Casa en Trèbol

It was the end of July 2018 and Deb was searching for a villa with availablility in October. ‘There are so few rental properties in the Ontinyent area and only one that I think suits us.’ She said. ‘There may be opportunity,’ I replied cautiously, ‘to make a few quid renting ours out.’ ‘Absolutely not.’ She retorted. ‘This is our future home and we will be preparing it over the next few years for us to live in. We are not letting all and sundry use it.’ I had to agree. When you see the state of some of the furniture, fixtures, fittings etc in some of the villas we have rented, I didn’t want that happening to our dream home.

We had eventually tired of Javea and the withering looks from Expat residents. We were therefore looking nearer to, what hopefully would soon be, our new home town. This was proving to be a little bit of an issue because Ontinyent isn’t exactly on the tourism trail, part of the reason we chose it by the way, and rental villas weren’t as abundant as Javea. ‘This one is just on the outskirts of town,’ said Deb, ‘has a pool, outdoor kitchen, nice patio, all the outdoor furniture looks well maintained. The owner will also do a discount as there are only two of us in a villa that sleeps 12. October is quiet apparently.’ ‘Sounds great. Get it booked hun.’ I said.

We had expressed our continued interest in the little white house on the hill to Julian and Marijse and arranged a further viewing of our favourite property during our stay. All travel arrangements were made, villa booked and it was just a case of waiting for October while watching the website of Los Hildickos and making sure ‘our property’ was still available. Tense times!

October took a very long time to arrive but we got there eventually and were soon making our descent into Valencia Airport on a glorious day and looking forward to the whole experience. The airport, as usual, didn’t let us down and it was a smooth experience picking up our undamaged hold bag and moving on to the car hire. We were by this time on first name terms with the staff at Goldcar and they looked after us very well and sent us on our way happy and relaxed, direct to Ontinyent for a change instead of Javea. It was a great feeling. ‘We could be doing this journey to our new home soon.’ Said Deb. ‘I’m sure we will.’ I said nervously. After so many disappointments it does get hard to retain the optimism, but if you don’t try, you will never get.

It was a 60 minute drive to Ontinytent from the airport. The journey took us from inner city, through suburbs and commercial strips, navigating the odd motorway system to the outskirts of the city, into the surrounding farm land then, eventually, up into the hills. Rolling countryside, interesting looking towns and villages in glorious sunshine were a really welcoming sight. The dream was within reach.

Into Ontinyent and it felt so familiar and comfortable. Since we had decided on Ontinyent as our future home town we had spent quite a few days exploring and finding our way around on previous visits, and it was a good job we had because the villa owners written directions were appalling. It was as if he was trying to steer you away from the property and back to the airport. We used our previously gleened knowledge and a good dose of Google maps to eventually locate the villa.

‘This is the place.’ Said Deb as we pulled up to the gate of a large, white, detached villa. ‘It looks OK.’ That first view was the only thing that was OK about the villa. As we walked round to the patio and the pool area, you could tell that the advertising pictures had been taken sometime ago. Cracked flags on the patio, poor and broken patio furniture, kitchen area was dirty and the whole outside area looked tired and in need of a major refresh. Into the house and we were immediately attacked by swarms of flies. They were everywhere. On the furniture, all over the open plan kitchen, on the dining area, literally everywhere. ‘This is disgraceful,’ said Deb, ‘we can’t stay here.’ ‘What options are there,’ I shouted back manically swatting flies with one of the many plastic swats lying around. ‘and this is obviously an on-going problem, have you seen all the plastic fly swatters provided?’ As we were de-flying the main living space in the villa we realised what the issue was. No fly-screens on the doors or the windows. So you couldn’t open the doors or the windows for fresh air without being inundated with flies. ‘The cleaners must have left the door open when they were cleaning after the last guests.’ I said. ‘Cleaners?’ She yelled as she chased the flies around, ‘You are having a laugh aren’t you? have you seen this place?’ As we eventually got rid of the last of the flies and kept the doors and windows firmly closed, we had a good look around. I wasn’t as bad as Deb made out but it certainly wasn’t the best. The kitchen was tired and well used and we would have to sanitise everything before use because of the flies. The floors weren’t swept properly and the furniture had sinister looking stains on most of the cushions. The one saving grace was the master bedroom. It had what looked like a brand new King sized bed with immaculate bedding and was spotlessly clean. Guess where we’d be spending our evenings.

We eventually sorted the best cushions and the most serviceable outdoor furniture and set everything up. After unpacking we went out to stock up on supplies for the week. Consum here we come.

stunning views

We had a couple of days of relaxing after sanitising the kitchen area and then our viewing day arrived. We met Julian at his office and he drove us up to the house. As we entered through the gates and proceeded along the drive, the house appeared and the views opened up, it was just as we had remembered it and cemented our feelings for this little property. The viewing was a formality, we just enjoyed being back at the little white house on the hill again. We wandered through the house and then explored the descending terraces again. It was perfect.

‘We want to make an offer,’ I said to Julian, ‘but we won’t be able to complete until the end of March 2019 at the latest. As you know, we can’t get a mortgage but we know we will have the cash by March. What we don’t want to happen is wait until March to secure it in case it sells.’ ‘Not a problem,’ he replied, ‘if you pay 10% of the negotiated price the lawyers will draw up the contract but deferring the date of completion until the end of March. It will be removed from the market but you won’t be able to use it until you complete.’ ‘Perfect.’ I said. ‘Deb and I are going back to our villa rental and think about the offer. We’ll be in touch later.’

Deb and I sat by the pool back at our rental, wine and V&T in hand, and discussed a figure we were happy to pay. It was a discussion we had many times in the recent past so all we were doing was confirming it to ourselves. I phoned this through to Julian who said he would pass it on to the owner straight away. A bit of tension but a lot of excitement was in the air as we waited in anticipation for a response. The response came via a WhatsApp message from Julian about an hour later saying the owner hadn’t accepted our offer but had countered with a reasonable compromise. Although reasonable, I still wanted to chip a little off that as well so I said to Deb, ‘Let’s make a full and final offer a few grand below what he has responded with and see what happens’. ‘OK,’ she said nervously, ‘but don’t lose this for us.’ Great stuff. So I messaged our full and final offer to Julian and then sat and waited. Virtually immediately a response came back informing us that we had just bought our dream house in Spain.

Deb burst into tears, I just sat there stunned, with maybe an odd tear or two myself. Then we hugged each other and laughed. We had done it.

‘We need to change the name of the house.’ Deb said. ‘ The name tile on the corner of the house says Buena Vista and that is a truly terrible name and an understatement. What do you think?’ ‘You’re right.’ I replied. ‘I see us having a fantastically comfortable and happy life here, living in clover. Just a minute.’ I leapt up to get my phone and Googled English to Spanish translation. Tapping for a few minutes I looked at Deb and said, ‘House in clover. Casa èn Trebol, the name of our new Spanish home.

  • Casa én Trebol

Plan B. Or was it G.. or F.. or…

Over the next week or so we worked on constructing an e-mail detailing our amazing offer, including our wish list and maximum price, and sent this to all the agents we could find that covered the Ontinyent area. Even if we couldn’t have our dream house we certainly wanted to be in our dream location. ‘Do you think we’ll get any responses?’ said Deb. ‘We’re bound to,’ I replied, ‘there are properties out there that have been on the market for 3 and 4 years. Ok, I agree there must a reason they haven’t sold but who wants a detached villa in inland Spain? Not many, most people want the coast, so there has to be some nice ones out there. Look at the little white house on the hill, perfect for us but it still hasn’t sold for almost 2 years.’ Deb had to agree, I just hoped my optimism proved correct.

We started getting responses in the coming days. Orange Blossom Homes had nothing for us, neither did Pearsons Property, Carbonell, Alicante Dream Homes or Penades. We also received a further couple of negative responses, but. we were determined not to feel despondent and would wait until we had heard from all agents.

We then scored our first hit, Juan from Spain Villas e-mailed us with a property for consideration. I excitedly waited for Deb to get back from work. ‘We got a result.’ I said calmly and quietly as she walked through the door. ‘You’re joking?’ She replied excitedly. ‘No,’ I said, ‘Spain Villas have sent us details of a nice looking property on the outskirts of Ontinyent, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, loads of land, single storey but with no pool and the owners are happy to accept our deal.’ Show me.’ She said. We looked over the details and it really was a nice looking property. While we were looking at this one, an e-mail came through from a chap called Donald from My Costa Blanca Home saying he had a range of properties in the Ontinyent area and a couple of his clients would be interested in our deal. He would send details over soon. ‘ I can’t believe this,’ said Deb, ‘it looks like we may have a choice.’ Over the coming days our choices grew as we also had positive responses and house details sent to us by For Sale by Sally and Park Row Properties. One of my ideas had actually paid off. Now let’s see if any are what we really want.

The first thing we had to do was get the little white house on the hill out of our minds. Nothing was ever going to come close so we could not use this as a benchmark. ‘What about Juans’ one?’ I said, as this one had become known. ‘ Nice location,’ Deb replied, ‘size of the property and layout seem ok, from the photo’s it doesn’t appear to be over looked and it comes with a good amount of land. The only issue is it doesn’t have a pool.’ ‘Is that so much of a problem?’ I asked. ‘It will be in the Summer.’ She said. ‘I think we’ll need a pool to dip in.’ ‘Beggars can’t be choosers,’ I said, ‘we have to give it some consideration and we can look to install a pool in the future.’ ‘OK,’ Deb said, ‘it’s up for consideration.’

Donald was next from My Costa Blanca Home. ‘He has sent a couple of properties,’ I said, ‘but to be honest they are unsuitable. We’ve seen them during our earlier searches and completely discounted them for either location, layout, appearance or a host of other reasons. We may be a little desperate but I’m not prepared to compromise that much. I’ve e-mailed him for further properties but he hasn’t got back to us yet.’ ‘Sounds like he’s sending us all the crap that has been languishing on his books for years hoping we’ll take one. Said Deb. ‘I think you’re right, we shouldn’t compromise too much.’

