Property and living in Valencia, what to expect...
So first of all, what can you expect of Property here in Valencia...
Here in Valencia you have city apartments or country chalets in the surrounding villages. That pretty much sums it up.
Valencia City Centre Property
If you want to be in Valencia itself then you will have to expect an apartment in an old and normally ugly building. Don´t get me wrong, there are a lot of stunning buildings in the city centre, but not many are for living in or for sale.
El Carmen is the old quarter, this is a quaint area, but the streets are very narrow and buildings obviously very old, more often without a lift and quite small. Don´t expect to pick up a large, light, modern apartment here. Small and dark but with nice traditional features in a trendy, lively area.Example apartment in El Carmen - http://www.girasolhomes.co.uk/properties/553115-apartment-for-sale-in-valencia
Then basically the further out of the centre you go the bigger, cheaper and more modern you can find. Example of apartment in Ruzaffa - http://www.girasolhomes.co.uk/properties/591124-apartment-for-sale-in-valencia
Beach living... now the beach area of Valencia is also very old, so don´t expect to have your new modern complex apartments with pool and sea views like you would find in Benidorm, or luxury villas on the water front. The oldest part being Cabanyal which is also one of the most historic areas of Valencia.
Example of typical beach apartment in Valencia - http://www.girasolhomes.co.uk/properties/591447-apartment-for-sale-in-valencia
Although having said that, at the Northern end, Patacona, they do have one complex and are now completing 4 rows of apartment blocks which have pools. These are generally selling to locals, young families or investors. They are not as yet your typical holiday complex atmosphere, but are good for living permanently and also very rentable.
The prices however are not cheap, a 1 bedroom ground floor apartment without views starting from 150,000€ (approx)
Chalets and Villas in Valencia towns and Villages
Now if you prefer to have a bit of land and maybe your own pool, after all thats pretty much why we come to Spain, to enjoy the sun and outdoor life, then you will be looking for a villa or Chalet as they are more commonly known here.
For a chalet, you will be looking at the surrounding villages and towns, these are generally situated about 30 minutes from the centre, most will have metro or bus routes and all are very well connected by road.
These towns offer all that you will need for day to day living, banks, shops, supermarkets, weekly street markets, fiestas and a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
The chalets are generally on Urbanisations, these can be completely Urban with all services in place, the higher valued ones will have gated entrance or security patrols, or Urbanizable which means they might still need some roads or lighting adding but the property is legal as the land is ready to become fully Urban. Generally the urbanisations are not walking distance from the town centre, so a car would nearly always be needed.
Examples of villas and chalets for sale in Valencia - http://www.girasolhomes.co.uk/properties/location-19-valencia/type-villa/bedrooms-2/minprice-150000/maxprice-600000/currency-EUR
I won´t get into the Rustic properties and infamous "land grab" situation, but do recommend you use an "independent" solicitor for any purchases.
Lifestyle in Valencia
So what can you expect of living in Valencia.. well I have lived here for 8 years now, the first year I was in a chalet with private pool, garden and spectacular views on an urbanization just outside of a town, 30 minutes from Valencia city. I set up my own self catering business, developing the downstairs (underbuild) of my chalet into a self contained apartment. Life consisted of working on the property and garden whilst working on advertising and catering for clients. Very calm and tranquil, with a dip in the pool to cool off, very stress free and relaxed.
Socialising was always a top priority, you would meet someone for a coffee or lunch and end up returning home at some ridiculous hour of the morning, the villagers were all very welcoming and the fiestas spectacular and great fun. The neighbours often called in or invited you round for paella with the family. If you had something to do, you just dropped it and enjoyed the company, after all.. there is always tommorrow. (very much a Spanish attitude)But its not all "stress free", be warned, if you like things to be done quickly and efficiently, you will get very annoyed very quickly, Spain doesn´t know the word "efficient" or "quick" especially when it involves "paperwork".Also don´t expect "good customer service" this also is very rare in Valencia, can´t say if its Spain wide.
Now I am in the beach area of Valencia city, so a little out of the city centre, the lifestyle is still very social, and here we have the same kind of atmosphere as a village, everyone knows everyone, as they have all lived in the area all their lives, not like in the city centre where I would imagine you would be more "invisible". I am not a city person, so life here in this area suits me perfect, village lifestyle with the convenience of city amenities. The neighbours don´t call round, but you will "coincide" in a bar at some point, more than once a week! And again, a lunch time drinky can turn into a late night dancing very easily.!
I rarely put the kettle on here, if I want a coffee, I just pop downstairs to one of my local bars, I feel very welcome and comfortable to enter on my own. Chat to anyone who enters, whether I know them or not. Something I would never have done back in the UK.
At the moment, here in Valencia, the expats tend to blend in with the locals, we don´t have WI groups or English only Golf teams etc. In fact I don´t know anyone English in my area. In the village there were several couples around, and apart from the odd gathering in the bar or birthday parties etc, the life is based on living with the Spanish, therefore you will need to learn the language. Shops and restaurants are just now starting to adapt to other languages, but don´t expect to find someone who can speak English everywhere you go.
So to sum up..
Property
City apartment or Village chalet, "locals" rather than expat / tourist population in beach areas.
Lifestyle
Pros - relaxed and social lifestyle, SUN!
Cons - lack of efficiency and customer service.
Business
I work as an Intermediary in holiday rentals and property sales, so if you are looking for either, dont hesitate to contact me, use my experiences to help guide you.
This of course is all my personal opinion based on my experiences, if you have experienced or feel differently, then please comment below, would love to hear from you. Or let me know how your area of Spain differs maybe.
