However, I am now going to be writing specifically for Marbella For Sale, a real-estate agent based in Puerto Banus.

Marbella For Sale have recently launched a complete redesign of their website and it now incorporates a blog. Now that blog needs content and that is where I come in!

I will continue to focus on the same subjects, and will make every effort to remain impartial. I don’t like filling blog posts with marketing or self-promotion and will strive to keep it that way.

It seems WordPress want to charge me actual money to do a site redirect from this domain to the new one. Not likely! So please update your bookmarks to the new address: http://www.marbellaforsale.com/blog/.

Thanks to all who came here and read my words. I hope to see you all at Marbella For Sale.

Bye for now,

Andy

There are plenty of opportunities to pick up a decent property for a bargain price at the moment as the recovery continues to accelerate. If you were thinking of a reformation project then none could be better, or perhaps more challenging, than buying an entire village of old, dilapidated properties in the Spanish countryside.

Here are ten villages that are currently for sale in Spain, most of which are under half a million euros, with one of them being given away!

1. Castellfollit del Boix – €2 million

Covering 58.9 square kilometres, Castellfollit del Boix consists of 12 historic stone buildings in this small Catalan pueblo dating from the 17th century.

The village is only around one hour drive from Barcelona, which is why this one is the most expensive on our list. The buildings are in various states but all will need at least a little TLC.

2. Lugo hamlet – €250,000

At the bottom of a verdant valley in northern Galicia lies the small hamlet of Lugo.

Listed for only 250,000 Euros, this small, quiet village consists of four houses, a mill, a granary and a barn. All buildings are in need of attention and this would not be an easy project.

It will be very peaceful as there are no longer any permanent residents. The last gave up and moved on around 10 years ago. The only sounds you will hear are the wind rustling the peach trees and the varied wildlife.

3. Pontevedra hamlet – €398,500

This one is for those who want to buy something that has already been renovated.

This small town on the Galician coast comes with five properties that have already been remodelled, leaving you more time to relax and enjoy your new surroundings.

4. Llirt – €749,000

This small village lies in the foothills of the Pyrenees, surrounded by grasslands and pine forests.

It comes with 44 buildings which are essentially ruins. Definitely a serious project for serious buyers.

5. A Barca – €0 – pay only management fees

Free? Free, you say? Well, almost.

The local town hall is ready to give away the entire village of La Barca, a rundown hamlet in the Galician regions.

However, there is a caveat to buying it; you must agree to renovate the entire village, which consists of 12 houses in various states. Again, this is not a weekend project and serious buyers will have to put both time and money into restoring this country village to its former glory.

6. Bárcena de Bureba – €425,000

This tiny little village lies in Castilla y León, north of Madrid consisting of 75 properties.

Where else could you buy 75 properties for under half a million euros? Well, calling them “properties” is probably unfair. Ruins would be a better description

All 75 building are in serious need of renovation. It wont be a weekend project.

7. El Rebollal hamlet – €499,000

On Spain’s northern coast is Asturias.

Here, nestled in the countryside you will find the small hamlet of El Rebollal.

It comes with 11 properties, most of which have already received some level of renovation.

Sitting in 3.5 hectares of forest and pasture land, this is a peace lover’s dream. Interestingly, it also boasts a pretty good mobile signal.

8. Ferrol hamlet – €210,000

Up in the Galician region once again, this small village is only 15 minutes from the beach.

It comes with a chapel, farmhouse, stone mill and a 15th-century manor house, all sitting within five hectares of woodland and pasture.

Pick up this hamlet, and your reward for all the blood sweat and tears shed during the restoration will be your seat as lord of the manor.

9. Ortigueira – €125,000

You may have seen this village in the press.

Coming with four old stone buildings that all require renovation, this extremely cheap village comes with free well water and a bakery with a stone hearth.

The largest property comes with hardwood floors and five bedrooms which look out over orchard of various fruits including peaches, figs, walnuts and pears.

At the foot of the valley you’ll find a small river full of trout.

10. Pueblo Los Belgas – €960,000

Moving further south, half way between Murcia and Malaga lies Pueblo Los Belgas.

Sitting within 25 km² and surrounded by the stunning landscape of the Baza National Park, this Andalusia village would be a very exciting project for any investor prepared to take a leap.

This small, tranquil village comes with a school and a bar but while some of the buildings are in need of attention there is a lot less to do than in some of the other villages on this list, hence the asking price.

Following the introduction of new regulations for short-term rental properties, the government are now employing new tactics to find and punish those who do not declare their rental income.

Up to 50,000 property owners could be in line for sanctions if they are found to be renting out their property for short-term (holiday) rentals without telling the authorities or declaring any income they receive from it.

The government have set up a special division to track down the undeclared properties by trawling internet property portals. They are also said to be monitoring electricity usage to ascertain if the property is inhabited.

The Treasury workers’ union, Gestha, estimates the total amount of undeclared taxes to be in the region of 100 million Euros, which is why they are keen to put a stop to it.

However, it’s not only a tax issue. Many in the hotel industry state that it is unfair competition as they have to comply with a raft of regulations, including health and safety issues, which undeclared rental properties do not. Black-market rentals are thought to occupy up to 30% of the total properties for rent on the Costa del Sol.

Fines of up to 25% of the rental income will be levied, being based on the size of the property and the rental costs requested by the owner. The fines can also be backdated so don’t think that owning up now to years of undeclared rentals will get you off the hook. You must prove when you began renting your property and pay the fine based on the length of time you have failed to declare the income. A little heavy handed, but necessary to bring the market under control.

There are differing opinions from industry insiders with some saying the regulations will improve the sector in both quality and safety. Opposing opinions suggest many owners will simply stop renting out their property for short-term rentals and the market will be strangled leaving a shortage of holiday accommodation.

I’m sure you’re aware of the Spanish Siesta; the two hours in the afternoon, usually 2pm – 4pm, where shops close and everyone goes for a nap.