‘For Sale by Sally?’ Deb asked. ‘One property.’ I replied. ‘Part 2 storey, part single storey detached house, lot of land but it’s a very narrow plot so it’s at least a par 5, no overlooking neighbours, layout is ok but it doesn’t take advantage of its position within the plot, it has an above ground pool and the immediate area round the house needs a lot of work.’ ‘Well anything like that will be reflected in the offer.’ Deb responded. ‘No it won’t.’ I said. ‘ The agent has e-mailed us saying there will be no negotiation on price because of our lengthy offer and they want a non refundable 20% of the asking price before we have even viewed it.’ ‘Well that’s not happening.’ She replied. ‘That property needs work, has been on the market for over 2 years and it is a buyers market, the seller is not dictating terms. Bin it.’ So, Juans’ one in and Sallys’ one out up to now. She should re-name her agency Unsold by Sally.

On to Park Row Properties, funny one this. Their office is in Selby, Yorkshire, just South of York, and they are primarily an Estate Agency for UK properties. They do though have an extensive portfolio of properties in Spain and their Spanish property representative e-mailed us and then phoned us. Her name was Sharon and she was really understanding of our plight and assured us she could help. Sharon was based in the UK but she had an operative on the ground in Spain, his name was Sam. We had already discussed our requirements with Sharon and she had sent details of a lovely single storey property in a large plot, really quiet location at the end of a cul-de-sac, or whatever they call them in Spain, really nice views and a 10x5m pool in great condition. ‘What do you think?’ Said Deb. ‘I really like this,’ I replied, ‘it has everything that we requested and ticks every box on our wish list. It looks in good order and the internal layout is perfect and immaculate. The outside space is huge, just can’t work out where the boundary is, and the neighbours are a good distance away and have what look like decent quality homes.’ Deb did her usual Google Street view walk from the main road, along the single track road up to the house. ‘It’s a really nice area.’ She said. ‘It’s got to be worth a viewing.’

Park Row had done well.

Having had our mortgage and outstanding ‘rent to buy’ offer refused, we had decided to cheer ourselves up with a weeks’ villa rental in June. We had chosen Javea again just in case we dropped lucky with a few properties to view and as it was a great location from which to explore the surrounding area while still having access to the beaches. We were down to one holiday this year and the money was growing in our savings pot. Poverty does pay off. We therefore arranged another day trip to Ontinyent during our time in Javea to view Juans’ one and Sams’ one. One thing was troubling us though and it was a conversation we had over and over again. Subject, the lack of pool at Juans’ one. ‘We need a pool or something to dip in during the Summer,’ Deb kept saying, ‘as it will be so hot.’ ‘We can stay under shade when we’re there in the Summer,’ I would say, ‘until we can afford to have a pool installed. What is it, about 10,000€?’ ‘Don’t be daft,’ she’d reply, ‘there’s no point in going if you sit in the shade all day.’ ‘Well I need to sit in the shade a lot because of my sensitive skin.’ I would respond. ‘Well my skin isn’t and I want to sunbathe.’ Deb would argue. And so it went on. I have to point out at this stage that the medication I take for my high blood pressure has the side effect of making my skin sensitive to sunlight, to the point that I have a year round tan, even after wearing factor 50 sun lotion. Deb is just jealous.

Ultimately, it was decided that Juans’ one was actually not the one because of the lack of pool and also because we couldn’t guarantee when we would be able to afford one. So after all the e-mails sent, offers and refusals received, properties considered and discussions (heated and otherwise) had, it came down to only a single property, the one sourced through Park Row Properties in the UK. Juan took the cancellation very well and Sharon and Sam were over the moon at our viewing trip in June.

Fast forward a couple of months and we were coming into land at Valencia. It really felt by this time that we were coming home. We wafted through passport control, picked up our lovingly placed hold bag from the conveyor and stepped straight up to the window of the hire car company. Valencia airport is truly a dream compared to Alicante. 20 minutes later and we were driving out of the airport, destination Javea and Cap de la Nau again. We drove into town and once we had dodged all the Range Rovers, BMW’s and Jag’s, as well as all the smug looking Expats when they saw our hire car stickers, we eventually ended up at our secluded villa, which it actually was this time. As I’ve mentioned previously, even if I could afford it I wouldn’t purchase a property in Javea as we both find it too English and pretentious. Lovely for a holiday though as the views from the properties in the Cap de la Nau area are stunning and it is a lovely area.

Three days of chilling out at the villa and it was time for our trip to Ontinyent and our one property viewing with Sam. We were meeting Sam at the property but we were very early and decided to park up in town and have a quick walk round to soak up the sunshine and the vibe. Unbelievably we bumped into Julian and Marijse from Los Hildickos, who still had the little white house on the hill on their books, Deb kept checking. It was great to see them again as they really are super people and we chatted for a while. Yes, we were just on hols in Javea and wanted to visit the town for the day, we told them, and while here have a look at a few other properties. ‘Good luck and enjoy the rest of your holidays.’ They said and we parted company.

On to the meeting with Sam and the photo’s we were sent were true to the property. It was immaculately kept, both inside and out with well maintained gardens and pool. Great views, with a mountainous backdrop and so peaceful. We asked Sam where the boundary was and he pointed into the middle of the olive grove and said, ‘About here.’ ‘What Do You mean, about?’ I asked. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘This property and that one over there, ‘ pointing to a house about 400metres away, ‘belong to the same family and they want to sell this one off with some of the land.’ ‘How will we know what comes with the property?’ I asked. He said ‘You can agree that when you erect the fence.’ So we had to erect the fence around the property, about 5-600m in total, at our expense and to make it worse it was a shared drive with the other owners. ‘That shouldn’t be a problem.’ Said Sam. I didn’t like the way shouldn’t and about were being discussed so casually. ‘Well,’ I said, ‘that fence is going to be expensive and will be included in any negotiation.’ ‘Oh no,’ said Sam, ‘they won’t negotiate because of the length of terms in your deal.’ I looked at Deb, a little stunned to say the least. We thanked Sam for his time, got in the car and drove into town for a coffee and a discussion about our viewing. Fortunately I only ordered an espresso as the the discussion was very short. ‘Well that’s not happening, how desperate do they think we are? They can stick their house.’ She actually put it a little more graphically but I’m using artistic licence to tone it down a little.

The drive back to Javea was filled with emotion. Well, actually only one emotion, anger. Angry that they thought we were so gullible and desperate and also anger that we had wasted so much time and effort during our holiday for nil result. If we had known their was no potential for negotiation we wouldn’t have bothered.

By the time we returned to our rented villa anger had turned to disappointment. ‘What now?’ Deb said, sounding dejected and looking particularly low. ‘I don’t know yet hun but this isn’t over.’ I replied. ‘Leave it with me.’ She must have faith in me as she didn’t break down into hysterical laughter or throw anything at me. That was a good sign.

On our return to the UK I threw myself into our financials, looked at our savings, year on year increase in business, assessed confirmed projects with new clients and upcoming projects with existing clients. I then assessed our recently pared down outgoings and commitments against our projected income and came to a decision. ‘Deb,’ I said, ‘does Julian still have the little white house on the hill?’ ‘Yes he does,’ she said, ‘and I wish he would just sell it so we can put it behind us.’ ‘Well,’ I said cautiously and ducking down behind the sofa as I spoke, ‘I think I’ve worked out how we can achieve it.’ She looked at me like I’d just grown a second head. ‘You are joking aren’t you?’ She said quietly, which is worse than shouting, ‘I’m not going through all this again.’ ‘Bear with me and hear me out.’ I said. ‘We’ve been concentrating so much on mortgage qualification and rent to buy in 3 years that we hadn’t realised how much we have saved by our cost cutting lifestyle. Along with that my business has seen a healthy year on year growth for the past 3 years and it has left us in a really good position. With the confirmed work I have on I think we will be able to afford to purchase our dream home in Spain for cash by early next year, including all fees, and still leave ourselves with a decent amount in the bank, depending what we can negotiate it down to.’ Deb looked at me, absolutely stunned. ‘Are you sure?’ She asked. ‘Barring serious accident or will of God, then yes.’ She leapt up to get her laptop. ‘I’ll make sure It’s still there.’ She said excitedly. ‘If it is what do we do?’

Fortunately it was but, to be honest, I hadn’t expected it to have sold. It was so niche and that pool really must have put people off, but we could see through it. ‘I think we need to reaffirm our interest to Julian and go to see it again, say in about October, and then see if we can make an offer that will take it off the market with a confirmed sale date around March 2019.’

‘I can’t believe I’m putting myself through this again.’ Deb said, with a little smile on her face.

Some things are sent to try us!!

  • Our future home?

Deb and I returned to the UK the following day and leapt into the task of collating our financial information AGAIN. Updated Company accounts, tax returns, P60’s, Experian credit reports etc. It’s not a two minute job for us as we’re not the most organised of people. ‘Last year’s Company accounts?’ I asked Deb hopefully. ‘Do you know where my last P60 is?’ She replied. I said, ‘Why would I know where that is, it’s your responsibility.’ ‘And your accounts are you’re responsibility.’ Was her response. ‘If you’ve lost them phone the accountant for copies, I’m busy.’ Stuart, my long suffering accountant, was extremely helpful and provided a copy of the missing accounts. The originals actually turned up 3 months later under an old hamsters cage.

Documentation collated and checked, we were ready to forward everything to Rob Govier, AGAIN. ‘Have you looked at our financial position,’ said Deb, ‘and checked that we meet the criteria for a mortgage.’ ‘I’m sure we do,’ I replied, with confidence in my voice. ‘We have cut our credit commitments, our accounts are on the up year on year and we have more savings so we need a smaller mortgage which gives us a higher equity stake and therefore makes us less of a risk for the bank. We won’t have an issue.’ Documents were e-mailed to Rob and we got on with our lives, but in the meantime we were still discussing what we were going to do with our little white house on the hill.

