Depressing isn't it? Life at the moment seems to be bad news wherever you look – the news on TV, headlines in the newspapers or phone-ins on the radio are all discussing bad news. It doesn't matter if you live in the UK, the US or Europe – there is a pretty good chance that things look pretty depressing at the moment.
First off there's the Credit Crunch, now we hear that property prices are falling across the board, fuel, utility costs and food prices are all going up and for us in Spain, the pound is weak against the Euro to really cap it all off!
Well, we at Torcal Estates want to bring a little ray of sunshine into everyone's lives. We don't promise that we can change much about what's affecting the world at the moment but what we can do is be positive about what we do and the area that we live.
Property is selling…
The fact is that properties will always sell. No matter how bad the market may be, there are still buyers out there and if the “price is right” they will “come on down”! Torcal Estates has sold 8 properties so far
this year (not much to get excited about, we know) but that is 8 more than many agents.
The reason we are still selling is because we deliver an excellent standard of service, we understand the market and we make sure that buyers have trust in us and the properties that we show them. We can communicate with buyers in their own language be that English, Spanish, German, Dutch, French and a few more besides!
We make sure all our properties have got good paperwork and that means that if a buyer is found, there is much less chance of the sale falling through. This confidence spreads to the buyer and we have a number of clients who will only buy through Torcal Estates.
We also offer advice on a wide range of issues affecting anyone moving to a new country – it is a big move to make and we understand the concerns that people can have.
The buying months…
September, October and November are excellent months for selling – the heat of the summer is fading and the kids go back to school.
It is traditionally a time when Torcal Estates have been at their busiest. Many people will consider moving to a warmer climate having experienced the weather on a summer holiday and many of them will want to “buy into” the lifestyle and culture of a Mediterranean country. Whilst we cannot ever predict what is going to happen over the coming months, there is a strong chance that things will pick up during the autumn and Torcal Estates always needs more properties – in all price ranges, in all our areas and with willing vendors who want to work with a proactive estate agent that understands the market. If you have a property for sale (or are thinking of selling) contact us and we will happily come out and give you a free valuation.
Málaga – the good, the bad and the ugly?
Yes, we have all seen the tower blocks from the motorway but we think Málaga has a tremendous amount to offer that most people simply overlook.
Many tourists visit the Málaga area (the coast and inland) and avoid the historic centre of Málaga. Even many of the residents that live in the Málaga province appear to pass the city by. We, at Torcal Estates want to start shouting about Málaga and there's quite a bit to say! The city has been nominated for the European City of Culture in 2016 and whilst that is some way off, there are many major infrastructure works that have already been started to improve the transport links as well as regenerating some of the run-down areas within the city.
The level of interest shown in cities that are chosen as Culture Capitals is phenomenal – tourism increases, infrastructure benefits, facilities improve and it has quite a healthy affect on property prices (not just in the city itself) as the world focuses on a city that has previously been overlooked by many. As well as the historic old town and downtown Málaga, the city is also investing in some major new roads which should improve everyone's experience of getting to, from and around the city. The new ronda (ring road) will ease much of the existing congestion around the city and the new toll road (AP46) will also ease the traffic levels coming from the north of the province and the rest of Spain. In the city itself, there is a new subway being built as well as an extension to the coastal railway.
Málaga airport (as most of us will have seen) is undergoing a huge increase in capacity and some may say that this is particularly badly timed (bearing in mind the increase in fuel costs, reduction in flights and the issue of carbon footprints) but we see this as fantastic news. The enlargement of Málaga airport secures the future of low(er) cost airlines, the availability of flights all year round and this has already been shown with some routes to smaller airports such as Granada being stopped.
Antequera – the crossroads of Andalucia
Just 45 minutes north of Málaga is the historic city of Antequera which has been known for centuries as the crossroads of Andalucia because of its connectivity with the whole region. Once at Antequera you can choose right, left or straight on for the cities of Granada, Seville and Cordoba.
The importance of the city isn't just buried in history either – the city has some grand plans for the future and has already shown its ambition with the proposal for a new airport located in the vega north of the city in the Cordoba direction.
Whilst the value of this new project (bearing in mind the enlargement of Málaga airport) is being questioned by environmentalists it does show the ambition for the area. Whilst this project may never quite take off, the value of communications is also highlighted by the expansion to the AVE high speed rail network. Just outside of Antequera is the new Santa Anna AVE station providing a link for all locals to high speed services to Seville, Madrid and Barcelona. The availability of trains to Madrid in just over 2 hours has opened up this southern part of Spain to those that live further north – holiday homes, investments or permanent homes are now made more attractive due to the easier access. Atequera is at the geographical heart of Andalucia and has built up a reputation as the ideal home for distribution to the rest of Andalucia and Spain. The enlargement of the Puerto seco outside of Antequera means that the future is bright for this historic city.
to high speed services to Seville, Madrid and Barcelona. The availability of trains to Madrid in just over 2 hours has opened up this southern part of Spain to those that live further north – holiday homes, investments or permanent homes are now made more attractive due to the easier access. Atequera is at the geographical heart of Andalucia and has built up a reputation as the ideal home for distribution to the rest of Andalucia and Spain. The enlargement of the Puerto seco outside of Antequera means that the future is bright for this historic city.
In the past, anyone visiting the Málaga province from northern Spain would have had to endure many hours in the car or an expensive internal flight to Málaga airport. Now all that has changed and the increase in flow (both ways) will have a positive affect on the economy of the region as well as opening up the area to new investment.
The Inbetweenies!
Nestled midway between Málaga and Antequera are the small team of optimists called Torcal Estates. We can't cover huge swathes of the Málaga province (many people have asked us to help them sell their properties – from Archidona to Zaffaraya!) but we do cover the areas of Almogia, Colmenar, Villanueva de la Concepcion, Riogordo and Casabermeja (and all the areas in between).
What we do is simple – we treat people how we would like to be treated, we try not to be clever and we treat your property as our priority. We can't promise to sell your property (and anyone who does is an idiot) but what we will do is explain why your property is not selling. We keep in touch with vendors on a regular basis to explain what is happening with the market and we also spend much of our time sorting problems out with people's paperwork. We work very hard with our prospective buyers – we understand exactly what they are looking for and we treat them with intelligence and respect. We even go “the extra mile” for some by searching proactively for the right house to suit their needs.
Why are we optimists? Because, amidst the gloom there is much to be optimistic about – just one example is that we help people search for and buy property in one of the most beautiful places in the world – what more could we ask for?!
