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Microsoft opens a new European Centre here! – 23rd February 2010
As widely reported not just in Spain but in Europe and in the USA, Microsoft is to open a new ‘Centre for Innovation in Health’ in Torrevieja, a major coup for the town as the contest to convince Microsoft to create its new centre here became a competition across Europe and was hotly contested here in Spain with the regions major hub of Alicante and even the regions capital city of Valencia itself being favourites to win. Bill Gates of Microsoft is reported to have said “the decision to work with the medical teams in the Valencian region was because they were already leaders not just in Spain but in Europe.” It is planned that the new Microsoft Centre will become a reference point throughout the whole of Europe for innovation in health as Torrevieja is already “a benchmark in health technology” and this makes it “a focal point as a European model”. This is fantastic news for this region, a European coup and it will have a worldwide impact on healthcare provision in the future.

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Sherlock Homes is here!
As a sign of how even this somewhat traditionalist part of Spain is becoming more and more cosmopolitan to accommodate the wishes of its international residents, the ‘IMF Cines’ chain of cinemas is now showing 3 block-buster English films a week in English in it’s Torrevieja cinema, with another 5 cinemas in various locations throughout the region also showing English films – this week (4th February 2010) it is ‘Sherlock Holmes’, ‘Invictus’ and ‘Tooth Fairy’ being shown in Torrevieja, along with ‘The Hurt Locker’ and ‘Avatar’ in the other cinemas, all in English.   

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2009 was the warmest year for 46 years! – The Post 3rd February 2010
The 2009 year round average temperature for this region was 23.6 degrees Centigrade.

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Food costs 18% less in Spain!
On an exact or nearest like for like basis, food costs 19% less here in Spain than that quoted in The Daily Mail Cost of Living Index printed on 26th January 2010 - see the actual item by item cost results from our actual shopping trip by following this link http://spanishhome4u.com/content/view/52/86/  

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Corvera Airport due to be operational in November 2011 - Costa Blanca News 29th January 2010
The construction work to build the new international airport at Corvera is well underway and the outline shapes of the passenger terminal, control towers and the 3 km runway can clearly be seen. The construction work was due to be finished by August 2010 but has been delayed to June 2011 and the airport will be operational in November 2011 recent press reports have announced. Once the new airport is open it will be capable of handling 16 flights per hour bringing in 2,200 passengers per hour and at full capacity 3 million passengers a year.

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Petrol & diesel are still cheaper in Spain than in the UK!
In “The soaring cost of food” article in the Daily Mail on 26th January 2010 about rising food costs in the UK, mention was made of unleaded petrol being 112.16p per litre in the UK and diesel being 114.07p in the UK using “The Daily Mail Cost of Living Index”. That article coincided with my re-fuelling my car here in Spain with unleaded costing 106.6 Cents per litre. At the official Moneycorp exchange rate that day of 1.1427 Euros to the Pound that made Spanish unleaded petrol 93.3p per litre, 20% cheaper! The cost for Spanish diesel was 96.5 Cents per litre and using the same conversion this is 84.4p per litre, making Spanish diesel 35% cheaper! I used the Eroski petrol station at the Dos Mares Commercial Centre, Costa Calida.

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“British ready to buy again in Spain – but legally” – front page lead article ‘The Leader’ 25th January 2010
The article reads “Many of the people visiting International Property Shows in the UK last year were still looking to move abroad, specifically to Spain, indicates that while the financial downturn has made a difference, there are signs that things are beginning to happen and that the green shoots of recovery are starting to make an appearance. Spain’s competitors were the USA, Australia and New Zealand, but the survey results from these shows are especially good news for Spain, which is confirmed to be the favourite destination of potential property buyers still, with over 60 per cent of visitors indicating an interest in Spain. Surveys of the public attending the shows indicate that many buyers have been waiting for the right moment, and are now thinking about making a move, as the thinking is that house prices are unlikely to drop any further. The reasons for choosing Spain were, as one would expect, the climate, the friendly people, and previous holidays in certain areas in the past. However what can they expect when they get here? We hear about Ex-Pats duped into buying illegal properties or falling foul of a law. The officials responsible for finding a solution to these cases insist that the problems had arisen because speculative interests of professional defrauders had attracted foreign investors and property buyers by offering them the chance of building on non-building land without explaining exactly what problems could arise”.

Our comment: A good and very welcomed press article. We too are seeing the green shoots of recovery. We also acknowledge that some property owners in the past have had terrible problems, but had they used us they would never have experienced those problems in the first place because we act 100 per cent to the letter of, and to the spirit of the law, and we insist our clients appoint an independent Solicitor. If nothing else our business ethics allow us, and our clients, to sleep at night (we even invite every client into our homes – all of our clients know where we live and meet our families). We are astonished when we hear about apparently intelligent people who bought a property “from a man in a bar” and those who refused to use a Solicitor when they bought their property. We have ourselves met people who are highly regarded professions yet they have taken a gamble in the past, some to save just a few thousand Euros by not using a Solicitor, whilst others have gambled many hundreds of thousands of Euros on buying not one, but numerous ‘cheap’ properties on what they absolutely knew was illegal land, hoping that eventually the builder would retrospectively be granted planning consent and building licences and then they, the buyer, “would make a killing” (un-quote). Why would the builder, some of whom were orange tree growers the week before they became property developers, bother battling with the lengthy bureaucracy over many years in the Town Hall after amassing hundreds of thousands of Euros, maybe even millions of Euros from their buyers? Is it really a total surprise when the builder (aka the orange tree farmer) disappears? Yet in the press it is rarely the buyer (often British) even partly at fault but often the Spanish builder/developer totally at fault. We remain steadfast in our advice, always use a reputable estate agent, always listen to their advice, a good estate agent will never ‘sell’ to you (if they are good they’ll have no need to), always use a Solicitor and never leave your brain at home. Buy a bargain, yes of course, but buy a fully legal bargain - if it sounds too good to be true then it is too good to be true - there are good reasons why reputable estate agents do not market some properties.