‘That pool has got to be the priority.’ Said Deb. ‘Even if we just refurbish the hole in the ground that’s there and re-tile the pool patio, that will be sufficient. We need somewhere to dip in the Summer.’ ‘It also ruins the view.’ I replied. ‘You’ve got stunning views in that direction but your eyes just get drawn to the pool. And as for that bloody gazebo, it has to go.’ ‘What about the house?’ Said Deb. ‘The house is fine,’ I replied, ‘we can live with it as it is. There is no real work to do, just decorating and re-furnishing, we can address that in the Winter. The important thing is to get the outside right.’ ‘You’re right.’ She said. ‘I want some sun beds for the pool patio and a sofa set for the front porch. We’ve already got the dining table for outside the kitchen so we should be good to go very quickly.’ It was all very exciting.

Bombshell time again. Rob was fairly quick at delivering the devastating blow that we still didn’t qualify for a Spanish mortgage. What!! How can that be? We have lived like peasants over the last 12 months, apart from the 2 villa holidays of course. We were stunned. What more could we do? Forget Aldi and go to food banks? Sell the house and move to rented accommodation? Lose the cars and drive round in an old wreck? What does that say to my clients when I turn up in an old rattletrap of a car? ‘Tell me Mr Govier, what more can we do?’ I asked. ‘Reduce your outgoings further,’ he said, ‘or raise money on your house.’ ‘If I can’t get a mortgage in Spain then I obviously can’t extend my mortgage here.’ I said, really frustrated. ‘I could always send Deb out on the streets.’ I joked. ‘It all helps.’ He said. Seriously?

Deb was getting used to devastating blows in this Spanish property purchasing experience and she dealt with it reasonably well. ‘Don’t forget to put that plugged in toaster down before you get in the bath hun,’ I said to her casually as I walked into the bathroom. ‘That could be dangerous.’ ‘Where does that leave us then and what do we do now?’ She said as she put the toaster on the bath mat. ‘There has got be another way of achieving this without involving the banks.’ I said. ‘The little white house on the hill has been on the market for well over a year, nearly 2 in fact, and the English owners are desperate to sell so there has to be an alternative we can offer them. Let me have a think about it and don’t write it off yet,’

I am a naturally modest person but I have to admit that my alternative proposal was pure genius, in my opinion. I had slept on it, well not exactly slept but turned it over in my mind all night, and I think I came up with a fantastic alternative plan that would benefit both parties. ‘Deb,’ I said excitedly as I gently shook her awake, ‘ I’ll make a brew and I think I’ve worked out how to do this.’

‘Ok, listen to this, I think it will work.’ I said to Deb when she’d come round slightly. I was wide awake and wired. ‘The little white house on the hill has been on the market for nearly 2 years, correct?’ I said. ‘Correct.’ Deb replied. ‘So the owners must be really motivated to sell, correct?’ I said. ‘What is this, an interrogation? Just get on with it.’ She said, infuriated. She can be a little touchy when she’s only been awake for 2 minutes. ‘Sorry, just really excited. So if they want to sell their property and we want to buy it but can’t borrow the money, why not rent to buy? Developers do it with new build properties so why not with older properties. I’ve also come up with an offer the owners cannot say no to.’ I prepared myself for the big pitch to Deb, took a deep breath and went for it. Here we go. ‘We give the owners 25% of the negotiated purchase price as a non refundable deposit, we also pay an agreed monthly rent for a period of, say, 3 years. During this time we save like mad and at the end of the 3 years we pay the balance due in cash, minus the 25% and the total of rent paid over 36 months. During the period of rental we get to use the property and pay all water and electric bills and Council tax bills. If we don’t complete after 3 years the owners retain the property and all monies paid, including the 25% deposit. All contractually agreed with respective lawyers. A Win/Win for the owners and all the risk is on our side. How can anyone say no to that?’ Deb looked at me, somewhat shell shocked and said. ‘Pay for it cash? Do you think we could do that?’ ‘Look how much we’ve saved in the last 12 months by living like we’re in poverty.’ I said. ‘I’m sure we could do it, and well within 3 years, but I’m saying 3 to give us a buffer.’ ‘Brilliant.’ She said. Look at my brownie point calculator on the rise.

The only people who didn’t benefit from this outstanding offer were Julian and Marijse. If it were accepted then they would need to wait for up to 3 years for their commission. It is hardly motivating for them and this was the only reason I was reluctant to put it forward to Julian. However, it was our only chance to achieve our little piece of Spain, so I e-mailed my thoughts and offer to Julian in the most positive way I could and asked him to put it to the owner.

All went quiet for a few days and I heard nothing back from Julian. I had visions of him pinning a picture of me on a dartboard in his office and casually throwing pointed objects at me all day. Then, after about 4 or 5 days days we got a response. ‘Deb.’ I yelled. ‘We got a message from Julian.’ I’m not deaf.’ She yelled back. ‘Sorry,’ I said, ‘I’m just anxious.’ I opened the message from Julian and it contained a response from the owner. So Julian had put the offer forward, what a gent. In a nutshell, the owner responded with a resounding NO, even though he thought the idea had merit. I leapt up and went into the kitchen, hid the kettle and toaster and turned the water off at the stop cock. Well you can’t be too careful, she was a ‘woman on the edge, at this point.

After so many disappointments I actually think we were both expecting yet another one as neither of us fell apart, we just looked at each other and Deb said, ‘Well, that’s it then. Our dream is over.’ ‘Not necessarily,’ I said, ‘as I have a Plan B.’ If you were being pedantic this would be actually Plan G or F, but never mind. ‘Don’t raise my hopes with another scheme doomed to failure.’ She said. Ominous silence, then, ‘Oh go on then, tell me.

Optimism keeps us going doesn’t it? If you have nothing to strive for or a goal in life, what’s the point? I said ‘Ok, so we’ve established we could pay cash for this in 3 years, correct?’ ‘Don’t start interrogating me again I’m not in the mood.’ Deb replied. ‘Well,’ I said, ‘ What we have to do is put the little white house on the hill behind us, difficult as that may be for both of us. Onwards and upwards. So we put our ‘rent to buy’ offer to all the agents in the Ontinyent area and see who responds. There has to be someone out there desperate enough to take our amazing offer.’ ‘Well,’ she said, ‘What have we got to lose. They can only say no. AGAIN.’

Ontinyent. Our New Home?

Date: 20 Feb 2018. Location: Alicante airport. Our mission: To make it from the plane, through passport control, collect undamaged bags, collect hire car and be on the road within two hours, while not having a cross word between us. A hugely difficult mission, but we were successful and on our way to Biar within 90 minutes of de-planing. In all fairness the odds were on our side as it was February so the airport wasn’t too busy and we only had carry on bags as we were only in Spain for a few days. But it was still satisfying to be successful.

We drove North and to the Hotel Rural Castillo de Biar which turned out to be a characterful two storey country house, situated in its own grounds on the outskirts of Biar, and with superb views. What a great location to spend a few days and explore the area. With a mix of our limited Spanish, the receptionists limited English and good old Google translate we managed to get to our room after checking in and reserving a table for dinner. Pointless really as we were the only guests that week. ‘Let’s have a drink on the patio,’ said Deb, ‘and soak up the atmosphere. The weather is glorious and warm considering it’s February’ ‘Sounds good to me.’ I replied. Relaxing afternoon in beautiful countryside followed by a well prepared evening meal and then a comfortable nights sleep to set us up for a busy day.

Refreshed and well fed, we set off to Ontinyent in the morning for our 11am meeting with Estate Agent Julian Hildick from Mangolink Property. We set off early so we could take a leisurely drive through the stunning countryside and what a drive it was. From Biar we travelled North to the CV-81 then East towards Ontinyent on this more major road. There was very little traffic on the road and we were soon driving past the amazing town of Bocairent with houses and buildings rising from the cliff top, all tightly packed and so characterful. Then down the winding mountain road for a few miles, past Pou Clar, which is a geologicalcal water feature of descending pools with a walkway and steps at the side so you can follow the progress of the river. I said to Deb, ‘This drive to Ontinyent is amazing, it offers so much.’ ‘You’re right.’ She said. ‘You’ve got the beautiful open countryside, the picturesque town of Bocairent, the dramatic winding drive through the mountains and then Pou Clar as the icing on your journeys cake. What more could you ask for? I’m getting really good feelings about this trip.’

And the positive feelings kept coming. You know when things just fall into place and everything feels right? Well, that’s how things progressed. We entered into the town, which was attractive and welcoming and nothing disrupted the flow of positive thoughts. Deb was driving and I was navigating as usual. ‘Car park over there on the right.’ I said. ‘No, the other right.’ As she looked to the left. ‘OK, I see it, ‘she replied, ‘we’ll park in there and have a wander round as we’re still quite early.’ We walked from the car park, which was free by the way, through to a nearby square. Lovely, vibrant, bustling, attractive and obviously having investment spent on it, perfect. So we sat there taking everything in when we saw a small estate agency across the square called Los Hildickos. ‘Love the name.’ I said to Deb.’Let’s go and have a look in the window and see what they have on offer.’ We had a look at their display of properties from the outside and then popped in for a chat with the Agent.

The agent we met turned out to be Marijse Hildick, the wife of the chap we were meeting. Mangolink Property were based further South in Murcia but had a link with Los Hildickos further up North. Obviously covering a larger area with less travelling. Makes sense. We had a good chat with Marijse, who was really pleasant and helpful, and she informed us Julian was on another appointment but would be back for our meeting time. ‘You can wait here if you like,’ she said, ‘It’s only half an hour.’ No thanks,’ Deb replied, ‘I think we’ll have a little bit of an explore of the immediate area.’ Off we went and had a look around the nearby shopping area. ‘Doesn’t it have a really good feel?’ She said. ‘You’re right,’ I replied, ‘the street cafes and busy shops bring the area to life.’

Soon we were back at the office where we met again with Marijse. She introduced us to Julian, and what a lovely couple they are. So helpful, chatty, friendly, knowledgeable and make you feel comfortable immediately. We left our car in the nearby car park and started out with Julian, who gave us a really extensive overview of the town and his enthusiasm for the area was infectious. We drove into the countryside and it really was stunning, a beautiful area with some dramatic scenery.

Julian had the files on our chosen properties and we made a start. He said ‘One of the properties you chose doesn’t have any views and it has a smaller built area than you wanted so I’ve replaced it with another. Hope that’s ok?’ ‘Of course,’ Deb said, ‘you know what we’re looking for.’

