Find out what these two couples think about the wisdom on buying slightly further inland.
Living in Pinar de Campoverde
"We wanted to be near the coast, but not on it"
Peter and Joy Jones moved into their dream retirement home inland of the southern Costa Blanca in April this year.
The couple, who sold their home in East Sussex after retiring in 2013, paid €110,000 for their two bedroom detached villa in Pinar de Campoverde, a small town eight miles from the coast at Torre de la Horadada. The property includes a solarium, off - road parking, a garden and access to a communal pool. "We'd been visiting friends in this area for 10 years, so knew we wanted to be here," said Peter. "We actually moved out in December 2013, renting a three-bedroom apartment further south on the Mar Menor, which allowed us to search for the home we wanted to buy, with the help of our agent Coast and Country Spain [coastandcountryspain.net]. We wanted to be near the coast, but not on it and Campoverde is ideal, surrounded by orange and lemon groves, but still with distant views of the sea."
The Joneses have registered at the local doctor's, arranged to receive their pension in Spain and are transferring their UK car onto Spanish plates.
"Everything is very handy and we're settling in nicely," added Peter. "The community is a mix of part-time and full-time residents, of a whole range of nationalities."
Living in Orba
"We paid €70k less than the original asking price!"
John and Debbie Checkling came a step closer to retiring to the Orba Valley this year, when in June they received the keys to their new home there.
The Warwickshire couple, who have four children and two grandchildren, plan to visit their four bedroom, two-bathroom villa five times a year, until they are ready to
retire there in a few years.
"We'd been talking about buying in Spain and how we'd like to retire there for years," said Debbie, who works for the NHS. "So we decided to go for it and in April last year had an offer of €170,000 accepted on our villa, which had an asking price of €240,000. Completion was delayed twice but fortunately our agent kept the deal alive and we've now completed. In the meantime, we've been able to downsize in the UK, to help fund the purchase in Spain."
The Checklings' villa, which has a private pool, is in the El Aspre area of Orba town, just 20-25 minutes from the coastal resort of Jávea. They bought through local agency HomeEspaña [homeespana.co.uk], which has an office in nearby Benidoleig.
"We're in a lovely spot - on a hillside, with a forest behind and mountain views in front of us," continued Debbie. "On a clear day we can see the Med at Dénia. We got to know the area from numerous holidays and love the scenery and friendly people. I knew it was the right property the first time I walked in!"
