Property Costa del Sol Spain

Types of Property available on the Costa del Sol

In the UK we have grown accustomed to the descriptions of properties for sale, such as flat, terraced house, semi-detached house, detached house or bungalow.

In Spain, the usual terms you will find are apartment (flat with a terrace), townhouse (usually a terraced house), a duplex (an apartment on two levels or with a sun terrace above) and a Villa. (Villa is used to describe a detached house).

Off-Plan or Re-sale Property?
Several years ago, the most popular way to purchase a property in Spain was off plan. With off plan purchases, you normally see the land where the property will be built and you are shown plans of the property. You pay a deposit and stage payments as the property is built and at the end you have a brand new property. This way of purchasing a property was a very cheap way and you would save considerably and many people would immediately re-sell to make a profit.

The market on the Costa del Sol has changed and the majority of properties purchased over the past few years have been re-sale property. There is now not the huge gulf in price that there used to be between off-plan and re-sale and the prices have levelled off, making the re-sale option the most popular and attractive way as it offers the buyer a better and more varied choice when purchasing a property.

Re-sale property for sale on the Costa del Sol will normally come fully furnished and include kitchen appliances. The other major advantage, over off-plan property, is that you can see the finished property; you know what view it has, where the nearest property is, what the road is like etc. This eliminates any risk you have with off-plan, where your property might be located differently than you imagined when you paid your deposit on it!

Urbanisations and Communities
On the Costa del Sol there are many urbanisations and this is where the majority of properties are purchased. Urbanisation is the Spanish equivalent of a ‘housing estate’ (although much more attractive than they average UK housing estate!). They can be in many locations, such as in towns, on a golf course, by the sea or inland and can vary in size from 5 to 150 properties.

Living on an urbanisation if often the easiest way to make your home purchase on the Costa del Sol, you have all the necessary facilities in place, such as pools, gardens, tennis courts etc, without the need to personally maintain them. You will pay a monthly community fee and for this, the community employs gardeners, pool cleaners and sometimes it includes extra services, such as, Sky TV and security on the gate to the community, depending on the amount you are charged for your community fee.

You normally find on an urbanisation that there are only about 30% of the residents there at any one time, as many people use them for holiday homes. This makes it more tranquil. Of course, it will be busier during the summer months when families will spend their holidays at their property.

Living in an urbanisation can be a pleasant way to live. Sitting by the pool, getting to know your neighbours, sharing a round of golf or meeting up for coffee in the morning – you can be as much or little involved as you wish, as you have the privacy of your own property, which would normally have a private terrace.

Apartments
The most popular type of property purchased on the Costa del Sol is an Apartment. Apartments offer easy living in secure surroundings and in Spain, these are always built to a high standard with outside terrace/s included. If you purchase a property that is less than 10 years old, you will find that it will still have a builder’s guarantee and they come with fully fitted kitchens with appliances and good quality bathrooms. You can purchase an apartment with 1 (sudio) to 4 bedrooms. The most common apartment is 2 bedrooms with 2 bathrooms, offering a good living space for an average family.

Townhouses
Townhouses are traditionally terraced properties (although you can purchase an end terrace) and are commonly presented on 4 levels – the basement will have the garage and a staircase to the ground floor, which will have a living room, downstairs toilet, kitchen and laundry area – upstairs will have two, three or four bedrooms and one or two bathrooms – stairs will lead up to the roof terrace. These types of property are increasingly popular as they offer spacious living accommodation in a house with the facilities of living on an urbanisation. Townhouses are usually well priced and are easy to re-sell.

Villas
A Villa a detached property located within its own piece of land. Prices of Villas are considerably higher than apartments and townhouses; however they offer the privacy of your own gardens and a private pool. You can purchase a villa on a small community, but normally, they are detached and with own land. Villas vary is price and size and the location, view and build quality will dictate the price.

Fiesta Property can assist with all questions that you may have about which type of property may be best for you and will be pleased to offer impartial advice.

Please complete our enquiry form and provide us with as much information and as many questions as you wish to enable us to assist you.