On to the first, a 3 bedroom detached villa in a large plot with fruit trees and an olive grove. The house was two storey and had a first floor balcony overlooking the large pool. The property was approximately 8km from Ontinyent, quite a distance off the main road and had four neighbours who were quite close. Deb and I didn’t speak while we were there, we just wandered round gathering our own thoughts. I wasn’t enamoured at all but waited until we were back in the car after a visit of a respectful length of time. ‘That’s not for me I’m afraid.’ I said to Deb. ‘Why not?’ She asked. ‘I quite liked it.’ ‘I think,’ I said, ‘it is too far from town, a little too remote and the neighbours are too close. The stairs to the first floor are awkward, the pool needs some work and I’m not inspired by the views.’ ‘Does that mean something other than No?’ She said. Onwards and upwards.

Property two and this was one I was really interested in. 3 bedroom, lounge kitchen, dining area, all arranged over a single floor, with the house, parking area, patio and pool on an upper level and half an acre of olive grove separating the house from the road. In the agents photo’s it looked fantastic and I would have offered on it from the pictures alone, even though the agents description informed us it was a quirky layout. The description was right, the layout just didn’t work and it would be a big project to make it right. The plot also looked quite tired. Again, it didn’t appeal to me. ‘What do you think?’ I said to Deb. ‘It doesn’t work does it?’ She replied. ‘Also, look at the work we’d have to do to get the plot looking attractive.’ ‘Shall we move on?’ Said Julian. We both nodded.

On the road again, Julian said, ‘The next one is the alternative I’ve picked for you. I think it ticks most, if not all, of your boxes.’ We were only about 1km from the outskirts of town when we turned off the main road onto a single track, tarmaced road, leading upwards past well kept detached properties in their own grounds. ‘I like this.’ Said Deb. ‘It’s really nice to have a attractive approach road.’ The tarmaced road ran out and we were then onto an unadopted stone track, a little bit rough but not to bad in Julians 4×4. Over the crest of a hill and the track took a downward turn with a deep gorge to one side lined with pine trees, you could see the views opening up. ‘This is like an off-road experience.’ Said Deb. ‘Really exciting.’ Julian took a turn up a small access road to a set of gates, opened them up and drove along the stone covered drive. Olive trees either side of the drive and in between there were tempting snapshots of the views across the valley. To the end of the drive towards a simple, white painted, single storey house and up an incline to the parking area. The views opened up to 180 degree, South facing, uninterrupted views across the valley towards the distant hills and further to the mountains. It was fantastic! This is it.

The house sat on top of the plot which then lead down to a terrace which contained a pool with patio, bit of work needed here, then led again to three terraces going down the hillside into the valley.

  • The luxurious swimming pool, but look at the views
Terraces

‘I love this.’ I said to Deb as I started descending the terraces to explore. ‘I absolutely love it. This is so interesting with so much scope, and look at those views.’ Deb had her practical head on when she replied, ‘Look at that pool area, it needs a lot of work and the plot needs tidying up, but the views are to die for I must admit.’ ‘Let’s have a look at the house.’ I said. It was single storey, three good sized bedrooms, one bathroom, nice light and airy lounge area with fireplace and wood burner and a decent workable kitchen. Not overlooked at all but there were nearby neighbours. ‘This is perfect Deb.’ This is the one.’ I said. ‘ I think you maybe right,’ she responded, ‘but let’s talk about it later at the Hotel.’ ‘Whatever you say hun, but I think this is it.’ I said.

Reluctantly, we had to leave so we could view the fourth and final property with Julian. I could have stayed there all day. ‘Nothing could compare to the last one.’ I said to Deb as we drove away. ‘It was absolutely perfect.’ ‘Some work to be done outside though.’ She said. ‘I know,’ I replied, ‘but it can be done over time. The location and views though were outstanding, don’t you think?’ She had to agree.

The final property, I have to admit, was really nice. The area was a little more built up but the house was situated in low maintenance, hard landscaped grounds with really nice pool area and patio surrounded by well established trees. The property itself was single storey again, with 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. Light and airy lounge with a separate kitchen and the whole building was owned and really well maintained by a local Spanish family. Towards the back of the plot was an olive grove, the length of which Julian assessed as par 3, but to my mind, and golfing ability, it was at least par 4. ‘It is really nice and well looked after.’ Said Deb. ‘I agree,’ I replied, ‘but it’s…..hmmmm………. boring. That’s it, boring. As nice as it is, it’s not interesting like the last one.’ ‘Let’s discuss later.’ She said.

Julian dropped us at our car and we thanked him for a really interesting, informative and thought provoking day. We promised to be back in touch the following day with feedback.

We were excited and animated on the drive back to the Hotel, ignoring Pou Clar, oblivious to Bocairent, and totally blind to the outstanding countryside. All talk was of the little white house on the hill as Deb had already renamed it. ‘This has got to be the one.’ I said. ‘It’s better than anything we’ve seen and is far better than the one in Montroi. I’m so glad that one didn’t come off.’ ‘The more I think about it,’ Deb said, ‘the more it appeals to me, but I’d like to sleep on it and try to get another viewing before we leave, just to be sure.’ ‘Great idea,’ I said, ‘let’s go back tomorrow.’ ‘What about Carbonell?’ Deb questioned. ‘We’ve got a day of viewings booked with them.’ ‘Nothing they show us will match that one.’ I replied. ‘We’ll cancel Carbonell if we can get a second viewing on this one with Julian and Marijse.’ ‘OK.’ Deb agreed.

We contacted Julian and Marijse when we returned to the hotel. They were pleased we wanted a second viewing and happy to accommodate us the following day. Carbonell was cancelled and we could then sit back and relax knowing that we had found our little piece of Spain.

The next day we made an exited trip back to Ontinyent and the offices of Los Hildickos. Marijse was accompanying us this time and we spent a wonderful 30-45 mins exploring the little things we missed the previous day and taking in the fantastic surroundings. ‘The visit has just reinforced my feelings for this property.’ I said to Deb. ‘What about you?’ ‘It’s spot on.’ She replied. ‘Let’s get our finances arranged and do this.’

We thanked Marijse when she dropped us off later and informed her we were arranging our mortgage as soon as we returned to the UK the following day. ‘You’ll be hearing from us as soon as possible with an offer.’ I said. ‘It’s perfect.’ We spent the rest of the day exploring the town from the vibrant local centre to the large commercial area on the outskirts to the historical area of the older part of town. It had everything to offer us, this was our future home. ‘All we needed to do now is secure the mortgage.’ Said Deb. ‘Not a problem,’ I replied with abounding confidence. ‘The little white house on the hill will soon be ours.’ If only things were that simple.

https://hotelruralcastillodebiar.es/

Inicio

http://www.loshildickos.com/

2017. The Year of Frugal Living

  • Views from the patio

After some extensive discussions during our Lanzarote holiday and over Christmas, we started 2017 with a positive attitude. Simon, from Azahar Properties, took the news surprisingly well that we couldn’t get a mortgage and we told him we would be back in a year or so, fully financially refreshed. I think, hope, that Simon didn’t see us as time wasters/tyre kickers as we spent our own money on the visit after carrying out our own research and not just appearing on A Place in the Sun.

  • Views from the terrace

We considered our plans were well thought out and structured. We had made some purchases on 0% interest free credit a few years before during a refurbishment of our house and these were due to finish in early 2017. My business was hit pretty hard during the financial crisis and it took us a few years to get back on our feet following this dark period. But work still needed doing on our home so major things like kitchen and windows were put on 0% interest as we didn’t have the spare cash. We then planned to pay off credit cards as quickly as possible and clear all other outstanding debts during the year. We thought this achievable because of the year on year growth of my business, getting back to ‘pre-crash’ levels.

We also opted to start shopping at Aldi and Lidl rather than M&S and Sainsbury. This was inspired as we found the quality of fresh fruit, veg and meat were, a lot of the time, superior to the big name supermarkets. Note, we still do part of our weekly shopping at Aldi or Lidl as the savings are phenomenal.

We had a goal and the motivation to achieve it. Martin Lewis would have been proud of us if he knew half of our money saving measures. This was our future at stake.

Deb, in the meantime, was constantly watching ‘our’ property, as she called it, on a nightly basis. ‘It’s still there.’ She’d inform me every evening after searching the Azahar Property website again. ‘Don’t worry,’ I’d say, ‘nobody is going to buy that one, it’s too far into the country and secluded. There aren’t many people out there like us.’ Guess what? There was at least one. Sometime in, I think March, the property was indicated as ‘Sold’. Devastation knocked on the door again, Deb was distraught. ‘What are we going to do now?’ She cried ‘That property was perfect for us.’ ‘It obviously wasn’t meant to be hun.’ I replied, ever the pragmatist. ‘That can’t be the only one that is right for us and what this experience has achieved is giving us a benchmark to judge others by.’ ‘You’re right,’ she said, ‘let’s get out there and carry on looking.’ ‘I think we should look in a different area of the same region,’ I said, ‘I love it and I think we should explore further afield.’ Deb agreed and she started researching again.


We usually take three holidays each year, 7-10 days each, and always in a detached villa because we enjoy our privacy. However, 2017 being the year of the frugalist, yes I promise it is a real word and I’m attempting to have it included in the Chinese calender, we had decided to reduce this to two holidays. Aldi and Lidl are one saving but having less than two holidays is unthinkable. We, or should I say Deb as I’m not allowed to get involved, arranged 2 holidays to Javea on the Northern Costa Blanca, one in June and one in October. The reasons for two holidays here were twofold, firstly to have a holiday, obviously, and secondly to do a little exploring of the inland area from here. You can tell we were confident we could satisfy the affordability criteria for a mortgage by the end of this year.

