Newbie - introducing myself - Page 2

Hi Ian,

I wasn’t as lucky as others who have posted here regarding an estate agent. I was shown a property, put an offer in and was asked for a deposit by the agent (the wife of the agency owner). I now know that the deposit usually goes directly to the lawyer that you choose. Apart from that she got it wrong with the contract not once but three times. Each time I was either buying not the rural property I put the offer on but a village house, or from one of the owners when there were actually three owners, so I didn’t know if the others even knew about the sale! Then she said that one of them had the power of Attorney so could act for the others but it transpired it wasn’t true. 

I also queried something that the daughter had said during the viewing and her mother said, “Oh, she always gets it wrong!”. Wow.

She avoided answering my questions on the property’s legalities but showed me a plan of the property and the wording on what I had seen was a car port as parcamiento (parking) but said that it meant apartment in English therefore as it was registered as such, I could build an extra annex!!!!

Everything that could go wrong did. Obviously I pulled out of the transaction. 

I eventually bought in the countryside near Villena in Alicante and I don’t regret my decision. As for opening a b&b, you would need to be near a coastal area or somewhere of historical interest perhaps. In my area we have quite a few castles, which are always popular, in addition to wine producers who do tours, tasting sessions. 

Choose somewhere where visitors are likely to find attractions, then you will have clients most of the year. 

Good luck with your adventure. Do let us know how you get on.

Janice

We bought a cortijo about 20 mins outside HO.The location is wonderful, if a little remote. We have found local people in general very helpful especially with our attempts at Spanish. It is appreciated that we at least try to communicate without shouting.

I agree with a previous post. Do not believe anything Estate Agents tell you, especially the English ones and do NOT use any of their recommended tradesmen/professionals etc. We used a few and all turned out badly. Use local labour/specialists where possible. 

Make sure that you have a reliable, independent solicitor. We have one from Torrevieja who we have used for years. If it was not for her, we would have bought a property that was not registered correctly in the vendor's name. Their own solicitor had not picked this up nor the Estate Agent

We had never heard of the area and were looking further north. One of our colleagues mentioned this area so we visited and fell in love with it

I live in El Saltador, 8 minutes drive to the centre of Huercal-Overa and to the local hospital.  It is living in the country air but close to amienities.  My sister and I moved here 13 years ago and found the health service here very good. We have both been in the local hospital for treatment.  My sister died from her cancer a couple of months ago so I am selling up to go back to the UK. to stay with my nephews. My property might be on the market when you come out. It would be ideal as a b and b home as it has 4 bedrooms and a large under-build.

It is certainly better if you can speak Spanish even although many shops do speak some English. I have been teaching Spanish for beginners voluntarily  in the Local CENTRO DE MAYORS until Covid 19 struck and am sure that classes will start again reasoniblly soon. All ages were welcomed. Free formal Spanish lessons are normally available in town. All levels are taught. (teaching here is a bit old fashioned being mainly grammar based.) If you are looking for private lessons I would advise you get someone who will concentrate in oral practice.  You need to be able to speak rather than read!

Many people have mentioned flies which can be a problem. To cut them out we made the whole of our back garden a fly-free zone. This was so we could swim and eat outside trouble free. We normally ate Christmas lunch outside!

Generally speaking the cost of living is cheaper here, although furniture can be dearer. Coffee, on the other hand, is 1 euro a cup!  House prices and upkeep are lower, especially the .house rates.

Eating out is especially cheaper here. You can have a 3 course meal with a drink included for 10 euros. To be honest there is no really good restaurant in Huercal. For a good meal we often go to Mojacar where there are many good restaurants (both English and Spanish) to choose from.

Live just outside HO near a small village called Santa Maria de Nieva, have lived here 14 years and love it, work in town for a spanish company and our 14yr old goes to school in HO.  Hospital one of the best in andalusia, cinema small but we've got one, lots of little villages surround HO, it is a good idea to rent to see if you like the area first,  but they also are few and far between.... as for bnb, there's 4 near us and they are ticking over but I wouldn't say overly busy... hope you get your forever home..I wouldn't go anywhere else

If you have a serious intention to buy and to run your house in part as a B&B, my advice is to do your research on what this involves very,very carefully. Its perfectly doable ( I have a Villa in Bedar which is available for both short and long term let) but you should make certain you are fully aware of the legal requirements, as published by the Junta de Andalucía, before you sign up on any property; these requirements will undoubtedly affect your choice of properties.  There are many lovely villages around, both close to and a little further from HO. Each has its distinct charm which needs to be taken into consideration when promoting your business and considering what visitors will like ( which can be very different to what you as an owner of a property which is purely your home, would be). Also, especially if you're going to run a business here, the greater your level of fluency in Spanish is, the better. Hope that helps and good luck with your venture.