The gorgeous towns of southern Spain have enjoyed a more stable property market since the downturn

Predicting which way the Spanish property market is going to go is an often foolhardy errand.

While prices have scraped along the bottom for the past two years, some figures have shown that prices in certain parts of the country are on their way up once more.

But then other sources predict that prices still have a little way to fall before they can fall no more. The whole market is pockmarked with phrases calling out ‘gaining momentum’ or ‘further slumps’ or ‘protracted correction’…

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Will stricter lending across the EU help stabilise the mortgage market?

The cyclical, boom-and-bust nature of Europe’s property market could be about to come to an end with the introduction of EU-wide mortgage laws designed to deflate property bubbles across the continent.

The past few years have been particularly catastrophic for the property markets of a number of Eurozone countries. Spain has had its fair share of woe and suffering of course (even though the signs are that things have begun to stabilise), and countries like Ireland and Cyprus have seen property values devalue by more than 50 per cent in many areas over the past four years…

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Brits aboard: UK buyers are vitally important to Spain's property market

As you sweep through the property listings looking for a home in Spain, you may at some point stop and wonder why there is so much choice out there. And if you have ever pondered why the Costa del Sol has such a bulging and impressive, ahem, package, then read on…

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The 8^th of a series of additional new offices that VIVA have launched – remarkably in just 9 short months – is now open, which is fantastic news that I’m delighted to share with you. So, together with our VIVA Centro head office, we now have no fewer than 9 fabulous area offices at strategic locations throughout the Costa del Sol!

The VIVA La Heredia – Benahavís partner agency is managed by Claudia Calabrò and Carlo Cavicchi who have long experience of the real estate industry. They have lived in Spain since 1995, although Carlo first came to the Coast back in 1972, and as they and their family have been residents of La Heredia since 2006, the depth and breadth of their local knowledge is exceptional.

The VIVA La Heredia – Benahavís office is easy to find on the Ronda road just a few minutes inland from San Pedro, and as well as sought-after La Heredia itself of course, also covers the exclusive areas of La Zagaleta, El Madroñal, Los Arqueros, La Quinta and beyond.

With its winding cobbled streets, pretty plazas, splashing fountains and beautiful architecture, La Heredia has been inspired by the design of traditional Andalusian pueblos, and surrounded by some of the finest golf courses on the Costa del Sol is beautifully situated in the foothills of the Sierra Blanca mountains. The highly visible VIVA La Heredia – Benahavís office has easy parking right outside with a fine choice of inviting eateries nearby.

The VIVA La Heredia - Benahavís partner agency is managed by Claudia Calabrò and Carlo Cavicchi

You’ll find VIVA’s La Heredia – Benahavís office on Calle Jaime Parladé, in La Heredia and it’s open Mondays to Fridays from 10am to 6pm and Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. You can be sure of receiving the warmest of welcomes!

Tel. +34 952 782 828

Recent official figures released by Spain’s General Council of Notaries show that house purchases by foreign investors have risen to almost pre-crisis levels nationwide. So the question is: has the time come for you to join them and buy in Spain?

The recent figures show that non-resident foreigners accounted for 28.4 per cent of all holiday property sales in Spain in 2012 – a total of 38,312 buyers, of which some individuals will have bought more than one home, so the number of actual transactions is likely to be even higher…

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VIVA Nueva Andalucía is now open on Centro Plaza

I’m thrilled to announce the exciting news that our brand new VIVA Nueva Andalucía branch office has now officially opened its doors.

Following the launch of no fewer than five additional new offices in 2012, plus the opening of VIVA Alhaurín el Grande in January of this year, VIVA continues to go from strength to strength as we expand throughout the length and breadth of the entire Costa del Sol!

With director Carina Ulander at the helm – who is also now responsible for the VIVA Calahonda regional office – the VIVA Nueva Andalucía branch enjoys a high-profile location at the bustling Centro Plaza hub.

A must for shopping, lunching and socialising, as well of course as its renowned Saturday morning market, Centro Plaza is one of the Coast’s leading commercial centres, with plenty of parking and is only a couple of minutes’ walk from iconic Puerto Banús as well as being conveniently situated for residents and visitors to Marbella west.

The friendly and experienced VIVA Nueva Andalucía team: director, Carina Ulander (2nd right) with sales manager, Johanna Lindgren and sales consultants Thomas Malm and Maurice Salem

Originally from Sweden, Carina and her experienced team will provide a first-class service to their Scandinavian and English-speaking clients, and the opening of the Nueva Andalucía office is a major, strategic milestone for VIVA.

Whether you have a property for sale, or are looking to buy, you can be assured of receiving exceptional service from the knowledgeable, professional and friendly VIVA Nueva Andalucía team.

Carina, who is currently recruiting Spanish sales staff for the Nueva Andalucía office, is ably assisted by sales manager Johanna Lindgren from Sweden, together with sales consultants Thomas Malm from Finland and Maurice Salem from the UK.

VIVA’s Nueva Andalucía office – at Centro Plaza, local 56 – is open Mondays to Fridays from 10am to 6pm and Saturdays from 10am to 2pm. So next time you’re passing, why not pop in to meet them!

Tel. (+34) 952 908 467

The new Nueva Andalucía branch office - a strategic milestone for the VIVA Group

The UK: Rainy, cloudy and cold.

Deciding to buy a property in Spain is as much about your state of mind as it is about the state of your finances. You can browse, sure. Dream. Scour this very website for the house that ticks all of the boxes. Maybe even fire off the odd email enquiring about availability. Or arrange a meeting with your accountant to see how your finances are shaping up.