Fast forward to June and our first visit of the year to Javea, via Alicante unfortunately, and back to battered luggage and long queues. The drive North from the airport takes you through some dramatic countryside, but none more dramatic than the view of Benidorm. It appears out of nowhere and is just alien to its surroundings with high rise tower blocks and hotels with a diversity of design having no sympathy at all to their natural surroundings. Further North, past Altea, Calpe and Moraira, all well showcased on A Place in the Sun, to Benissa and then towards the coast through picturesque valleys to Javea. The particular villa Deb had booked was near Cap de la Nau just South of Javea town. It was on an urbanisation of detached villas and this one had outstanding panoramic views of the Mediterranean from a raised, prominent and, more importantly, private plot. A great base for a holiday and also to do a little exploring inland at areas and properties.

We like Javea for a holiday as it’s calm and relaxing with all amenities nearby. The lovely and well maintained beach also has a sweeping promenade serviced by a host of bars and restaurants. Slightly further North and the beach continues to the Port and the main shopping area which is vibrant with a huge range of shops. If you find your way to the old part of town you will be there for the day easily, surrounded by a wealth of history and character. ‘Sounds idyllic.’ I hear you say. It is, but the properties are horrendously expensive, everyone you come across is English, which is also the dominant language and it is incredibly pretentious. Local English residents have this smug look about them and tend to look down their nose at the tourists. We don’t spend a great deal of time in town, apart from the odd morning beach walk, we tend to prefer the privacy of the villa. Even had we been able to afford it, we wouldn’t purchase a property in Javea.

We spent a couple of days exploring inland towns, avoiding the aforementioned Altea, Calpe and Moraira. Mainly because we were looking for something inland but also we felt we knew the towns so well as we’d seen them so often on A Place in the Sun. In fact we have seen them so frequently the chances are we would recognise most of the residents from the programme. We went through Jalon to Orba, Pego and then up into the mountains on roads full of cyclists, towards Muro de Alcoy. ‘The scenery is stunning,’ said Deb. ‘It is,’ I replied, ‘this is the sort of area we’ve been looking for. Look at the views and the groves of oranges, lemons, olives and whoever knows what else. It’s amazing.’ Not that impressed with Muro de Alcoy though unfortunately, it just didn’t have that vibrant town feel to it. ‘We want to live near a town,’ said Deb, ‘that we enjoy visiting for either shopping or socialising. Somewhere we feel offers the right mix of modern and traditional with all the facilities, and I don’t think this is it.’ ‘I’ve got to agree,’ I said, ‘but I definitely think we are in the right area.’ ‘Absolutely.’ She said.

Back in the UK and our loans were disappearing, credit cards getting paid off, business was looking good and we were confident our fiscal diet would make us an attractive proposition to the banks. Deb, in the meantime, was scouring our new found area inland from Javea. Properties were being sent to us thick and fast by agents as well as regular e-mails from Kyero and Think Spain. There was no point in viewing properties until we were confident we could satisfy mortgage criteria as we didn’t want to waste anyones time but it didn’t stop us looking at areas for when we were in a position to purchase. Deb was concentrating on the area to the North of Muro de Alcoy up to L’Olleria and Xativa. ‘There is some beautiful countryside in this area and the towns are a good size.’ said Deb. I replied, ‘Sounds just what we’re looking for. How about we take a drive up in October when we’re back in Javea?’ ‘I was just thinking the same thing.’ she said.

Javea in October is a more quiet affair as it’s out of the main holiday period. Our villa this time was again in the Cap de la Nau area but a little nearer to Javea. The promised secluded villa, wasn’t. Next door villa had a first floor balcony which overlooked our pool and some of the garden but we got some privacy if we squeezed behind the outdoor shower. Fortunately, the people who were renting it left the day after we arrived and no one else took up residence during our stay. Perfect.

We had a very relaxing week apart from one day we spent investigating the area South of Xativa. Xativa has a population of around 30,000 and all the usual amenities you would expect from a town of this size. It also has an interesting history going back to Roman times. We drove South through undulating countryside surrounded by groves of all varieties with outstanding views. ‘Now this is lovely,’ said Deb, ‘I can see us being in an area like this.’ ‘I agree.’ I replied. ‘I love this area and you have the large town of Xativa fairly close as well. I think this area deserves some research when we get back home.’

Deb was on the case as soon as we returned and started her research. She was looking South of Xativa when she said. ‘What about Ontinyent? Largish town with a population if approx 35,000, a bit more compact than Xativa. Looks like a really good mix of old, historical areas with a vibrant and modern looking town centre.’ Deb loves doing the Google Streetview walks through places. ‘Sounds good.’ I said. ‘So the town would be large enough to offer all the amenities?’ ‘Looks that way,’ she replied, ‘I can see a hospital, shopping centre and some nice open plazas.’ She delved further and into the surrounding area and we were really impressed. ‘I’m going to see what property is available in this area. It looks great.’

She searched local estate agents and started looking through the offerings of Carbonell Inmobilliaria (translated as real estate as we had come to learn) and Mangolink Property who, although based in Murcia, had quite a lot of properties in the Ontinyent area. ‘Do you think we will qualify for a mortgage now after our savings and cuts this year?’ Deb asked me. ‘I’m sure we will.’ I replied. ‘We’ve cleared a lot of debt, the business is in good shape and our savings are on the increase. I think it’s time to get back on the property search.’ ‘Right,’ she said, ‘that’s great. What budget do you think we should look at?’ ‘Let’s say 150,000€, I said, ‘things are looking good at the moment.’ So Deb was now looking at a range of properties in the Ontinyent area of Valencia region, with the same criteria as last year but with a slightly increased budget.

‘There are some lovely properties on the market with Mangolink,’ Deb said, ‘and within our budget. What shall we do?’ ‘Let’s take the bull by the horns and get a viewing trip booked.’ I replied. ‘Not a holiday but a few days just viewing properties. However, I think we should look but not make an offer on anything until we find out we can get a mortgage on it.’ ‘Brilliant,’ she said, ‘when?’ I thought about this and said, ‘What about your birthday in February? I think that would be great timing.’ ‘I love it.’ She said. ‘Let’s do it.’

Into December, no week away in the Canaries this year, that was one of the many sacrifices during 2017, but we were going to end the year on a high. We had a hotel booked about 30mins from Ontinyent in February 2018. Deb could only find one hotel in Ontinyent and she didn’t really fancy it. As I mentioned in a previous blog there aren’t that many hotels inland away from popular tourist areas but Deb found the Hotel Rural Castillo de Biar, which is a lovely rustic hotel, bar and restaurant just outside Biar and booked 3 nights. Also a day of viewings with Mangolink Property and a day with Carbonell.

We were back in the game!

Historic Ontinyent
Looking forward to visiting in February 2018

Financing

  • It’s no Architectural masterpiece

This was then, potentially, our new holiday home/long term home. As I may have mentioned, it wasn’t the best-looking house in the world, but the outside space was outstanding, the views glorious and the roof terrace huge. The internal layout was ideal as well.

We therefore returned to the UK extremely excited and motivated to progress the financing and purchase of the property. Deb said ‘I’m sure this isn’t going to be straightforward and there will be loads we need to address but firstly I think we need to get the mortgage sorted. Who do we approach for a mortgage on a Spanish house?’ ‘I haven’t got a clue.’ I replied. ‘I know, I’ll get in touch with the broker who got our mortgage on this house. Everything went really smoothly and easily with that one, he should be able to handle it.’ I therefore contacted our broker and asked if he could organise a Spanish mortgage for us. ‘Not my field I’m afraid,’ he said, ‘but I can put you in touch with someone who I’ve dealt with in the past.’ Introducing Rob Govier of the MHI Group, who are international mortgage specialists.

I sent an introductory e-mail to Rob explaining our requirements and our current employment positions, me being self-employed and Deb being employed. He responded very quickly and positively with a long list of documents he required for him to be able to assess our eligibility, such as P60’s for Deb, 2 years tax returns for me, personal and business bank statements, passports, proof of our own funds and Credit Reports from Experian. ‘This is a bit more complicated than last time I applied for a mortgage.’ I said to Deb. ‘All I needed to do last time was to tell the bank I could afford it. Maybe lending has become more stringent following the financial crash.’ ‘It needed to.’ She replied.

Rob then responded saying that we also needed the full address of the property, a copy of the purchase contract, our Spanish lawyers details, a Nota Simple and our NIE numbers. ‘What,’ I said to Deb, ‘is a Nota Simple and what do we do about NIE numbers?’ ‘I have no idea,’ she replied, ‘why don’t you ask Simon the agent?’

I contacted Simon asking what these were and how to get them. He informed us that the purchase contract would be issued once we paid the non-refundable 10% deposit, for this we needed a lawyer and he could recommend one if needed. The Nota Simple is a document from the Property Register that gives all the details of the property such as any outstanding debts such as mortgage or taxes, the name of the current owner and whether anyone else has any rights on the land such as access paths or roads. The lender requires this so they can use it in part of the assessment of the property. Our lawyer would get this document as well. The NIE (or Numero de Identificacion de Extranjero) numbers are tax identification numbers and are mandatory for all foreigners who have financial, professional or social affairs in Spain, whether a resident or not. Apparently, you can apply yourself and I understand it means a visit to a Spanish Consulate in the UK with the appropriate form and fee or you can just let the lawyer do it on your behalf.

‘That seems like a lot of work and cost,’ I said to Deb, ‘if we ultimately, for whatever reason, don’t complete on the property.’ She replied, ‘Can we just get Rob to do an assessment in principle before we go down this route? If everything seems ok with our financials then we can progress to instructing lawyers and pay the deposit.’ That sounded like a plan. As I said, not just a pretty face. We asked Rob to do just that. He told us it would take a week or two as there was a lot to go through and he was currently very busy. We informed Simon the agent that it would be a few weeks before we could confirm the purchase and we got on with our lives.

This included getting ready for our annual trip to Lanzarote the week before Christmas. We had done this for the last 4 years as it’s nice to get a week in the sun during the Winter, the Canary Islands are known for their year-round warm weather, and it extends the Christmas holidays by an extra week. We had re-booked the same villa we rented the previous year as it was perfect. It was private with no over-looking neighbours, no building site next door and no golf course for miles.