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“4,000 new houses planned for Orihuela Costa” – The Leader 7th December 2009
The local government has given the go ahead for 4,000 new homes to be built in one of this regions most popular areas, located in, and next to the Sierra Escalona natural park between the ever popular Campoamor, Pilar de la Horadada and San Miguel de las Salinas areas in the Orihuela Costa, the southernmost part of the Costa Blanca. This will be a VERY low density development with just 27 houses per hectare of land, using 1.5 million square meters of land 400 metres above sea level with residential areas, a golf course and even a school to be built.

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“New Ryanair routes from Alicante for 2010” – The Leader 7th December 2009
Ryanair have just announced another 2 new routes from Alicante, linking Venice (Italy), Sevilla (Spain), Valladolid (Spain), Altenburg (Germany), Krakow (Poland), Smaland (Sweden) and Stockholm (Sweden). The new routes will commence at the end of March 2010. This brings the total Ryanair flights to 500 a week at Alicante, carrying 3 million passengers a year into the region.

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“Boost for Spain property market” – The Leader 7th December 2009
The market for new homes is on the road to a mild recovery, claims the G-14 group of Spain’s leading developers. There is some basis for the developer’s optimism in the latest sales figures from the National Institute of Statistics who report sales up by 7.6% from August to September.

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“British diesel tax highest in Europe” – Daily Mail 8th November 2009
“British motorist pay more tax on diesel than drivers in any other European Union country according to Government figures. The overall cost of diesel is also highest in the UK, with an average price of a litre 106.6p, of which 70.1p goes on tax and duty. The Department of Energy report says that the lowest average per litre was in Bulgaria at 73.5p. In Spain the average was 82.4p per litre (making UK average prices 29% higher than Spanish average prices) in the September 2009 report”.

In the same article stated “Unleaded petrol is also at its highest price for 2009, according to the AA. The average at the end of October 2009 was 107.14p per litre”. I refuelled yesterday with Unleaded 95 and paid 0.96p per litre using Moneycorps quoted € to £ conversion rate for the day. This makes UK average unleaded 12% higher than locally here in Spain.

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Save €67,000 to over €200,000 on brand new villas at Peraleja 2nd September 2009
spanish home 4u is 1 of just 7 Real Estate Agents in the entire world who have been granted the sole rights to sell brand new Peraleja properties at truly amazingly discounted prices with savings from €67,000 to over €200,000 off of the selling prices listed elsewhere …. so all prices, even in our own spanish home 4u website are all now subject to amazing discounts. Call for exceptional deals. AND mortgages ARE available, and based on the original (and hence higher) sales price. Is there a better time to buy? I don't think so!

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“UK costs more than the Costas” – Daily Mail 27th July 2009
The standard shopping basket costs £71.33 in the UK, pricier than most foreign tourist spots, and 10% more than in Spain at £64.82. At £64.82 the same shopping basket cost more in The Canaries, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta and Portugal, and was only cheaper in Bulgaria, Egypt and Turkey.

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“Houses are selling in Murcia” - The Costa Calida Informer 24th April 2009
The figures make interesting reading. According to the National Institute of Statistics the region of Murcia is in second place in the whole of Spain for the number of homes that have been sold. For every 100,000 residents in the region 145 homes were sold, second only to the La Rioja region with 154 per 100,000. During the last month where records were available (February – a really quite time of the year as well) 34,669 homes were sold. This region is a ‘Property Hot Spot’ and as we keep saying prices will never be this low again, and with some developers very willing to help buyers not in the Euro zone by fixing the £ to € rate at 1.36 and at 1.45 buying conditions are, once again, excellent. 

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Work starts on Polaris World’s Platinum Series beachfront villas – 16th April 2009
Polaris World (the largest and best known property developer in the whole of the south east of Spain) announced that they had started work on their ‘Platinum Series’ stunning limited edition beachfront villas at the very tip of the magnificent La Manga strip. And these are not cheap – prices start at well over €1m.

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"Euribor falls to record low of 1.909 per cent" - Spanish Property News 2nd April 2009
Euribor, the interest rate normally used to calculate mortgage payments in Spain, fell from 2.1% in February to 1.909% last month, a change of -10.6%. Euribor has never been this low, and is almost 60% below a year ago. Euribor is derived from the European Central Bank (ECB) base rate, which is currently at 1.5%. Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the ECB, has hinted that more cuts in the base rate are on the cards, which explains why Euribor is still falling.