Spain is one of the few remaining countries that does this and some people suggest it affects business by effectively “closing” the country for two hours every day.

Acting Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, has plans to scrap it and reduce the length of the working day bringing it in line with the rest of Europe.

Mr Rajoy said he intended to “find a consensus to make sure the working day ends at 6pm.”

The siesta isn’t universally observed these days but the working day is still split with a two, or even three, hour lunch break, meaning the working day doesn’t finish for most people until 7pm.

The siesta was originally introduced to allow farmers and construction workers to avoid working during the hottest part of the day. It is also said that despite the longer working day, the siesta actually diminishes productivity for Spanish workers.

Flexible Hours

In 2013, a Spanish parliamentary commission said “We need more flexible working hours, to cut our lunch breaks, to streamline business meetings by setting time limits for them, and to practise and demand punctuality.”

The report also suggested that dropping the daily siesta would raise the quality and life, raise low birth rates and reduce marriage breakdowns.

The acting PM is also considering a return to GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) for the country which currently operates an hour ahead of London. The time zone shift was the decision of dictator General Franco in 1942 as a way of showing support for Hitler’s Nazi regime by bringing Spain in line with German time.

What may surprise you, however, is just how many ridiculous requests the FCO receives. Anything from sourcing English bacon to worries about nudists.

The FCO have released what they call their “Top Ten Bizarre Requests”, partly for amusement, partly to highlight to people exactly what services they can proivide.

During 2015 over 500,000 calls were made to the consular services line which is there to provide emergency or legal assistance to Britons who get in trouble abroad.

Of those half a million calls, 3,250 were from Brits who had found themselves hospitalised, 4,770 from Brits who found themselves in a jail cell, and 3,670 from the families of people who had died overseas. As well as dealing with those issues, the office also issued 38,000 replacement travel documents.

Firstly, here is a list of things you should call the FCO for:

• Arranging to visit British people in hospital
• Arranging to visit British people in prison
• Advising on money transfers
• Assisting those caught up in a crisis situation

This is not an exhaustive list, obviously, but gives you an idea of what they can do.

What they cannot do is get you out of jail if you’ve been arrested, although 74% of Brits* thought they could. They cannot necessarily arrange travel home for you if you have lost your tickets, although 22% of those surveyed thought they could. And they will not lend you money if yours is lost or stolen, which 15% of those surveyed assumed they could.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister James Duddridge said: “Our consular staff are a helpful bunch and do an amazing job helping out Brits in trouble around the world – but it is important that people remember they are there to help with genuine emergencies and not as an alternative to directory enquiries.

“Every minute they spend handling a call requesting advice on butlers or nudists is time taken away from dealing with life and death cases, so I urge the public to think before picking up the phone.”

So, here is the FCO’s Top Ten Bizarre Requests

• a man planning to move to Spain called because he was worried he may encounter nudists on the streets
• a hungry expat called to ask where he could buy English bacon
• a lady in Lebanon asked for assistance in recruiting an English butler
• a holidaymaker called looking for Travel Advice for a visit to Coventry
• a European filmmaker needed an English pensioner for a part in his film and thought the FCO could help
• a woman arrived in Russia and was upset that the Embassy didn’t send someone to show her around St. Petersburg
• a British man asking for assistance to get illegal employment in Singapore
• a mother asked for the contact details of a young British YouTuber, as her son was a fan of his Minecraft videos
• a confused businessman looking for information on the construction of plug sockets
• a man in South Korea asking what he could do with his old pound notes

* Research from the UK Travel Habit Tracking Research Report, September 2015

According to data released by property portal, Idealista, the cost of rental property increased by 4.3% across Spain during the first quarter ending March at 7.4 Euros per square metre, per month. Comparing on the annual rate the increase is 5.2%.

The rental market appears to be recovering more strongly than the sales market. Head of research at Idealista, Fernando Encinar, said “with the report data in hand it is clear that there is a huge demand for rental housing, and that supply is rising strongly.”

The recovery in rentals has to take into account the large amount of rental property available to the market. Excessive construction, leading up to the crisis, means there is a large stock of good quality housing resulting in a large and varied choice for tenants.

Encinar explained “Given that the construction during the years of the housing bubble left a large housing stock of good quality properties, the rise of rents can be a boost for many owners and a good choice for small and medium savers who want to seize the moment to invest in housing.

“With rates at zero and banks giving historically low yields many small investors are seeing good returns by buying homes and placing them on the rental market.”

Rentals by Community

All communities recorded an increase in rental costs during the first quarter, except for Euskadi where prices fell by 4%.

The largest increase was recorded in the Balearic Islands where rental prices have increased 11.2% to 10 Euros per square metre, since the start of the year. The closet “runners-up” were Madrid where prices increased 5.2%, Valencia which saw a 5% increase, and Catalonia where the cost of renting has increased by 4.7%.

Madrid remains as the most expensive location to rent a property. In the capital you should expect to pay 11.5 Euros per m². Catalonia follows as the second most expensive with prices of 11 Euros per square metre.

Andalucia saw prices increase 2.5% on the quarterly basis. The region shows an annual increase of 4%, remaining popular and closely matched to the average for Spain. The price of property for rent in Marbella increased 8% on the annual rate, showing a quarterly increase of 4.7%.

The Costa del Sol showed rental price increases in most areas with Estepona leading the way with a 27% annual increase. Prices in Malaga increased by 15.5%, followed by Fuengirola where rental prices increased 15.1% on the interannual rate.

Results by Province

Increases in rental costs were recorded in 38 of the country’s provinces with the largest increase registered in the Balearic Islands. Valencia saw prices increase by 6.7%, while prices in Madrid increased 5.2%. The largest decline in rental prices through Q1 was recorded in Tarragona where prices fell 8.6%.

When ranking the provinces in order of the most expensive, Barcelona leads with a price per square metre, per month, of 12.6 Euros. Madrid comes in second with 11.5 Euros per square metre p/month.

