Guide to buying Andalusia property

Owning Andalusia property means investing in the most famous, and most southerly, area of Spain. Whether you are looking to buy into the glamourous lifestyle enjoyed by owners of Costa del Sol property (75% of whom are non-Spaniard) or would prefer an Andalusian villa or apartment overlooking the beautiful landscapes and beaches of the Costa de la Luz or Almeria, you are unlikely to find real bargains. It is a pricey region but steady demand means investors can be reasonably confident that their Andalusian property will enjoy sound equity growth.

What to see and do when visiting your Andalusia property

The Andalusian countryside ranges from Almeira’s desert terrain, where spaghetti westerns were filmed during the 1970s, to the wild mountains of the Sierra Nevada which teem with skiers in the winter months, and to the verdant hills, lakes and wetlands of the west. Not forgetting the wall to wall sunshine and coast that drives Brits wild to buy Costa del Sol property.

While buyers of Costa del Sol property tend to be the sun, sea and sand worshippers – with a good number of golf fanatics thrown in – Costa de la Luz attracts a different crowd. Most buyers looking for their perfect Andalusia villa or apartment in this area tend to be active, and lovers of the great outdoors. Windsurfing and kitesurfing are extremely popular along the coast, while inland are some of Europe’s greatest wetlands -- the National Park de Donana – where eagles, deer, wild cattle, flamingos and even lynx live.

Never mind all the beautiful scenery, the sports, and the near certainty that each morning will bring sun, buyers of Andalusian property also have more than a fair share of simply outstanding cities to offer: Jerez, Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada, Seville…. The list reads like a ‘Best of Europe’ guidebook!

Every day, hoards of visitors arrive to explore these cities. Some make regular trips from their own Andalucian villa; some arrive on coach excursions from their rented Costa del sol property; others take dedicated city break holidays from the UK. Their sheer numbers guarantee that buyers of Andalucian villas and apartments will always have a ready short-term rental market.

Andalucia’s property market

It is fair to say that Andalucia’s property market is healthy and wealthy. In the twelve months to June 2006, average prices for Andalusian villas and apartments grew by 11.1%, according the Spanish Ministry of Housing.

Brits are the most enthusiastic buyers of Costa del Sol property after the Spanish, but the region is also a popular destination for thousands of middle-aged affluent relocators from all over northern Europe. Its popularity means it also has the best infrastructure in the south. It also means it is expensive, especially in areas such as Malaga, which remains a hotspot for investors even so.

Not all Costa del Sol property is on the coast. The contender for Spain’s City of Cool crown – Seville – is generally considered to be located within the area and provides plenty of good opportunities for investors. Its rental market is strong in the city centre but Andalusian property investors have recently been turning their attention to villages in the surrounding countryside.

The Costa de la Luz doesn’t have the same wide selection of Andalusian villas and apartments as can be found in the neighbouring Costa del Sol. Property prices are a bit lower, but you tend to get more home and more land for your euro in the former. Some resorts are extremely exclusive, with only luxury-style Andalusian villas (no apartments) available. Hotspots for Andalusian villas and apartments along this coast include the cosmopolitan town of Tarifa. The resort Chiclana de la Frontera has also grown in popularity with Andalusia property buyers, not least because it is close to the newly expanded Jerez airport, and to the fabulous city of Cadiz.

New kid on the Andalusia property block: Almeria

Crammed between Costa del Sol and Murcia, the Costa de Almeria is only recently starting to figure on the Andalusia property map. Its tourist potential is still not fully exploited so there are places along this coast and in its interior that are relatively undeveloped. Current hotspots for investors in Andalusian villas and apartments in this area include Almerimar, Carboneras and Mojacar. Buyers will notice a distinctively Moorish flavour to the local architecture.

Lifestyle and culture – for buyers of Andalusian property

One of the reasons so many foreigners want to buy Andalusia property is that there are numerous reasons! The region is so incredibly varied in landscape terms, in lifestyle terms and in stereotypical Spanish terms (bullfights, flamenco, sherry, serrano ham, whitewashed farmhouses), there can be few people who wouldn’t understand its huge appeal.

This variety is why buyers of Costa del Sol property tend to have very different interests to those who buy an apartment in one of the region’s ancient towns, who are different again from those who buy their Andalusian villa along the largely undeveloped Costa de la Luz or relatively unknown Costa de Almeria. Whatever sort of Andalusian property or lifestyle you are looking for, you can find it.