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"All Stock Must Go!" - Costa Calida Informer 27th Feb 2009
When times were good there was absolutely no stopping the bulldozers, ground clearers, cranes and armies of construction workers moving throughout the region of Murcia building urbanizations and housing developments. However the crisis has now hit and the builders and developers are left with an awful lot of properties on their books that they need to sell. In order to try to stimulate the market they are announcing some extremely good deals on properties in the region with favourable financing packages available. Various developers and promoters in the region would like to see 10,000 homes being sold through this promotion, which is offering maximum prices of as low as €2,286 per square metre for a property in the city of Murcia. Numerous properties are available across the region of Murcia. The benefits for prospective buyers are many; the price per square metre will be limited, 14 banks have signed up to offer mortgages with favourable conditions and in addition there is an offer of option to rent the property with a later option to buy. The option to rent first and buy later is expected to prove extremely popular as prospective purchasers are given the option to rent for five years and if they wish to purchase they can do so and 50% of the rent that they have paid will be taken off the asking price that would have been agreed when the first contract was originally signed. The 14 banks that have signed up to this promotion will be offering mortgages of up to 100% of the price of the property with repayment terms up to 40 years with an option to opt out of paying any payments for the first three years. According to Minister Ballesta the mortgages that will be granted will be set at a rate of 1% over the Euribor rate and the survey fee for the property cannot exceed €150. There will also be no other costs incurred if a mortgage is repaid early. If you are not yet a homeowner or have the cash for a second home this is an opportunity that you will not want to miss. To show your interest please register your details now at  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Hacienda Taray ‘Key Ready’ properties now at 25% discount! 27th Feb 2009
Is your ‘Home Currency’ Pounds Sterling? If so forget the devalued pound and its dismal conversion rate to Euros – your pound is worth a FIXED 1.45 Euros here on ‘Key Ready’ properties … see below! Is your ‘Home Currency’ the Euro? If so secure a 25% discount here on ‘Key Ready’ properties! This is another pioneering solution that will save not just a few thousand pounds but tens of thousands of pounds! These properties are already very popular so if you have ever been interested in Hacienda Taray now is the time to rekindle that interest. Prices will never be this low again! We cannot see a better time to buy! Please contact us to register your interest and to book a Discovery Tour… now! Example – 2 bedroom ground floor apartment with private garden and a private patio, was €147,000 now £101,379 (€110,250)!

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Pay in Pounds Sterling and save up to £83,500!
Peraleja Golf Resort has created a unique solution to assist buyers from their principle market place, the UK, who have suffered from the devalued Pounds Sterling against the Euro; pay part of the price in Pounds Sterling! Never before has this happened in this region of Spain (if indeed it has ever happened anywhere in Spain before). Once the buyer has subrogated the mortgage on the property, Peraleja Golf Resort will take the remaining payment in Pounds Sterling at a fixed conversion rate of 1.36 Euros. This unique and pioneering solution will save buyers not just a few thousands of pounds but tens of thousands of pounds. This solution will result in more sales and as some of the most popular properties at Peraleja were already down to their last one or two, if you had ever been interested in Peraleja in the past now is the time to rekindle that interest. Prices will never be this low again and with this solution of the Euro fixed at 1.36 we cannot see a better time to buy. Peraleja Golf Resort is one of the absolute best Resorts in the entire South East of Spain. Please contact spanish home 4u to register your interest and for a financial costings plan tailored to your circumstances. For example on a villa Romera you save £36,960! On a villa Zambra you save £83,532! For more details click on 'Peraleja' in the left menu under 'Resorts & Developments'.

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spanish home 4u awarded Polaris World 'Golden Partner 2009' award! 5th February 2009

spanish home 4u has been awarded the prestigious Polaris World 'Golden Partner' status for 2009. This is awarded to just a few elite authorized agents. The Golden Partner award recognizes those companies who have achieved excellence and professionalism in their sales experience with Polaris World and whose customer service is of the highest standards. Our close relationship with Polaris World and our Golden Partner status enables spanish home 4u to offer you the client great benefits and incentives. And whilst most companies in the property market are seeing a decline in customers we are seeing an increase.

Polaris World's Golden Partner spanish home 4u is one of the newest partners with Polaris World both in the UK and Spain. We have helped numerous people over the last 2 years find their perfect Polaris World holiday home, retirement or investment property. Let our Polaris World Golden Partner award combined with our experience and personal approach help you buy with confidence. Any questions you may have about Polaris World or its properties, remember your professional, friendly spanish home 4u advisor is only a phone call away. Five Star Luxury Viewing Trips with FREE accommodation. Book your viewing trip with spanish home 4u and receive 2 nights FREE accommodation including a FREE lunch and dinner for two at the 5 star Intercontinental Hotel on a Polaris World Resort.

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Corvera Airport on Target – Costa Calida Informer 30th Jan 2009
The construction work to build the new international airport at Corvera is well underway and the outline shapes of the passenger terminal, control towers and the 3 km runway can clearly be seen. The construction work should be finished by August 2010. Once the new airport is open it will be capable of handling 16 flights per hour bringing in 2,200 passengers per hour and at full capacity 3 million passengers a year.

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Petrol is 76 Cents per litre – Costa Calida Informer 30th Jan 2009
Petrol prices are still falling in the Region of Murcia with the cheapest unleaded petrol now at 76 cents per litre.

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Automatic cycle hire scheme set for summer – Costa Calida Informer 30th Jan 2009
50 cycles can be picked up or returned to 5 locations within the San Javier municipality (next to the Conservatoria de Musica in San Javier; near the Esplanade at Barnuevo in Santiago de la Ribera, at the Faculty of Sports Science in Santiago de la Ribera, next to the Civic Centre at Roda, and at La Manga next to the Tourist Information point). The system uses SMS text to access the cycles, with the user sending “coger” (to take) or “dejar” (to leave) depending upon what they wish to do, the bike number, the lock number and their user number. Once the message is sent the bike is released from the lock and the user can enjoy the bike for a maximum period of 3 hours. User numbers can be obtained from the Tourist Office in Santiago de la Ribera or the Festivals Office in San Javier. The scheme is expected to expand with another 50 bikes and another 5 new bases added in time.  Users can use 6 km of cycle lanes already in existence and a further 2.6 km that are due to be added by the summer. The ultimate goal is 70 km of cycle lanes joining the towns of the area.

