The fact that we have been so busy throughout the summer months is encouraging.  For the business August was the best month we have seen for some time.   Buyers seem to be recognising that property is now great value for money and many to whom I have spoken seem to feel happier having their money in property than in the bank!  I cant say that I blame them.

Sales levels are considerably up on last year and we are seeing activity spreading into all sectors of the market.  We actually sold more Villas during August and September than during the whole of 2008!

I suspect that prices may now be bottoming out and there seem to be fewer distressed sales than there were previously.  The market is still obviously fragile and believe that prices will be on a plateau for the foreseeable future.  Overall though it is a healthy situation and buyers still have plenty of time to find their ideal property at a sensible price.

We are still having problems with the banks many of which are reluctant to lend and seem to be using delaying tactics. Hopefully their situation will ease over time but for the present the cash buyer is certainly king!

We are actively seeking new properties to sell and are in the process of launching new marketing initiatives to build our property portfolio further.  Any one interest in selling on the Costa del sol is welcome to call me at the Puerto Banus Office and I will be happy to discuss your individual case.  In the meantime you may like to have a look at our promotional video :  Michael Moon – Selling your property on the costa del Sol

Until next time

Michael

I am always pleasantly surprised as to how things seem to work here.  Out of apparent chaos there seems to be a level of organisation that manages to save the day.   You can now drive through San Pedro on the lower road and the link to the Ronda road has been greatly improved with a new slip road and a large roundabout replacing the dreadful traffic lights for the left turn into the centre of San Pedro.

Every time I drive through (about twice a day) I am amazed at the speed with which the landscape changes and I think it will be fascinating to see the final result.

I do however feel sorry for the businesses on the A7 in San Pedro as they have lost all their passing trade and must be struggling to make ends meet in the current situation.

Until next time

Michael

We decided that it would be best if he went by bus and although many people have told me how good the Long distance bus service is in Spain I have never really had cause to use it.  I booked the ticket from Malaga to Almeria on the Internet at a cost of 16 Euros plus a 2.50 Euro Internet booking fee and printed the ticket out in the Office.

I drove him to Malaga this morning and after a quick coffee in the Cafeteria, the bus was there, on time ready for boarding and left on time at 9.00 am.  Once at Almeria he had to pick up another bus to Almeria Airport where he was due to meet his friends.  By just after 12.30 I had a text to say that he was at the Airport and going for something to eat whilst he waited for his friends to arrive on a flight from the UK.

My original thought had been that I would drive him over to Almeria.  I am so glad I didnt.  Apart from the fact that the round trip would have taken me more than 8 hours and the car would have chewed its way through about 80 euros worth of fuel, it would have been a nonsense not to use what is an excellent service.

I would strongly recommend that anyone visiting the Costa del Sol who fancies a trip to Granada or Sevilla takes the bus.  No driving worries, no parking worries, no drinking and driving worries and also much cheaper than the car!  And if if you want to see Madrid, try the new fast train service.

Until next time

Michael

Saturday was one of those days and I love the contrast between cosmopolitan Marbella and the almost Bohemian ambiance of Tarifa.  The little fishing Village which has become a major location for Kite and wind surfers from all over Europe fills with mostly young people whose main interest is the beach, the wind and the sea.  I love the atmosphere and the non materialistic feeling of the place.  Tarifa’s 10 kms of white sandy beaches never really feel over crowded even at the busiest time of the year and the site of all the kites and windsurfers dotted in the sky and sea is a sight to behold.

We arrived in time for a very late  breakfast at Kokko, a roadside coffee shop and furniture store which specialises in artesanal furnishings and home-made cakes.  It is situated on the main road just the other side of Tarifa and makes a great stopping off point.  We spent the afternoon on the beach at Punto Paloma people watching and taking the sun followed by Mojitos at Los Lances beach watching the sun set over the distant mountains.  Fortunately I was not driving so a second Mojito seemed to be the order of the day!   We finished the evening with a late dinner at the Vaca Loca, my favourite eating place in the town.   The drive back to Marbella takes just over an hour and I arrived back totally relaxed.

If you havent been over to Tarifa and the Costa de la Luz then I recommend making the trip, its a different world and well worth the effort!

I often think that people have a very singular view of the Costa del Sol and don’t fully appreciate that there is so much of Spain to see within about an hours drive.

Until next time

Michael

Whilst the road works in San Pedro continue to cause a measure of frustration the end result will, I am sure, be worth all the inconvenience of the last, and future months.

This week the new link road between the Ronda Road and Benahavis Road is now open.  This link has been long awaited and it now means that from the North of San Pedro it is easy to by-pass the road works without using the toll road and it will in the future be a great help in opening up Benahavis and the new communities in the area of La Alqueria, Marbella Golf and Monte Mayor.

Over the years a lot of potential buyers have steered clear of the New Golden Mile because of the inconvenience of driving through San Pedro.  Once the new road system is open I think that this objection will fade and we will see buyers whose focus is Marbella looking at this area as a viable option to the established locations to the East of Marbella.

