Brits with Post-Holiday Blues are Still Smitten with Spain, Top Tips for Saving on Your Energy Bills, Plus More

Welcome to the October edition of the Marena Murray newsletter.

This month, the end of summer hasn't dampened British buyer's dreams of owning property in Spain, the Spanish second home market continues to grow with a little help from foreign buyers, plus we share advice on how to declutter your home and how to save money on your energy bills.

Spanish Property Market Fuelled by Second Home Buyers

The second home market in Spain continues to go from strength to strength, with the affordability of Spanish properties coupled with demand from British buyers and other foreign nationals, driving the growth.

Murcia was found to be one of the most affordable regions to buy a holiday home, with the average property costing around &150,000.

The research also found that the busiest times for foreign buyers purchasing second homes are the first six months of the year, with demand generally reaching a crescendo around October before dropping away around Christmas.

The tourism market in Spain has continued to grow over the last few years, which is encouraging foreign buyers from the UK to purchase property and rent it to holidaymakers during the time they aren’t occupying it, making a profit whilst enjoying the many benefits of owning a holiday home.

As a result of the booming tourism market and the interest in the property market from outside the country, (as well as a stable economy and improved job outlooks in Spain), has led to the property market becoming more stable with little to no fluctuation in property values.

All these factors have led to higher confidence in the second home market, with Knight Frank reporting a 20.2% increase in mortgage lending at the beginning of 2017.

The increased demand for property and depleted supply is good news for sellers who are finding their properties are being purchased quickly and for a higher than average price.

Brits With Post-Holiday Blues are Still Smitten With Spain

With Halloween just a few weeks away, many UK residents will be resigning themselves to the fact that summer is well and truly over. But according to recent internet search data, that hasn’t stopped them from looking to buy property abroad!

Since the end of the summer, there has been a 17% increase in the number of Brits searching for homes abroad, with Spain coming out on top as the most viewed property.

Research also revealed that the most searched for phrase in conjunction with homes abroad were ‘pool’, ‘beach’ and ‘sea view’. Other popular phrases included ‘villa’, ‘furnished’, ‘golf course’, ‘garden’ and ‘garage’.

The upsurge in interest can be attributed to Brits returning from Spain with post-holiday blues, however, it is down to the owners of properties to convert this interest into a sale.

Following on from the Brexit referendum, the majority of property portals have noted a rise in views, which is attributed to citizens trying to secure property abroad before the UK exits the European Union. The majority of the viewers are believed to be retired or close to retirement, and eager to secure property quickly.

With potential buyers confident of the type of amenities they are looking for, it’s important for sellers to identify the unique selling points of their property so that they can attract some of these potential buyers.

If you are interested in selling, get in touch with Marena Murray. Our expert team can assist you in marketing your home in the best possible light so that you can take advantage of this window of opportunity.

Easy Steps to Decluttering Your Home

Do you sometimes feel as though you’re drowning in a sea of clutter? Or that your house has become more and more disorganised? It’s time to hit those common, messy areas.

Start by sorting through everything you own.
Getting started is always the hardest part. Performing an audit of everything you own is a great first step. Gather common build up items like books, items of food, jewellery, paperwork, loose batteries or anything you’re saving “just in case”. Find out how many duplicates or useless items you have, throw them away. Whatever there is leftover, sort and store them properly.

Next… tackle the wardrobe
Let’s face it, a wardrobe is a totally different beast to the random things you tend to collect.

A good system to operate in the future is a one in one out system. Every time you buy a new item of clothing, throw away an old item.

Whilst you’re at it, you should tackle your sock drawers. Throw away any old and worn out items, and add an organiser to the draw to keep everything separate and neat.

Sort out your utensils drawer
You know you’ve collected too much cutlery when the draw starts to stick. Take everything out of the drawer and throw away those useless tools (like your melon baller or your citrus juicer) and add a divider to better divide your essential utensils.

Organise your garage, shed and/or loft space
Transparent boxes are your best friend when it comes to organising your storage spaces. You can stack them all on top of each other and you can see all the contents you’ve stored inside them, meaning you don’t need to go through a hundred boxes to find something.

Get the kids involved
Encouraging your kids to keep their bedrooms neat and organised it a brilliant way to keep one of the messiest areas of your house neat and tidy.

Introduce them to the idea of donating unwanted toys to charity shops and how doing so can have a positive impact on the lives of others. It’s also a vital life skill your children will need to learn.

Top Tips for Saving on Your Energy Bills

1. Insulate your home in every way possible
It’s not the most thrilling of solutions, but in terms of saving money, it is a tried and true method. Loft and wall insulation are relatively cheap to get installed in your home (in the case of loft insulation there are government grants that can help). On the other hand, double glazing has shed its reputation for being an ugly addition to a property’s façade, and can now be purchased in a range of styles. These additions will turn your home into a toasty fortress, whilst also saving you over €375 a year in energy bills.

2. Harness the Sun
With the vast majority of the public believing the myth that solar panels only work when it’s sunny, many wouldn’t think of turning to solar as a method for bringing your winter bills down. If you plan on living in your current property for many years, investing in solar panels is a great way for making long-term savings.

3. Turn-Off Your Electronic Items
It slips most people’s minds to switch off electronic items, especially when most modern technology like games consoles and mobile devices that require a constant internet connection to function quickly. Ensuring that you turn off any electronic items that you aren’t using could save you €30 a year.

4. Boiler and Thermostats
If you live in a property with an older boiler, you might want to consider buying a more energy-efficient version. The current models could save you over €300 a year on your bills. If the cost of installation seems a little high, you could always consider having a service, which can help to make them more efficient. It’s also important to control your heating with your thermostat. Turning it down by as much as one degree can save you €80 a year.

5. Get Smart Control
Being able to control your heating via a mobile app, means you can manage the temperature of your home. Perfect for when no one’s home and the heating or air con is still running at full blast.

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