And before the Irish couple are ready to relocate permanently, they have somewhere of their own to go for family holidays and short breaks.
The couple from Waterford, who have three children in their 20s, got the keys to their townhouse in Santiago de la Ribera in May 2026. Their journey to becoming homeowners in the friendly beach town next to Murcia’s famous lagoon began two years before.
“We’re both in our fifties and still working, me in sales and Anne-Marie at a school,” said David. “We decided we wanted to retire in Spain in 10 years’ time. So first we downsized in Ireland and then began our search for a property in Spain. Initially, we fancied the Costa del Sol but realised our budget wouldn’t stretch to what we wanted there.”
So the couple turned to the southern Costa Blanca and northern Murcia, an area they knew already from holidays. They made a few recce trips to check out different resorts and get to know the market better. Then back in Ireland, they lined up some properties to view and in March 2026 returned to Spain ready to strike!
“We had a very specific wish-list,” continued David. “For example, we knew we wanted three bedrooms, a communal pool and to be walking distance from the beach and amenities. We found our property on-line and it seemed to tick all the boxes. It was on the market with HomeEspaña and was one of a handful we arranged to view. But after driving past it the day before the scheduled viewing, we decided we didn’t need to see any more and cancelled our other remaining viewings!”
The townhouse proved to be everything the Ahearnes wanted it to be. Guided by their HomeEspaña agent, they made a successful offer of €150,000 the same day they viewed it. Before flying back to Ireland, they met with HomeEspaña’s after sales team, paid a deposit and connected with a local lawyer. Only eight weeks later the purchase completed and they had the keys to their Spanish home.
“The service from HomeEspaña was unbelievable,” said David. “They explained the whole sales and legal process and made everything so easy for us. Helen Blackburn in after sales was especially amazing. She helped us with tasks like changing the locks, furniture suppliers, finding a painter and other small jobs. Really, we can’t praise their team enough and couldn’t be happier with them.”
The Ahearnes’ property is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom townhouse on an urbanisation of around 100 properties. Around 20 years old and with access to a communal pool, it has a front patio area and balconies on the first and second floors. Restaurants, bars and supermarkets are all reachable on foot and the beachfront at Santiago de la Ribera is 10-15 minutes’ walk away.
“I especially like that the town still feels very Spanish,” added David. “It doesn’t have the mass tourism you get further along the coast and has a slower pace. Everything is so close and we’re just 5-6 minutes from the motorway, so transfers between Alicante Airport are easy.”
Welcome to Spain, David & Anne-Marie!