According to data released by Tinsa today, the average price of finished housing remained stable throughout March showing a slight increase of 0.8% over the same month last year.

The areas of the “Mediterranean Coast” and the “Balearic and Canary Islands” show the most positive month with both areas showing an increase in prices of 4.3% during March.

The cumulative adjustment since the pre-crisis peak remained at -41%.

Only two areas recorded negative adjustment on the annual rate. “Capitals and Big Cities” and smaller towns grouped under “Other Municipalities” both recorded prices slightly below those of March 2015, with annual declines of 0.6% and 1.3%, respectively. The areas grouped under “Metropolitan Areas” recorded a healthy increase of 2.8%, year-on-year.

Quarter 1, 2016

When looking at the evolution of prices over the first quarter of the year, the overall pricing index is 2.2% higher than the end of Q4, 2015. The highest quarterly shift was recorded in the “Balearic and Canary Islands” where prices increased 5.4% over the previous quarter. Following closely behind was “Other Municipalities” with a 3.4% increase, and the “Mediterranean Coast” where prices of property for sale increased 3.1%.

Despite recent price increases there is still a huge gap between today’s prices and those of 2007. The average adjustment across the country is currently -41%. In the “Mediterranean Coast”, despite the recent onset of a recovery, is still showing the greatest difference over prices of eight years ago. Currently prices on the south coast are 46.5% lower than before the crisis. Other areas where the price difference is over 40% include “Capitals and Large Cities” and “Metropolitan Areas”, where prices are currently 45.1% and 43.8% below pre-crisis levels, respectively.

The lowest cumulative adjustment since the crisis is recorded in the “Balearic and Canary Islands” where prices are currently 29.1% down, while “Other Municipalities” are still 36.1% below those of 2007.

The Tinsa IMIE index is calculated on the annual change in the value of a m² of a property.

February 2016 proved to be a great month for property sales as the number of property transfers increased 5.3% over the same month in the previous year to a total of 154,386 properties.

Sales of housing increased a whopping 15.8% with 34,771 deed transfers registered, according to data released by the National Statistics Institute.

When looking at the type of housing sold, 84.9% was in relation to urban properties, with 15.1% of properties being rural. In the case of the urban properties, 56.7% were residential properties.

Rural properties showing an increase in the annual rate of 4.2%, while for urban properties the increase was 13.9%.

According to the data, 22.5% of the homes sold in February were new properties while resale (second-hand) properties accounted for 77.5% of purchases. This represents a fall of 0.2% on new property while resale properties seem to be responsible for the positive figures after registering a 21.4% increase in February.

By Community

Per 100,000 residents, the communities with the highest increases in property transfers during February were Extremadura and the Balearic Islands, with increases of 29.6% and 26.4%, respectively.

The only two communities to register a negative monthly variation were Andalucia which saw a fall of 10.6% and Galicia where property sales fell 1%, when compared to the same period in 2015. Despite this overall decline, Andalucia recorded the highest number of home sales in February with 6,476 homes sold. They were followed by Cataluña with 5,304 and Madrid with 5,275 home sales.

When looking at sales of residential property, the communities with the highest annual increase were the Basque Country with a massive 50.3% increase, closely followed by Asturias with a 40% increase and Cantabria where home sales increased 38.9%.

Type of Housing

The data suggests that 89.2% of the properties sold in February were free housing while 10.8% was protected. This represents an increase of 16% for free housing while protected housing increased 14.3%.

The data further suggests that when comparing February to January, 2016, sales of residential property increased by 7.3%, representing the first positive February for five years.

Property portal Fotocasa have released their Q1 report on second-hand (resale) property prices in Spain. The data shows a slight increase in prices of 0.5% over the first quarter of 2016 meaning a square metre will cost an average of 1,627 Euros. According to the report this is the first quarterly increase in prices since 2007.

The data released by Fotocasa suggests this is the third consecutive quarter of growth following Q3 and Q4 of 2015 which recorded increases of 1.1% and 0.7%, respectively.

Beatriz Toribio, from Fotocasa Studies, said: “The price of housing is stabilizing after eight years in the red. In 2015 we saw how the fall abruptly slowed and how some areas closed the year with price increases. After losing 45.5% of its value, we hope that in 2016 housing prices have bottomed out across much of the country and will begin to recover in the major economic and population centres,”

According to the report, the inter-annual rate showed an increase of 0.6%, the first increase in year-on-year prices recorded since 2007.

Q1 by Region

When comparing to December 2015, eight of the country’s autonomous communities recorded a positive change with the Canary Islands registering the highest increase of 6.3%. The Balearic Islands followed with a 2.2% increase. Valencia and Andalucia registered increases of 2.2% and 1.4% respectively, while Madrid showed an increase of 1%, with Catalonia closing the quarter with a 0.9% rise in property prices.

When we look at the average price per square metre, the Basque Country topped the table with 2,736 Euros per m². Second and third positions were taken by Madrid and Catalonia with €2,225 and €2,064 p/m².

The cheapest region was Castilla-La Mancha where the same space will cost you €1,050. The next two cheapest regions were Extremadura (€1,088 p/m²) and Murcia (€1,143 p/m²).

By Province

Thirty of the country’s provinces showed an increase in prices with the largest recorded rise being in Santa Cruz de Tenerife where prices increased 2.9%. Las Palmas was next with a 2.4% increase.

Of the 779 municipalities looked at by the study, 459 recorded prices increase, while 320 showed a decline in property prices.

NB: I must point out that this is data based on the prices of the properties Fotocasa, a property portal, have for sale on their site. Another property portal, Idealista, also release data based on their listings and that is why, in case any of you noticed, a previous article based on Idealista data, suggested prices had actually fallen in Q1. As with everything, it depends who you ask! If I report on both studies you can get a better idea of what the actual figures are.

For many years now, British people who received a Spanish property as part of an inheritance found themselves lumbered with a huge, unexpected, tax bill.

