After MoveWorldwide.net's
guide to buying property in Murcia, you may already be wondering where to start
investing. But with so many places to choose from, each one set to get a major
boost from Paramount's new theme park, Murcia can be a mind-boggling maze of
options.
To help you find your way, MoveWorldwide spoke to its best Spanish
agents and asked them for a brief bit of information on each of the region's
top locations.
Here, then, is MoveWorldwide's Murcia Guide Part 2: Murcia's
main property hotspots.
La Manga
Most people would class La Manga is the strip of land
between the Mediterannean and the Mar Menor, but that strip is divided into
two. One end is like Benidorm, the other is more like San Javier.
At the far end of La Manga, apartments are as little as
€100k but because it takes so long to travel down it, property at the near end
costs double that, with luxury flats priced around €250k.
Locals would go for the cheaper zone. Overseas buyers tend
to stick to the more expensive area, where frontline beach properties are
standard.
Browse Moveworldwide's listings of property
in La Manga
Cartagena
Cartagena is a strange place for Brits - it's like a little
London!
The second city in the Murcia region, there's a lot of good
stuff going on here, with a new deep sea marina being developed. The aim is to
build properties around the port and turn it into a Dublin-like high-end area
and attract the luxury cruise liners.
There's not much space left in Cartagena to build, so
instead a lot of old buildings are being redone into modern apartments. Still,
not that many holidaymakers are buying, especially not Brits.
Browse Moveworldwide's listings of property
in Cartagena
Los Alcazares
Lots of Scandinavians and Germans buy holiday homes in Los
Alcazares because it's close to the Mar Menor. Holiday homes here are a bargain
because of the price - it's opposite the more upper-class La Manga, but it's
far more affordable.
Los Alcazares was a typically Spanish town, with narrow
roads and a good local market, but it has since been extended. There are not
many new build properties in the area, so you need to go outside of the town to
find new developments.
Browse Moveworldwide's listings of property
in Los Alcazares
San Pedro
If buyers could get a place in San Pedro, they would. When I
first moved to Murcia, I lived here. It was great, but parking was a nightmare
in the summer because Spaniards would come from the North for the beautiful
beaches!
Overseas investors tend to find that the places are smaller
than they expect because they have been built for Spanish buyers. It's only a
1km walk to the beach so homes don't tend to include swimming pools - one of
the main things Brits want.
There's not a supermarket in San Pedro as such; it's a holiday
destination so if you live here, it's quite a drive to the shops.
Browse Moveworldwide's listings of property
in San Pedro
San Javier
San Javier is very similar to San Pedro! It has the current
airport, which gives it an advantage, but when Corvera's International Airport
opens, that will change. Still, there are some lovely beaches and bars.
Browse Moveworldwide's listings of property
in San Javier
Aguilas
Águilas is a beautiful place. Really beautiful. The beaches
are probably the best in Murcia - on a par with the South of France.
There are new properties here, but the developers are naive,
so the resorts don't always have facilities such as bars.
The town is lovely but it's mostly undiscovered by the
Brits. That could be because of the roads - you used to have to drive all the
way around to get here - but the new motorway means it's only 20 minutes from
the Paramount Theme Park, so there's a lot of potential for things to improve.
When the park opens and the facilities are added, Águilas
could become one of the most in-demand hotspots in Murcia.
Browse Moveworldwide's listings of property
in Aguilas
Mazarron
Mazarrón is a bit of a myth place...
There is one development called Camp Azul, which has been
there for years, but that was basically a bog land. Because the developer,
Masa, was well connected, they erected these quick, pre-fab properties and sold
them at low prices. They were featured on TV shows, such as Holidays from Hell.
People still come out looking for these cheap detached
villas, but they don't always buy them. It's 15 minutes in-land from the Murcia
coastline, so they're not exactly beachfront, although there are several nice
golf courses.
Otherwise, Mazarrón has got some great views, lovely
mountains and nice beaches, but the properties on the coastline can be quite
pricey.
Browse Moveworldwide's listings of property
in Mazarron
Sucina
Sucina's a typical mountain town, a nice little place with a
couple of golf courses.
It's popular with overseas buyers - quite a few Brits go to
the Spanish schools there - but the market has got room to expand.
Sucina seems to be at the centre of all the new motorways in
Murcia. It's connected with the new shopping malls, the new airport, it's just
10 minutes to the coast, 10 minutes to the city... It's really well linked up.
When Paramount Theme Park arrives and Murcia starts to see
an undersupply of property, all kinds of developments will spring up around
Sucina.
Browse Moveworldwide's listings of property
in Sucina
Alhama de Murcia
15 to 20 minutes inland, Alhama de Murcia benefits massively
from being the nearest town to Paramount Theme Park when it opens.
Everyone wants to go there, it's popular, but I've never
sold a house there. It's a nice town, but the property tends to be Spanish-style
housing, situated above restaurants and bars.
Existing developments that do appeal to overseas investors
tend to consist of identical units of white houses - good luck knowing which is
yours when you Come home!
But most people in the know are buying property here now
because of the location - in a few years, more developments will appear and
demand will soar.
Browse Moveworldwide's listings of property
in Alhama de Murcia