds to the expense if staying longer than 2 hours. There is nothing other than the Balneario within reasonable walking distance of the Spa Valley development. OK you could walk the 2 km into Archena town at night, but would you walk back at night along a road with no pavement/path.

Most visitors dont mind hiring a car to drive from/to the airport or go to the beach etc, but there are days when you arrive at your apartment you would just like to relax and not have to worry about driving. Does anyone else feel the same.?

My family and I will be arriving into Alicante on 25th June.   If we have reached agreement and completed on the apt. then we will probably  stay in Spa Valley or in rented accomodation for a few days before driving on down to Costa Del Sol.  I would like to take the opportunity to meet with other owners to discuss matters of mutual interest.

If the path is not complete and the landowner  holding out for more money , then this may be a serious long term concern and I would have to take this into account in deciding whether to proceed with our purchase or not. In addition , the marketing material suggested that residents of Spa Valley would get discounts at the Balneario.  This was a blatant lie as the Spa Valley Oasis Med Development is seen as competition to the On-Site Hotels who control the Balneario. In fact it is in the interest of the Balneario Hotels and other touristic facilities in the town to make life difficult for Oasis and the owners in Spa Valley . So I gues  the orchard landowner has plenty of local business and possibly political support. This does not bode well for direct access from Spa Valley I and II to the Balneario.

Thanks again for the update and info.

Hi All,

I agree with everything Mattock says and of particular interest to me is the rental situation. I like many others bought as an investment with the promise of rentals and access road through the orchard neither of which have materialised yet and by the looks of things at present its not looking likely to happen any time soon, Information from Oasis is scant at best and it is almost impossible to speak anyone there with the exception of Pilar who works in the sales office.

I feel very badly treated by Oasis and yet Im stuck as I know many others are and there seems to be an attitude from Oasis staff of uncaring they seem more focused on trying to Spa Valley II and those of us in I are left to just get on with it and accept the situation as is.

This forum is invaluable and everyone who is resident/ owner needs to be encouraged to participate here, so we can keep each other up to date and informed on all issues in relation to Spa Valley.

Regards

Anthony

Dear all, I think you guys are wrong about the orchard owner, as per Spanish law a number of meters (I don't remember how many) along any river is the property of the "confederacion hidrografica" which is the state company who takes care of all the water from rivers. Nobody can own land there, build or plant anything legally. As you can see there are plenty of maybe lemon trees and other plants along the river, but most of them are iligal. There are like 20 or 30 meters from the river that are protected, and that includes any public work that the town hall or any other public authority may want to do. It is not that they can't do it, it is that they need to ask for permision, licenses, permits, etc and that takes time. So the orchard owner can only put his price if the town hall wants to take a bigger piece of land other than the one owned by the confederacion.

I don't know which one is the case, but I know that there is construction machinery on the site these days and that they are working on it, so I supousse the city hall has all the permits. They are slow, but they are definitely making works. Being this area from two different city halls (Archena and Villanueva) doesn't help either, because they need to cooperate, and that definitely also slow things down.

So this confederacion state company doesn't have any interest in the spa, the spa valley, or any other. They just do things slow, but it is not their interest to block the spa valley development. Nor the Archena Spa I would say. They don't see us as a competitor, but as a complementary accomodation that brings more customers to their facilities, restaurants and bars. They have three hotels, 100% occupied most part of the year, and if you see all the money they have invested in the spa has been allocated to have more services and facilities, but not more hotel accomodation. They could have built another hotel, but instead are building more swimming pools and other staff. So they are not blocking the pathway either.

Regarding the discount at the spa, it is true that we don't have a discount. All the people living in Archena they do have a doscount, but spa valley is formally in villanueva so... But even in the case they would give discount to the villanueva inhabitants, they would ask you to be "empadronado", I mean, to set your residency here, so I don't know how many of you want to do that. Even myself, I live here but don't have my residency here. I have a discount in the spa because the company I work for made an special agreement with the "natural health association" where the archena spa is, along with many other hotels and spas with health treatments. That's something we could also do as Spa Valley as a whole, it wouldn't be difficult to get a similar agreement as we are 120 people in my company, and Spa Valley inhabitants are far more than that, and I have the contacts. Besides you all will have discount in all the other spas, thalasotherapy centers, some hotels, etc. This is something we could discuss and propose in our next meeting, set for july 12th.