Now it is revealed that many of these home owners have finally received their refunds after a lengthy battle. As much as 3.3 million Euros have already been refunded in taxes which the homeowners should never have been asked to pay.

Barcelona-based law firm Spanish Legal Reclaims are handling the case for many Brits and they say there is another seven million euros of claims in the pipeline.

Furthermore, the company’s chief executive, Luis Cuervo, expects to file claims for a further three million euros over the next few years as new claimants come forward.

Sources suggest that up to 100,000 Brits could have been affected by the charges with up to 300 million Euros unnecessarily paid.

The Agencia Tributaria (tax office) applied the charges when a property owner died and passed the property to a family member of friend. The charge was also applied to lifetime gifts. In some cases, the tax amounted to almost a third of the value of the property or gift and it had to be paid in full within six months of notification. However, Spanish residents were exempt from up to 99% of the tax and paid little or nothing.

Because of this disparity the European Court of Justice deemed the charges unfair. It is discriminatory for property owners living in another EU country to be charged higher taxes than locals, and the court said victims of the charges should be repaid, with interest.

The authorities are now repaying an average of €30,000 per claim. The refunds are not automatic and those who think they have a case need to file a claim themselves.

“Anyone who paid the inheritance tax during the past five years can claim back all the tax that they paid – but doing so is a complex and daunting task only for specialised lawyers, experts in EU tax claims, as there is no single form to fill in,” said Mr Cuervo.

Finally, a win for foreign property owners!

If you do a search on TripAdvisor you will see hundreds of results and it could take a while to look through them all. As summer is approaching and tourists are planning their trips I thought it might help if we looked at the Top 10 and hopefully it will help you with at least a few days out during your visit.

1. Puente Nuevo Bridge (Ronda) / El Tajo (Ronda)

The Puente Nuevo Bridge is in the picturesque city of Ronda, around 40 minutes inland from the coast. It is the newest and largest of the three bridges that span the 120m gorge that splits the city and in which the Guadalevín River flows.

Construction of the bridge began in 1751 and took a staggering 42 years to complete. Over 50 builders lost their lives during construction.

Above the central arch there is a chamber that was originally used as a prison. During the Spanish Civil War, it is alleged that the chamber was used for the torture of captured enemy forces. Some were allegedly killed by being thrown from the chamber onto the rocks at the bottom of the gorge, named El Tajo.

Today, the chamber contains an exhibition of the bridge’s history and construction. It is a very popular tourist spot and a must-see for those visiting the coast. The bridge and the nearby viewing platforms provide astonishing views while the town centre provides a mesmerizing array of Spanish tapas. The square is encircled by coffee shops, tapas bars and restaurants.

Put Ronda on your list of things to do!

Trip Advisor Ranking – Puente Nuevo Bridge – 4.5 (2,091 reviews), El Tajo – 5 (975 reviews)

2. Parque De La Paloma (Benalmadena)

The Parque de La Paloma (Park of the Dove) is the largest green space in Benalmadena and is considered to be a central meeting point for the locals.

Situated in the small town of Arroyo de la Miel, the park consists of over 200,000 square metres of green space. It contains an artificial lake containing plenty of fish, turtles, ducks and the occasional swan. You won’t be alone even if there are no other people in the park thanks to the surprising amount of animals living there. Expect to see peacocks, hens, chickens and rabbits. You can also see mountain goats and ostriches, yes, ostriches. Other facilities include two children’s play areas, walking paths with clear signposting, natural wildlife and a restaurant area.

Parking and good disabled access are provided. More Information.

Trip Advisor Ranking – 4.5 (2,593 reviews)

3. Marbella Old Quarter (Marbella)

If you know Marbella at all you will think of it as a modern, bustling, tourist hotspot and probably the most popular and well known town on the Costa del Sol.

Take a step back from the main road though, and you will find yourself transported back to before the rest of the world discovered it and started to fill its beaches.

It is difficult to imagine a town that is so popular with modern culture managing to preserve so much of its past and also to retain its appeal with today’s demanding travellers.

As you walk through the narrow streets you will discover plaza after plaza, each surrounded with tapas bars and restaurants, and most filled with people. Orange trees line the paths and during summer the smell of orange blossom adds to the beauty of this small area of the coast.

Plaza de los Naranjos (Orange Square) is arguably one of the most popular, partly thanks to Judith Chalmers, ex-host of UK holiday show “Wish You Were Here”. Ms Chalmers was a frequent visitor to Marbella and often said Orange Square was her favourite part.

Many of the narrow streets are lined with small boutique shops and bars. They are very small and personal and most are open every day. Beware of the siesta though. A lot of the smaller, independent shops will be closed from 2pm to 4pm for a nap. This is more prevalent during the summer when daytime temperatures regularly exceed 40 degrees.

Trip Advisor Ranking – 4.5 (2,492 reviews)

4. Museo del Vidrio y Cristal de Malaga (Malaga)

Malaga’s Museo del Vidrio y Cristal sits within beautiful restored 18th century house not far from the city centre.

It provides visitors with the chance to browse “the history of humanity by means of glass” by viewing its private collection of over 3,000 pieces of glass and glassware. The exhibits are accompanied by photos, furniture and other decorative items that sit within each historical period represented.

The exhibits are accompanied by photos, furniture and other decorative items that sit within each historical period represented.

The museum aims to be not only a museum of objects and history but also a point of reference for artisan techniques from the past, many of which have been consigned to the history books, or museums just like this.

The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, from 11am to 7pm. All tours are accompanied by a guide but there is no extra charge for this. If your group consists of more than ten people you may need to book in advance.

Visit their website for more information.

Trip Advisor Ranking – 5 (1,069 reviews)

5. Automobile and Fashion Museum (Malaga)

The Museo Automovilistico de Málaga is one of the more recent additions to Malaga’s list of things to do having opened in 2010. It is housed in one of the city’s most architecturally wonderful buildings, the old tobacco factory.

