Thinking of Buying. Pro's and Con's please..

Hi,

We're thinking of buying here but noticed the shop/restaurant areas seem to be at a standstill amongst other things.

Just wondered if any of you could give me a few pro's and con's before I dive in.

Some things I am interested in are -

Do the communal pool's get really busy?

Is it looking likely the resort will get more shops and restaurants?

Is it easy to get taxi's to from the airport etc? (We drive, thinking of elderly parents)

If you are in a ground floor apartment are the people above easily heard? 

Think that's it but anything you could add would be much appreciated.

My honest opinion is that if I were buying now I would most likely seek out a bargain on one of the 'finished' resorts such as La Torre or Mar Menor.  I see that PW have a nice 2 bed on LT at €120k.  Their are probably even better bargains on La Torre to be had if you scout around on the internet.  I enjoy Condado and there are bargains there but as it is still an unknown quantity then at least you know what you are getting on the other resorts.  Some of the La Torre resales or - as they are called sometimes- distress sales have fantastically well furnished units for knock-down prices.  Arlene

Not so sure I agree with Arlene.

We needed a 3 bed because we have 3 growing children, 2 girls and a boy hence the 3 bed. And for what we paid for a 3 bed on CdA I am more than happy with what we've got. We are using soley for family hols between mine and my brothers families and not looking for short term investment or rental opportunity (although if the paramount thing ever does come off (got big doubts though) then that may change).

If I had bought in the hope of a short term killing on property investment or was reliant on rental income then I would agree with Arlene and would have been dissapointed at the speed of development and lack of amenities and would therefore have been better off paying more and purchasing n a more established site.

CdA is going to take much longer than first thought to establish but I still think it's a great place.

As for your Q's :

We have a young guy living above us who moved in whilst we were out last year and can happliy say we were not disturbed in the least. The pool never got that busy that it was a nuisance - quite the opposite with it being a bit of a social area to have a bit of a chat with other owners whilst cooling in the pool, which was and to my knowledge is being kept very clean.

As for taxi - yes there are taxi's but I don't think I would survive too long without a hire car to get us down to the coast for evening meals etc etc. but I suppose taxi's can do that aswell!

For a family bolthole where 3 beds is required then yes I would certainly buy again on CdA if I hadn't already.

Brett

I do understand what Arlene is talking about, because if you are buying to rent at the moment your thoughts would be .........should I be looking at Mar Menor and La Torres.

And Brett  Yes....   what you have done is invested in something that's not sitting in the bank or on thestocks and shares or whatever the situ. but whatever happens you and your family is going to bl..dy enjoy it!. And if the the goverments of England and Spain decide to tax us etc., at least youve enjoyed our investment!!!

It really depends on why you are buying??

Who knows what will happen to any of the resorts, but something must be said for the fact that the Alhama de Murcia Council has moved in at the Condado, there is a Sales office, and the Golf Clubhouse is going to be up and running by September.

This little piece of Spain (on the coastline) is last "piece of Spain"  to catch up..........

I hope it takes it time...................................... What I have there now is MMMmmmm.

I only wish I can find cheap flights!!!!!  Ryanair up your ziggi !!!!!!!!    I'm going to find myself a "Personal Pilot!"!!

Thanks all.

We don't intend to rent it out at all, it is purely for us and our growing family (children aged 3 and 1).

Brett you have summed it up perfectly actually as at the moment we just can't afford a place at either of the others. Our longer term aim is to get to Corvera and we're thinking with the bargain we can get on CdeA at the moment in a few years time it might allow us a decent deposit for there.

But in the short term we just want a bolt hole in the sunshine to get away to whenever possible.

Still a lot of money though however you look at it so was just really hoping to find out what people who owned on there thought before we signed on the dotted line next week.

Thanks again.

I would back up what Brett has said.  We also bought a 3 bed for the family holidays.

Also it really depends on how you want to relax.  I don't live on Condado so the shop situation doesn't bother me one bit.  In fact when we have family with us we hardly even go to the restaurants/pub.  The weather is so good and food and wine (especially wine) so cheap that we prefer a leisurely BBQ or meal sitting oustide with a few wines.  But if you want restaurants etc on your doorstep then La Torre etc would be a cut above Condado.

However having stayed at La Torre one time I didn't like the feeling of everyone on top of each other.  We were in one apartment complex and I think they were 5 high and in a big hexagon shape and everyone seem squashed in.  One reason we like the Jardines apartments...plenty of space and no high rise.  The roads around La Torre complex are like alleyways compared to Condado...I was always waiting for someone to get knocked over and saw a few close calls.

I have read comments some visitors find Condado too quiet but I think that will change but it will be awhile before its like La Torre.

If you are into golf La Torre isn't even close to Condado and that gap is only going to get wider as the course is worked on.

It really depends on the type of holidays you like to take.

Hi 

We have a two bedroom with solarium on Jardines 7 and love it loads and loads.

I agree with others who say it depends what you want and you have stated that you do not need to rent it out.  We are not renting out ours at present, although may do in the future.  My children and grandchildren have been over and think it is fab, I have never seen the pool busy and RBrett said it is a great place to chat to neighbours.  I love the upstairs apartment because we have the rooftop which is pretty private and hardly overlooked, (We have only been there once when our neighbours one side where there and it was good to chat, the other side is vacant).  If you can manage with two bedrooms I believe this is the best option because when in Spain you spend more time outdoors than in.

There is a couple in Jardines 3 who will look out for your place on a weekly basis for 100 euros per year and he will pick you up from the airport and return you, I don't think it is cheap but it is convenient, the problem there would be having to buy all your groceries etc from the site shop and like all site shops whereever you go in the world, they are more expensive. 

We look forward to the other shops being filled but can wait as we truly do enjoy our own peace of heaven.

One word of caution, check out the play areas before you buy, some of the Jardines have virtually nothing in their childrens play areas and others have loads, as you have two young children I believe this is quite important.  Two of my grandchildren are 6 and 10 and are the right age to go and play whilst we watch them from our terrace, which of course yours will want to do when they get older.

I hope you manage to buy and have a great time in your own space.

Good Luck

Quite simple for me:

1. Best golf course in the whole area.

2. New International airport due which is 20 minutes away.

3. Potential for town centre to grow although already has a restaurant, pub and large supermarket.

4. Easy to shop cheaply with great variety at Campansol (5mins).

5. Great beach and port (15 mins away)

6. All areas of resort have choice of pool and childrens play area.

Hope it helps.

hi fickle fairy pros and cons of buying on cda to many pros to list and to little cons enough said ...all the best steve

The golf course is wonderful and reports I heard from last month were that the course looks it has been there for many years and it's not even been open for a year to date, so if there are any golfers in your family, it's gotta be Condado De Alhama as other PW courses aren't anywhere near the potential of the Nicklaus Signature Course.

I would suggest that you go stay in one of the apartments and walk around the different Jardines and see which ones you like best as they are all different shapes and sizes, some nearer the shops than others. At least you have the advantage of actually seeing what you're buying, when most of us bought off plan and hadn't a notion what we were getting, so use this advantage.

Maybe you might consider a property in Puerto De Mazarron, or Los Alcazarres, which would be more lively and easier to get to, (at the minute) but I'm sure they are not priced as well priced as Condado De Alhama.

So I would say that you have the chance to get a bargain and pay considerably less for a property than the majority of your neighbors and most of the reply posts from property owners about Condado De Alhama are still very positive, so grab that bargain, go for it and welcome to Condado....... Geoff.