There is no denying that the Spanish property market, like many others around the world, has been hit hard by the current recession, but if the figures just released are anything to go by, it looks as though things may be turning the corner.

Last Friday saw the Spanish government report the first increase in house sales in three years.  In the final quarter of 2009, property sales rose by 4.1% against the same period of last year, making it the first year-on-year rise since 2006.   With a total of 130,572 properties finding their way off the market between October and December, this represented a 21.4% increase on the period between July to September.

With the recession in Spain really starting to bite towards the latter end of 2008, the property market during the whole of the year 2009 was never likely to be anything other than fairly dismal.  Indeed, with just over 413,000 sales throughout the course of 2009, this represented an 18% decrease over the previous year and a drop of 46% on 2007.

Reports indicate that the national statistics seem to be suggesting, however, that Spanish property prices may well be bottoming out, making this an excellent time for investors to make their move.  Although recovery may still be slow to arrive, as is always the case, it is bound to happen, and it is those who get their timing just right who will undoubtedly make the greatest gains.

Of course with its great climate, ease of accessibility and the cheap cost of flights into Malaga Airport, the Costa del Sol has continued to be a firm favourite for holidaymakers despite uncertain economic times.  As the pressures begin to ease, it is also almost certain to continue to be one of the most popular choices for those in the UK who are looking to emigrate or invest in a holiday home or rental property.

No matter where in the world we are thinking of buying a property, it is always a big decision and often a big investment.  Even when buying in our own country where we understand the laws and the language we take sensible precautions to ensure that things progress as they should, and buying abroad requires just as much care, if not more.

Of course, two of the prime considerations when you are looking to buy a property on Spain’s Costa del Sol are the type of property and the precise location which will suit your requirements of either a holiday home or a permanent residence.  Despite the fact that these are such important factors, however, it seems that some holidaymakers have got so swept away with the idea of buying that they have handed over their cash without actually seeing the property.  In some cases, they have been shown a ‘similar’ property, but found to their cost that what they have bought is actually quite different, and without the benefit of the knowledge which can only be provided by local estate agents, even the location has proved to be something other than was expected.

Although it might just sound like common sense, potential buyers should always view the property that they are interested in before making a commitment to go ahead with the deal.  Naturally, where off plan properties are concerned, there may not be much to see in the first instance, but any good agent will take you to visit the site and will be able to provide you with detailed plans of the property so that you know just what you are getting.

Using a local estate agent who has first-hand knowledge of the area means that you will be able to get a clear idea of everything from the weather conditions that you can expect to which facilities are open in the winter.  The other huge advantages that local agents have is that they are much more au fait with planning regulations and any issues which might arise, as well as being able to offer assurances as to the reputation of the local building companies.

March 15th is the date set for the grand opening of the new Terminal 3 at Malaga Airport(AGP) and no less than King Juan Carlos himself is to be the guest of honour.  Four years in the construction, the new 250,000 square metre terminal will allow the airport to double its current capacity to 9,000 passengers per hour, and will house 86 check-in desks and 20 boarding gates, as well as a variety of shops, bars and restaurants.  In addition, plans are already in place for a second runway to be built in 2011.

The Spanish Ministry for Development has reported that some 500 guests, including many top politicians and dignitaries, will be present at the unveiling, but in the meantime members of the public have been testing the facilities in advance of the public opening before Easter.  In all, the testing will involve some 3,000 volunteers who will be vital in ensuring that everything works as planned before the terminal goes live.  Just as though they were boarding a real flight, the volunteers are each having to go through the entire arrivals and departures process from finding their flight numbers on the display boards and checking in their luggage to passing through security and finding the correct airport parking area, in an effort to identify and fix any problems in advance.

Once the new terminal is officially opened, it is expected that airlines will include more and more new routes in and out of what has already proved to be an extremely popular airport.  In the last two years alone, a total of 39 new routes have been added, including direct flights to and from Toronto and Montreal which have led to an increase of 40% in the number of Canadian tourists in the area.  Aer Lingus is just one of the companies which intends increasing its number of places to the Costa del Sol.

It’s been a long time since there’s been a train line in this region, in fact not many people know that once upon a time there was one, but that one carried iron and was a long time ago.  Now with the upcoming train line being installed, some might reflect that with the growth and changes that have affected the coast in so many areas over the years and the modernisations that have taken place, a rail line might be a long time overdue.

Indeed few remember that it wasn’t that long ago that San Pedro and Puerto Banus were fishing villages and harbours.  The coast has changed significantly and rapidly over the years as the population has grown with both the Spanish and a large amount of expats coming to enjoy the various benefits of the Coast and with the large amount of businesses that have grown organically as a result of this and as those born in the region grew up.

It seems fitting therefore that transport becomes easier for all and the modern solution to that, is the railway. There are more than 5.3 million users of inter- urban buses in Marbella all of which would be able to take advantage of the new railway.  This doesn’t include all those currently driving on the sometime overcrowded N340 or the tourists arriving on the coast who currently have to wait for bus services which, though much improved, still will never be as reliable as a train service. The new rail service will also bring the coast closer together as people can pop from one place to another with ease.

The new rail line will eventually run from Malaga City to Algeciras with stops in between in all the places you´d want them to be, San Pedro, Marbella, Estepona to name but a few and can only be of benefit to a busy region where the airport size is being extended to allow visitors from far and wide.