The lush Orba Valley won our hearts!

“When we came out to do viewings, it was one of the properties we had arranged to see with HomeEspaña,” said Tony, aged 63. “Our agent Clare was very helpful. She took on board that we’d done lots of our own research and was happy to be guided by us. The photos of the property on the website didn’t give too much away, so we were pleasantly surprised. Walking round the property, we realised it had eveything we wanted and couldn’t think of a reason not to buy it! So we turned to Clare and said ‘we’re having it’.”

An unexpected bonus was that the vendor included not just all the furniture in the price but a car too, namely a 2014 Ford Fiesta with only 45,000 kilometres on the clock! There was a small issue with the septic tank though, but HomeEspaña were on hand quickly to assist.

Tony explained: “As part of its green campaign, the council in Orba currently requires a property’s septic tank to be upgraded to a new eco model before the owner can sell it. Our vendor hadn’t done this, so Michelle in after sales helped us out and got a quote to do the work. We were able to negotiate this cost off the agreed purchase price. She was really helpful again after we’d moved in, telling us where the stopcock was when we needed to know in a hurry!”

For the Hazels, who are early retirees and have four children between them, owning a Spanish home is the final part of their masterplan for their perfect retirement. But like many other British buyers, they’ve had to deal with the disruption caused by Covid-19.

“In 2019 we sold our house in Swindon and downsized to a two-up two-down in Cornwall,” said Jeanette, aged 56. “Then we turned our attention to finding a home somewhere warm. We considered different parts of Spain and even the Algarve in Portugal, before deciding that the Orba Valley area looked ideal. What appealed to us was the lush landscape and mountains, and the community being a nice mix of authentic Spanish with foreign expats. Our plan was to come out and look at properties in 2020 but of course when the pandemic hit we had to put this off until the year after.”

The Hazels’ villa includes three bedrooms, family and en-suite bathrooms, an open-plan living/dining area and separate kitchen. An under-garage on ground level at the front of the property has been converted into extra living space with a utility room.

Also at the front is a car port and terrace with hot tub, which the couple had brought out from the UK! The large swimming pool is on one side of the property. Just 10-15 minutes’ walk to the centre of Orba, with its amenities and restaurants, they’re also blessed with stunning views across citrus and olive groves to mountains. Not types to sit around all day, they’re ideally located to explore and enjoy the pretty towns and countryside, either by bike, car or on foot.

Excited about their new life hopping between Cornwall and Orba, they’re grateful to HomeEspaña for helping them in Spain. “I would highly recommend the company to anyone,” said Tony. “They’re so friendly but still professional and you get a sense of trustworthiness with them. We found their website especially helpful too.”