What does your Costa del Sol property really need?

The experience of a number of clients has led me to seek to define what are the really important features that your property in the Marbella region needs to satisfy your long term enjoyment of it. The basic configuration of numbers of bedrooms, bathrooms and lounging/eating spaces are given but What does your Costa del Sol property really need?

1. Good Wifi. The experience of tele or home working during the Pandemic has resulted in a raft of people for whom distance working has become a reality. To drive your Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp or FaceTime satisfactorily you need a decent Wifi signal. It allows speedy file sharing and a comprehensively smooth out of office transition.

Your clients and colleagues really don’t care where you are located but they will get irritated by catching every third of your words on a VOIP call. So a high quality Wifi service delivered by a fibre optic cable or through more conventional telephony is a must.

2. Hot and Cold Aircon. Generally, the Spring, Summer and much of the Autumn on the Costa del Sol is warm and inviting. During the months of July and August as the temperatures ramp up the cooling effect of good and reliable air conditioning for many becomes a necessity.

However, broadly, the months of November to February can bring both wet and cooler weather with temperatures often dropping to 5 degrees or lower. In these periods the ability to crank your previously cold aircon units to deliver warmth is a blessing. Many older properties have fire places so a roaring log fire is a delight but more modern apartments should have good hot and cold aircon that conforms to newer EU gas regulatory standards. Older units will need to be upgraded or replaced, usually at quite some cost.

3. Access to shops. The location may be amazing up winding bends spiraling to the top of a cork tree clad hill with post card views in all directions but run this scenario in your head. After a refreshing night’s sleep your first thought on waking is the frothy goodness of a strong cappuccino. A visit to the fridge yields an empty Puleva milk box. Just how far is it to a local shop for a carton of milk? It sounds like minutiae but rest assured if you partner has the same morning craving for a frothy cappuccino, a warm croissant or chocolate Neopolitano, you will want to deliver.

4. Be near a “Cambio de Sentido”. The beach side location is just stunning, a small stone’s throw from the glittering Mediterranean. However, the approach is via an access road that runs parallel to the main road for some distance. It is necessary to drive a kilometer or more in the “wrong” direction to enable you to access the main road so that you can use the “Cambio de Sentido” (literally a “Change of Direction”) in order to proceed in your preferred “right” direction.

It is a quirk of coastal developments, that you may find, with some collateral frustration, yourself being boxed in by a road system. This may seem trivial but running late for a flight or similar and just watch the smile on your face evaporate. In part, the solution may lie in selecting be a location for your perfect property that is positioned nearer to the “Cambio de Sentido” allowing for a more ready use of the main road in either direction.

5. Leisure Facilities. Swimming pool, gym, tennis and padel tennis courts, spa and/or Health Club. Many cite the opportunity to continue an establish exercise routine as an attractive element of their preferred location. Some developments have only rudimentary facilities whilst others, who have sought to deliver a more holistic solution for their potential clients, have invested in State of the Art equipment, pools and spas.

It should remembered that your Marbella home is a significant investment and one which you will aim to enjoy for many years. As a member of the Community of Owners you will bear your share, including your financial share, of responsibility to ensure that the equipment installed when the property was new is preserved in good repair and updated when worn out. If you have no intention to play tennis or use the spa this may be seen as a negative.

6. Community TV service. You will also probably need a good WiFi service to receive your desired TV package. You may be buying a property in the Marbella region in part to avoid the abundance of popular media, in a search for a simpler life. You May seek a more Zen-like existence or you may enjoy the celebrated cuisine, the draw of chirping nature and the myriad of other performances. I can assure you that your visitors and offspring will be unimpressed if they cannot enjoy the latest episodes of their Amazon Prime or Netflix series. They will never totally understand what first drew you to your Andalusian idyll but you don’t really need them to. It’s called being a good host!

Should you be interested in discussing the legal process involved in buying a property in the Marbella region, we would be delighted to assist you. Our team of bi-lingual, highly experienced and wholly independent team of Abogados are ready to help you.

Please call me, Mark FR Wilkins, during usual business hours on +34 600 343 917 or, if you prefer, please e-mail me at mark@roslegal.es

Please note that our posts are for general interest. They are no substitute for proper legal advice tailored to your specific circumstances as provided by a qualified Abogado who is experienced in the application of the Spanish Law.

Bi-Lingual Abogados, Bi-Lingual Lawyers, Buying A Marbella Property, Buying a Property in Marbella, Community Fees, Community of Owners, Conflicts of Interest, Costa del Sol, Driving in Marbella, Estate Planning Marbella, Independent, Independent Abogados, Independent Abogados Marbella, Independent Lawyers, Independent Lawyers Marbella, Independent Marbella Lawyers, Lawyers, Marbella, Marbella Lawyer, Marbella Lifestyle, Marbella Property, Marbella Property Lawyers, Marbella’s Location, Professional Services Marbella, Property, Will Writing Marbella

By Mark FR Wilkins

I am an English trained and experienced lawyer. I have lived with my wife and family for nearly twenty years in the “California of Europe” – at the tip of Southern Europe. I am a proud European and driven to evangelise about the quality of life to be enjoyed here.