# Rent or Buy



## calcaroline (Aug 9, 2014)

In the Uk average rent is about £650/£700 for three beds.

If and when we move to the costa del sol we would go for a two bed, 

What is rental prices like in comparison to the UK and is it wiser to buy your property?

Do they have stamp duty? etc

Any help on purchasing or renting greatly appreciated..

Caroline lane:


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

This question will open a can of worms! 

Still it will all depend on just what type of 2 bed you want but I would imagine that with 6 or 700 euros per month you can easily find something very nice. Probably even cheaper still.

Also it would depend on how long you plan to stay in Spain for, if it's for life or a considerable number of years then buying now or in the near future is a good time to buy.

I would however rent at first for 6 months or a year and use that time to thoroughly research the house and area you wish to buy in. That has been our approach anyway.


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

Pazcat said:


> This question will open a can of worms!
> 
> Still it will all depend on just what type of 2 bed you want but I would imagine that with 6 or 700 euros per month you can easily find something very nice. Probably even cheaper still.
> 
> ...


In some areas of the CdS, rent will be a bit higher than that. Around Marbella, a half decent one bed starts at around 600€ / month.

Spain is in deep recession and property is very hard to sell. If you buy, and then decide it's not right for you, you could have a very hard time selling.

Read the FAQ thread for property websites and a lot more general info about living in Spain.


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

That may be true but then again on idealista alone there are 1,686 properties for rent at 600Euro or less in the Malaga province so it would be easy enough to work with whatever budget you came with and if you up it to 850 which is closer to the 700 pound limit there are over 2000 properties for rent.

As for buying, well that is entirely personal hence why I think if you go that route then it makes sense to rent first and research so you then minimize the risk of the area not being for you and yes you would need to be aware of the current market situation.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Rent Rent Rent, just for a while, your initial location choice might not suit you,


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## snikpoh (Nov 19, 2007)

Pazcat said:


> This question will open a can of worms!
> 
> Still it will all depend on just what type of 2 bed you want but I would imagine that with 6 or 700 euros per month you can easily find something very nice. Probably even cheaper still.
> 
> ...


... around here I could rent you a two-bed piso or a two-bed duplex for about 220€ per month plus gastos.

However, it would not necessarily be what a British family would be looking for - that is it's typically Spanish (little outside space and dark).


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

If you want a home to make your own by decorating, buying fittings and furniture, and so on, then buying is often the only way you can do it. Yes, you can rent unfurnished, but fixtures, fittings and furniture may not fit or suit your next property.

But before buying you must be sure about the location and neighbourhood.

You should also think of the future. Where I live, many people who bought 15 years ago have now sold their first villas and live in apartments.

I'm one who thinks renting before buying is the best approach.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Definitely rent. We sold all our UK properties and have rented since leaving the UK nine years ago.
In the six years we have lived in Spain we moved twice within the first four months. We spent a month in my son's house looking for somewhere then moved into an apartment. That was a big mistake as we had never lived in an apartment before. We have rented our house here for five years and have a contract for a further five years. We have all our furniture, shipped when we moved from the UK and our landlord is excellent. We can redecorate, put up pictures etc. as we please. We chose a house that would suit our furniture, as we did in Prague.
We decided never to own property again when we left the UK for Prague. We rented there too. We don't need to worry about repairs - our landlord is flying from his home in Austria next week to do a few repairs around the house and pool. We have lovely neighbours in this Spanish area but if we didn't we could easily move on. 
When we are old and decrepit and the house is too big we'll move from the village into town where everything -shops, restaurants, doctor - will be in walking distance.
We have the capital from the sale of our UK properties to live on comfortably. 
I've been a property owner since the age of 24, had properties I rented out, but if I were starting over again I'd rent and invest my money in stocks, bonds or something. Property ownership seems to me to be grossly over-rated and these days with uncertain interest rates and asset price bubbles the saying 'safe as houses' doesn't mean diddly-squat.