The museum houses the private automotive collection of Portuguese car fanatic Joao Magalhaes and its estimated value is around 25 million euros. It is claimed to be one of the most important, and significant collections of vintage cars in the world.

The display consists of more than 80 cars, both vintage and modern, alongside other travel-related memorabilia from the 1920’s through to the 1950’s.

Covering 6,000m² and with high ceilings and long thin windows, the museum is a great place to view these automotive artefacts. The display is split into ten sections, each covering a different era. These include Belle Epoque, the Art Deco 30’s, Dolce Vita 50’s and English Tradition, in addition to more modern themes including alternative energies, and tuning.

Like cars? Make sure you visit this museum. You won’t be disappointed.

Trip Advisor Ranking – 4.5 (1,216 reviews)

6. El Torcal Natural Park (Antequera)

El Torcal de Antequerra is a reserve of 17 square kilometres in the Sierra del Torcal mountain range, south of the city of Antequerra.

The park was designated as a Natural Site of National Interest back in 1929, but wasn’t declared a nature reserve until 1978.

The park is well known for its unusual rock formations and shapes. The limestone is about 150 million years old and time has shaped it, along with water and wind, to form strange “piles” of flat rocks, balanced impossibly on top of oneanother. Many have evolved into seemingly familiar shapes with some being nicknamed. You can look out for the Sphinx, the Jug, the Camel, and the Screw.

The area also includes caves and other underground formations. Some of these are of historical importance like the Cueva del Toro (Cave of the Bull) inside of which, Neolithic artifacts have been discovered.

Find out more on the official website.

Trip Advisor Ranking – 4.5 (970 reviews)

7. Celia Morales Traditional Flamenco Guitar (Ronda)

There isn’t much in the world that says Spanish Culture more than Flamenco Guitar and Flamenco Dancing. If you are visiting the coast, or any other part of Spain you should definitely try and see a show. I saw one in Granada a few years ago and it was very impressive. The effort and emotion that goes into Flamenco guitar is like nothing I have ever seen.

Celia Morales has been playing guitar since she was 8 years old before later studying classic guitar at Malaga’s Music School. In 1998 she decided to focus her efforts on Flamenco Guitar.

You can see Celia perform in a very small, intimate showing every day (except Sunday) from 19:30. The price is 15 Euros per person. You will be very close to the performer which will immerse you in the emotion and elegance of the flamenco style.

More information on Celia’s website.

Trip Advisor Ranking – 5 (242 reviews)

8. Alcazaba (Malaga)

The Alcazaba of Malaga palatial fortress originally built to deter pirates around 756-780AD.

Built on a hill in the centre of the city, it overlooks the port, and consists of two walled enclosures, or an inner citadel and an outer citadel.

Initially, it was also connected to the city ramparts forming a third defensive line but today only two inner walls remain. The first, built around the topography of the hill, completely encloses the second inner area and is dotted with defensive towers.

As you move through the fortress you will see a number of immaculately manicured gardens and elaborate fountains, in addition to simply stunning architecture. You will also be able to see beautiful arches, towers, gates, and original marble columns. There are also dungeons, a mosque and baths which are usually accessible.

The Alcazaba is open from 9am to 8pm although entrance is permitted only until 7:30pm. Entrance is only a couple of Euros so if you’re in Malaga you should definitely take a look.

More information here.

Trip Advisor Ranking – 4.5 (3,884 reviews)

9. Benalmadena Puerto Marina (Benalmadena)

Benalmadena Marina has twice been awarded the Best Marina in the World and when you see it you can understand why.

It is without doubt the most amazing port and residential complex in Europe with a mix of architecture from Indian, Arabic and Spanish cultures. Many of the structures sit on artificial islands which add to the allure of the area.

There is a huge array of shopping facilities and eateries catering for all appetites, all available to eat in the sun at the water’s edge. Can life get any better?

You will also find a casino, bars and clubs, in and around the marina with golf courses close by. The marina provides everything you need from leisure to entertainment to food and drink to shopping – enough to keep the most demanding visitor occupied.

The area has held a European Blue Flag for its beaches and water quality since 1987! More information can be found here.

Trip Advisor Ranking – 4.5 (3,443 reviews)

10. Cueva de Nerja (Nerja)

Cited as one of Spain’s most popular and historically significant sites are the Nerja Caves – a series of large caverns covering almost 5km and housing the world’s largest stalagmite – a 32m  formation which measures a jaw-dropping 13 metres by 7 metres at its base.

The caves are split into three galleries – Show Gallery, Upper Gallery and New Gallery – each consisting of a number of Halls. Some of these halls contain prehistoric cave paintings but due to their delicate and important nature these areas have limited access.

The caves were discovered relatively recently, in 1959, by five local boys out hunting for bats. Not long after, in 1960, the caves were officially inaugurated and opened to the public.

The caves are open every day of the year except Jan 1st and May 15th. For 2016 some new guided tours have been introduced including The Secrets of the Caves, The Discovery Tour and a Night Tour.

Find out more here.

Trip Advisor Ranking – 4.5 (2,495 reviews)

So there you have it! This is only a tiny selection of things to do on the Costa del Sol. TripAdvisor lists over 500 activities and places to visit so get your bags packed and head on down here for the summer. You will not be bored!

According to data released by Tinsa, average house prices in Spain increased by 1.4% during the first quarter of 2016, when compared to the same period in the previous year. This is the second consecutive quarter to finish with an increase, and comes despite the fall in prices for resale property.

As far as regions go, the two clear winner were Catalonia and Madrid who saw year-on-year increases of 8.2% and 7% respectively.

For the first time since the crisis of 2007, more autonomous regions recorded an increase in prices than a fall. Following the aforementioned “winners” other regions that saw significant price appreciation were the Balearic Islands with a 3.8% increase, Castilla La Mancha which saw a 3.5% increase and also the Canary Islands where property prices increased 2.4%.

