Aside from the terrific climate, the relaxing environment and the cheap flights, favourable exchange rates have traditionally made holidays to Southern Spain’s Costa del Sol an extremely attractive proposition for holidaymakers and Costa del Sol property hunters.  Recent times, however, have seen the euro exchange rate drop, a fact which has inevitably impacted on the tourist industry throughout most of Europe as the costs of food, drinks and other holiday essentials have risen.  Determined not to be set back by the world’s money markets, however, Spanish businesses are responding by cutting their prices, making the area once again a truly competitive choice.

With holidaymakers suffering a drop in exchange rates which has seen the pound and the euro almost evenly matched at times, compared to the rate of around 1.5 euros to the pound a few years ago, some European countries have just crossed their fingers in the hope that things will improve or set their sights on attracting tourists from some of the higher income nations such as the Scandinavian countries.  As an area which has consistently been the number one destination for UK holidaymakers, however, the Costa del Sol is extremely keen to ensure that it looks after the Brits.

The cost of drinks and eating out will, in many cases, see reductions of up to around a massive 33% in 2010, making Costa del Sol holidays much more appealing than those to many other European destinations, where holidaymakers have not only been hit by poor exchange rates but price rises which have been intended to compensate for dwindling business.

Holiday accommodation in Southern Spain is also very competitively priced this year, with holidays in the Marbella area offering exceptionally good value.  With all those extra savings, visitors to the Costa del Sol can expect more fun than ever for their pounds sterling!

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.

After years of dragging yourself into work five days a week, the prospect of retiring to the Costa del Sol is undeniably an exciting one.  Especially if you are considering moving to Spain immediately after retirement, however, there are a couple of particularly important things to bear in mind when choosing your location.

Of course, wherever you are thinking about buying property in Spain, especially in later life, there will always be additional factors that you need to consider.  Current and future levels of fitness will probably be some of your more immediate concerns, not only with regard to the style of the property, but also in terms of its proximity to local shops and services.  If you are leaving family behind in your home country however, and especially beloved grandchildren, what is equally important is the ease with which you will be able to travel backwards and forwards.  With all the excitement of emigrating, it can often be easy to underestimate the impact of not being able to pop round and visit family and friends when you feel like it, so consider carefully how close you want to be to the airport.  Thankfully, the Costa del Sol’s main airport at Malaga is very convenient and offers a good number of year-round flights at really excellent prices.

Another thing to consider carefully is what your chosen area offers by way of things to do.  Although the prospect of simply doing nothing for a while is undoubtedly a tempting one, and of course exploring the region will probably come fairly high on the list of early priorities, be sure to investigate the facilities and activities that will be available, not just at the height of summer, but in the winter months too.

We have now added two new guides which are schooling in spain and our guide to the cost of living in Spain.

If you are buying a property on the Costa del Sol or any other region of Spain and have children, schooling is probably something you need to consider seriously. It’s a big step moving to a new country but evening bigger when you have to take the childrens schooling into cosideration.

Its also important that you are aware of the costs of living in Spain and how the move to Spain will affect you financially.

Two further guides to our local town guides have been added today including a guide to Fuengirola and a guide to Alhaurin el Grande. If you are looking to purchase property in these areas, these guides will hopefully give you further information on the towns and why you should invest in property there.

One of the most important aspects to buying property in Spain is to be familiar with all the most important stages of the purchase process and how it affects you.

We have created a detailed guide to the buying process in Spain and what each stage of the process entails.

If you are buying a property on the Costa del Sol or any other part of Spain, please take a moment to read this information.

Thanks for visiting. As you can tell, our blog is still rather new with little content but over the coming weeks we will be adding lots of information on all things real estate property Spain.

We will be adding lots of useful information within our posts such as buying tips, guides, advice and latest industry news, so stay tuned and do pop back on a regular basis or add us to your RSS reader.

If you are looking for property on the costa del sol or other parts of Spain or Europe, please visit our main site and contact us.