Buying in the Costa Blanca has been a double win for Chris Eyre and partner Melanie – not only have they got a fantastic holiday home to enjoy but they’ve also found where they’d like to retire to!
The Yorkshire couple completed on their two-bedroom apartment in Torrevieja in September 2019. The property, purchased through HomeEspaña, had been on the market for €69,995 but the vendor accepted their offer of €65,000, which they’ve financed with a local mortgage.
“Borrowing in Spain is so cheap at the moment, it would be silly not to get a mortgage,” confirmed Chris, a financial advisor. “The rates are really low and are fixed for the life-time of the mortgage term.”
For now, Chris and Melanie will use their property as a holiday home but their decision to buy in the Costa Blanca was driven by their long-term plans to retire somewhere sunny.
“I really hate the UK’s cold winters and I’ve always had it in my mind I’d like to retire abroad, ideally in eight to ten years’ time. After considering a number of countries, we decided on Spain,” continued Chris, who has three children. “Until then, we want to visit our property as much as possible, at least every couple of months. Why wouldn’t you when flights are so cheap?”
Chris and Melanie began researching the Costa Blanca at the start of 2019. “I’d not actually spent much time in mainland Spain and had never been to Torrevieja. We spent months looking at properties on-line but none really grabbed Melanie. Then I spotted details of our property and as soon as Melanie saw it she said it was the one for us!”
Chris contacted HomeEspaña and from the UK made a successful offer subject to viewing. They flew out a few days later, loved everything about the property and local area so went ahead with the purchase.
“HomeEspaña were amazing from the moment I first contacted them wanting to secure the property,” said Chris. “I hadn’t realised how much was involved, but really HomeEspaña helped with everything. That included getting our NIE, opening a bank account, visiting the notary, finding a lawyer and getting our mortgage. They even helped with getting us a locksmith. Katherine Root in after sales has been especially brilliant.”
Chris and Melanie’s first-floor apartment is part of a small development in the San Luis urbanisation. As well as the bedrooms, it has an open-plan living area, a separate kitchen and a bathroom. It also includes a south-facing balcony at the front, which gets the sun all day and has views of salt lakes, and a private solarium. There is a communal pool. San Luis is one of Torrevieja’s quieter, more residential urbanisations, located between the two famous salt lakes. It’s around three kilometres from the city-centre and a similar distance from the beach.
“We like it because it feels both cosmopolitan and residential, without the touristy feel of places like Benidorm,” said Chris. “And there is so much to do in the area. You’ve got the fantastic climate, golf courses, culture and there are 500-odd restaurants just in Torrevieja. Originally, I thought I wanted to be within walking distance from the sea. But when I realised how much more you could get for your money being five minutes inland, I changed my mind. As for local amenities, we’re within walking distance of San Luis’s square, which has bars and restaurants, so we don’t have to travel into Torrevieja to go out.”
Reaching their apartment is easy for Chris and Melanie, thanks to their choice of UK airports and the frequency of flights to Alicante and Murcia. “We can choose to fly from Leeds Bradford, Manchester, East Midlands and Liverpool, depending on availability at the time!”
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