Buying in almeria

Hi Andyp63 we lived in Arboleas for 15 years and would say it depends what you want.  Albox is bigger and has more on offer in the shops etc.  Arboleas has what you need in  banks, supermarket, doctor, dentist, bars and is very quiet but has a lot of British living around.  Villas in Albox are out of the town and you need a car in both areas to get around.  there are lots of flats in Albox and a few in Arboleas village centre.  We moved out of the area to Mojacar for a more lively life although with Covid it has been pretty quiet here too now,  Albox has the Group of Friends Library which is a group of people who get together when they can, Covid rules allowing of course,  they have a library of 3500 books in Albox and meet for Spanglish sessions with Spanish friends in a cafe in Albox.  They also do coach trips when they can well worth joining whether you live in Albox or Arboleas.

Like you said Andy, you have loads of questions but it is with the loads of answers you'll be more interested. You could ask several people here (let's say an estate agent, a retired person, a holiday home owner, somebody with a residencia, a property investor, somebody in fulltime employment in Spain etc) and each answer will be different and each answer will have a different spin. 

But, you've got to deal with yourself, your spouse/partner/family in what is best for all of you. A good starting point would be for you and your spouse to rent wherever you wish to purchase in the off season November - March and for no less than 5/6 continuous weeks. 

The Good News:- During the 5/6 week period not only will you learn what area is/is-not for you, but if Spain is for you. Rental in the off season is relatively cheap too and it could be the best money you've ever spent. 

I can't tell what you are thinking, but I bet retirement, work, investment and living are among your thoughts. If you plan to climb Mt Everest, you don't train by climbing Mt Everest. It's the same with buying property in Spain. It's probably the 2nd biggest spend you'll do in your lifetime so do it right.

Get your family together and do a SWOT analysis on your thoughts. Write down the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Then you'll be well prepared for Stage 2 i.e. rent in the off season.

Thank you for that Matthew. We will take your advice on noard