But...that's just my view. Other people will come up with equally plausible arguments for buying. But whatever you do, rent first to get a feel for the neighbourhood and the neighbours.

Btw, Brocher is right. You pay a high premium for living in the Marbella - Estepona area. But imo it's worth it.


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## calcaroline (Aug 9, 2014)

Wow thanks for all the advise that is really helpful guys, wow as cheap as 230 euro's, crikey...... How are landlords with pets, i will be coming over hopefully and when we have fianlly decided and planned everything with two dogs.

In the Uk renting with pets is so difficult, landlords just don't like it and you pay extra deposits ..

Is the deposit system on rented properties the same as in the UK and is your deposit protected, and how are they usually about dogs, one small, one medium x

sorry i have soooooo many questions!!!!!!! xx


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## calcaroline (Aug 9, 2014)

snikpoh said:


> ... around here I could rent you a two-bed piso or a two-bed duplex for about 220€ per month plus gastos.
> 
> However, it would not necessarily be what a British family would be looking for - that is it's typically Spanish (little outside space and dark).




I am guessing you are in rentals or own a few properties, would be useful to keep your contact details. Do you have an email or website? Forgive me for being thick but what is Gastos ( is that council tax??). I also have two dogs a Pom and a Mix breed. ? :fingerscrossed:


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

calcaroline said:


> I am guessing you are in rentals or own a few properties, would be useful to keep your contact details. Do you have an email or website? Forgive me for being thick but what is Gastos ( is that council tax??). I also have two dogs a Pom and a Mix breed. ? :fingerscrossed:


_gastos_ just means 'costs' - so that means all bills over & above the rent


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

We are among the few who bought first and are 110% satisfied but we knew what we were looking for and bought it. We have carried out some reform work (not a lot) so, including the reform our house has cost us about €95k and that includes a new roof and solar panel (for hot water). It was 4BR/1Ba when we bought it. It is now 5BR/2Ba spread over five floors of which the lowest is the patio/workshop/wood store.

Thorough research is essential. You need to decide what your climate needs are since within a very short distance you can go from hot summers and mild winters to very hot summers and freezing winters. The climate can vary with altitude as well as with latitude. 

Then you need to identify what sort of lifestyle you want - always with expats or with the majority of the people around you, Spanish. Do you have to always have the type of foods from 'back home' - i.e. do you need to have constant access to shops that cater for people who have those needs? Do you want/need city/large town/small town/village/campo? 

Do you have medical conditions or are you likely to develop those conditions that will require frequent use of hospitals/doctors; can you deal with such matters in Spanish or will you need English-speaking services or the service of a competent and qualified translator/interpreter. 

Transport needs, remember that unless you are in a big town or city or in some areas on the coast, public transport may be limited, e.g. only one or two trains per day (you may be an hour or more away from the nearest station) and three or four buses since, unlike UK, public transport services here are only provided when they are really needed - a bus to go to work/school, a bus to come home again and maybe once or twice a week an additional one for shopping; at weekends there maybe a couple of buses on Saturday and one on Sunday evening for students to get back to where their college is (there are many more state schools here that take boarders).


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## maxd (Mar 22, 2009)

baldilocks said:


> We are among the few who bought first and are 110% satisfied but we knew what we were looking for and bought it. We have carried out some reform work (not a lot) so, including the reform our house has cost us about €95k and that includes a new roof and solar panel (for hot water). It was 4BR/1Ba when we bought it. It is now 5BR/2Ba spread over five floors of which the lowest is the patio/workshop/wood store.
> 
> Thorough research is essential. You need to decide what your climate needs are since within a very short distance you can go from hot summers and mild winters to very hot summers and freezing winters. The climate can vary with altitude as well as with latitude.
> 
> ...


Sounds nice Baldi, lets see some pics.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

maxd said:


> Sounds nice Baldi, lets see some pics.


Go to my albums: http://www.expatforum.com/expats/members/baldilocks-albums.html


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