Buying a Holiday Home in Spain

Introduction to Holiday Homes in Spain

In the late part of the 20th Century, properties in Spain could not be built quick enough to meet demand and buying a holiday home in Spain became more and more popular. With a small blip in 2008 when the world was hit by a financial crisis, buying property in Spain has since continued to increase in popularity for a number of reasons.

When looking for holiday homes in Spain if you search for ‘apartments for sale in Spain’ or ‘villas for sale in Spain’ you will find huge availability. In particular you will find more and more new build properties to meet demand for use as permanent homes, investment properties or as holiday homes.

In this article we will discuss reasons why you should consider buying a holiday home in Spain.

Benefits of Buying a Holiday Home in Spain

One of the primary reasons why buying property in Spain has become so popular is how quickly and easily you are able to get there from the UK and other European countries. Ease of travel has been a big contributory factor to the Spanish property market. Budget airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair offer flights at very affordable prices with flight times of between 2 and 3 hours from the UK to the Costa Blanca.

It is close enough to take a short refreshing weekend break, making the most of your property in Spain. Many holiday home owners in Spain have regular long weekend breaks throughout the year as well as longer holidays. This is a great option for those of working age wanting to take regular breaks from a busy life or families wanting to get away during the school holidays.

For those people with more time on their hands wanting to enjoy more lengthy stays at their property, buying a holiday home in Spain means they don’t have to worry about expensive long haul flights with expensive luggage fees and so on. It is a fantastic option for those wanting to spend a few months of the year (usually the colder months) in the sun. You are able to nip back to the UK with ease should you need to.

It also means if you wish to spend several months in your holiday home property in Spain, family members and friends are able to visit you with ease. This is often particularly important to those with young Grandchildren who want them to be able to visit regularly.

This brings us onto our next benefit of buying a holiday home in Spain. Should you wish, family and friends can take advantage of your property in Spain as a cheap holiday for themselves. Of course with it being a holiday home rather than a permanent home there are many weeks of the year when the property is not being used when your loved ones can make use of it. Whether you choose to charge them a fee is up to you.

An additional option with holiday homes in Spain is choosing to rent the property out while it is vacant. This can generate sufficient income to cover any mortgage payments or other costs for the year.

Financially, owning a property in Spain also means you only have to pay for transport when you go on holiday and do not have to worry about expensive hotel costs. This is particularly a benefit for families who are restricted to school holidays when hotel costs can be extortionately high.

Spending extensive periods of time or making frequent visits to a holiday home will likely lead to extensive knowledge of the area. That knowledge allows the owner to find the best bars and restaurants, great beaches and other leisure facilities, and for many people enables a significant level of integration into the community from which long lasting friendships can evolve.

Apartment vs Villa as Holiday Homes in Spain

Apartments and villas both have their advantages and disadvantages as holiday homes in Spain. Which will suit your needs best will of course depend on your individual circumstances. There are many factors to take into consideration such as how long you plan on spending there and of course your personal requirements, location and so on.

Apartment: Built over one level, apartments in Spain are generally the cheapest property type and offer the most flexibility. One benefit of an apartment in Spain is to be more within a community. Communal swimming pools and play areas mean children have others to make friends with during their stay. Unlike a villa, there is no gardening or pool maintenance to keep on top of for example. There will be community fees which will cover the maintenance of all communal areas. In terms of holiday homes in Spain, with an apartment you can simply lock the door behind you when you leave and have no worries. Many apartments can also come with large storage rooms for your personal belongings if you wish to rent out the property while it is vacant.

Villa: Villas for sale in Spain are perhaps the most desired Spanish properties, designed in typical Mediterranean style or ultra-modern and contemporary. They often come with private pools, or gardens large enough to have one built if you wish. This does however mean that they usually require more up-keep and maintenance. This means when the property is not being used it may still be costing you money in maintenance. It is not as easy to lock the door behind you with no worries as it is with an apartment. You may also have community fees to pay depending on where the villa is located. Many villas for sale in Spain are located within communities which enjoy shared areas which require maintenance.

If you are considering buying a holiday home in Spain and have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact us here at Movehappy. We are a friendly team and are always happy to help.

We specialise in new build properties for sale on the Costa Blanca and Costa Calida with the best selection of properties suitable as holiday homes in Spain. Plus, you will save up to €18,000 on all of our new build properties with our Movehappy package.