Our house-hunting took about two hours!

The couple found HomeEspaña while looking for a place to eat and Karen went in to ask about some properties. Sean said he initially stayed outside, but eventually went in and was very impressed by the service.

“The lady who looked after us was absolutely brilliant, really enthusiastic… look we can sort out something today, we will take you out to see some places, she said,” Sean remembers.

Physicist Sean and part-time primary school teacher Karen ended up buying a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with a communal swimming pool for €120,000 in Villamartín (Alicante) and the purchase completed at the notary on 13th January. Sean says they saw two other apartments first, but when they walked into the complex where they eventually bought, they saw the swimming pool area and Karen just said “this is the one.”

“We hadn’t even been inside the apartment, but it just felt right,” Sean recalls. “Then we went inside and luckily the apartment wasn’t horrible,” jokes Sean.

The couple had been visiting Spain for over 10 years and always dreamed of having a place of their own, as they would like to spend more time in Spain as they edge closer to retirement.

“It’s exactly what we wanted,” says Sean. “We enjoy eating out and we enjoy wine, so Spain is a really good fit!”

Another plus was that the apartment was in excellent condition and didn’t need any work, so Sean and Karen could focus on settling in and furnishing it straight away.

Sean and Karen plan to spend Easter in their new apartment, with plenty of family visits planned in the future.

“Karen has three children and I have two so we are not renting the apartment out or anything, it will be just for family use,” Sean says. “Several of them (the children) are keen golfers and the apartment is right in the middle of three golf courses… I’m keen to get out myself,” Sean says.