Mobile Home Sites & living in Southern Spain

Hi can anyone give us any info on the good or bad points about tetiring to Southern Spain & buying a new or re-sale Mobile home as were coming out for 2 weeks later in the year for a search & want to get some help or ideas about what to look for & what to avoid as due to retire next year this would be for a permenant move.

Hi Dugfay

Do you mean you intend buying a mobile home as your permanent nome out here?

Do you mean a mobile home for a site or one that you drive around in?

Hi Faro we meen one for a site so its a permenant base

Dugfay

Are you planning on moving onto a caravan/mobile home park or is it your intention to acquire a plot of land and then drop on the mobile home etc.

Anything more specific than Southern Spain?

Hi Faro we are looking for to buy a new or used mobile home on a mobile park site for retired people & an area we like as its nice & flat is around Antiquary & Molina but looking for any help on the dos & donts from anyone who knows?

Hi Dugfay,

friends of ours were loking at a permanent mobile home, brand new fully fitted with furniture and all mod cons for around 69.000euros they loved it but the monthly fee for site rental was too much for their budget,  something like 360 euros per month if you have taken that into account already then it seems a good idea for you, as long as you go into the pros and cons in fine detail. 

Hi 1962 & thanx for ur reply yes we are aware of site fees etc but thats why we have come on here to ask if anybody has any good or bad points as we know theres both but we like the outdoors & thats why we want a mobilehome residential parc & not a holiday park. So heres hoping someone can offer some advice as it all helps.

Thanx DugFay

Check out  Pueblo Fiesta retirement community in Molina

Hi 1962 thats where were staying when we go out for a look around in Sept as we like the look of the area & that site but were just wondering if there were any pros or cons we should look out for especially by someone who has experienced it all.

Hi dugfay,

I understand you really need feedback from somebody who is living that kind of lifestyle, I hope there is somebody out there who maybe doing so, I wish you all the best.

Hi Dugfay,

I do know  of someone that has just done this, but they are away at the moment, will be back at the weekend.

I will email her for you and see if she can help you.  I know she loves it. 

You have obviously been into what you have to pay out for a home I do not think there is any community tax and as far as I can remember no Elec. Does that come out of the of the monthly rent then?

Anyway will email her now and see if she will help. Good luck with it.

Pat 

Hi Pat & Roy we have been away all day but have been in touch & hopefully we can get some help from her.

Many Thanx DugFay

Hi Dugfay

My mother as lived on a number of sites in Spain here are some of the things to watch out  for.

Is the camp site actually legal investigate fully!

Check ground rents and terms on contract. What might be cheap ground one year may not be the next if the ground rent is jacked up later!

Same with electric are you buying direct from the electric company or at a higher rate from the landowner.

Also bear in mind that if you decide to sell up at any point you may have to pay the campsite owners commission on the sale.

If you do decide to go ahead living on a camp site make sure you are completly happy with the plot, location etc. initial fees can be quite high, connection to services etc.  

All in all it sounds like a good business to be in, anyone know of any fields available!  

Hi Roddy thanx for that its the kind of info were looking for very helpful. What sites has she stayed on & were they good or bad?

Hi Dugfay

She as lived on a number of sites ranging from Salou - Southern Costa Blanca we looked also at quite a number of down in Mojocar area in all quite a few!

Some good and some really appauling sites.

Best advice I can give you, if you wish to go ahead is find the right location if you don't drive is their a bus service, how far are you from the shops etc. Try to meet as many of the residents and not just the ones the camp site owner introduces you too!

Have you already got a mobile home-if not are going to buy from the camp site!

if so try and consider renting first with the option to buy later- remember it's your cash and it's still a buyers market.

Hi Roddy we have looked at a few sites & stayed on a few to to see if we liked them some good some bad & some terrible & thats why were booked to stay on a site in Molina as we found that site last year after trying one up in the hills it was defo not for us & the one we found in Molina last year we liked it after being shown round but u cant stay on the site to try it out as your not allowed to let on the site thats why were trying this other site out as its closer to the village its on the level & its a retirement site with no children allowed to stay on the site permenantly just visits only. but we dont retire until next year at the earliest so we are not in a rush so time is on our side.

Cheers

Hi Dugfay

Some of these mobile home don't come cheap! ......my argument concerning such life is the costs with no real investment return.........basically you end up paying a top price for a caravan........ground rent....... connection charges etc. If you try sell it later you may after take a 20%-25% drop on the sale due to the owners commission!

To me if you are buying the home from the camp site owners. If the site and lifestyle was as good they are advertising then I can't see why they would'nt let you rent for a short period of  time. If the  site is as good as they say it is, I can't understand why they won't rent it to you for 3-6 months with the option to buy after that period of time.  Would you buy a car without a test drive!

My mother had lived on a number of different sites for a quite a number of years and it proved at times very costly.......lifestyle............personally with the housing market as it is  it might be cheaper to buy a small appartment!

Sorry if this all seems so negative but I have witnessed my mother being continually ripped of by some of these campsite owners.

I wish you all the luck in your retirement, and hope everything goes ok!

Perhaps you can keep us posted on how you fare.

Hi Roddy yes your right we are aware of that thats why were doing our homework & the site that were staying on in September is UK owned & they have a sister site in the UK as well & all payments can be made direct to UK which may help but they do rent short & long term so we might just do that We have tried Los Gallardos in Murcia lovely site great people but very pricey, had a look at the site in Mojacar but did not like its layout on the hills tried another near Malaga at Alfranajeto did not like site or the layout & lots of hassle on the site because of unfriendly owners who had hiked the prices up & caused a split on the site the caravan owners were nice but it was the type of site if u had no transport u were stuffed. So thats why were on here looking for any problems. We dont want an apartment as part of our idea of staying on a retirement site is everyone speaks english & you have the reception on the park to help you with any problems in dealing with anything that needs the spanish lingo.

Cheers DugFay

Hi Dugfay

I'm glad that you appear to have done your homework, where abouts is Molina is it in Murcia, also where do live in the UK.

I'm back in Spain in a few weeks time,  and still looking forward to the day that I can finally retire to Spain. 

Hi Roddy yes im of the opinion forwarned is forearmed as you work to hard for your retirement & cant afford to throw it away. we are in Dundee in Bonnie Scotland & Molina is about 30 minutes drive up the motorway from Malaga about 10 minutes away from Antiquary a lovely town with plenty to see & do & also Molina is only 10 minutes away from the new fast trains station that takes you all over. We also cant wait to get retired but our Hols in Sept will help.