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Ryanair opens new routes from Alicante to the UK – Costa Calida Informer 16th Jan 2009
Ryanair has announced 4 new routes from the main southern Costa Blanca airport at Alicante to destinations in the UK, Ireland and Poland. They are also basing a new Boeing 737-800Ng at Alicante. The new routes start in the Summer of 2009 and are to Bristol in the UK, Derry and Knock in Ireland, and to Breslavia in Poland, taking the total number of routes from Alicante by Ryanair to 32. 

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“Euribor Rate Continues To Fall” – Costa Calida Informer 16th Jan 2009
The Euribor rate, the tracker rate used to calculate most mortgages in Spain has dropped to 2.7%. This is the lowest rate since December 2005 and is fantastic news for those with mortgages.

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“15.8% are Foreigners” – Costa Calida Informer 16th Jan 2009
According to the National Institute of Statistics 15.8% of the population of the Region of Murcia are now Foreigners, a rise of 11.8% over the 2007 figures. This is now above the national average of 11.4% across the whole of Spain.

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“Murcia hits the spot for tourists” – Costa Calida Reporter 16th Jan 2009
The Region of Murcia is proving to be increasingly popular with overseas tourists according to data released by the Institute of Tourist Studies, with the Region attracting a total of 712,000 foreign visitors in 2008. This is an increase of 78,000 on 2007 numbers, up 12.2%. This puts the Region of Murcia almost at the top of the table for growth of international tourism, with only one other location seeing a larger growth in tourists in the whole of Spain. Hotel occupancy rates are bucking the trend with occupancy rates up 3.6%, above the national average. Hotel charges are also up 0.4% compared with a price fall of 2% nationally.

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20 million Euros road works programme announced – Costa Calida Reporter 16th Jan 2009
Work is to begin in 2009 on the construction of a dual carriageway between Mazarron and the Puerto de Mazarron area at a cost of €20 million, turning the current N-332 into a faster, safer road.

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The Guardian – 8th January 2009
The number of people seeking a new life in Spain has surged by 12% as Britons firmly established themselves as the country's fourth-largest immigrant community. Figures released yesterday by the Spanish government revealed that the number of British expatriates registered as resident in Spain had risen to 352,000 at the start of 2008. That gave Spain a bigger British population than all but eight local authorities in England, according to the most recent census figures. Although the new figures were gathered before the tumbling value of the pound began creating problems for those living off British pensions in Spain, few people expect numbers to start falling. "Some people have had to head back to Britain recently but the impression is still that there are lots more just waiting for things to change so they can come over" said James Parkes, editor of the English-language Costa Blanca News. Emigrants to Spain are no longer mainly pensioners. The figures show only one third of Britons living in Spain are aged over 55. Most Britons there are of working age, though their traditional jobs, such as selling holiday homes, are disappearing this year as property bubbles burst in both Spain and Britain. British voters have helped elect compatriots as councilors in some town halls. Mark Lewis a councilor in the town of San Fulgencio, near Alicante, even found himself as acting Mayor earlier this year after many of his fellow councilors were arrested on suspicion of corruption. The Foreign Office believes the official Spanish figure still hugely under-represents the real numbers living in Spain. "Around 1 million Britons now live permanently in Spain" it says. That would suggest most Britons still refuse to register at town halls, making life difficult for councils which receive funding on the basis of their registered population.

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Homes Overseas magazine – 17th December 2008
Some 40% of Brits either own, or intend to buy an overseas property in the future, with 2.4% (1.44 million of the total population) stating that they would look to purchase within 12 months, according to a new survey from Barclays Bank in association with Homes Overseas magazine. The research found that the most popular country for those polled was France (25.9%), followed by Spain (24.9%). Italy, Portugal, Dubai and South Africa ranked 3rd to 6th respectively. Brits aged 16 – 24 were found to be the most likely to consider buying abroad in the next 12 months, while at present people aged 55 and over are the biggest owners of overseas property. Villas (48%), apartments (39%) and farmhouses (29%) are the most popular types of properties for those that own, or intend to buy property abroad. When asking Brits what their main motivation would be to buy abroad 35.6% said that retirement was the biggest single thing driving them overseas, while 31.4% were after a holiday home and 25.4% were looking to invest purely for capital gains. Bad weather, a lower quality of life and an expensive cost of living were all listed as reasons for choosing an overseas property instead of the UK. When it comes to choosing a property to buy, referrals from friends (30.9%) came top in the decision making process, followed by specialist websites (29.9%), dedicated overseas property magazines (17.7%) and property exhibitions (10.8%). The majority of respondents (43.1%) said that they would finance their purchase in cash, while 28.3% would sell their UK property and 19.9% would remortgage their homes to finance the purchase abroad. Over 60% of all surveyed owned at least one property in the UK. The research categorically shows that Brits still have a large appetite for homes abroad, and why not? The global property market slowdown should definitely be perceived as a window of opportunity to negotiate a property deal at a bargain basement price. The prospect of a zero per cent UK interest rate may tempt some Brits to stay put and buy property in the UK, but it won’t improve the lifestyle, weather or food. Interest rates are also falling overseas and this will lower the cost of borrowing to fund peoples’ international property dreams.

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“1 in 3 plan to retire abroad” – Daily Mail 4th December 2008
1 in 3 Britons is considering retiring abroad because they think it will be cheaper, safer and warmer. They said Spain is their first choice of destination, followed by Australia and America. Research from investment firm Scottish Widows also found that nearly 50 per cent think that the cost of living is too high in Britain to allow them the sort of retirement they hoped for. When asked why they want to leave 63 per cent said they imagined their quality of life would be better and 24 per cent said they would feel safer. More than 30 per cent said they felt other countries respected the elderly more than in Britain. Official figures show there are more than 1.1million Britons who have their state pensions paid to them overseas.   

