Place in the sun

Gepubliceerd op 26 augustus 2019 om 21:45

Gran Alacant, de gemeente waar ons hoofdkantoor is was onlangs op tv in het prgramma "A place in the sun"

 

In July popular TV show A Place In The Sun showcased our very own Gran Alacant for the second time in 2 years! This time a couple called Mick and Dianne Kelly from Newcastle were looking to relocate with their 2 dogs to our lovely area having fallen in love with it some time ago. And what isn’t there to love about Gran Alacant – with its closeness to Alicante and the airport for great transport links, plus our beautiful Carabassi beach, the El Clot Nature Reserve, some fantastic bars and restaurants and just the general happy feel of the area! Gran Alacant is a great mix of nationalities and is perfect for holidaymakers and residents alike.

 

Ben Hillman from The Place In The Sun showed them 5 properties (3 of which were in Gran Alacant and 2 in nearby La Marina). The first property was a 2 bed townhouse in Puerto Marino, near the GA Commercial Centre. Whilst they liked the house, they felt it a tad too small for permanent living. They then moved on to a townhouse in Monte y Mar with a large basement, but felt that all the stairs were not for them. Ben then took them to 2 properties in La Marina but they said they much preferred Gran Alacant (and who wouldn’t!) So it was back to Calle Chipre where they fell in love with a 2 bedroom Perla style bungalow with the added bonus of a private pool which they put in an offer on which was accepted. So welcome to Gran Alacant Mick and Dianne!

Mark Smith, Managing Director of Gran Alacant specialist holiday rental company Alicante Holiday Villas said“The recent Place in the Sun programme showcased Gran Alacant brilliantly not only as a great place to live full time but also a great place to own a holiday home, particularly if thinking of renting for short term holiday lets. Its proximity to the airport, amazing climate, the beautiful Carabassi beach, cycling routes, paragliding, watersports etc and the great mixture of bars and restaurants make Gran Alacant a firm favourite with our guests, many returning year after year and some several times each year. Owning a holiday home and letting it out is relatively easy and, in the right hands and with the right guidance, it is possible to get a great return on your investment.”

And Chris Pile co-owner of local Gran Alacant estate agency Gran Alacant Properties said “We love Gran Alacant for many reasons. Gran Alacant has a privileged location on the Costa Blanca next to the sea. The local beach of Carabassi is one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in Spain, a lovely natural beach with pine forest and soft fine sand. When you come over the hill and first get a glimpse of the sea and Alicante beyond it is a real “wow!” moment. There is an amazing skywalk by the lighthouse where you have an amazing view of the sea, Tabarca island and the whole coast. If you are more of a land person, Gran Alacant also has access to lovely green spaces like the Clot de Galvany and Monte de Santa Pola where you have miles of walking and cycling paths as well as birds and other wildlife and the ruins of Civil War bunkers. Not just walking and cycling though – thanks to the good weather and the surrounding landscape Gran Alacant is located in a great area for all kind of sport and outdoor activity. The weather is amazing here in Gran Alacant. We enjoy over 300 days of sunshine a year and mild winters. We have a great mix of people, Spanish and foreigners, holiday people and year-round residents. Unlike other beach communities, Gran Alacant doesn’t empty out in the winter. Proof of that is in the thriving primary school and number of families who live here and in the amenities we have on offer. The new 4-star hotel will be opening soon with another hotel nearer to the lighthouse to follow, every day there are more facilities and big brand names opening in the area, more importantly more people are choosing to live here full time or vacation here. Gran Alacant has an almost perfect location with access to modern speedy transport networks making it a great base for exploring the rest of Spain. There is an international airport with dozens of flights to other Spanish destinations, to the UK, to the rest of Europe and more. There is a train station 15 minutes away in Alicante with high speed rail service to Madrid. Plus we are surrounded by well-maintained modern motorways. Gran Alacant was not hit as hard as other areas of the Costa Blanca during the financial crisis. This was due in large part to the proximity of the airport and to the cities of Alicante and Elche. Here builders never really stopped building. They just slowed down a bit. Prices did drop some, but not to extent you saw in other parts of the Costa Blanca and Spain. Over the last couple of years, the housing market has rebounded considerably. There are more builders building, demand is high and the wait times for new build properties can be up to 2 years. The re-sale market too has changed dramatically. There also is very high demand and the supply of properties available has tightened up. This first stabilized the prices of re-sales and now prices are creeping up. More properties are being sold for full asking price something that almost never happened during the worst years of crisis. It is important to note that Gran Alacant is still a very seasonal market so the amount of time a property is for sale is in no way a reflection of the quality of the property. That said, the average list time of re-sale houses for the region was 9 months to a year just a short time ago. Now, things are moving faster and provided a property is priced right, it could be gone within weeks or even days. There are factors like the location, views and orientation that you cannot do anything about so better to concentrate on what you can do to make yours the most appealing. Properties that are de-personalised and well-staged always sell far more quickly than similar properties that have not been prepared for the market. A good estate agent can be a great resource for you. Ask them what you can do to make your property more appealing to prospective buyers. They see hundreds of properties and hear the feedback from buyers so pick their brains on what would make your property more appealing than your neighbors.