Is this house right for me?

There are many things to be considered when searching for a house in another country.  The most important being what you will use the house for.  Is it for holidays, for rental, to live in, as an investment or as a combination of several of these options.

The house you buy for holidays or to rent can be very different to the house you buy to live in.  If you are buying for holidays you may want to be near the beach with lots of bars and restaurants close by or near to public transport so you can take day excursions.

BUYING TO LIVE IN THE COSTA DE LA LUZ

However, if you are buying to live you probably do not want to be near the beach as beaches can be busy and noisy places especially in the summer months and many of the bars and restaurants will be seasonal and closed in the quieter months (October to March) leaving you having to go some distance just to have a beer or get a snack.  The chances are that if you live there you may want to have a car so the public transport side becomes less important also and you may be looking for more of a community feel where there are other people who live there all year round rather than an area where the houses are closed up part of the year.

COMBINATION OF HOLIDAYS AND RENTALS

If you are looking for a combination of holidays and rentals then you need to consider who will keep the house in tip top condition, who will handle the bookings and who will do the cleaning and maintenance.  Unless you intend to spend a lot of your leisure time handling the bookings and your holidays doing the maintenance and cleaning then  you need to consider having a management company to do them for you.  People think that things do not get dirty in a nice sunny country but we have very heavy rains in the rainy seasons which bring large quantities of dust and sand and deposit it on the terraces and in the pool.  The paint work is subjected to cold and wet weather followed by extreme heat which means that it needs regular attention and glass is constantly needing cleaned and polished.

Choosing the right  property for this combination of uses is also very important.  A detached house with garden and swimming pool may be your dream but may not be practical to keep if you are not going to live here.  Having to employ people to do the work costs money and if you do not want to rent the property to offset these costs you may find it a drain on your resources.  An apartment or townhouse may be a better choice and if you choose something with a communal pool and gardens then you still have the facility without the work.  Also choosing a location slightly inland will mean you are paying a lower non beach premium price but you only have a short journey to get to the sea.