buying an apartment

Hi All

I am coming to spain to view property in a couple of months.

I would a appreciate an overview of how things are at the moment on any/all of the polaris world resorts including the following points

Prices- have seen as low as 57k euro

Completion- do any of the resorts look like a building site

Facilities- food, drink etc

Transport links- bus, etc

Furniture- best/easiest/cheapest way to do it

Sat TV- costs, etc

I would appreciate a response from both owners who just let their property and someone who use their property.

This purchase will for family use rather than for letting purposes.

Many Thanks

Oh no!  Darren fill your boots!!  JF

Condado is Amazing! Facilities are excellent, Prices are low and rentals are plentyful! 

With our new clubhouse, the Mazarron Waterpark and Paramount Park opening soon, its a surefire winner!

The future is bright, the future is Condado!

Enjoy!

....... How did I do Jon?

As Condado is much smaller than originally expected there are some area's within the resort as yet undeveloped, so you will see plots of scrub around the golf course and at the edges of the various sections of development. However there are no half built properties and we do have a golf course that appears to gain positive recommendations. We have a shopping area with a supermarket, The Clover bar (re opening in April under new management) a golf shop and our resort management company offices. There are many unopened units at the shopping area but apparently some have had offers made on them by potential new owners ( this may be a rumour as nothing has yet moved forward, but there is potential there). We have a fully operational sports zone with tennis courts etc and a successful Condado Club (bar, food, events evenings etc)

We are told that a temporary club house is soon to be created at the golf course- a building previously used as a sales office is to be refurbished and resited apparently. This should increase the use of the golf course and entice more competitons to take place

There's a range of 3 and 2 bed properties either sited around long Jardines or overlooking the golf course and there are some 2 bed 2 bath detached villa's (compact but cute).

You need to come visit. We haven't found rental to go beyond the peak weeks in the summer at the moment  and even thats been patchy, but maybe this year will be better as there's a bit more to offer with the Condado Club and the Clover as options as well as plenty of children';s activities on offer, Sunday Markets and fiesta's. The local area is lovely and Puerto Mazarron (15 mins drive) is now a beautiful harbour and beach area with plenty of restaurants and chic bars.

Condado is still a developing resort so there's bound to be things not yet provided and the financial crash undoubtedly slowed things down. However if you are prepared to use your car now and again to use facilites off the resort then  the resort has much to offer and has potential for the future. Paramount Park is to be 5 km away and if it goes ahaead should bring greater development to CdA and the local area. Even without Paramount, the high speed rail link between Cartegena and Murcia, Corvera Airport and the Cruiser berth at Cartegena all make a property on Condado a good proposition.

I'd agree it's not like owning in the hub of activity as you might get in one of the popular beach resorts- but then property purchase is horses for courses.

Darren, brilliant laugh for a Monday morning. Keep taking the medicine. Jon.

As said above best thing is to get yourself on a flight and stay over, walkabout, find nice locations that suits your needs. 

Some of the ideas that went through our head when deciding were.

We decided on Jardines two bed for upper terrace only issue is for times we come out of peak season can be quite breezy as never realized we would be on top/side of a hill. in peak season, too damn hot for me to lay out. Glad we got west facing so I can sit out front and pop in out as required.

Discounted lower 3 beds as more expensive for tiny 3rd room but later saw a 3 bed setup as a 2 bedroom with useless oven of a small bedroom had been knocked out to form dining area. Much nicer.

Note: end of block apartments (corners or adjacent to path through block) have windows in bathroom that midblocks obviously do not have.

Prices- have seen as low as 57k euro

Would be careful of headlines, I;m sure these are maybe blocks without pools. Also here standard of build can vary, with a few complaints around damp particularly with penthouses. Need to check up on additional fees as think you may pay 10%+ in taxes etc. Also factors fees say 100euro's.month + bills.

Completion- do any of the resorts look like a building site

Compelete in that whatever started was finished, just have large areas of dusty boundary land.

Facilities- food, drink etc

If in need of home comforts little britain (camposol) is just 5 mins away for curry's, chippie, italian, bulgarian etc. Or head to alhama/mazarron.

Transport links- bus, etc

Unless you confine yourself to site (bit of a waste) just use a hire car, reasonably cheap by time you factor in airport transfer costs and most places a few hops away. 30 mins away is Murcia for IKEA, larger shopping areas, Eroski/Carrefour, Leroy merlins for all your bodging needs, Cartegna is good to. Read once Murcia is one of best shopping areas people travel several hours to come here. Personnally wife likes the small independant shops.

Furniture- best/easiest/cheapest way to do it

Shame on us, we went with IKEA as everything in one place so wife just shopped using catalog before we went out. They delivered sofa's etc for not a huge amount so no big van required just a Berlingo.

Aircon, paid lots for nice system mainly used at night but too be honest find either freezing when it blows or cooking as doors/windows shut.  

Sat TV- costs, etc

Couple of hundred euros' for TV and Wifi, More British channels than you need.

Hi All

thanks for all the info,

When I come over I will be visiting (flights booked) condado, no doubt

I am finding that most of the agents say different things all the time

I would appreciate a shout on a good agent (from someone who has bought)

8 weeks and counting

Regards

Try 'Condado Alhama  Services'. Never used them but they are on site with show homes to view and seem to offer the full package. I would certainly have tried them when I bought had they been around then. Jon Faulkner.

 We bought with Condado De Alhama Services. 

Snagging, builders clean, easiest purchase ever.

Try dreamcoast homes also

www.dreamcoasthomes.com

Penny and Steve are excellent and have been involved with Condado since before it broke ground - we brought through dreamcoast when the site was just a dustbowl, and we stood on the roof of the old sales "hut" and looked into the distance at where our appartment  shoudl be one day !!!

Chek out the our condado blog also for our Penthouse block for for updates and pictures of life in Condado.

Great time to buy BUT important you make sure its what you want and where on the site do you want to buy and for what kind of lifestyle, active / quiet  / with kids / without Kids you have a choice  - we are very happy and can never wait to get back out onsite !

Good Luck

Mark

We used Villacashback (www.polarisworld.info) last year and they were great. Always responded to our question promptly. They put us up in the Intercontinental Hotel on one of the other resorts and took us around several apartments on Condado. They sent us some location plans highlighting several apartments before hand so we could draw up a short list of the ones we were keen to see.

They also put us in contact with a solicitor and on completion they refunded our hotel bill.

The apartment we bought was a CAM Bank repossession that was taken from Polaris World and never lived in. However, it is bought AS SEEN and to my relief everything appears to work as it should apart from the front gate!

Good luck

Andrew