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“Better times are on the way!” – Costa Calida Informer 21st November 2008
A leading bank in Spain, the BBVA Bank has predicted that the Euribor bank rate will be just slightly higher than 2% by the end of 2009. This will ease mortgage repayments and will be welcomed by the house building industry.

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“Euribor rate falls again” – Costa Calida Informer 21st November 2008
The Euribor rate has dropped to 4.271% continuing the downward trend which is obviously good news for homeowners. Since 10th October the rate has dropped 1.218% falling in line with predictions that the rate will continue to drop throughout 2008 and 2009.

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“Maldives or Murcia?” – Costa Calida Informer 21st November 2008
Murcian businessman Manuel Martinez who owns the Newsoft videogames company, has announced that he is to build a replica of the islands and the luxury hotels found in the Maldives here in Murcia. The project will include 200 luxury cabins, a spa, restaurants, a sports complex and a seawater lake costing €30million. The exact location of the new project has yet to be announced … watch this space!

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“Ryanair to fly into Alicante” – Costa Calida Reporter 21st November 2008
As from next month, low cost airline Ryanair will be flying a new route into Alicante from Gatwick with flights operating daily. In Spain Ryanair operate 271 routes in 19 airports, and in 2007 flew 11 million passengers to and from Spanish airports.  

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“1/3rd of budget to go on healthcare” – Costa Calida Reporter 21st November 2008
The Council for Health in the region of Murcia will once again be the department with the most resources at its disposal with 5.3 million Euros per day at its disposal in 2009. This is a continuation of the 2007 to 2013 Strategic Plan for the region of Murcia.

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“Slump will hit Britain the hardest” – Daily Mail 4th November 2008
Britain will be hit harder by recession than any other major EU economy the European Commission has warned. It predicts the UK economy will shrink by 1 per cent next year and will grow by a mere 0.4 per cent in 2010. Unemployment will grow by 25 per cent. Meanwhile incomes will stagnate and house prices continue to tumble. Only Estonia and Latvia are expected to suffer more profound recessions in 2009 than the UK. The Commission is however forecasting a gradual recovery in the Eurozone in the second half of next year – but admits this is unlikely in Britain until 2010.

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Petrol is now 0.968 Euros a litre (that’s just 76.7 pence per litre)! – 3rd November 2008
Today I filled my car up with petrol at my local petrol station (not a large supermarket petrol station but a small rural petrol station). It cost me 0.968 Euros a litre and today’s official Pounds Sterling – Euros currency conversion rate supplied by Moneycorp at 08.46 this morning was 1.2620 Euros to the Pound making my petrol just 76.7 pence per litre! How much is it in the UK at the moment?

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“Big Boost for Murcia’s Major Roads” – Round Town News 31st Oct 2008
The busy motorways of Murcia are to receive big improvements which will cost more than €200 million and which are expected to significantly improve traffic flows. The Government has announced that work has been brought forward by 2 years and will now take place on several sections of the national network of roads that serve Murcia. The work includes upgrading 23Km of A7 motorway between Alhama de Murcia and Alcantarilla at a cost of €60 million; upgrading the 16Km of A7 motorway at the Orihuela - Monteagudo interchange at a cost of €53 million; upgrading 9Km of the A30 Jumilla – Archena interchange at a cost of €24 million; upgrading 26Km of the A30 between Puerto de la Cadena and Cartagena at a cost of €51 million and upgrading 5Km of the A7 motorway interchange with the MU31 costing €17 million. This is because vehicle numbers are constantly increasing with 140,791 vehicles per day passing through one stretch of road connecting the regions capital city of Murcia with the port of Cartagena.

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“Marina given go-ahead” – Round Town News 31st October 2008
Sailors will be delighted at the approval of a major new marina on the La Manga Strip, one of Europe’s busiest holiday destinations during the height of the summer when the population can swell from a few thousand to over a million people. Construction on the sports marina is to proceed with 950 berths to be provided and a new sea wall around the new marina.

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“Steady as you go, there are bargains galore abroad” – Daily Mail 17th October 2008
The article read “The property slump at home (the UK) won’t stop Britons buying overseas. That place in the sun is still a hugely attractive proposition, and no one doubts there are bargains galore across Europe. Buy anyone hoping to make a quick return on their investment needs to venture forth with care. The question is which European country’s property market is going to be in the doldrums for an extended period, and which is likely to improve in the near future? According to data from agent Knight Frank, markets in the Baltic states are slowing, squeezed by rising inflation and mortgage costs. Latvia is suffering the steepest decline – a vertiginous 24.1 per cent plunge since this time last year. The value of property in Estonia has fallen by 16 per cent, while Lithuanian prices have dropped by 9.9 per cent. So, is it better to invest in an emerging market that could see further gains, or stick with the old favourites and settle for lower returns but less volatility? He advises staying with the old favourites, which are a safer bet in the long term. Spain has a sound future. It is tried and tested, and is the number one European destination for people looking to retire or relocate”.  

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“Super Rich will still pay for luxury villas” – Daily Mail 13th October 2008
The Chief Executive of a Company developing high-end holiday homes for the world’s wealthiest people has stated that people spending over €1million are unaffected by the credit crunch as they will be paying in cash and are “pretty comfortable with their position” – this is entirely our experience at spanish home 4 U in that our average sale is 2 to 3 times the average sale of our peers and, for most of our clients anyway there is no credit crunch.

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“The ‘Volvo Ocean Race’ sets sail from Alicante!” - Numerous UK and European newspapers 4th October 2008
The Volvo Ocean Race was first sailed in its original guise in 1973 as ‘The Whitbread Round The World Yacht Race’ and after a change in sponsors in 2001 became the Volvo Ocean Race. For the 10th edition of the race the action commences on Sunday 4th October 2008 in Alicante harbour on the Costa Blanca. The President of the Region of Valencia described his extreme delight that Alicante had been chosen as the host of such a prestigious event. The race Race Chief Executive Glenn Bourke said that it was an easy decision to award the start of the race to Alicante. Once again this region of Spain is at the centre of things!

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“The white-flight exodus of 75,000 Britons a year” – Daily Mail 30th September 2008
Thousands of Britons leave our shores every year for a new life abroad official figures show with 75,000 men and women moving away. The figures have been calculated for every year back to 2002 – and this has been the biggest decline yet. Previous surveys by officials have shown that most of those who emigrate go to Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain or the US.

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“property in murcia continues to sell” – Costa Calida Reporter 26th September 2008
The economic crisis continues to affect the Spanish housing market, however for the Region of Murcia there was some positive news as certain areas continue to see steady sales and go against the trends. Although all the autonomous regions saw a fall in the number of houses sold, the Region of Murcia fared better than many areas and Murcia also saw some of the best sales figures for a provincial capital. Foreign buyers continued to be attracted to Spain’s climate and lifestyle, however the global economic downturn is affecting the number of people able to relocate to the sun. Sales in the first and third quarters of 2008 fell but sales were even higher than last years figures in quarter two. So despite the slowdown in Spain generally, it is better news for the Region of Murcia.

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“Murcia Tops Tables for Population Growth” – Costa Calida Reporter 26th September 2008
The Region of Murcia is experiencing phenomenal growth in its population and has seen the number of residents increase by 165,124 between the years of 2002 and 2007. The majority of new residents 118,189 are foreigners.The statistics were collated by La Caixa (a Spanish Bank). Last year 7 out of every 10 new ‘Murcianos’ were immigrants.

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“Thousands come ashore in Cartagena” Costa Calida Reporter 26th September 2008 Reporter
The city of Catagena is proving more popular than ever as a destination for cruise ships with approximately 27,000 passengers set to disembark between September and the end of the year. By the end of the year 42 ships will have visited Cartagena.

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“Bills up 25 per cent, no wonder we all want to go abroad” – Daily Mail 16th September 2008
 “Soaring prices have left many of us (in the UK) seriously thinking about emigrating, researchers say. The cost of shopping basket essentials is rising 25 per cent a year the Daily Mail’s Cost of Living Index for September shows. And as the bills grow, many families are investigating cheaper foreign destinations, a separate survey found. Record numbers are leaving the UK to settle abroad. In the 12 months to June 406,000 left to live overseas – the highest level since records began. Spain is amongst the most popular destinations. And the most recent study, by development company Property International found that 50 per cent of us would consider moving overseas. For 37 per cent, the high cost of living in Britain was their biggest gripe. The main motivation for emigrating was the search for lower bills and better value for money – ahead of better weather or the wishes of family.

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“Figures down but Brits are still eager to buy in Spain” – Costa Blanca News 12th September 2008
Sales of property to foreign nationals on the Costa Blanca have plummeted in comparison to last year according to an official report released by the Ministry of Housing. Despite the fall in sales figure PROVIA (the Alicante provincial building promoters association) are confident that foreign buyers, especially British nationals, are not seeking properties in other countries but are simply waiting for conditions in Spain to improve. Although other countries are popular, most still prefer the overall political and economic stability they will find in Spain. A recent report released by Barclays Bank in the UK says there are 800,000 Britons eager to purchase a holiday home abroad and are just waiting for the best opportunity to do so. The current low exchange rate to the pound is delaying buyers, but it has not put them off the idea. Despite the drop in figures the province is still standing up to the property market much better than the rest of Spain”.

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New Marina opens in Torrevieja – Costa Blanca News 12th September 2008
The new ‘Marina Salinas’ marina in the port of Torrevieja opens with 724 berths, which with the existing 2,000 plus of the other two marinas in the port of Torrevieja has made Torrevieja one of the major ports in the Valencian Community.

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“Why is petrol still so dear (in the UK)?” - Daily Mail 4th Sept 2008
“The average UK price at the pumps is 112.72p per litre and diesel is 124.19p” the front page article stated, and “British drivers pay more for fuel than those in other countries. Petrol costs 96p a litre in Spain and diesel 100.00p” And that is after fuel costs have risen in Spain, yet it is still a substantial saving of 17% on petrol and 24% on diesel. In the average household budget petrol/diesel costs form a substantial part of that budget, illustrating yet again the far lower costs of living here in Spain.

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Gym opens at Polaris World El Valle Golf Resort – 4th August 2008
The gym opened at the Polaris World El Valle Golf Resort today. In an air conditioned (and glass fronted!) room in the Social Club are running machines/tread mills, exercise bikes, a cross-trainer, a multi-gym, abs trainers and a good supply of free-weights.

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Press Announcement 29th July 2008
Polaris World announced that a consortium of Spanish Banks (including Bancaja, Banco de Valencia, Caja Mediterraneo, Banco Popular and Cajamurcia) have extended €241 million of credit to Polaris World so that the planned building works submitted for funding to the banks can be guarantee to be completed.

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25% to 30% discounts on Polaris World El Valle properties 14th July 2008
25% to 30% dscount off ALL Polaris World owned 'Key Ready' properties at their most prestigious 5-Star El Valle Golf Resort subect to a quick sale - conditions are €10,000 deposit and legal completion within 20 days (mortgages are available subject to the usual conditions).