But you will never take the plunge if you insist on only dipping in various toes. You have to want to jump in. To face the realisation that buying a property in Spain is a big, often life-changing decision.

But whether you’re after a holiday home or plan on moving to Spain permanently, it helps to follow these three steps first…

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The best way to describe Spain's property market? Value for money.

The Spanish property market experienced the largest price falls of any EU nation in the final quarter of 2012, according to figures recently released by the EU’s statistical office, Eurostat.

Competitiveness and affordability came to characterise Spain’s property market at the end of last year, when prices fell by an average of 15.2 per cent – the largest price drop by any EU nation.

The pan-EU average was a 2.5 per cent fall in property prices for the last quarter of 2012. However, the majority of the property markets in the EU attract very little in the way of foreign interest or investment. Hence, prices in these countries tend to be more stable.

Spain, on the other hand, is the most popular destination in Europe for second homes, holiday homes and investment properties, so it is only natural that the market is more exposed to the fluctuations of the wider economy.

A more robust and representative measurement is to compare the market’s performance in the final quarter of last year against 2011. In doing so, the figures show that property was 1.9 per cent cheaper last year than it was in 2011.

Many real estate experts in Spain are united in the belief that the bottom of the market has been reached, or will be reached very shortly in the early part of 2013.

A more mature, transparent and professional approach to buying property in Spain has seen the market make numerous adjustments over the past few months – adjustments that are great news for both buyer and seller.

Value for money, rather than bargain prices or paying over the odds, is now the name of the game in Spain.

Marvellous Marbella has been largely immune from Spain's financial woes

It sounds harsh to say it, but the current state of Spain’s economy doesn’t really matter to many of you. Yes, millions of Spaniards are unemployed, austerity is biting hard on public services, wages are falling and young professionals are leaving. The situation is termed a ‘crisis’ for many reasons.

But there’s an irony at play here. The negative headlines are having a snowball effect on the economy. People with money are staying away. Despite the welcome news that one million more tourists visited Spain in 2012 than in 2011, not everybody is getting the message.

And that message is: if you want to buy a property in Spain, the country’s wider economic turmoil doesn’t matter to you. Not really. And here’s why…

1. The property market is different today

Poor economic performance is usually enough to scare off investors. The flip side is that should a country be performing well financially, property investors are attracted in their droves. Most of Eastern Europe was at one point deemed the next ‘hot spot’ for property during the Noughties as their economies stabilised and EU accession became an achievable reality.

But where are they now? Where are the Bulgarian brochures, the Estonian events and the Romanian roadshows? Nowhere, because their property boom was unsustainable. Spain, however, remains the most solid, safe bet for property. Not, you’ll note, for property investment – the country has never really been the land of the fast-buck – but rather, for home buying. Yes, homes are for living in first and foremost; the money making should always be a secondary concern. And Spain is blessed with the widest choice, the fairest prices, the best quality and the most robust and transparent home-owning laws in Europe.

So if you can afford to buy a home in Spain, what does it matter what the wider economy is doing?

2. Tourism remains strong

In the run up to the millennium, Spain’s economy hit top gear. EU investment in the country’s infrastructure was incessant; construction was everywhere, jobs were plentiful. They were the good times. Since the crash in 2008, this has all but ceased. But one constant that was in place long before the boom, and will remain forever and a day afterwards, is tourism.

The typical image of the stressed but accomplished Spanish waiter dates back for decades. Spain has always been a top choice for sun-starved northern Europeans, and it still is. Before the crisis, Spain made sure it catered admirably for all types of tourist – and it will continue to do so even as austerity bites. The reason? Tourism is essential for the economy.

For prospective homeowners, this means that flights will always be affordable and plentiful, roads in tourist areas will be well maintained, beaches will be clean and bars, restaurants and cafés will continue to cater for all tastes. Which is all great news for potential expats.

3. Things are unlikely to get any worse

If you really cannot help but be spooked by what’s happening in Spain, here’s one crumb of comfort: nationally, things are unlikely to get much worse. Sure, individuals will continue to suffer – to plough on in poverty, to lose their jobs, to look abroad for work – but the wider economy has, it is largely agreed, reached its nadir.

The government’s reforms and austerity measures are bitter pills for the populace to swallow. But victims take their medication after their illness or mishap – the damage has been done already. There may be setbacks and dark days ahead, but the final goal now is that chink of light on the horizon.

Estate agents are now more trusted than journalists

There are some professions that are just inherently heroic. Firefighters, for example, rarely get a bad rap. Nurses are a notch below doctors in the next-to-godliness stakes, and even dinner ladies receive generous portions of public adoration for the simple act of serving our children food.

Politicians, on the other hand, are more likely to be caught taking candy from said children – or at least that’s what our collective psyche tells us. The UK’s latest Ipsos MORI poll shows that politicians come bottom of the table of trust, with just one in five Brits (18 per cent) believing in them to tell the truth.

They’re joined by the usual suspects – bankers, journalists and estate agents. But this year, there is a chink of good news for that last profession. Ordinarily, the hierarchy of mistrust goes thus: politician, banker, estate agent, then journalist. This year, though, estate agents have risen above journalists, with a, ahem, massive 24 per cent of the general public able to trust what they say (bankers and journalists were tied on a lowly 21 per cent).

Now, I don’t for one second believe that the estate agents’ rise is down to any kind of improvement in their public perception. Rather, journalists have been so badly behaved in the past 12 months that their stock has fallen from its usually, well, less than lofty standards.

But this is where I plead my case, both as a journalist and somebody who works very closely with the real estate industry…

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