Only two regions recorded a price fall – Aragon and Galicia – where prices fell by 3.5% and 3.1% respectively. When looking at how prices have or have not recovered since the crisis, property in Aragon is now 51.3% lower than in the peak of 2007. Castilla La Mancha has seen prices fall 51.2%. The smallest shift in prices is recorded in the Balearic Islands where prices are currently 28.9% lower than pre-crisis levels.

Provinces

By province, the largest quarterly increase was recorded in Barcelona where prices increased 8.9%, followed by Albacete (+7.6%), Madrid (+7%) and Lleida with a 6.5% increase. A further 12 provinces managed increases above the national average of 1.4%. The recovery seems to be continuing and also spreading out across the country.

The provinces that registered the largest quarterly fall were Álava, Teruel and Jaen, with decreases of 7.8%, 6.7% and 6.3%, respectively. Cordoba, Pontevedra, Palencia, Burgos and Zaragoza also saw prices depreciate by more than 3%.

When comparing the provinces to pre-crisis levels, the largest adjustment is in Toledo which has seen depreciation of 55.1% since 2007. Zaragoza and Guadalajara also saw falls of over 50% registering cumulative declines of 54.3% and 54.1%.

Selling

When selling a property in Spain, the average time required from putting the property on the market to closing a sale is currently 10.5 months. However, in Cantabria the average time required is 19 months, while sellers in Avila require an average of 17.1 months to close a sale. At the other end of the table Ceuta, Melilla, and the provinces of Las Palmas and Madrid have average selling times below seven months.

As previously mentioned, Barcelona and Madrid have seen increases in value and the demand for property in those areas is also reflected in the time required to sell. In both cities the average time required to sell is less than six months (5.9 in Barcelona and 5.6 in Madrid). In the city of Valencia, the trend is reversed with the average time to sell being over a year, standing at 13.2 months.

Personal Situation

As the rate of decline in property values has been more pronounced than the reductions in wages and the cost of living, the requirement to purchase a property (to afford mortgage payments) during 2015 was 22% of household income, compared to the 33% that was required in 2007. Only Malaga exceeded this average. Buyers in the Andalusian province will require 33% of gross household income to purchase a property.

In both Zaragoza and Valencia, the requirements are well below the national average with 19% and 17% respectively.

The requirement in Barcelona is 23.3%, while Madrileños require 21.5% and those in Seville will need 20.5% of household income. The area with the highest requirements is the district of Sarria-Sant Gervasi (Barcelona), where buyers will need 39.9% of household income to pay a mortgage.

When looking at the requirements in terms of yearly salaries, the current requirement is 6 years’ salary, compared to 8.1 years during the boom years. In Malaga, however, eight years’ salary would be required, while buyers hoping to purchase on the Balearic Islands will have to fork out an average of 14 years’ salary. This is mainly due to the busy residential market on the islands aimed primarily at foreign buyers.

You can see the full report here (in Spanish).

As I’ve been saying lately, the Spanish property market is recovering well from the tumultuous few years following the crisis and the number of building licences issued in January this year appears to back me up.

January saw an increase of 39.7%, when compared to January 2015, in the number of building licences issued with 4,774 authorised new constructions, according to data released by the Ministry of Public Works.

47.8% More Apartments

Of the total, 3,572 licences were issued for apartments within a block representing an increase of 47.8% over the same period last year. Licences for single-family homes increased by 20.3% with 1,201 new properties given the go-ahead.

This continues the upward trend that began in 2014, a year which saw the first positive signs following seven years of negativity, and culminating in 2015 with the number of licences up to 38,873, an increase of 1,.7%.

The Spanish property market suffered terribly after the 2007 crisis with 2013 marking a record-low in the number of construction licences approved, down to 34,288 units. This was less than a tenth of the 2006 peak of 865,561 licences, a collapse of 96%.

Property portal Idealista have released data showing the prices of resale property in Spain fell an average of 2.8% during Q1, 2016, when compared to the same period in 2015.

A square metre will now cost an average of 1,552 Euros compared to 1,597 Euros 12 months ago.

However, the results are very different when looking at different areas of Spain.

In Barcelona, for example, you will now see an average cost per square metre of 3,478 Euros, an increase of 6.6% on the inter-annual rate. However, prices in the city are still 26.9% lower than during the peak of 2007.

Madrid saw a 2.2% average increase leaving a square metre at 2,832 Euros. Again, this is far below the pre-crisis peak when the same space would have cost you 4,035 Euros.

Despite the community of Valenciana seeing a drop of 2.2% in the inter-annual rate, property owners in Valencia city have seen their property values increase during the first quarter by an average 2.9% over the same period in 2015, leaving a square metre costing 1,471 Euros. This is 47.5% lower than the pre-crisis peak prices.

The two island communities, The Canary Islands and The Balearic Islands both saw increases in the average cost of a square metre with inter-annual increases of 4.1% and 3.9%, respectively.

Andalucia and the Costa del Sol

In Andalucia, the average price has fallen a slight 0.2% in the inter-annual rate, leaving a square metre costing 1,385 Euros.

Of the Costa del Sol areas it appears most are well into the recovery and many have seen price increases, some quite substantial. For example, in Manilva, prices have increased 15.7% in the last 12 months meaning you will now be looking at 1,324 Euros per square metre.

Estepona, Torremolinos and Coin also saw increases well above average with prices going up 7%, 6.3% and 5.6%, respectively.

In Marbella, arguably the most famous area of the coast, prices have increased by an average of 4.8% leaving a square metre with a cost of 2,425 Euros. At the end of Q1 in 2015 this cost was 2,313 Euros.

Of all the towns in Andalucia the majority finished the quarter on a positive with the exception of Antequerra, Caleta de Velez, Cártama, Ronda, Torre del Mar and Torrox.