When I say, ‘we booked’ what I mean is ‘Deb booked’. She handles all holiday travel arrangements from accommodation to flights and car hire. I am not allowed anywhere near this part of the holiday. It suits me because one person handles the arrangements so there is only one point of blame if ‘the wheel comes off’. Actually, I was told by Deb to not get involved following my first, and only, foray into a villa booking for an earlier holiday in Lanzarote a few years ago. I happened to see an e-mail about this particular villa booking and I had an issue with the price as there was a supplement because there was only 3 of us in a large villa. I e-mailed the owner back saying it was ridiculous charging us a supplement as there would be less cleaning to do, less sheets to wash etc. In fact, we should get a reduction. She e-mailed back saying she had been doing this for years and never had a complaint and that it was standard practice. We e-mailed a couple more times and the tone got more and more heated until she eventually said she would cancel the booking. I told her that was fine and we would find someone who wasn’t going to rip us off.

I said to Deb that evening when she came in from work, ‘I’ve been in touch with the owner of the villa and we had a few words about the price and for some reason she has said she is going to cancel the booking.’ She went mad. ‘What have you done?’ She said. ‘Everything is arranged, flights, car hire everything. That villa sounds ideal and we won’t get another one now. What did you get involved for?’ ‘Well, it sounded like we were being ripped off.’ I said. She replied ‘The pricing structure is standard practice and it’s how the tariffs are worked out on all villas we rent.’ ‘Well it’s not right and I don’t agree with it.’ I fought back. ‘It doesn’t matter whether you agree with it or not,’ she said, getting quite frustrated, ‘that is the way things are done. Now get back to her, apologise profusely for your misunderstanding of the process and pricing and NEVER get involved again.’ That was me told. I then had to grovel to the owner, sincerely apologising, explain that I never get involved in these things normally and could we have our booking back, please. She relented and strongly suggested I don’t deal with holiday bookings in the future. So, I don’t.

You may ask why we didn’t consider a property in Lanzarote if we like it so much. Well Lanzarote is great for a holiday. We like to stay in Playa Blanca, which is a little less built up and has a fantastic promenade walk for miles and a bustling town with all the usual bars, restaurants and shops. But that is all there is. If you want a change then you go to visit another tourist town or drive through the picturesque landscape. Great for a couple of weeks maximum, but for years? No thanks. We want the diversity of coastal towns, inland towns, large cities and even do a little touring through Europe, possibly France and Portugal to try and change our opinions of them. If you’re on an island it isn’t as easy. I’m sure people will disagree but that is just our opinion.

During the couple of weeks leading up to our Lanzarote trip, the talk was all about the house in Montroi. What work we were going to carry out, such as a balustrade to the roof terrace for safety and to try and lift the aesthetics of the building somewhat. There was a fair amount of work to be done to the grounds to tidy them up, but that could be carried out over time, and the pool needed some refurbishment work. ‘We’ll see how the financial assessment comes back,’ I said to Deb, ‘then we can programme the works.’ ‘Sounds good.’ She said. Back in the good books after getting the villa booking reinstated.

Thursday December 15th, that date will always be etched in my memory, we set off for the airport and our week in Lanzarote. Everything was upbeat, going on holiday, nearly Christmas and a new house in Spain to look forward to. Life was good. Plane journey was uneventful as usual and we de-planed at Arrecife airport 4 and a half hours later. As we are stood in passport control, I switched the flight mode off on my phone and checked my e-mails. ‘I’ve got a message from Rob Govier.’ I said to Deb excitedly. ‘Brilliant,’ she said, ‘this holiday couldn’t start any better, great timing. What does he say?’ He said he had taken it to the bank and we didn’t meet their affordability criteria. Our credit commitments, including mortgage, car loans etc were such that we didn’t comply with the stringent requirements. The only way forward was to reduce our credit commitments or raise money against our UK property.

Well that took the edge off the holiday I can tell you. Deb was devastated. ‘What do we do now?’ She said. ‘Let’s try to enjoy this holiday as much as we can,’ I said, ‘we’ll discuss best way forward over the Christmas holidays and hit the ground running in 2017.

The Big Reveal

We were on our way back to the Hotel, in the privacy of our own car, and discussing the properties Simon had shown us. ‘So,’ said Deb, ‘let’s go through them one at a time.’ ‘OK,’ I said, ‘property one was a complete non- starter because I couldn’t stand up straight on the ground floor.’ She replied ‘Well, it was a lovely house and the first floor lounge and balcony were really impressive with fantastic views.’ ‘Ruined,’ I said, ‘by that concrete tower across the road. It’s a no.’ Deb agreed.

‘Property two,’ I said, ‘nice property, needed a bit of work, but you can’t get away from that smell.’ Deb said ‘Chances are you’d never get rid of it either, despite how much decorating you did.’ That was a no then.

‘Property three.’ Deb said, ‘Lets start with name of the Town. Pedralba. I really don’t like it. Then you have that smelly stagnant water and the graffiti on the wall as you drive up which isn’t nice at all and affects how you feel before you even get to the house.’ I could only agree with this assessment. ‘And,’ I said, ‘the property didn’t feel right for us either. You know when you walk into a property and get a feeling for it whether It’s for you or not.’ ‘Agreed.’ She said.

Onto property four. ‘Despite Simon trying to put us off with that bone shaking, although picturesque, drive to the house, I absolutely loved it.’ I said. ‘The house needs a bit of work to the outside, the outside areas just require tidying up and the pool needs some maintenance but the property has it all.’ ‘Once again, we agree.’ Deb said. ‘The internal layout is perfect for us, the views are to die for and it’s so peaceful and tranquil. I think this could be the one.’ ‘What about an olive grove?’ I said. ‘It doesn’t have one and that was on your wishlist.’ Not that it bothered me, in fact I was breathing a sigh of relief. ‘The important thing was the need for land to create privacy,’ she said, ‘and most properties with land have an olive grove. This one offers the privacy anyway so I’m not fussed about the olive grove.’ Result for me.

‘Property five doesn’t come close to property four so we can skip that one.’ I said. ‘Agreed again.’ Deb replied. ‘So where do we go from here?’ I said, ‘ We have one more day here, let’s go and explore the area on our own, drive up to the property again and have a look at Montroi and Montserrat.’ ‘Good idea,’ Deb said, ‘We can get a feeling for the towns and what they have to offer. We can also discuss tonight what we do if we still feel the same tomorrow.’

This situation was just like A Place in the Sun. Five properties seen, one night in a hotel to discuss options and then the big reveal the following day with the result. But this time not with the aid of a presenter, researchers, production team AND in front of a few million people back in the UK.

In the evening the discussion focused on property four as it was the only real choice, I’m avoiding the word contender as there are already too many similarities to THAT programme. Yes a little work needed doing to the outside and the pool needed attention but we were prepared for this and it would be reflected in any, dare I say it, offer that we made.

On the road early the following morning after a reasonable nights sleep, a little disturbed by the possible momentous decision we could be making that day, we first headed for Montroi. Again we were overwhelmed by the countryside views and the quietness of the roads linking the towns. ‘It’s a dream driving on these roads.’ Deb said. She usually takes the wheel when we’re away as I’m really not that bothered about driving. I actually enjoy the experience of driving abroad and will occasionally do some to give Deb a break but I can take it or leave it. Deb is also very suited to continental town and city driving as her driving style is very much like the locals’, aggressive. I am a good navigator though. I know we have Sat Navs and phones to get us from A to B but for those tricky times when you are in an ‘old towns’ labyrinth of ever diminishing street widths which you can hardly get a car down, I’m the man to direct you out as I have a great sense of direction. I also know my left from my right. Deb on the other hand, doesn’t. She can be directing me if I’m behind the wheel and she’ll say ‘Take your next right.’ I will therefore take my next right. ‘No, the other right.’ Is often the response I will receive. It’s made for many lively discussions in the car I can tell you. She used to be a driving instructor you know, I kid you not.

Anyway, back to Montroi. The road in was the same used on the previous day, coming down from the picturesque scenery of the surrounding hills, past the petrol station where we met Simon and into the town. It was ok, had the shops that were required and seemed quite a bustling little place. Parts were a bit scruffy but that can be said of anywhere. On to Montsrrat. Now this had quite a different feel. Larger town, more vibrant and attractive with lively and modern shopping streets with plenty of people out and about. Both myself and Deb had a good feeling about Montserrat. We parked and had a wander round, soaking up the atmosphere and it was really positive. Quick tea and a coffee with a snack and off to find property four.

There was no point in trying to take our little rental up the ‘scenic route’ so we opted for the safer alternative. Heading in the opposite direction we had come the previous day was going to make it slightly tricky. Double that up with Debs problem with left and rght and we were really on a hiding to nothing on these twisting little roads with numerous spurs off. Imagine the conversation if you will at one of the numerous little junctions. ‘I think it’s right here.’ said Deb. ‘Which right?’ I replied, ‘This right or the other right, bearing in mind we were coming the other way.’ ‘Well we turned left here I’m sure,’ she said, ‘no, I mean the other left, so that would mean we turn right, I think. Or was it the other right.’ I gave up and we eventually ended up lost in fantastic Valencian countryside. What a place to be. We decided there and then that we wouldn’t find it on our own but we had seen enough yesterday to be content with making an offer on it. So how much?

Thanks to ‘Dora the Explorer’, our pet name for the Sat Nav, we found our way back to civilisation and headed back to the Hotel with negotiations in mind.

The property was on the market for 120,000€. ‘Let’s start with 10% off straightaway.’ I said. ‘That brings us to 108,000€.’ Deb said ‘There has to be 5 to 8,000€ to spend on the outside to tidy it up, so we’re at 100,000€?’ The property had been on the market for well over a year and It’s location and accessibility would put off many potential purchasers. We thought this justified a further 10,000€ reduction. A cheeky offer of 90,000€ it was then for our own little piece of Spain. ‘What would we go up to do you think if this offer is rejected?’ I said to Deb. ‘Shall we say 97,000€?’ She replied. That was agreed.

We e-mailed Simon our offer when we returned to the Hotel and anxiously awaited a response. It wasn’t just about making a ‘cheeky’ offer, we had actually thought this through before the trip started. The way we had come at this was, if your first offer is accepted then you would forever kick yourself and wonder how low the vendor would gave gone, however, don’t go in so low that it offends the vendor so much that they don’t take you seriously and refuse to deal with you, so it’s a bit tricky.

