Hi Meggie,
People sometimes do not realise it gets cold at night here in the winter,if you have heating it's not too much of a problem because when you live here permanently, you know it's coming......when i say cold,it's not UK cold, just cool.
To answser your question,we are seeing an increased interest in the whole area,not just La finca Golf,the village is very,very popular,it has always been a lovely place to live but now apartments that were 130k+ are now in the region of 50k to 60k....that is proving a huge draw.
La finca property is now at an all time low, price wise which is suprising as the 5 star Hotel and Spa has been open for a couple of years now,the new clubhouse to replace the old one is finished and they are one of the only builders in the area that continue to build.
Average price for a Lola bungalow now is 110k,previously these were anywhere from 180k to 240k.
I would say there is a good mix of Nationalities on there although it would be a little too quiet for me in the winter,but i live here.
To answer your question about investors and people making a permanent move.....people have always continued to move here because of the lifestyle that the area offers as an alternative to the UK,most people refer to Algorfa as similar to a village in the UK 20 years ago,local shops run by local people,everybody knowing each other,local schools,very little crime,children can play out freely etc..etc...
To be honest i don't think there are a huge amount of investors buying for a quick return but long term possibly.
For Example,i had an investor buy a very nice,very large 2 bed apartment in the village last week,the apartment is nearly new so not an old wreck,he came into the office and challenged me to find him something that would beat his return he was getting from the bank.
On 60,000€ he was getting 110 Euros per month from the bank,i found him this apartment and it sold for 54,000€,it has a sitting tenant contracted to it,it will return him 325€ monthly.....the owner also agreed to pay three years community charge which is to be discounted form the price,he now tells me that when this has been completed he wants to buy another one and i believe he will at these conditions.
So yes,there are oppurtunities available.
These price reductions are across the board,3 bed detached villas now start from 100,000€ rather that 200,000€ in the boom.
I have opened another office this year and have higher staffing levels and sales figures for more than 4 years.
The people that are buying seemed to be armed with their own information and tell us why they are buying rather than us telling them why they should.
Some people will take this a hype but you do need both side of the story,as i say if anyone wants to challenge anything i have said then they are more than welcome to come and see me and i will prove it.
Hope you find what you are looking for when you come back over,i know a lot of people that have sold up and gone back to the UK only to return when its gets too much again,try something with central heating this time lol.
Hope that helps...