This confirms the general feeling amongst agents here on the coast who have noticed a renewed interest in property for sale, as well as a very notable increase in tourist numbers. Some of the increases are due to security concerns in other countries with many tourists feeling Spain is the only “safe” option for a European holiday. These threats are not likely to continue indefintely and we will surely see a drop-off in tourist numbers as people start once again to visit Turkey, Tunisia, Greece, Cyprus and Egypt, all countries that have suffered of late. Hopefully, by the time that happens Spain, and specifically the Costa del Sol, would have had a great year for both tourism and the beleaguered property market.

You can see the full report from Idealista here.

Also on the increase is the average amount of the mortgages written which increased by 14.2% compared to January 2015, to stand at 133,461 Euros.

The total value of mortgages written on urban properties amounted to 4,229.4 million Euros, representing a 16.3% increase over the previous year. Of those, the amount borrowed against residential property increased by 10.8% to 2,459.7 million Euros. Mortgages on residential properties accounted for 55.3% of capital borrowed in January.

Interest Rates

The majority of new mortgages written in January (89.8%) were variable rate mortgages, compared to only 10.2% on a fixed rate. In 94% of cases interest was based on the Euribor rate which has been consistently low in recent months.

The average rate of interest applied to new mortgages in January was 3.21% with the average term being 22 years. On residential property the average rate was 3.27%, representing a slight fall of 0.4% compared to January 2015.

By Community

Andalucia, Madrid and Catalonia registered the highest amount of new mortgages with 4,684, 3,976 and 3,857 new mortgages, respectively.

By growth, the winning communities were Castilla-La-Mancha which saw a 30.4% increase, followed by Madrid with 22.9% more mortgages and Andalucia with 22.2% more than in January last year.

When comparing communities based on the total amount of borrowed capital Madrid easily dominates with 576.9 million euros lent out during January. Catalonia followed with 457.2 million and Andalucia with 411.8 million Euros.

The largest monthly variation recorded, when compared to the previous month (Dec 2015), was Castilla y León which saw an increase of 53%, while the number of mortgages written in Castilla-La Mancha increased 43.6%.

The only two communities that recorded a fall in the number of mortgages written were Cantabria (-10.9%) and Galicia (-8.0%).

Read the full report here: INE (in Spanish).

Tourists continue to flock to Spain as other once favoured destinations are avoided due to continuing security fears.

February saw 3.7 million international tourists travel to Spain representing a 13.7% increase over the same period in the previous year, according to data released by the National Statistics Institute.

British tourists came in the largest numbers, once again, accounting for 22% (806,835) of the total arrivals during February. This representas an increase of 17.1% when compared to February 2015.

French and German tourists were the second largest groups with 529,716 and 481,219, respectively. French travellers increased by 8.5% on the annual rate, while Germans increased by 7.4%.

The UK, France and Germany have long been the largest source of tourists for Spain but this year has seen increases in numbers from other countries too. Traveller numbers from Russia have increased substantially showing a 19.8% gain, when compared to Feb 2015. American traveller numbers increased by 18.4% while the number of tourists from Ireland grew by 17.3% during February.

Tourist Destinations

The Canary Islands proved to be the most popular area attracting 30.3% of the total travellers. This was followed by Catalonia with 25.3% of the total, while Andalucia accounted for 13.4%.

The Canary Islands saw a 10.5% increase, when compared to the same period in 2015, rising to 1,114,737 tourists. The majority came from the UK with 31.9% of the total, while Nordic countries accounted for 22.3%.

The number of tourists visiting Catalonia during February increased by 13% over the same month in 2015, to over 930,000, while Andalucia saw annual growth of 14.3%, representing almost half a million tourists.

The Balearic Islands saw phenomenal growth for February with an annual increase of 42.1%. This has been put down, in part, to increased supply of accommodation. Valencia saw an increase of 24.4% whle Madrid saw gains of 12% over 2015.

Where, Why, and How long?

Hotel stays increased by 16.3% during February while the numbers renting a private property for their stay fell by 2.1% on the annual rate.

The number of tourists staying with friends or family rose by 13.6%.

The main reason stated by travellers for the visit was leisure, recreation and holidays, accounting for 2,814,038. This represents annual growth of 7.3%.

Business travellers represented 439,747 visitors during February, a huge 45.4% increase, while 37.4% of travellers stated “other” as their reason for travelling.

The number of travellers that stayed for between four and seven nights increased 17.1% to 1.8 million, while 681,851 travellers stayed for between eight and 15 nights. Long stay travellers (more than 15 nights) increased by 6.5% on the annual rate to 275,876.

Semana Santa (Easter) came early this year and has just passed. It was very, very busy with unusally hot weather for this time of year adding to the madness. Marbella and Puerto Banus were chaotic! The roads were jammed, parking was scarce and the beaches were full. I look forward to seeing the offical figures for March and expect them to be high!

If the trends of the first few months continue then 2016 is going to be a great year for tourism!

Further to my previous article regarding foreign investment in Spain, research released by the CBRE has placed Spain as the third choice for European investment in real-estate.

According to the ‘Global Investors Intentions Survey 2016’, 10.2% of respondents suggested that Spain would be their third choice for European investment during 2016. Only Germany and the UK came ahead with 17% and 15.1% respectively, beating other once popular European countries like France and the Netherlands.

When looking at cities within Europe, Madrid maintained its position as the second most attractive city on the continent for real-estate investment, chosen by 12.2% of respondents, just behind London, but ahead of Paris, Berlin and Warsaw.

Diversification is the word of 2016 according to the report with more cities getting a mention than in similar research conducted in previous years. The top 15 saw first time entries for cities including Budapest, Prague and Bucharest.

Product Choice

While 30% of investors specified the housing market as their first product choice, other markets have also made gains with student residences, health centres and leisure facilities all being noted as worthy of investment this year.

The retail sector also appears to be making a recovery thanks to rising consumer confidence and increased consumption. The sector accounted for 22% of investment in 2015 with a predicted rise to 27% in 2016.

Despite this, office property continues to hold high interest for investors with 37% of respondents stating they have or would invest in business premises.

Backing up thoughts that residential property is back on investors’ shopping lists is a 7% increase in residential investment making it the fastest growing sector with 12% of respondents putting their money into homes.

