Where can I look for low priced property in Tenerife?

[La Marina]

Hi everyone,

Husband and I are retired on the Costa Blanca and would love a little place in Tenerife which we could go to to escape the high humidity we have here in July/August, and the cold in March/February. Other times I´d like to let it out to cover some of the running costs.

Our budget is low, so baggers can´t be choosers, but would like at least a one bed place in a quieter place but with public transport nearby to get around. I think we´d prefer the South so we get the better weather in the Winter, but don´t know what it´s like in the North?

Not sure whether to look for a "holiday" flat - then we´d have higher site fees, or a more residential place in the Towns, where these fees are lower I think.

Eventually we might sell up here and move over permanently if we like the place enough. Perhaps someone living there could give us some advice and tips on the best areas to look in? I run an expat forum for those in our location, so I know that getting advice from the locals is invaluable. We are hoping to get there sometime this Winter for a couple of weeks to have a look around and see what´s available, so deciding on a few places in advance on where to look would be very helpful

Thanks in advance for any info you can give me. :wave:

[candy2411]

Hi and welcome to this forum:welcome:

If you've not been to Tenerife before I would suggest you make the trip and have a good look around. The beauty of Tenerife is that there are complete contrasts in living areas and these are all within easy reach of the airports both North and South.

You've probably done your homework and have an idea of prices and locations, the choice is a personal one . I would imagine you would find life a lot cheaper in the Canaries than mainland Spain. Public transport is good and very inexpensive as is car hire.

There are some great bargains in hotel accommodation if you use Booking.com or similar . Let us know how you get on and good luck.

[La Marina]

Thanks for your warm welcome. We´re hoping to come over in February to have a good look around, but can´t make any decisions until the end of October. It looks like property prices on the island are similar to here in our area of the Costa Blanca. We have just returned from a holiday in Mallorca and found that living costs there were higher than local - for example a 3 course menu-del-dia with glass of wine would be around €20 per head there. but only €12 - 15 where we live.

We like where we live and have a lovely villa with an independent studio that we rent out occasionally, so no plans to relocate just yet, but I do find the heat and high humidity of mid July to end August hard to take, and it gets surprisingly cold here in January/February, more indoors than out, so it would be lovely to have an alternative place to escape to for three months of the year. The only problem for us is that our local airports do not fly direct to the Canaries, so we´d have to travel to Madrid to get a flight. We have heard rumours that in the future Murcia airport will have direct flights, so that would be fantastic for us if it does come about one day. Shame Alicante don´t though as that´s just 20 minutes away.

- - - - - - - - - - merged double post - - - - - - - - - -

Thanks for your warm welcome. We´re hoping to come over in February to have a good look around, but can´t make any decisions until the end of October. It looks like property prices on the island are similar to here in our area of the Costa Blanca. We have just returned from a holiday in Mallorca and found that living costs there were higher than local - for example a 3 course menu-del-dia with glass of wine would be around €20 per head there. but only €12 - 15 where we live.

We like where we live and have a lovely villa with an independent studio that we rent out occasionally, so no plans to relocate just yet, but I do find the heat and high humidity of mid July to end August hard to take, and it gets surprisingly cold here in January/February, more indoors than out, so it would be lovely to have an alternative place to escape to for three months of the year. The only problem for us is that our local airports do not fly direct to the Canaries, so we´d have to travel to Madrid to get a flight. We have heard rumours that in the future Murcia airport will have direct flights, so that would be fantastic for us if it does come about one day. Shame Alicante don´t though as that´s just 20 minutes away.

[René]

Hi la marina, in the summer there are direct flights from alicante to tenerife. Life is much better here. I lived in Quesada for 6 years so i know how hot the summer and how cold the winter can be. :cold:

[La Marina]

Hey René :wave: just up the road from us. I have looked for direct flights from Alicante to Tenerife. I know they used to do them, but unfortunately think that´s stopped now. Try it in skyscanner and you´ll find that all flights to Tenerife have a long stop in Madrid. It would be quicker for us to drive to Madrid, park and take a direct flight. I did find Ryanair did one direct flight from Valencia, but the flight times were horrible.

Please tell me how is life better there. I am also thinking about our 19 year old daughter for the future. She is fluent in Spanish having gone to Spanish school from the age of 8. She has very good UK qualifications in sport, (as she spent her last two years in a private International school to gain UK qualifications, and then her last two years in a UK college) She was also a competitive swimmer and represented Valencia, but that has had to stop now that she is independent and needs to work. She is currently working in our local Consum in the bakery on a 6 month trial and will know if she has a permanent contract with them end of October. Its not the job she wants or was trained for, but you know what the current employment situation is like, and hey, it´s a job. At the moment she´s with a boyfriend and is settled here, but I think that relationship probably won´t last and I´m wondering if her job prospects might be better in Tenerife in a few years time.