Response came through later that day and, I suppose unsurprisingly, it was a definite ‘No’. However, there was a counter offer at 100,000€ so we were below the vendors bottom price but hadn’t insulted him. ‘What do you think,’ said Deb, ‘ Shall we try 95,000€?’ ‘Absolutely.’ I said. This was then e-mailed to Simon who sent it to the vendor. Fairly quickly we had another response from Simon saying the offer had been accepted. We were elated and couldn’t believe that were nearly Spanish property owners. ‘Wow,’ said Deb, full of emotion ‘this is absolutely unreal.’ It was. Within a couple of months since our initial discussion we were on the verge of fulfilling our dream.

Simon asked us for an immediate 10% deposit in order to secure the property, remove it from the market and draw up the initial contract. I e-mailed him to say that as soon as we returned to the UK we would establish our mortgage offer and then arrange for the 10% deposit to be paid. It would still be on the market until the deposit us paid, he informed us, but I wasn’t concerned as our previous mortgage had been secured in a few days. It was going to be really straightforward. Little did I know.

First Property Viewings

Valencia, here we come for our first property viewing trip. We’d never flown to Valencia before. We always flew to Alicante if we were going to Northern Costa Blanca as there were always more flights, therefore more choice. Valencia flights were few and far between as it was not such a popular destination and the difference was remarkable.

The nature of the flight was so much more relaxed and calm with no rowdy groups on the way to Benidorm or big golfing parties on the way to La Manga. There were tourists on board obviously but mainly couples and quite a few Spanish.

The airport experience was also far more relaxed. We only had carry on bags as we were only there for 3 nights but when we got through passport control and were walking past the carousel our flights’ baggage was just starting to come out. The baggage appeared to have been placed there lovingly by the handlers to protect the contents, rather than thrown on from a great height with complete disregard, which you tend to expect at Alicante.

Then to car hire. No huge queue, dealt with very quickly, politely and efficiently and sent very pleasantly on our way. All in all, from disembarking the plane to driving out of the airport the whole experience was approx 40 stressless minutes. Remarkable. As opposed to Alicante, which has taken us upwards of two and a half infuriating hours.

I said to Deb ‘As we’re so early, shall we check in at the hotel, drop our bags off then head to Spain and Property in Montserrat? We’ve easily got enough time thanks to Valencia airport.’ ‘Great idea,’ she said ‘I could do with freshening up after the journey.’ So off we headed for Hotlel la Carreta.

It was only a 15-20min journey along the A3 and were were soon at the Hotel. ‘ Hi, my name is Deborah Newman and we have a reservation?’ Deb said to the receptionist. Blank look with a shake of the head from the receptionist was the response. She said something in Spanish to a colleague who also shook his head. You don’t have to go far inland to find that the dominant language is their native Spanish. Deb tried again, ‘Buenas dias, como estas?’ ‘Muy bien.’ She replied with a smile. Bingo, we managed hello and how are you, the receptionist was very good, but just not at English. Deb said ‘Soy Deborah Newman y tengo una reaervacion.’ The blank look of the receptionist had returned. Had our basic Spanish not impressed the lady?

As it turned out we didn’t have a reservation with them and they were full due to a race meeting at the adjacent Circuit Ricardo Tormo. The language barrier was proving a major hurdle, as we both only have basic Spanish, and we had resorted to Google translate, hence the understanding of the fact they were full. The reservation paperwork Deb had printed off was our only saving grace and we were requested to wait while they tried to organise something. The staff were brilliant though and couldn’t have been more helpful. They eventually organised us a room, they must have a few spare for such occasions or had a cancelled booking, although we didn’t care which as we now had a room.

What we didn’t have was a meeting with Suzy at Spain and Property. The debacle with the room meant we were still at the Hotel an our and a half after our appointment time and still had to find her offices. We contacted her to explain the situation and asked to re-arrange our viewings, but she had other commitments after our viewing trip which she couldn’t change and she had no other free time during our visit. What a bombshell. Deb was devastated, and a little annoyed to say the least, ‘What a complete waste of bloody time this trip is, we shouldn’t have come to the Hotel first,’ and glared at me, like I had strong armed her into the decision. Perfect 20/20 hindsight. ‘What can I say,’ I said ‘It seemed like common sense at the time as we were so early. Anyway, it is what it is now and we still have Simon from Azahar Properties tomorrow.’ ‘Hopefully,’ she said, daring me to find some way of messing that one up.

Bright and breezy the following day, after a good night’s sleep and a continental breakfast, we hit the road to Montroi to meet Simon. Not at his office but at a petrol station on the outskirts of the town. Sounded dodgy straightaway but he said it was easier than going to his offices. The journey from the hotel was fantastic, open roads, very little traffic, miles of olive, orange and lemon groves covering the undulating countryside on both sides of us and the aroma in the air was wonderful. We had set off early, this time on Debs’ insistance just in case I came up with any other bright ideas that might make us late. We therefore had opportunity to stop a few times to take in the views and they were outstanding. Rolling countryside with individual houses nearby, which were farmhouses, small settlements in the distance and far away mountains to add a little drama. Fantastic.

We found Montroi and the petrol station easily, and on time for a change, where we met Simon Creed. British expat, set up offices in Montroi about 10 years ago and hadn’t looked back. All this before we had even got into his car for the viewing tour. ‘We will be seeing the five properties you requested,’ he said as we pulled out of the petrol station ‘and we’ll start off in Catadau.’ The first property was a 2 storey detached house set on an urbanisation, with a pool a little land but no olive grove. Some neighbours but non overlooking. Lovely elderly English couple desperate to get back to the UK for family issues. Ideal bargaining tool you would think, but no. Being six foot six inches tall I couldn’t stand up straight anywhere in the ground floor, which was mostly bedrooms. To the first floor was a lounge opening up onto a huge balcony with amazing views, which were blighted by a concrete tower directly front and centre off your view. No good. Adios lovely old couple, hope you managed to get back to the UK.

Second was also near Catadau but was empty. Again, detached property but single storey this time, no pool, some nice views, with neighbours but non overlooking. Looking a little tired on the outside but nothing that a bit of DIY can’t fix. Simon opened up, let us in and the smell of nicotine almost made you gasp for air. Apparently the chap who owned it was a chain smoker and had lived the house for years and had never decorated it. That smell was in the fabric of the building and would never be eradicated. The fact that the layout was not to our taste, with bedrooms leading of the lounge which is a common layout, was a minor reason not to look at this house favourably.

Off to Pedralba next. The name put me off straightaway. ‘Pedralba,’ I said to Deb when out of earshot of Simon ‘I don’t know what it is about that name but is sounds somehow, mucky.’ She nodded and ‘I know what you mean.’ In all fairness the small town seemed ok, just blighted with the name, but as we turned off the main road onto a minor road to take us up into up the hills to next property Deb said ‘What is that smell?’ Simon replied ‘I think It’s some stagnant water that tends to gather around this area.’ Not a good start. Then, around the next corner, a concrete wall full of graffiti. Not the kind of views you want on the drive up to your house.

The house itself was on top of a hill with lovely views into the valley, a pleasant garden area with a small pool and land around it creating the privacy. We were greeted by the owners, another elderly English couple who were desperate for a UK return. They were pleasant and the house was ok but didn’t really grab me. ‘What do you think?’ I said to Deb. ‘I can’t put my finger on it but It’s just not right,’ she replied. ‘The layout is sort of what we want but it doesn’t feel like home. Plus you have to drive through the smell and past the graffiti to get to it. No.’ I quite agreed. We wished them luck and moved on to the hills outside Montroy.

The fourth property was accessed through a complicated mix of stone tracks that varied from very rough to nearly impassable and we eventually ended up at a single storey, extended and refurbished animal shed. It would have won no architectural awards as it was more function than form but I liked the look of it straightaway. It was positioned on a hill with fantastic views into the valley. Couple of neighbours close by, who seemed to have some very nice saloon cars. I looked around for the helicopter pad that brought them up as they certainly hadn’t driven up that road. I mentioned this to Simon. ‘I brought you via the scenic route,’ he replied ‘there is an alternative which isn’t as bad.’ ‘Can we go back the non-scenic please?’ I said, ‘My back can’t stand the return journey,’ This one was empty so we took our time looking round and absolutely loved it. The layout was quirky but perfect with an open plan living/dining/kitchen, doors opening up on to the South facing patio with views across the valley and the views were outstanding. There were 3 good sized bedrooms accessed from a corridor off the living area, one with an en-suite, and a large family bathroom. The house had a flat concrete roof and the whole of the roof was a first floor balcony. Wow! Location was secluded but not isolated, it had a pool and approx 3000sq m of land. It was a lovely warm day in a fantastic location and feelings were running away with us. ‘It’s perfect.’ said Deb. ‘I agree.’ I replied.

We left reluctantly and Simon showed us the fifth and final property, which I no longer remember as my thoughts were completely taken over by the refurbished animal shed. Needless to say the fifth prperty wasn’t a consideration.

Simon dropped us back at our car and we said our thanks and goodbyes. He had been a great host for the last 3 hours and passed on interesting points to consider if purchasing in that area. He also mentioned that he didn’t charge the purchaser a commission. ‘ What? You mean some do?’ I had asked him. ‘Yes,’ he replied, ‘It’s the way the Spanish agents work. They charge both the buyer and seller commission.’ Well that wouldn’t be happening with us.

An interesting evening ahead then with much to discuss about the day just gone and what to do with the free day ahead.

Marketing

My Inspiration

From that unforgettable day onwards, we were then sent e-mails on a daily basis from companies such as Kyero and ThinkSpain with numerous properties both in our chosen area and further afield. As we quickly discovered, these are nationwide platforms that host all the estate agents properties, a little like Zoopla and Rightmove I suppose. They must have links to the Estate Agents we searched and then added us onto their mailing list. To be honest we didn’t mind that much as it gave us a broad insight into what else is out there.

Would you believe, only a few days after our Eureka moment, I received an e-mail from A Place in the Sun offering free tickets to their touring exhibition and this one was at the NEC. I think the company also have links to foreign estate agents as this was too much of a coincidence. I immediately saw a way of achieving many brownie points with Deb and getting a free day out, so I downloaded the tickets straightaway.