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FREE €2,000 Gift Voucher 19th June 2008
€2,000 Gift Voucher to spend at Polaris World Home Style for any Polaris World property reserved during June or July 2008. Please contact us for more details!Not applicable with any other offers we may have given.

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Kings College Murcia Open Day 18th June 2008
The prestigious Kings College Murcia, located just off the C-3319 in La Torre in the region of Murcia opens between 4pm and 7pm today to showcase the new extension to the College. The College has yet to finish its 1st year but has already extended its facilities and opened up the intake from September. This is a British School, teaching the British curriculum through, in the main, British Teachers. Prospective parents wishing to send their children to the College will find a College with an international reputation for excellence, the highest results and Teachers of the highest calibre.

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“527 Blue Flags for Spanish Beaches” – Sol Times 5th June 2008
A total of 527 Blue Flags have been awarded this summer. Spain continues to lead the list as the country with the most Blue Flags in the WORLD.

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“Costa sidesteps crisis” – Costa Blanca News 30th May 2008
The Costa Blanca is side stepping the international economic crisis, according to an official study released this week. Tourism figures for the first quarter of this year show an increase of 8.7% over the 2007 figure. A study on tourist movement carried out by the Industry Ministry showed that during the period 1st January 2008 and 30th April 2008 15 million people visited Spain with 1.5 million of these visiting the Costa Blanca, giving it a tourist growth of 5 points above the national average for Spain. 68% of the foreign tourists organised their own trips rather than purchasing a package holiday from tour companies, tailor making their own holidays using the internet and taking advantage of the price war being waged by the low cost airlines. spanish home 4 U comment is that this part of Spain is a firm favourite as a place for holiday homes and despite what may be happening elsewhere, this part of Spain is experiencing a boom.

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“Tourists choose Murcia” – Costa Blanca News 30th May 2008
The number of foreign tourists visiting the Murcia region from 1st January 2008 to 30th April 2008 has increased by 8% revealed the National Secretary for Tourism last week. According to the Secretary the average increase across Spain was 3%. The increase in the region of Murcia reached a peak of 9.3% during the Easter holidays. The Regional Tourism Councillor said that tourism has turned into a basic part of Murcia’s economy and that “we will promote tourism focusing on golf, sea sports, spas and congress to welcome tourists all year round”. spanish home 4 U comment is that the region of Murcia is experiencing a boom, hence its choice by the likes of Polaris World, Euromarina, Peinsa, Taray and Peraleja and the creation of the 3 Milonos Resort as the basis of developers business growth.

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“Alicante Airport’s first quarter figures” – Costa Blanca News 30th May 2008
Passenger numbers at Alicante airport rose by 15% during the first quarter of the year compared to 2007 figures according to the Spanish airport operator A.E.N.A.  

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Social Club opens at Polaris World 5 Star Resort, Murcia – Saturday 24th May 2008
The fabulous Social Club opened on Saturday 24th May 2008 at Polaris World’s flagship Resort of El Valle. The Mar Menor Golf Society held a tournament on the Jack Nicklaus course at El Valle to mark this milestone in the continuing development of Polaris World’s flagship Resort. The Social Club is said to be “the best that Polaris World have even built”. Overlooking the fairways it sits majestically at the prime location within the Resort with extensive views over the golf course and to the Mar Menor Sea in the far distance. Within the Club is a reception area, an inner courtyard with tables and chairs, a lounging and meeting area with leather sofas, a ‘Clover’ Irish Bar, a convenience shop, the pro-shop and caddy masters booking facilities, the Golf Club ‘Wood House’ café bar and tapas restaurant, the ‘Cipres’ fine dining restaurant, a bar area, a 'chill out' area, an outside barbecue area, and a huge expanse of terraces at the rear with easy chairs, tables and sofas outside overlooking the fairways with far reaching views to the Mar Menor Sea in the far distance. This Social Club for residents and their guests is a striking addition to the already excellent El Valle Resort, a fitting tribute to this Polaris World flagship Resort.

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22nd May 2008
First-time buyers (FTBs) from the UK are increasingly considering investing abroad, an expert has revealed. Nick Fullerton, managing director of FC Exchange, stated that the housing market in Britain is currently in a state of "turmoil". This, he said, has led to people who are looking to get on the housing ladder for the first time looking elsewhere. Mr Fullerton said FTBs do not wish to take a hit in the domestic market and believe that investing abroad offers better growth potential and value for money. He added that other buyers in the UK are concerned about the plummeting house prices in Britain and would prefer to invest in expanding markets overseas. As a result, FC Exchange has seen a surge in the amount of enquiries related to purchasing a house abroad. Mr Fullerton said: "These record figures are encouraging and demonstrate the continuing appetite to invest in overseas property". According to research by A Place in the Sun magazine, France and Spain are currently the two most popular markets with British property buyers.

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“We moved to escape the fear of crime” Daily Mail 21st May 2008
“Jamie and Nicola Palmer decided to escape Britain and move to Spain because of this countries (the UK’s) crime rate. Mr Parker, who worked as a policeman, said he had seen too much of the violence and anti-social behaviour which plaque the UK. His views are shared by his wife who did not want to raise a family in a climate of fear. Mrs Palmer, 29, found she felt much safer in Spain. “Grannies don’t get mugged here” she said. “If they drop their purses, the boys pick them up and hand them back”. The Parkers were also keen to move away from what they considered to be the gloomy North-West of Britain to a part of the world where they could enjoy warm sunshine by the coast. Low interest rates, a property boom in resorts and the fact that they could get cheap flights back to Britain if necessary persuaded the couple. But Mr Parker, 35, said that he never wants to go back. “The whole ethos of life is completely different here … there is a life balance here”. Spain was once a favoured retirement location, but it is increasingly becoming attractive to a younger generation who are keen on escaping the country. More than 50,000 Britons make the move to Spain each year. Foreign residents can claim welfare benefits in Spain as soon as they start to pay employment contributions, although there are some restrictions. Britons can also claim UK pensions where they qualify.”