My idea is to purchase a little apartment in her name as we would need hopefully, not a very big mortgage. If she gets her permanent contract then we think she could get the mortgage in her name as we are pensioners. We would make the down payment and pay the mortgage. We could use it for the times mentioned and if, in a few years she wanted to try her luck in Tenerife, then she´d have a place to stay. If we found we enjoyed our time there more than we do here, then we could sell our villa and purchase another property there for ourselves.

[René]

Well, last time we went to Alicante airport from Tenerife north was last year April. In the summer and when there is a long weekend like with Easter there are going direct flights with Iberia (flights by Air Nostrum).
There is a big difference between Rojales / La Marina and Tenerife (south). Summers are less hot and there is always a nice cool breeze from the sea. In the winter it is normally around the 20 degrees so you cannot compare this with the province of Alicante. The way of building houses in Tenerife is in general just as bad as in Alicante. However the temperature in my house does not come below the 22 degrees in the winter so no need to have a heater.

House prices are higher in Tenerife than in La Marina. Keep in mind that you cannot rent out your property short term (less than 3 months) in a residential complex. In a tourist complex you can only rent out through a sole agent. The difference between residential and tourist complexes do not exist at this moment in Alicante. If you want to know more about this then I suggest you read the illegal letting thread. This will give you a good idea and you also have something to do for the next few weeks or so.

In my option it will be just as difficult in Tenerife as in La Marina to find a job and I don´t think that it will be easy to find something in the sport sector. That she is bi-lingual is a big advantage and I think she will find a job.

For me it was one of the best decisions I have taken in life.

- - - - - - - - - - merged double post - - - - - - - - - -

Well, last time we went to Alicante airport from Tenerife north was last year April. In the summer and when there is a long weekend like with Easter there are going direct flights with Iberia (flights by Air Nostrum).
There is a big difference between Rojales / La Marina and Tenerife (south). Summers are less hot and there is always a nice cool breeze from the sea. In the winter it is normally around the 20 degrees so you cannot compare this with the province of Alicante. The way of building houses in Tenerife is in general just as bad as in Alicante. However the temperature in my house does not come below the 22 degrees in the winter so no need to have a heater.

House prices are higher in Tenerife than in La Marina. Keep in mind that you cannot rent out your property short term (less than 3 months) in a residential complex. In a tourist complex you can only rent out through a sole agent. The difference between residential and tourist complexes do not exist at this moment in Alicante. If you want to know more about this then I suggest you read the illegal letting thread. This will give you a good idea and you also have something to do for the next few weeks or so.

In my option it will be just as difficult in Tenerife as in La Marina to find a job and I don´t think that it will be easy to find something in the sport sector. That she is bi-lingual is a big advantage and I think she will find a job.

For me it was one of the best decisions I have taken in life.

[La Marina]

Thank you René, Your post has really helped me. :tiphat: It´s great that you know our location so can make true comparisons weather wise.

I now realise that I had been searching for flights to Tenerife south, (as that is where we are thinking of going) but you are correct in saying there are some direct flights from Alicante to Tenerife North.

What is the social life like there? I imagine it is very similar to here in as much as that there are many fitness, arts and crafts etc. classes for expats? What about food costs? Similar or more expensive do you think? Are there any decent shopping malls?

At the moment, I´m leaning towards a residential complex. I´ve seen some really low cost apartments which obviously don´t have a pool or sea view, but I don´t think that is a priority for us, as long as it´s near some shops and a bus stop. Renting out isn´t the major priority and I think running costs would be lower.

[René]

I would advise you to rent a property for 6 months and look around where you like to live. Tenerife has many micro climates. so 3 or 4 kilometers in distance can be a huge difference in temperature, wind, etc.

Just looking for a low priced property is in my opion not really smart. Normally there is a reason (or there are many reasons) why it is low priced.

[BoPeep]

The Property Gallery has loads of property repossessions which are always good value but I think the idea of renting and taking some time to check out areas is a very good idea.

[La Marina]

Thanks for your advice. I´ve been thinking of the costs of buying, via renting even short-term and have come to the conclusion that it might be better for us financially to rent for the two separate months that we´d like to escape the humidity and cold of mainland Spain. Renting a small one bed for a month might cost us between €800 - €1,300 so twice a year, say €2,600 with no outlay, running costs or hassle, just pack a bag and go.

If we use the next few years to try out different areas, and find a place we really like - then that might be the time to decide to sell up or even down-size the property we have here in Spain and we´d free up more money to get a mortgage free, better property there.

Thanks so much for all your responses. It takes time to really think things through, and sometimes the first idea isn´t always the best one. I will keep checking this informative and friendly site and who knows, perhaps in a few years we may be a neighbour of yours. :tiphat: