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Buying resale property in Spain can be risky, but provided care is taken over selection,the rewards can be great.  There are many things to consider when looking into purchasing an older Spanish home and in order to avoid the pitfalls it is worth giving extra thought as to how much time you are really going to be able to spend there. A full time family home in Spain is going to be a different proposition to a holiday home.  Both have special considerations.

If you are buying a holiday home you may want to avoid property that attracts high maintenance costs.  For example that beautiful house with a large garden is going to need someone to look after it on a regular basis, unless you want to return to a jungle when you next visit. 

One solution  is to appoint a maintenance company.  Most include a pool care option in the package.  The pool will need a weekly visit and twice weekly during the hotter periods, otherwise it will turn green!   A moderate size garden is going to need a least a couple of hours work a week and usually more in winter, these costs soon add up, but there are ways to offset them. 

Firstly there is the holiday rental option.  The returns can be pretty good and a well situated 4 bedroom villa with pool that sleeps 8 can produce income in excess of 2000 Euros p/booked week, even in a recession.  You need to be aware that just as in the UK tax will be due in Spain on your earnings and there is an overhead in administering the laundry and service costs.

Older villas tend to have older pools and you should be aware that some pools over time may start to leak or develop filtration problems.  It is not true that bigger pools have bigger problems, as  many of the problems with pools turning green relate to the volume of water being insufficient to maintain the chlorine required for the level of use. 

I recommend that you start by looking at the condition of the grouting and coronation (surface of the pool surround), if it is cracked black or eaten away this may be a sign poor maintenance and possible trouble ahead.  Leaks can develop around the skimmer, light and jets as well as in the pipe work and pump connections.  If the pump room is damp and there is water on the floor this could be an indication of leakage.  For a more detailed article about what to look out for when buying a house with an older style pool.

If the house is not going to be a holiday home other considerations become more important. If working from home, don't take it for granted that you will have good phone lines or fast ADSL.  Check that you access is going to still be viable when the heavy rains start in winter as some properties have tracks or unmetalled roads which become difficult to negotiate in poor weather.

You may feel that you have plenty of time to work on your home to bring it up to standard, but keep in mind that if you have to work for a living, labouring on the house can be a daunting proposition in the heat of summer, especially after a long day in the office.

Most of the problems associated with older properties often centre around drainage.  If your house has a private septic tank you really should take some steps to ensure that you are not buying a costly repair project.  Firstly, find out where the tank is situated. Can it be emptied easily if a lorry is brought in to remove the waste?  Check to see that there are no trees or large shrubs near by.  The reason is that the most common problems are caused by roots finding their way into the tank. They crack the masonry and will in time block all the pipework rendering the tank useless.  If your septico borders a neighbour's garden or home, you may want to give special consideration to how you neighbour will feel if your drainage starts to pour effluent on to his land. In the heat of summer drainage problems can be very unpleasant.

One advantage of buying an older property is that they do tend to be built on larger plots, especially if they are situated on an urbanization.  However, water is a special consideration.  Most gardens need a great deal of water in a hotter climate, the larger the garden the more water required to maintain it. 

My recommendation is that if a garden is important to you, that you choose a home that has a more traditional Spanish style dry garden.  This usually means that larger areas are laid to gravel and that beds of plants are usually raised.  Walled gardens and courtyards are best, as the walls provide extra shade for plants and help prevent the soil drying out in the warm wind.  Your choice of plants should really be succulents or drought tolerant varieties such as the colourful Lantana Shrub.  Think low maintenance, when looking at a garden.  Very often a large swath of green lawn looks attractive, but it is going to need constant attention and really uses up the water.  OK if you are retired and and rich enough to pay the water bills and gardeners, but if you have bought a holiday home, isn't it better to relax by the beach knowing that these things will not be an issue?  Lawns in Spain also tend to attract spiders and ants with whom you may find yourself sharing the pool.

I recommend buying a property that has a large water deposito or cistern.  Water collected from run-off of the roof should not be allowed to go to waste.  Better still if you have a well or are able to install a grey water recovery systems to recycle water from the sinks, shower and washing machine.

One last word about gardens is that you may want to avoid gardens with too many Palms.  Of course they are beautiful, and add a real tropical feel, but many varieties do require regular maintenance which can be heavy work.  Disposing of the palm waste can also be problematic and painful as they nearly all have sharp tips to the fronds.

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