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“49 Million Lands in San Javier” The Costa Calida Informer 11th April 2008
A.E.N.A. the Spanish airports and air navigation department announces that €49 million will be invested in Murcia’s main airport at San Javier to build a new 9,000 square meter terminal, which is in addition to the building of the new runway and control tower. This airport is becoming increasingly popular with the low cost airlines in particular producing a 21% increase in passenger numbers in 2007 compared to 2006. Once the new terminal and the new runway are open this number is expected to rise substantially. Our spanish home 4 u comment; in a nutshell, this region is booming.

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“Open at last: New Cartagena to Alhama Motorway” The Costa Calida Reporter 11th April 2008
The €112 million new motorway was opened that will cut the journey time from Alhama de Murcia to the coast at Cartagena from 45 minutes to around 18 minutes. Our spanish home 4 u comment; yet more investment in this region, which is leading the area to buck the national trend and for property prices to continue to rise plus more property developments to be built.

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“Regional Road Improvements” The Costa Calida Reporter 11th April 2008
An announcement that €11 million is to be spent on road improvements to the main road network over the next 3 years up to 2010. The first project will be carried out on the C-3319. Our spanish home 4 u comment; the C-3319 is the main road from the coast to the regions city of Murcia, so again this is more investment in this region which is one of the reasons so many developers are building along the C-3319 making it one of Spain’s ‘Hot Spots’.

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“The costa living” article Daily Mail 28th March 2008
The article started by stating that “the forecast is gloomy in the UK, but the good life’s getting cheaper in Spain” as “this weekend Britons trawl websites to find their dream overseas holiday home. For 27 per cent the trawl ends in Spain, a country that has been the favourite overseas location since the Seventies”. The article debated the credit crunch and worries over the UK housing market leading to less property buyers generally in Spain and correctly stated that property prices in SOME parts of Spain have fallen (quoting property price falls in the Costa del Sol, on Mallorca, Barcelona and Cadiz as examples). The article went on “there are plenty of bargains for shrewd buyers” and that “short term dips may reverse themselves in the long run”, as is usual with property prices in most places.  Of specific interest the article stated that although SOME areas have experienced falls in property prices “Spain as a whole has been one of the stronger performers, residential prices for example ROSE by almost 5 per cent during 2007” but  some of the lower rates of property price inflation “contrasts sharply with 8.1 per cent GROWTH in Murcia”.

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“The 700 fed-up Britons who quit the country every day” article Daily Mail 28th January 2008
“Almost 700 Britons moved abroad every day last year. A record 250,000 emigrated in 2007, many because they wanted to escape high levels of crime and tax. The exodus is a fifth more than the 207,000 who left in 2006 and a jump of 70 percent of the 149,000 in 1997. It is the equivalent of one every two minutes, according to Government figures. Most of the Britons who moved abroad went to Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain or the US. The issue at stake is the quality of life. It’s hardly surprising more people are considering a move, seeking a whole change of lifestyle. Many are unhappy with the high levels of crime, high taxes and the general way of life”.

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Now, right now, is an excellent time to buy in this region of Spain
The British press seems preoccupied with ‘scare stories’ reporting falling property values in Spain. Whilst this might be true of some properties somewhere in Spain it is certainly not true in this region of Spain. Independent studies not commissioned by property developers, but studies commissioned by one of Spain’s largest Banks ‘Caja Espana’ have revealed that properties in the region of Murcia have increased in value by 12.7% in the first half of 2007, up from an increase of 8.2% in the same period of 2006. This area is bucking the national trend across Spain. The rise in the last quarter of 2007 is an increase of 9.5%, with older properties increasing in value at a slightly lesser rate. The price of land has increased by a staggering 36.8%, against 11.4% in the same period of 2006.

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This is boom time for tourism in the region of Murcia and of the southern Costa Blanca
For those prospective property owners considering rental income the official tourism figures make interesting reading, and only enforce the reason to buy in this region of Spain. From January to July 2007 the number of foreign tourists visiting the region of Murcia brought revenue of 343 million Euros into the local economy, up 35% on the same period in 2006. The Spanish national average is just an increase of 3.1%. Arrivals at the Costa Calida’s main Murcia airport ‘San Javier’ for the first eight months show an increase of 23.4% over the same period in 2006. This airport serves the northern Costa Calida (the region of Murcia) and the southern Costa Blanca region.

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60% of Britons looking to buy a property abroad still choose Spain
Research conducted by Barclays Bank and Spain’s business school IESE found that the British property buyer’s love of Spain is undiminished, as 3 in 5 looking to buy a property abroad choose Spain. 1 million Britons now have legal residency in Spain and over 16 million Britons visit Spain each year. Some Spanish towns, such as San Fulgencio on the Costa Blanca now have British Ex Pats making up almost 50% of their overall population (article taken from the ExPat journal October 2007).

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“200,000 a year quit (the UK) for a new life abroad” Daily Mail 21st May 2008
“The number of Britons leaving the country each year to live abroad has topped 200,000 for the first time. More than a quarter went to Spain. It is the first time that more than 200,000 Britons have left in one year. A separate survey by YouGov last year found that one in three Britons was considering emigrating. Their motivations included escaping high taxation and debt.”

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