Away from the Costa's, where Brits are often buying property in Spain and the large cities, you will find the real Spain of narrow streets, old villages, ancient churches and architecture combined with the modern. 

Spain Country Profile
Capital City: Madrid
Area: 504,782 sq km 
Population: 40,341,460
Time Zone: GMT +1
Country dialing code: 33
Currency: Euro

Spain Climate
Clear hot summers in the interior and coastal regions and cold winters in inland Spain. Cool, cloudy and moderate on the coastal areas. In the main summer months the heat can be exceedingly hot in the resorts along the Balearic Coast

Spain Country Highlights:
Spain has for decades been one of the favourite destinations for Brits buying property overseas with over 500,000 having already taken the plunge and predictions that over the next ten years this will rise to two million. The Costa del Sol and The Costa Blanca are the main areas for the Brits buying property, however the appeal of Spain has meant that the interest has grown to other areas such as Costa de la Luz, Costa Calida, Costa Dorada and even further inland.

Accessibility
Spain has easy and low cost flights from virtually every UK Airport and wherever you live in the UK you are guaranteed a cheap flight to the main airports. The cost of flights is reasonably static and for around £220 return you can fly to nearly all of Spain's 31 airports even in the height of the summer. The advent of the low cost airlines such as Ryan Air, and Easyjet mean you can fly in the early shoulder months for less than £60 return whilst on BA or Iberia in June a return flight to Madrid or Malaga is only around £120 if booked early enough.   

Permanent Move to Spain
There are no restrictions on living and working in Spain for EU Nationals who can freely enter, exit and live there however you must obtain a European Community registration card if you are residing for more than 90 consecutive days and this is the only formal requirement for EU citizens to establish their residence within the country. 

Buying Spanish property
When buying Spanish property you will definitely need the services of an English speaking Spanish lawyer (an attorney) as unlike in the UK it involves many legal issues, the payment of insurances, taxes, mortgages and paperwork as the property regulations in Spain are very different from what we are used to when buying and selling at home. Buying a second hand property in Spain - one that has already been built and lived in - can be easier than purchasing a new one from plan.

Destination Hot Spots

Costa Blanca
Costa Blanca is one of the most popular places for the Brits buying property in Spain. Properties here vary in size and cost but as an average for a new 1 bedroom apartment in a complex with pool in Teulada it will be around 75,000 euros and a two bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in Denia will cost 195,000 euros. A newly renovated typical Spanish traditional property, such as a townhouse with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms located in the old Spanish village of Liber just 15km from the coast will be 199,000 euros.

Costa del Sol
Costa del Sol is the warmest and most southerly region where a brand new 3 bedroom 3 bathroom villa on the outskirts of Marbella with private parking will cost from 320,000 euros and a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment in Almeria is yours for 116,090 euros.

Costa Calida
On offer are two bedroom detached small villas and terraced bungalows in the peaceful coastal village of Mazzaron for 105,000 euros whilst at the other end of the scale you can purchase a brand new luxury detached 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom villa in the heart of the fabulous La Manga Country Club with all it's facilities including a golf course and private beaches for a whopping 1,200,000 euros.

Costa del Azahar
Costa del Azahar is very much an up and coming area for those thinking about buying property in Spain - also due to the access which will improve even further when the new airport opens in 2007 along with many new developments in time for the America's Cup. Its property market is expected to grow faster than the national average over the next two years. Currently you can purchase a ground floor 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment with terrace for 90,000 euros and a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom semi detached villa with private terrace and air conditioning for 250,000 euros.

Aragon
If you are thinking about buying Spanish property with a difference, Aragon remains an un-spoilt and lovely part of the country. It is just an hour from the Costa del Azahar and is also becoming more accessible due to new transport links being built and it is expected that here too properties will see real hikes in the coming years. In the village of  Graus there is a beautiful example of a Louis XV1th mansion for sale although of good solid construction it is habitable but some renovation needs to be done inside to bring it up to modern standards and it is yours for a mere 260,000 euros whilst located in a historical village in the Mattarranya  area you really can be king of your very own castle, it does need some renovation and work but there is one for sale at a snip for 210,000 built on four floors with stunning views overlooking the river and the village. So if you are thinking of buying Spanish property, you really are spoilt for choice!

Click here to read the World of Property interactive i-mag FREE

Search and browse Spanish property

Articles about Spain:
Check out Almeria in undiscovered Spain
Working and living in Spain
Where to buy property in Spain
Property bargains in the Spanish Costas
From Spain's Costa Calida to Costa Brava

Useful websites:
A wealth of information about Spain here
Essential information about the Costa Blanca
The official Spain tourism website   

Article first published in May 2006