Sun – Moving to Spain? Help!

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

‘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!