My wife and I are from Northern Ireland. We are both now over 65 and I retired at the end of 2020. Most of 2021 was given over to tying down loose ends from my business and downsizing in respect of our dwelling. We are now proposing to purchase a property in Spain where we can live for 8-10 months of the year.
Property prices in most of NI are way below the UK average so realistically our budget for a retirement home is no more than 200.000 Euro plus expenses. We want 3 bedrooms, a minimum of 120 square metres, some outside space and to have somewhere which can be reached from Central Malaga or Malaga Airport in under an hour. We don't (as yet) have any worthwhile Spanish language skills or market knowledge so we are definitely not looking for a renovation or indeed any project much beyond the decorative. In addition, we would prefer not to have to drive so ideally our new home should at a minimum be within walking distance of a supermarket and a couple of bars/restaurants.
We don't need a pool and I am scared of large annual maintenance fees which often appear in relation to shared facilities. Our preferences at this time seem to be in the following order:
- a detached residence
- a semi or townhouse
- an apartment
Our thinking is that eventually, we could be part of a community, have a healthier lifestyle and spend a bit less day to day than would be necessary in Northern Ireland. We are both quite into hiking and education and the Malaga area seems to offer reasonable opportunities for both. We don't need a swimming pool.
From my basic research it seems in terms of location that the options are Alhaurin El Grande, Alhaurin De La Torre and Velez-Malaga or at a pinch even Antequera. We are planning a reconnaissance tour in February so any pointers would be welcome.
In addition, some answers to the following questions would be helpful:
- Can you recommend a local English Speaking Lawyer who can help us through the process?
- Is there any benefit in employing a house finder?
- Can anyone point out areas to be avoided from a resale or security point of view?
- Can someone give us an idea of day to day running costs for:
- Property Taxes?
- Electricity?
- Water and sewerage
- Internet ? and
- Anything else I may have missed?
Any assistance either by way of positive or negative comment would be most appreciated.