Sundowners in the hot tub gazing at the Med or drinks at a cosy local bar – when evening comes around, one family from Wiltshire has the luxury of choosing between the two, after finding their perfect second home in inland Costa Blanca.
Article written by The Overseas Guides Company
Jeremy and Janet Duffield from Devizes completed on a three-bedroom, two-bathroom villa in the town of Orba, 20 minutes inland from the pretty beach resort of Dénia, last October. They bought through local agent HomeEspaña, paying €225,000 for the property, which is part of a small urbanisation, plus buying costs of around nine per cent. The couple, who have two children, George aged 21 and Jack, 18, are looking forward to family holidays there in the short term, but hope to retire to Spain a few years down the line.
Good access from the UK combined with the charm of an inland town that’s a short drive from the beach led the Duffields to the northern Costa Blanca. “We didn’t know the area at all and had originally looked at buying in Fuerteventura,” said Janet. “But we knew we wanted to be somewhere that was a working Spanish town, rather than a tourist destination that closes down in winter. We can walk into Orba, which has a lovely traditional feel, where there are bars, restaurants and shops. For flights from the UK, our villa is within an hour of both Alicante and Valencia airports, both with routes to Bristol, our most convenient airport.”
The Duffields found their villa during Janet’s second trip out to the northern Costa Blanca, when she was accompanied by son George and together they viewed properties with HomeEspaña. They ended up being spoilt for choice: “In the end I had a list of about five properties, each of which I would have been happy to buy,” said Janet. “But our offer was accepted in Orba and that was it. Apart from photos and videos that were sent back to my husband at the end of the day, he hadn’t physically seen the property we bought, so it was a bit nerve-racking when we completed and got the keys in case he didn’t like it – luckily he did!”
“HomeEspaña were great at arranging the viewing schedule and know the northern Costa Blanca really well. They came to the notary at the closing stage of the process and I felt they were with us every step of the way – their customer service was excellent.”
The Duffields’ property, which they bought furnished includes a private pool, low maintenance gardens, traditional features, such as beamed ceilings and arched windows, and, of course, fantastic views. There was only one thing missing, which they soon put right: “We decided to add a hot spa in December as, despite the addition of a pool heater, found the pool too cold!”
For details of more property for sale all over Spain, visit the listings on Rightmove Overseas.
A simple way to save money when buying in Spain is to use a currency exchange specialist when transferring your pounds into euros to complete the purchase of your property. For more information on this, download Smart Currency Exchange’s free report or visit the Currency Zone.
For more information on property in Spain safely, download the Overseas Guides Company’s free Spain Buying Guide