Marcella and Jade from Belfast are in the enviable position of being able to move their jobs to Spain next year. They’ve bought a stunning new three-bedroom villa and this time in a year will be out on the Costa Blanca enjoying the late summer sun.
Their journey began at the A Place in the Sun Live Property Showcase in Dublin a year ago when the couple, in their forties, planned a day of research. “We went with a very open mind but as avid watchers of the TV programme we were excited it was the first A Place in the Sun Live in Dublin,” says Jade, the operations manager for an IT company. “We knew we wanted Spain for the weather and the lifestyle but wanted to lay the foundations, to meet some useful contacts.”
The couple did indeed manage to meet the legal experts and property agents that they hoped would provide them with the tools for their purchase. They sat in on a couple of seminars about buying in Spain, says Marcella, who manages talent acquisition in a network of global companies.
“Even if we did know a few of the things being talked about, it was so useful to have them confirmed, that we were on the right lines. It’s daunting to relocate to Spain so it was great to discuss with agents that had made that move already themselves. You do hear horror stories elsewhere!”
Amongst those people was Kerry Dixon of MASA International, with who they chatted for nearly an hour. “We left the show feeling very optimistic and digested all the information on the drive back [to Belfast]. We then booked a trip out to look at properties in February.”
The couple had never been to the Costa Blanca but loved what they saw. They chose a very contemporary style three-bedroom, four-bath detached villa with a private pool in Quesada. “We liked it as it’s not too close to the beach – it’s 10-minutes’ drive inland, between lemon and lime trees,” says Marcella. When the property is completed in spring 2024, they will move out.
The couple admit it was more than their £350k budget. “But we advise that to get the most out of your meetings with agents, be very upfront about your requirements, and what you can spend, or it just wastes everyone’s time.”
At the show they also made contact with My Lawyer in Spain, who proceeded to do their conveyancing on their purchase. “We recommend the show as it’s such a great opportunity to meet all the experts in one place. It gave us the confidence to move forward with our plans – and we even got our photo taken with Jasmine which was another highlight.”