For all of you that want to see how the new facilities at the archena spa look, I have uploaded a few pictures. Hey, and if your a visiting, please let me know! Apartment 200, I'd love to know other owners! My cell is +34699441451, in case you need anything.

Fernando

Hi All

My source of information regarding the pathway was  Pilar in the Spa Valley Office.  I believed her as she has no reason to mislead us.  However, Fernando's comments are more encouraging.  When I was in Spa Valley in May the council were working in the area of the lemon groves, they seemed to be laying pipes.  I agree with Fernando that the hotels etc are not blocking our access to the spa facilities, its in their interest for spa valley residence to have easy access to their facilities.

Things have moved on a lot since we first stayed in our apartment in 2007.  There were no roads and the paths were non existant.  In fact, my husband fell down a hole out walking one night and spent the next day in the health clinic. It was a bit of a nightmare, with no Spanish.  Anyway, things have improved since then. 

Also Mattock please be aware that you do not have to walk along the main road, with no foothpath.  There is a walkway to the left just before the junction with the new traffic lights and it leads to the path on the main road.   However, I agree this is not satisfactory.  Also there was to be a bus to bring people to the spa. This seems to have been shelved too.

Regarding the meeting in July 11th, we received the minutes of the last two meetings and the only part in English was requesting the quarterly management charges.  The rest  was in Spanish.  As we make up a fair percentage of the residence we should get an english version.  How can we vote otherwise;  Translating it using google is not very satisfactory.  Also there is no point in attending the meeting unless there is a translator present.  This should be standard practice.

After my last visit to Spa Valley I felt more optimistic.  The place is getting more settled and local families are coming with their children to use the playground. 

My main concerns are -  1. The Pathway   2.  What will they do with the open spaces.  They really are a mess, anyone renting would be very disappointed with the standard and may not come back. and 3. Will the other developments be finished, or will they suffer the same fate as many other developments in Spain and here in Ireland.

Please keep this forum going.  Its a great to know that there are Spa Valley people out there somewhere.

Ger

This message was last edited by g fisk on 28/05/2009.

This message was last edited by g fisk on 28/05/2009.

Hello g fisk:

I have a few comments. I understand your concerns about the language, from a mere formal point of view there is no obligation from the owners association to translate documents or to have a translator in the meetings. In the last meeting myself and some other lady were friendly translating to a few foreign people, but it would be good to have it fromally approved. That is something that can be suggested in the annual meeting and voted, since there is a good number of foreign owners, it could be approved. Moreover, the developer Oasis Mediterraneo has an important share of the votes (around 33%), so if they voted affirmative, that could be done, you can ask them to do it. We could also think about selecting a new english-spanish speaking administrator, that could also help a lot. This is something that you guys have to suggest to be include in the "orden del dia" which means the number of issues to be discussed during the meeting, and voted. You have to suggest it prior to the meeting in order to be considered.

I don't know what you meant about "open spaces". Do you mean the spa valley comunal areas, or the garden and parks outside? The parks outside are beautiful indeed. Some of the other developments are going well, some other are not doing so well. The crisis is everywhere, and Spain is not different, if not worse.

Fernando

hi all

After reading fernandos advice re issues of concern being included on the `orden de dias I contacted francisco who is the administrator for Spa Valley and raised any concerns I had and also requested that such concerns i.e.Votes, rentals, minutes and agenda in english I was told that teh community meetings are only to deal with issues concerning residents and not those of us who are investors or interested in renting our property. This is very disturbing considering we all pay community fees so do those of us not in a position to live out there should put up or shut up. I did forward the response to the selling agent Aquarius and await their response

Anthony