Anyone need their property looked after

There is a local English speaker close to the resort that I use.

They are very good and even check on my property practically every day as they are on the site every day. They dont even charge for this little piece of mind. They say because they are there every day its no problem. They seem to offer the same as you had on your list more or less.

What are your charges for the services you listed?  Its always nice to have a choice

Good luck

Jane

Mark,

I think that Marina D'or is living up to expectations but without the new airport it makes it difficult for me to get there as it is very expensive to travel from Valencia. I believe that the difficulty I have found in renting is caused by the building going on. I have a beachfront apartment (8th floor north facing) that overlooks the building of the next apartment block, it is likely to be repossessed as I can't meet the mortgage payments. I have been trying to sell at a rock bottom price even though it was valued at 300,000 euros last July but no interest has been shown.

Rocky

I've just joined Eye on Spain, having seen a mention on a Spanish Airports site where I was reading about the Castellon Airport.  I'm only interested in Marina D'or at present and have been reading all the posts to get up to speed on what's already been discussed.  My apartment in Costa Azahar 1 completed on 21st December 2006 - snagging work was complete about a week ago after much complaining.  I was staying over there last week (1st - 5th Oct) and have inspected the work and finally have the confidence to try and rent it out.

I've come into this topic as it's about people who look after your apartment BUT like most of the other topics it seems incomplete.  Do people respond to many of the posts with private messages?  If so this is not helpful when you're trying to learn from everyone's experiences.  I have made contact with Sunchoice Services who do all the cleaning and management stuff, plus I use Servihogar for key holding and transport from the railway station.  Sunchoice aren't ideal as they are away in the hills at Rosell, near Vinaros.  They have several clients at Marina D'or as they are good at what they do, but there is over an hour's travelling time for them into Marina D'or.

So who are the alternative English speaking services nearby?  Does anyone have experience of them?  DaneSP had left a leaflet in my letterbox some time between May and last week, and a company called Abel2 Holidays had written to me in England while I was in Spain.  A pity as I could have met up with them last week. 

Perhaps I'll be back soon and talk to some people, while Ryanair are still doing Liverpool to Valencia for 0.01p giving a total round trip including taxes of £13.00!  Let's hope they will do those prices to Castellon after quarter 3, 2008 (when DaneSP's web site says the new airport opens)

Brian

Hiya

Im actually part of the abel2 team.

I will pm you as you cant adverise on here.

Jen

Ah, being new I didn't appreciate the advertising thing.  Perhaps that's why a few posts seem incomplete?  I worked in BBC Radio for years and we had to be careful about that.  Presumably my in context mentions of people's web sites and naming airlines is OK?  Looking back on that it is more of an advert as it promotes their prices.  And this post would be pointless if we couldn't mention names of management services we each use.

Brian

Did you believe you would be able to rent your apartment or even sell (maybe not making a profit) after 18 months? I thought I would get some rental to help with my mortgage costs but I have received very little.

I have now had my property repossessed  and  the Spanish bank will take legal proceedings against me if they don't get the money  they expect when they auction  my  apartment. I am very worried as we could  loose our home in England if I am forced to pay months of mortgage interest. I  had received 1200 euros in rent for August but nothing else after completing in October 2005.

If anyone is having the same problem please contact me by sending a private message especially if  you were promised when signing that you would get rent or be able to sell  after a year.

Rocky

Rocky, I am very sorry to hear your fears have been realised.  Your story must touch a nerve for many of us who didn't know what to expect, but certainly expected something more than we've got.  At initial interviews with Macanthony at their Calpe office I was asked would I re-sell at completion or keep and rent out.  At the time I couldn't say but assumed both were possible.  Three years later it seems neither option is achievable. 

No-one specifically promised me anything and I went in with the usual understanding that all investment can be risky.  But all the signs were good.  They still are, I think, but it's still such a long way off being a complete holiday destination that it's now a matter of how long can we survive without Marina D'or being a fully finished all year round resort?  Unfortunately Rocky couldn't wait any longer.

A quick anecdote about how I ended up buying at Marina D'or.  It was the Property Investor Show at ExCel in 2004.  I had gone to learn about and get leads for a property investment business in the UK.  I wanted to be one of those buy-to-let landlords that I had read so much about.  I was cornered by Macanthony as they had a stand at the entrance with a collection of smart suited salesman types that I took an instant dislike to.  I told them I was only interested in the UK and walked on. 

They got me on the way out!    "What had I got to lose by taking a viewing trip?"  "If they told me that there was 100,000 euros waiting for me in Spain and all I had to do was go out there and get it, why wouldn't I?"   The 100k was in fact expected growth over 4 years on a long off-plan investment.  No such deal was available when we got there as the off-plan term was 2 years.  My apartment was 190,000 euros and I am told the latest ones of the same type are being built at 250,000 euros. 

So apparently I have made 60,000 in 3 years?  But Marina D'or are still building and selling apartments all the way up the coast into Cabanes.  The resort is covered in MD sales offices selling off-plan but there is no big effort for resales either in Spain or in the UK.  Just look at where Marina D'or have offices all round the world selling new units.  Now look for an equivalent sales effort for existing apartments on sale.  A few balcony signs if you visit the site but without an equivalent huge international sales effort, we don't stand a chance.

If I knew then what I know now about UK buy to let.  I have put about £80,000 of money raised against my main UK home into Marina D'or - and it returns nothing!  Using gearing typically available here for buy-to-let I could have bought ten properties that would all be self-financing in the healthy UK rental market.  Or 40 old houses in Bulgarian villages that typically sell for £2000 - £3000.

Older and wiser......

 

This message was last edited by CIP on 6/28/2008.