# House hunting / lower cost coastal areas



## Laurenred (Jan 24, 2020)

Hi - It's been a dream of mine for over 20 years to move to Spain. Now that the kids are growing up, I feel it's now or never so I'm hoping in the next 1-2 years to have a place in Spain where I can live during the summer months and visit a few times during the year (perhaps rent out in between to help with finances) and in about 10 years move over for most of the year (I've an Irish passport so travel restrictions shouldn't apply thankfully). Ideally, a house about 20 min cycle to the beach (or good bus service), 3 bed with a garden and not too overlooked, but alas my budget is only about €80k max (so I know I'll have to compromise a fair bit). 

Do you have any advice for coastal(ish) areas where prices are lower and it might be possible to find a house similar to what I'm hoping for? I've done a huge amount of searching online and from what I can see around northern Costa Blanca and Costa Tropical may be the least expensive areas? 

Do you think house prices will change over the next year and would I be better holding off and just keeping an eye on houses/prices for now to see how prices go/settle? Many thanks in advance and hoping to join you all in Spain in the near future


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

I suppose it depends on how you envisage the beaches and the cycle ride. For example, Torrevieja is a town popular with foreigners with cheap housing and there are a number of beaches actually in the town. However many Brits find the place ugly and not quite their idea of Spain ( maybe because it's actually a real Spanish working town). Anyway the fact that it is a proper town means housing can be found cheap although 80.000 euros for a 3 bed house might be pushing it in terms of nice area but they certainly can be found


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

The problem is three bedrooms and a garden. I think if you looked at parts of Almeria you could find an apartment in your budget almost on the beach.

The garden pushes you further from the beach into a rural home. Is that really what you want?


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## cork laurence (Sep 1, 2017)

Have you looked south of Torrevieja around the Mar Menor or Mazarron, you will find plenty of properties in your budget. Presuming you want to be within a reasonable distance of
an airport, either Alicante or Murcia airports have flights from Ireland.


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## Laurenred (Jan 24, 2020)

kaipa said:


> I suppose it depends on how you envisage the beaches and the cycle ride. For example, Torrevieja is a town popular with foreigners with cheap housing and there are a number of beaches actually in the town. However many Brits find the place ugly and not quite their idea of Spain ( maybe because it's actually a real Spanish working town). Anyway the fact that it is a proper town means housing can be found cheap although 80.000 euros for a 3 bed house might be pushing it in terms of nice area but they certainly can be found


Thanks a million


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## Laurenred (Jan 24, 2020)

NickZ said:


> Thanks Nick - I don't mind a bit further inland as long as we could get to the beach by bus or bike within 30 mins. I'll look more at Almeria. Many thanks


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## Laurenred (Jan 24, 2020)

cork laurence said:


> Have you looked south of Torrevieja around the Mar Menor or Mazarron, you will find plenty of properties in your budget. Presuming you want to be within a reasonable distance of
> an airport, either Alicante or Murcia airports have flights from Ireland.


Mar Menor or Mazarron would be great and reasonable distance from those airports are a plus (it'd be great to initially go over for long weekends or a week's break without spending too much time in transfers). Many thanks


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## ccm47 (Oct 15, 2013)

Aguilas, on the Murcian coast? It's a clean town and has 3 beaches, a port, a castle, reasonable shopping, a nearby motorway, train links, and can be very international with many different nationalities about. Our neighbours are Spanish, Dutch and French but there are lots of Austrians and Germans too as well as a few Russians, Arabs, and Malians. There are a few British and Irish too and definitely without the cliquey bars of some places. It is therefore very multilingual and whilst the banks have English speaking assistants you will need Spanish in many other situations.

Prices of property dropped like a stone some years back and have never really picked up, despite the efforts of developers to ignore the fall. You could see what's currently available on Idealista.com. Don't be tempted to go inland though as there can quickly be a 5° change the wrong way (hotter in summer and colder in winter).


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## Laurenred (Jan 24, 2020)

ccm47 said:


> Aguilas, on the Murcian coast? It's a clean town and has 3 beaches, a port, a castle, reasonable shopping, a nearby motorway, train links, and can be very international with many different nationalities about. Our neighbours are Spanish, Dutch and French but there are lots of Austrians and Germans too as well as a few Russians, Arabs, and Malians. There are a few British and Irish too and definitely without the cliquey bars of some places. It is therefore very multilingual and whilst the banks have English speaking assistants you will need Spanish in many other situations.
> 
> Prices of property dropped like a stone some years back and have never really picked up, despite the efforts of developers to ignore the fall. You could see what's currently available on Idealista.com. Don't be tempted to go inland though as there can quickly be a 5° change the wrong way (hotter in summer and colder in winter).


Hi ccm47 - I hadn't thought about there. Will have a look. Sounds like a good area (looking at the website initially - it looks a bit built up and busy but it definitely has a lot of what we're looking at. That's a great tip re avoiding going inland - I hadn't thought about the difference in temperature and was starting to get tempted by the larger houses inland, but as always, that's part of why the price is lower too. Thanks a mill


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## NickZ (Jun 26, 2009)

If you're hoping to rent it out during high season the closer to the beach the easier and the higher you'll be able to charge.


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