Only 20 minutes from the coastal resort of Salobrena, this is Moorish Spain at its ideal. With the historic Muslim terracing and irrigation method nonetheless applied to this working day, Los Guajares is sandwiched involving the mountain ranges of Sierra del Chaparral and Sierra de Los Guajares.
This spot boasts amazing landscapes, an abundance of wildlife, and is a person of the most unspoilt environments in Granada. Functioning away to the south is the Sierra Nevada, stretching to the Costa Tropical, a 100 kilometres stretch of comparatively undiscovered shoreline which is complete of concealed coves and resorts these kinds of as Salobrena, Motril and Almunecar. For individuals in search of reduced costs and a rural retreat, Los Guajares is perfect.
Why purchase there?
This breathtaking valley delivers a temperate local climate that is warm throughout the wintertime months but a little cooler than inland spots thanks to its proximity to the coast. There are quite a few species of deer, birds and mountain goats, alongside with a variety of climbing and walking trails.
The valleys abound with orange, chirimoya (custard apples), almond and olive groves, even though the slender streets and residences are covered in geraniums. The location is also simply accessible, only 20 minutes from the coast and Motril, and only an hour from Granada, which now receives immediate flights from the Uk.
This is an previous part of Andalucia where by the villages are whitewashed and the streets are narrow and winding. There’s culture and historical past at just about every transform, with the Alhambra Palace in Granada, the Alpujarras, the swathe of coastal towns, and the ruined Arab castle in Los Guajares itself. Add authentic tapas and fresh seafood, and you’ve got received an unspoilt slice of standard Andalucian lifetime.
In which to obtain
In Los Guajares alone, you have the three villages of Guajar Faraguit, Guajar Fondon and Guajar Alto. This old rural community features a handful of bars and restaurants, and spectacular scenery. A two bedroom house can be picked up for a mere 67,000 euros, even though 72,000 euros can safe you a completely renovated, classic townhouse.
Further more to the southeast is the whitewashed hilltop city of Salobrena. Surrounded by sugar cane fields, Salobrena is a picturesque seaside town, with lots of retailers and eating places. Its maze of cobbled streets are forgotten by the ruins of a Moorish castle. Devote 145,000 euros and you can decide on up a four bed room condominium in the centre of Salobrena, when 155,000 euros will purchase you a traditional residence in the old city.
Molvizar is another conventional village. Situated on the edge of the Sierra del Chaparral, it lies in the spectacular Lecrin valley, which is coated with almond and olive groves, and enjoys amazing views.
Molvizar is starting to be preferred with people today on the lookout for a really village location but with obtain to the energetic coastal city of Salobrena. There are a lot of pretty, commonly Spanish city properties for sale. A two bed room cortijo below costs 284,000 euros, while a three bed room townhouse is 106,000 euros.
Located near Motril, the village of Velez de Benaudalla nestles at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and is a typical mountain village, with sugar cube homes, mountain sights and a regular church. A new element to Velez is the freshly manufactured dam, which promises drinking water sports activities, picnic regions and extra. In the not-as well-distant long run it will also be a haven for chicken watchers and walkers, providing several aspects of rural tourism.
House right here starts off at 116,000 euros for a one particular bedroom townhouse, when a two bed room townhouse requiring some operate can be purchased for 99,000 euros.
The house market
Granada is fairly unidentified when compared to substantially of Andalucia. At the moment, more than 48 for every cent of home below sells for among 50,000 euros and 150,000 euros, and a quarter of all homes offered are village properties. On common, house sells for 85,000 euros fewer than the nationwide common price tag of 245,000 euros.
The sector in Los Guajares is really different from that of a couple of decades back, when people today had been acquiring anything from renovation jobs to off approach investments and luxury villas. More than the previous 5 yrs, selling prices have enhanced drastically, at a price of 15 to 20 for each cent for every annum. A property these kinds of as a cortijo, or village dwelling, has risen in value from 30,000 euros to over 100,000 euros. Nonetheless, there are however bargains to be experienced, particularly in villages this sort of as Jete and Otivar.
There has also been an enhance in the number of folks acquiring and investing in the place. The market place is quite global, while the latest months have viewed much more qualities getting offered to Spanish clientele than in former years, more city primarily based Spaniards are seeking to the Costa Tropical and inland parts of Los Guajares for next residences, in particular people from Madrid and Barcelona.
This has aided to preserve the industry for 2005 profitable in what seems to in any other case be a sluggish calendar year, significantly in terms of the variety of British buyers. 2005 is viewing a mix of prospective buyers trying to find both equally assets to allow and also residence for long-lasting relocation. Despite the fact that there are continue to bargains to be experienced, this could all transform when the motorways are completed and Los Guajares gets a lot more conveniently available.
The lettings current market
Because of to the for a longer period winter year than in the coastal parts, the quick expression lettings period in Los Guajares is shorter than it is in a great deal of Andalucia. The location is extra suited to all those looking for a strolling holiday, relatively than a beach front getaway. Nonetheless, some entrepreneurs do enable their house in the course of the summer months, and most do this privately via the web. This shows the quieter character of the lettings sector.
The profits generated is a lot less than you would assume alongside the Costa del Sol, whilst price ranges are mounting in conjunction with elevated desire. There has also been a major turnaround in the quantity of shoppers searching to safe a lengthy time period rental in the Los Guajares place prior to getting. This development begun in 2004 and has developed noticeably more than the final 8 months.
In terms of rental returns, a one bedroom conventional property in Guajar Alto can generate 210 euros per week in low period and 320 euros in peak time. A two bed room townhouse in Velez de Benaudalla can protected concerning 205 euros to 365 euros. In the additional common coastal region of Salobrena, a a few bedroom villa can make in between 500 euros and 850 euros for each week, based on the time.
Residing in Los Guajares
There is considerably to advise this spot, not least the custom, lifestyle and wonderful landscapes. Even so, there are negatives much too. The area has a restricted infrastructure and the remote area of several villages implies confined assets, these kinds of as faculties and hospitals.
The streets are generally steep and slender, which can hamper entry by vehicle, and the climate can also be harsher in the course of the wintertime months than on the coastline. If you are looking to invest in in this article, you must be geared up to study Spanish, and to regard the locals and their standard way of life.
There is a sturdy community existence here, with a development of Spanish 2nd home buyers investing in the place. Overseas consumers tend to be semi retired couples and center aged families who are seeking to escape the occupied coastal resorts. There are continue to comparatively couple British people today listed here, and the foreigners who have acquired assets are a cosmopolitan combine of Canadians, Scandinavians and Us residents. You will find also a flourishing creative local community keen to get benefit of the area’s purely natural elegance.
Salobrena and the bordering resorts are much more touristy and crafted up than the inland villages, but the degree of development stays satisfactory. There is certainly far more of an expat group listed here, and definitely a lot more points of interest, but once again, it barely reaches the amounts found even more west in the Costa del Sol.
Granada in figures
Unemployment: 19%
Full EU inhabitants: 8,032 (35% of which are British)
Language: Castilian Spanish
Typical property selling price: 160,000 Euros
Whole region of Granada: 12,635km2
Population of Granada Province: 818,959
Inhabitants density: 64.82km2
Tallest peak, Mulhacen: 3,481m
Size of shoreline: 100km