Gecko Towers
Our title today is the Spanish word for “Location”. We all know these are the three golden rules that should be followed in seeking the best property in your preferred area at your particular budget.
With respect to all those who believe “location” is the only driver, I’d add another criteria for which there is no substitute. That is “research”. Being properly informed is simply the sharpest weapon in your armory as it’s knowledge that can be brought into play in relation to each location.
So my start point is “Know Your Area”. Detailed and granular knowledge about a particular street, barrio or urbanisation will mean that you will know, for instance, which south-westly facing properties will unusually enjoy more sun on their terraces or gardens for a longer period on a typically sunny summer’s day. Which properties are substantially overlooked by neighbouring villas or apartment blocks. How well maintained are the properties in a preferred urbanisation. This will give you the tell-tale to know how well the Administration manages the community.
Road noise, proximity to beach clubs, shops, schools, hospitals and toll road booths, the likelihood of summer traffic jams, the location of major on-going developments or the potential development on large pieces of open land. These are all fairly easily revealed from on the ground research, which I would encourage you to do.
Having narrowed down your search and having identified what you are keen to buy – naturally where there are properties available for sale – there are a couple of key location issues I would also counsel. The first is that you should carefully look to see where the large rubbish bins – the Basura – are based in the community. With the best will in the world no matter how hard the community’s team seeks to manage the situation, especially in the Summer, the large bins tend to smell. Selecting a property away from the risk of the smell of last night’s fish is a smart but often overlooked idea.
Many urbanizations have underground car parking and at some point the garage needs to have street axis. The clicking of the opening and closing garage doors can become tedious for an owner whose apartment is located over or near the access. The same, to some extent, can be said for community swimming pools. Swimming pools are immense fun and can lead to whooping and hollering of excited kids enjoying their holiday. For others who seek a quieter existence, perhaps and afternoon’s siesta, the shrill cries of delight can prove to be a menace. Not buying an apartment that overlooks a community pool may be a sensible strategy if you fall into this latter group.
In addition to the above, the experience of a number of clients has led me to seek to define what are the really important features that your property in the Marbella region needs to have to satisfy your long term enjoyment of it.
The basic configuration of numbers of bedrooms, bathrooms and lounging/eating spaces are a given but What does your Costa del Sol property really need?
Great Wifi. The experience of tele or home working during the Pandemic has resulted in a raft of people for whom distance working – now referred to as WFH (working from home) has become a new reality. Indeed it may well be the driver that sees you relocate to the Costa del Sol to maximize on the quality of life/work/life balance. To drive your Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp or FaceTime satisfactorily you need a decent Wifi signal.
See here Costa del Sol – The DigiTech Revolution
Unlike much of the UK, fiber optic cables are now available in abundance in the Marbella region. A simple speed test of the new 5G systems discloses that you may well enjoy an up and download speed of circa 100 Mbps or more. This allows speedy file sharing, IPTV viewing and a comprehensively smooths ‘out of office’ transition.
So many job offers now focus on an ability to work anywhere but your clients and colleagues may not care where you are located but they will get easily irritated by catching every third of your words on a VOIP call. So a high quality Wifi service delivered via a fiber-optic cable or through more conventional telephony, is a must. If you have tried to hold a business call with several parties located in the London area in recent years you will know what I mean. As the copper cables are replaced in a long-term program to move calls to VOIP, the UK’s capital is suffering from a lack of viable infrastructure.
Hot and Cold Aircon. Generally, the Spring, Summer and much of the Autumn on the Costa del Sol is warm and inviting. During the months of July and August as the temperatures ramp up the cooling effect of good and reliable air conditioning for many becomes a necessity.
However, broadly, the months of November to February can bring both wet and cooler weather with temperatures often dropping to 5 degrees or lower. In these periods the ability to crank your previously cold aircon units to deliver warmth is a blessing. Many older properties have fire places so a roaring log fire is a delight but more modern apartments should have good hot and cold aircon that conforms to newer EU gas regulatory standards. Older units will need to be upgraded or replaced, usually at quite some cost.
Increasingly, either alone or in combination, underfloor heating, whether driven by electricity (including in many cases solar powered) or water, is much more frequent. If you have marble floors in your bathroom though the cooling effect in the Summer may be lovely, a chilly floor in November and December is not so inviting.
Access to shops. The location may be amazing up winding bends spiraling to the top of a cork tree clad hill with post card views in all directions but run this scenario in your head. After a refreshing night’s sleep your first thought on waking is the frothy goodness of a strong cappuccino. A visit to the fridge yields an empty Puleva milk box. Just how far is it to a local shop for a carton of milk? It sounds like minutiae but rest assured if your partner has the same morning craving for a frothy cappuccino, a warm croissant or chocolate Neopolitano, you will want to deliver.
Be near a “Cambio de Sentido”. The beach side location is just stunning, a small stone’s throw from the glittering Mediterranean. However, the approach is via an access road that runs parallel to the main road for some distance. It is necessary to drive a kilometer or more in the “wrong” direction to enable you to access the main road so that you can use the “Cambio de Sentido” (literally a “Change of Direction”) in order to proceed in your preferred “right” direction.
It is a quirk of coastal developments, that you may find, with some collateral frustration, yourself being boxed in by a road system. This may seem trivial but running late for a flight or similar and just watch the smile on your face evaporate. In part, the solution may lie in selecting a location for your perfect property that is positioned nearer to the “Cambio de Sentido” allowing for a more ready use of the main road in either direction.
Swimming pool, gym, tennis and padel tennis courts, spa, riding school and/or Health Club. Many cite the opportunity to continue an establish exercise routine as an attractive element of their preferred location in the Marbella region. Some developments have only rudimentary facilities whilst others, who have sought to deliver a more holistic solution for their potential clients, have invested in State of the Art equipment, pools and spas.
It should remembered that your Marbella home is a significant investment and one which you will aim to enjoy for many years. As a member of the Community of Owners you will bear your share, including your financial share, of responsibility for ensuring that the equipment installed when the property was new is preserved in good repair and updated when worn out. If you have no intention to play padel tennis or to use the spa this may be seen as a negative.
Community TV service. You will also probably need a good WiFi service to receive your desired TV package. You may be buying a property in the Marbella region in part to avoid the abundance of popular media, in a search for a simpler life. You may seek a more Zen-like existence or you may enjoy the celebrated cuisine, the draw of chirping nature and the myriad of other performances. I can assure you that your visitors and offspring will be unimpressed if they cannot enjoy the latest episodes of their Amazon Prime or Netflix series. They will never totally understand what first drew you to your Andalusian idyll but you don’t really need them to. It’s called being a good host!
Should you be interested in discussing the legal process involved in buying a property in the Marbella region, we would be delighted to assist you. Our multi-disciplinary team of bi-lingual, highly experienced and wholly independent Abogados and Asesores Fiscales are ready to help you.
Please call me, Mark FR Wilkins, during usual business hours on +34 600 343 917 or, if you prefer, or e-mail me at mark@roslegal.es
Please note that our posts are for general interest. There is no substitute for proper legal advice tailored to your specific circumstances as provided by a qualified Abogado who is experienced in the application of the Spanish Law.
Nothing contained in this article should be seen or taken as the writer or the publisher providing legal or financial advice.
© Mark FR Wilkins 2022. All rights reserved.