‘Hi hun,’ I said when Deb returned from work that evening ‘I’ve got a surprise for you.’ ‘So have I,’ she replied excitedly ‘but you first.’ ‘Well,’ I said ‘I have managed to acquire a couple of tickets for an A Place in the Sun exhibition at the NEC. These tickets are really sought after and difficult to come by and please don’t ask about the cost, you wouldn’t want to know, but anything for you.’ I was going to come clean later, honest. ‘That’s strange,’ she said ‘I got an e-mail at work today offering me tickets for the same event, for free, and it was worded like they couldn’t even give them away.’ Anyway, moving swiftly on…..

Over the next few days Deb started searching for the best deals for flights to Valencia and somewhere to stay near to Montroi. It’s surprising how few hotel’s or bed and breakfasts there are in inland Spain outside of the very large towns and cities. However we found one, Hotel La Carreta on the A3 about 15mins from Valencia city heading West. It was directly adjacent to Circuit Ricardo Tormo, apparently a well know motor racing circuit. Flights were booked for November, which was only 4 weeks away, and a 3 night stay organised at La Carreta.

Once the flights, accommodation and car hire were booked we contacted Azahar Properties, a chap called Simon Creed, and Spain and Property, a lady called Suzy (unpronouncable Spanish surname). We told them the dates we were in Spain and arranged viewing days for the properties we had chosen from their portfolios. We arranged to meet Suzy at her office directly from the airport and Simon the following day. All really exciting, couldn’t wait, but first we had the A Place in the Sun exhibition to look forward to. It would be good to get some advice, guidance and a bit of knowledge before we go on our viewing trip.

We travelled South to Birmingham on the day of the exhibition, expecting great things and really looking forward to the whole day. I said to Deb in the morning ‘Make sure you wear really comfy shoes as you will be walking miles all day today, the halls at the NEC are huge.’ ‘I know,’ she said, ‘we went to the motor show years ago and I came back absolutely shattered.’ So we were going fully prepared for a full day of walking round, gathering information on property purchases in Spain.

We turned up early, which will surprise nobody out there who knows me, in order to get a decent parking space, which we achieved. Onwards to the entrance and into the foyer of the hall, with people already queueing for the exhibition to open. It was like a Saga or Warner Leisure Hotels coach trip had just turned up. All grey hair and pullovers over the shoulders, Ken Barlowesque style. ‘Are we in the right place?’ I said to Deb ‘It looks like a Derby and Joan tea dance.’ ‘Yes.’ She replied. ‘See that sign over there, and keep your voice down.’ Anyway, doors opened at 10am, in we rush and there it was in all its glory. Taking up about one tenth of the floor area of a single hall was the ‘exhibition’, using the term very loosely.

Around 50 to 60 small stands were set up in a corner of the hall with Estate Agents from European countries and Florida, and money transfer companies, whatever they are. In the centre was a facility for people to carry out a screen test for the programme and then later an opportunity to meet a presenter of the show who would appear live on a small stage.

We obviously avoided the French and Portugese agents, weren’t particularly interested in the rest of Europe, so concentrated on the Spanish agents. They all seemed to be advertising/promoting properties in popular tourist and expat locations and didn’t seem to be particularly interested in our questions about inland properties. Not quite what we had expected. Next we had a good chat with an agent from Florida, all leathery brown skin and perfect white teeth, originally from the UK and with the weirdest accent I have ever heard, a mix of Floridian/Geordie. It was worth the trip just hear that accent, and one I would defy any impressionist to impersonate. Finally we had a brief chat with a money transfer chap and I really didn’t get what he was trying to sell. Money transfers? I have a bank for that, what should I be paying you for? Little did I know.

We then thought we would cheer ourselves up by carrying out a screen test. As I am six foot six inches and Deb only 4 foot eleven inches I was looking forward to seeing how the cameraman would achieve a shot that included both of us properly. Chances are he’d have to set his camera up halfway across the rest of the open and unused hall. Unfortunately, we had that particular bit of fun denied us, the queue was huge. I think this is what most people came for as the stalls weren’t that busy.

Ok, we have been here for an hour and walked around the exhibition twice, so we’ve done it all, apart from seeing/meeting a presenter. Apparently the presenter changed on a daily basis, hardly surprising as it must be traumatic facing this lot. ‘Shall we go and see which presenter it is?’ I said to Deb. ‘Good idea,’ she replied, ‘who do you hope it is?’ ‘Not really bothered.’ I said, but secretly hoping it would be Sara Damergi. More disappointment was to come, not just because it was Jonnie Irwin and not the lovely Sara that was appearing, but he wasn’t showing up until 1pm. It was only 11am, what were we supposed to do for 2 hours? As much as I wanted to test the cameramans skills, I didn’t fancy standing in a queue for that long.

We left then, after an hour,with a plastic bag full of details that were useless to us, feeling a little deflated and disappointed. ‘Think positive,’ Deb said, ‘It was a free day out and we now have our viewing trip to look forward to.’ Things were about to get very real.

A Place in the Sun

We spent the afternoon trawling the websites of Azahar Properties and and Spain and Property. (We needed at least two agents and ACO Inmobilliari still didn’t appeal to us.) Once again, I think the person who should have designed the website, the IT guy, was off the day they produced the one for Spain and Property, it was appalling. The photo’s were too small and not informative enough, the search engine was really difficult to use, the written descriptions were squeezed into the tiniest of spaces and they were difficult to read. ‘Do you think they want to sell any houses?’ said Deb.

To top it all though was the subject matter in some of the photographs. Imagine, you have just put your property on the market and the Estate Agents photographer turns up unannounced to take photo’s of your house. You had friends over for drinks and snacks last night but you’ve not tidied up the lounge yet, plus you’ve just set up the ironing board in the lounge ready to iron a mountain of clothes. In the kitchen, the sink is full of pots and the worktops are cluttered and untidy from breakfast. Oh yes, and there’s a dismantled motorbike strewn across the spare bedroom. Outside, you’ve not got round to weeding or cutting the grass for a few weeks, but at least the grass is partially obscuring that old sofa you’ve been meaning to get rid of for ages. At this point you say to the photographer ‘Not a problem, come in and carry on. My husband’s still in bed but I’ll just cover him up’.

It amazed us that in some properties absolutely no effort at all had gone into making the place in the least bit presentable. It was like they weren’t bothered whether they sold it or not. At least it was entertaing for us though.

In comparison, Azahar Properties website was clear and informative with concise descriptions, easily readable. Photographs were of good quality too, so we started with this one. Same criteria with beds, bathrooms etc but with our new and enhanced budget of 130,000€ (Great stuff, I’ve just found the Euro sign on my keyboard).

Up came the same properties from before but now with a few extra at a higher price. Our new requirement of an olive grove made it easy to discount many properties that didn’t have one, however attractive a proposition they appeared. Deb’s reasoning for the olive grove was actually quite sound. ‘We want a property that is private and secluded yes?’ ‘Correct.’ I replied. ‘Well to get that we need land around us to create that privacy and properties with land all have olive groves.’ She is not just a pretty face.

A swimming pool was a tricky subject. Some came with pools, although the ones with above ground pools were out. We both thought they looked unsightly and an afterthought. If a property had a below ground pool it was viewed favourably, although what about maintenance? Is it expensive to run on a yearly basis, do you have it heated or not, what size is preferable? We had so many questions on this subject and no answers. I said ‘If a property we like has a below ground pool already then great, just include it in the list and we can get more info when we visit.’ Deb looked up at me quickly and said ‘Visit? What, you mean actually go and have a look at properties in Spain?’ ‘Of course.’ I said ‘How else are we going to judge whether a property is right for us?’

Renewed vigour set in with the search that afternoon and at the end of it we sat back and assessed our situation. During the last 5 hours or so we had decided that we were buying a holiday home in Spain (one with an olive grove no less) with a view to retiring there in a few years time and it becoming our permanent home. We had a list of 10 properties we wanted to view in the Montroi/Montserrat area of Valencia and now needed to decide best way to arrange viewings. ‘What about appearing on A Place in the Sun?’ Deb suddenly said.

What a gem of a cliffhanger to leave this particular blog on, but no. I think both Deb and I knew the answer to this question as soon as she asked it. We are both very private people and I couldn’t think of anything worse than exposing our budget and part of our life and sharing our future on National television. This was never going to happen. We both really enjoy A Place in the Sun, seeing the different areas of different countries and the properties available, but I do have some issues with the programme, or, more specifically, some of the people appearing.

You will see the people who say ‘We have decided to sell up and retire here even though we’ve never even visited the country before.’ To my mind if you’ve decided you want to buy a place in a specific area, then go and visit the area yourself first. You can obviously afford it if you can afford to purchase a property. See whether the reality matches up to the internet research you’ve done. I see these people as being on a free fact finding mission. If they don’t purchase anything they should be presented with the bill for the production costs of the programme right at the end.

Then you have the people who only want to purchase in one specific town that they have visited once a year on holiday for the last 2 years. After being shown the only four properties in the town within their budget they are then shown a property a mile out of that town and they say ‘Oooh, we don’t feel comfortable here because we don’t know the area.’ At this point I would love to see Jasmine Harman point out that until 2 years ago they didn’t know the area they want to buy in. She should then politely suggest they broaden their horizons and get a life before jumping in the car and buggering off with camera crew, leaving the couple there to explore how to get home. I bet the chance of that happening would increase viewing figures immeasurably.

I also don’t understand why people want to go and live in Spain, France or wherever and spend most of their time discussing the modern kitchen or the decorating or the furnishings. It’s an outdoor lifestyle, focus on the outdoor space, it’s where you will spend most of your time.

And finally, there are the people we all watch the programme to see, the ones who actually make a purchase. Well done guys, really pleased for you and I hope it all works out.

I think they should produce A Place in the Sun Revisited. We can see how they all got on and whether Paul and Tracy’s 4th floor, 35sq m apartment with a North facing 5sq m balcony in the centre of Benidorm actually was the correct choice for their retiremenet home.

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