House Hunters Michael and Kate's Journey of Buying Property in La Duquesa, Spain
They might not see very much of each other, but Michael and his sister Kate have a lot of laughs and clearly a lot of trust in each other.
Michael, who’s based in Cork, and Kate, in Chester, decided to buy a home in Spain together so they could share the cost and also the responsibility of owning an additional property. “We couldn’t afford it individually and wanted both our families to be able to enjoy it,” says Michael, 61, a chartered surveyor with three grown-up sons.
Also self-employed and the parent of three children Kate adds: “It’s less frightening doing it together and we can share the running costs. Everything is split 50/50.” The couple bought a three-bed property in La Duquesa on the western Costa del Sol for £177,000 in June 2022 – their property search has recently been featured on the new series of A Place in the Sun.
But has the very easy-going sibling relationship seen on screen carried on? It seems it has, although the couple rather surprisingly admit that they haven’t actually been at the apartment together since they collected the keys over two years ago. “I hope we do at some point!” laughs Michael.
They have a roughly fair system for usage, though not quite 50/50 as Kate’s two 16-year-old daughters mean that she and her husband Ian are tied to school holidays for now. “As Michael’s the oldest I am happy he can have first say about when he goes,” says Kate, rather generously. “But I get priority over Michael’s sons. We have a shared calendar and ‘reserve’ block out a stay and then if there’s no objection, it gets booked in,” she explains. Michael will sometimes go for three or four weeks at a time as he can work remotely, and with an EU passport doesn’t have to worry about a 90-day limit.
They have a joint Spanish bank account they can access and share managing the utilities, taxes and the cleaner. “Since buying it I have spent quite a bit of time there and so far every Christmas and New Year there, last year with my sons,” says Michael.
For Kate, the high cost of Christmas flights for five is a big deterrent. Costs are laid out in a spreadsheet, including service charges of €2,000 per year and €25 per month internet. If someone visits the flat they pay for what water or electricity they use, and for the cleaning afterwards. “We’d really recommend it and are glad it gets so much use rather than sitting empty,” adds Michael. They intend the property to be a long-term investment that might get left to their children, but of one of them wants to sell, the other will aim to buy the other one out.
“With the cost of flights increasing it is a great way to be able to give our children the opportunity to have a relatively affordable holiday,” adds Kate, who is currently there with her son Jack, 19.
“It’s only an hour from either Malaga or Gibraltar airports, and Manilva is great for being busy and also warm all year-round. My husband also wants to take his golfing friends there out when it’s not too hot.”
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