Of the respondents 82% stated that their investment activity during 2016 will be the same or greater than in the previous year.

Rest of the World

North America was the global first choice with 48% saying they had or would invest in the USA in 2016, while 26% named Europe as their first choice. Other once popular regions didn’t fare so well with Asia Pacific seeing reduced interest partly due to concerns about the China slowdown and a “murky outlook” for other emerging markets in the region.

Only 4% suggested Central and South America as their investment choice while 1% chose Africa for their money. Central & Eastern Europe also failed to make an impression attracting only 8% of the reports respondents.

As we continue to see markers suggesting the Spanish property market has recovered from the crisis, the Ministry of Public Works has released data that corroborates what we’ve been seeing.

During 2015, investment in real-estate by foreign residents increased by 15% compared to the previous year. In monetary terms this amounts to 9,918.6 million Euros.

The data shows that of the total investment, the vast majority was for resale, or second-hand, properties accounting for 8,808.6 million Euros of the total. The remaining 1,110 million Euros was invested in new-build properties.

When comparing the data to 2014 we see that the resale market has increased by 14.5% while the market for new-build property grew by 18%, El Economista reported.

There are no surprises when looking at the regional distribution of the invested monies. Andalucia attracted the most investment from foreign residents accounting for 2,255.6 million Euros. The usual suspects, Valencia and Catalonia, predictably came close with 2,202.3 million and 1,797.2 million Euros of foreign investment, respectively.

Following the financial crisis many Spanish mortgage holders defaulted on their mortgage and found their properties being repossessed.

The number of repossessions has since fallen as the market levelled out and 2015 showed a continuation of this trend.

In total, 2015 saw the commencement of foreclosure proceedings on 30,334 primary residences which represents a 13% fall when compared to the previous year, according to data released by the National Statistics Institute.

Q4 – 2015

When looking at the fourth quarter of 2015 the total number of foreclosures registered was 22,540, representing a fall of 16.2% over the previous quarter. This also shows a 27.8% fall when compared to Q4, 2014.

Regular homes accounted for 76.8% of those foreclosures, a huge 23% fewer than in the same period in the previous year. Meanwhile, 2,080 foreclosures were on “second” homes, meaning that the property was not the primary residence of the owner.

Out of all the registered properties in Spain (18,395,100) this suggests a very small proportion, only 0.037%, were affected by foreclosures.

The total number of foreclosures initiated during Q4, 2015, consisted of 14.7% new properties, while the remaining 85.3% represents resale properties. These figures represent falls of 29.1% and 28.1%, respectively.

Many, in fact over half (56%), of the foreclosures are on homes which were mortgaged between 2005 and 2008. 18.5% were mortgaged during 2007, which as we all know is when the market collapsed.

By Community

Andalucia was the community with the highest number of foreclosures registering 5,723 certificates. Valencia followed with 4,011 with Catalonia coming a close third with 3,475. At the other end of the scale, Navarra recorded the fewest foreclosures with only 112 certificates registered, while the Basque Country and La Rioja also showed low figures with 137 and 176, respectively.

When looking at primary residences, Andalucia recorded 3,376 foreclosures with Catalonia and Valencia registering over a third fewer with 2,313 and 2,290, respectively.

Year End – 2015

When looking at the figures for the full year the total number of foreclosure registrations was 101,820 which represents a 15.5% fall when compared to 2014.

Of the total, 30,334 foreclosures were recorded on homes (77.9%). This represents a 13% reduction compared to the previous year. Non-primary residence foreclosures also fell ending the year at 8,609, a fall of 14.4%.

NB: The data provided herein is based on the registration of a certificate of foreclosure but this does not always lead to an eviction/repossession. Legal proceedings and other agreements can change the course of the process.

Pre-crisis the average cost of a rental property in Spain with an area of 80m² was 810 Euros, or 10.12 Euros per m². In February 2016 the average price had fallen to 571 Euros, representing a 29.6% fall over the last nine years.

Beatriz Toribio, responsible for fotocasa studies, said “Renting a home today is almost 30% cheaper than in 2007, but in the last two years we have seen rental prices have begun to recover due to growing interest and increased demand since the crisis erupted. This explains why owners are increasingly reluctant to lower prices and closed 2015 with the highest increase (3.6%) in the history of fotocasa’s real estate index.”

By Community

The autonomous community that registered the largest fall in rental costs was Aragón where rental prices have fallen an average of 349 Euros over the last eight years. Prices in the community peaked in June 2008 at 10.85 p/m², or 868 Euros per month for a property of 80m². The fall is 40.3% with the same example property now costing only 519 Euros per month.

Conversely, Castilla and Leon has seen the slightest fall in prices over recent years. The average reduction in Castilla and Leon is 81 Euros since its peak in May 2008 when an 80m² property would cost 532 Euros to rent. In february this year the cost stood at 451 Euros.

High / Low

During February this year the most expensive part of Spain to rent a property was the Basque Country where the average rent is 813 Euros. Here, prices have fallen by 13.5% since the peak, an equivalent value of 127 Euros.

The cheapest place to rent a property is Extremadura where the average cost to rent an 80m² property is 358 Euros. This area saw its peak in June 2008 when the average price was 443 Euros. February’s costs represent a reduction of 85 Euros, or 19.2%.

By Province

When looking at the rental prices across the country’s provinces, Huelva recorded the largest fall. Prices in the province have fallen considerably since their peak in May 2007. Back then, a rental property would have an average monthly rental cost of 851 Euros. By February this year this cost had fallen a massive 43.9% to only 478 Euros per month for an 80m² property.

The lowest fall by province was recorded in Palencia. Here, property rental costs, while still cheaper than they used to be, have only fallen by an average of 38 Euros over the last nine years. Renting a property in Palencia in February 2016 would have set you back an average of 438 Euros, 7.9% lower than prices in 2007 when the average stood at 475 Euros.