Normally I shy away from anything to do with the media but in this case the producers wanted to make a factual show to give viewers an idea as to what the changes in prices would allow them to buy for their money and also wanted to show some positive images of the Costa del Sol’s beaches, marinas and golf etc.  Fortunately they did not want me or any of my staff to appear on the programme so as far I was concerned we were happy to help.

We supplied a number of properties for them to film and our Vendors were, for the most part, more than helpful and happy to co-operate.  The filming was far more long winded and harder work than I had anticipated and I have to confess that I now have a great deal more respect  for these people what goes into the making of a few minutes of  T.V.

What really surprised me was how uncooperative various businesses were and how difficult it was to get them to help.  There were golf courses who wouldn’t allow the crew to film on or near the golf course, restaurants and beach bars that didn’t want to know etc.  To me the most incredible was the marina at Puerto Banús where they were not allowed to film anything because it was private.   The security guard there even escorted the cameraman out of the marina to ensure that he did not get any footage.   In contrast you had businesses like the Ocean Club who having seen the camera out on the beach came out to see if they could be of any help.  They couldn’t have been more helpful  even found the crew a boat so that they could film the coastline from the sea.

I am not sure whether this attitude to film crews is because people do not understand the value of publicity or whether they have become jaundiced to the media because of all the bad publicity which has been generated by unbalanced reporting and tv making.  Whichever is the case I now have a much greater appreciation of how hard these people have to work to get a few minutes of T.V.

Anyone interested in the property market on the Costa del Sol is welcome to sign up for our mailing list from which we will send you details of the most interesting properties as and when they become available.  Subscribe here.

Until next time

Michael

Despite all the gloomy predictions from my friends who write the newspapers it would seem that more people than anticipated are deciding to take a holiday on the Costa del Sol!  Unfortunately the car hire companies seem to have based their fleets on the predicted volumes and we now have the ludicrous solutions that tourists coming to the coast are unable to find cars available for hire.  Even worse when there are cars available the prices seem to around treble the rate that would have been charged in previous years.

I have some friends coming over later today who (stupidly) forgot to book their car hire and were amazed to find that they were being quoted in the region of 750 Euros for a basic car for 11 days.   They eventually found something for around 500 Euros but this is nearly 2.5 times as much as they have paid in previous years.   Seems crazy to me when the car makers have fields of unsold cars and we are all doing everything we can to encourage tourism to the area.

I think it is another reminder that in these difficult times that we cannot afford to go into total hibernation.  There is business out there and we need to be prepared and ready to provide the services when they are demanded.   One would hope that with this experience people will book earlier next year although my big concern is that, next year, the tourists will go elsewhere on the basis that the Costa del Sol has become too expensive.

Until next time

Michael

 
This is great news for Marbella not only because of extra tourism it will generate but also for the positive publicity that it will almost certainly bring to the Town.

 
For me the greatest pleasure is to see the Bull Ring being refurbished.  The hideous metal fencing and graffiti which has surrounded it for the past few years has now been removed and the building is now regaining its position as one of our most distinctive landmarks.

 
It is great to see Marbella re-emerging from the misfortunes of recent years and I applaud the Town Hall for the efforts that are being made throughout the town to smarten it up to help regain the civic pride and re-establish its position as the jewel in the Costa del Sol’s crown.

 
What we now need is lots more positive publicity and more events of this type.

Until next time

Michael

I certainly didn’t until I read about it in the Sur in English, after the event!  It would appear that this move only increased traffic flow on the toll road by 13% which isn´t surprising if, like me, nobody knew about it.

Apparently the toll was only waived between San Pedro and Estepona.  If you drove diirect from Marbella to Estepona you had to pay the full toll.   Now, in order to enter the Toll road at San Pedro you would have to sit in the greatest part of thetraffic queue for San Pedro, then turn right onto the Ronda Road, head inland and join the toll road north of San Pedro. You would probably get to Estepona quicker by continuing through San Pedro!

Marbella Town Hall have already, and quite rightly in my opinion, said that this isn’t enough and have asked the Government to waive charges on the toll Road for the whole of July and August. I hope that for once they listen.   The toll road should be free for the whole of the holiday season from Marbella right the way through to Estepona.   It should be widely publicised and all the overhead gantries should be changed to tell people that the road is open and free.

Come on Spain, lets show the viistors that they are welcome and that we want to make their stay here as pleasant as possible!

Until next time

Michael

We then saw a hairdresser from the North of England who was moving to Marbella to start a new hairdressing business. His first day seemed to go well but apart from that there was no more information given.

A large portion of the program followed one of Marbella’s longest established agents as she glided through a few large Villas and then went to the hairdressers.  I really am not too sure why she agreed to appear on the show but I guess it has something to do with the maxim that all publicity is good publicity even if the program maker is looking at you with a tongue firmly pressed into the cheek!

If this is the best that ITV can do when making a review of the Spanish property market then to my mind it is a very sad indictment of their journalistic prowess. Maybe one day we will see some of these programs making an attempt to show a balanced view of their subject matter although I realize that sensationalism is the only way to attract viewers!

The market is difficult and times are hard for everyone at the moment.  Having said that the level of doom and gloom portrayed by the media is well and truly overboard and is doing nothing to help the current situation.

Until next time

Michael