The property investment market is relatively immature in comparison to other areas of Spain, such as the Costa Blanca and the Costa del Sol. There are 2 main regions for property investment in the Almeria region, one being to the west with well developed areas such as Almerimar and Roquetas de Mar, and the other to the east, an area that is fairly undeveloped and home to such areas as Mojacar, Vera Beach and Garrucha.

Some of the reasons for the likely strong demand for property on the Costa Almeria are:

These are the pure ´lifestyle´ reasons for purchasing on the coast. When you add to the equation the great financial returns that can be achieved, the Costa de Almeria adds up to a superb multi-faceted investment product.

The Costa Almeria property market has been steadily rising over the last 5 years, but is set to expand rapidly as other popular and more developed areas of Southern Spain become over-saturated and reach their natural price ceilings. Whilst it would be unrealistic phenomenal rates of growth to be sustained over the long term, the very best areas of the coast should always be in high demand. Coupled with a limited supply of new stock in certain areas due to local planning restrictions, the outlook should remain bright for long-term investment.

Many people have heard about the phenomenon of buying property in Span off-plan. All that this means is that you are securing the most favourable prices and terms by buying something that hasn´t been built yet. Demand for property in Almeria has meant that most buyers end up having to wait for completion of their ídeal´ property, hence why queues often form outside the sales offices of the most eagerly anticipated new releases!

Developers will normally increase the prices of their units at certain stages of construction, and most notably once a show home is erected. It has not been uncommon for some developers to increase prices by 10% if their weekly sales targets have been reached!

When reserving property off-plan, you have a number of options open to you - the beauty is that, unlike most investment products, you have between 18 months and 2 years (construction time) to decide which option to take. This allows the investment to track and reflect your own particular life needs, desires and changes.

Normally, developers will ask for a sum of money, normally between 25% - 50% of the purchase price within 1 month of reserving a property. Usually, there is then nothing to pay before completion in, say, 2 years time.

Many investors decide to retain their property in Spain on completion for their own personal use. Many also decide not to rent the property - some fall in love with the place and would rather other people didn´t enjoy it too!

However, if you choose to rent the property, you should be aiming to cover the cost of bills, maintenance, mortgage costs, and be left with sufficient surplus to enjoy a couple of visits to your property in Spain each year. Some investors have been seeing income returns of up to 10% on occupancy levels of 20-30 weeks per year. We always advise a mixed approach to marketing a rental investment. Very often the most receptive audience of potential clients will be those closest to you.family, friends and business associates. It is amazing how word spreads after someone has had a great holiday in a wonderful property!.

Remember that the rental season in Almeria can run for 12 months. Although not yet home to the plethora of golf courses found in regions such as Marbella or Murcia, the area of Almeria is already home to fabulous golf facilities like Vale del Este and Desert Springs, and several more are set to open within the next two years, including the much anticipated Ballabona Golf & Country Club.

There are 2 distinct sets of buyers in the market - the speculative investors who will snap up the best units on the best developments on the Costa del Sol at the lowest prices, before selling on their option to purchase to a lifestyle investor who would prefer to ´touch and feel´ the product and be set to occupy the property within a couple of months, rather than a couple of years! Obviously the secondary buyer will pay a premium to buy, but in effect, the premium is simply the asking price at the time.

Some of our clients have seen returns of 40% - 70% on an initial investment of as little as £40,000, just by securing a well located off-plan property and selling it before completion.

As a footnote, we often find that our speculative investors become lifestyle buyers, falling in love with their chosen Spanish properties, and deciding to keep hold of them. And likewise, we also find that our lifestyle buyers are often attracted by the potentially rewarding returns enjoyed by the speculative investor. The options are open to everyone.