Suzy Dior/www.in2perspective.com

As an increasing number of Britons find their place in the sun, Easyspanishproperty.com’s Suzy Dior takes a look at what lies ahead for the Spanish property market.

The property market in Spain has been buoyant for some years now, with annual gains of 35% and more realized in the Costa Del Sol. Growth in 2004 has slowed to 23% in the South and 16% in the rest of Spain, but next year this is expected to slow to around 16% in the South and 10% elsewhere.

The costs of buying in Spain will continue to rise in the years ahead, so now is the time to make your purchase. Although prices may stabilise or drop slightly in UK, the Costa figures could continue to increase above average in the next few years.

More and more people are enjoying Spain as Europe’s Californian Coast and the migration of the ‘sun poor’ Europeans is getting faster every year.

So why is the Costa del Sol in the South of Spain growing higher than other areas in Spain and will it continue? Reasons lay mainly in the increased amount of sunshine compared to the rest of Spain; better level of lifestyle due to Marbella being the holiday capital of Spain and new services and access such as the extended E15 motorway from Malaga to Gibraltar and the addition of a second runway at Malaga airport to allow access for the proposed 5 million more people coming in over the next 10 years.

Kent International has just opened a new airport, which was previously a military airport. Flights from here will commence in October to Malaga opening up the South East of England for easier access to Southern Spain.

There has been a growth of more specialist property agencies with a higher standard of business ethics to spring up along the coast. These companies offer a more personal service to the client who is looking to buy property in Spain. A handful of these ethical, specialist agencies like Easy Spanish Property have gained access to all of the real estate resale properties along the coast by use of an advanced software programme, which includes over 2000 re-sale properties. In addition to this you can search the website through 940 new developments at www.easyspanishproperty.com to find what you are looking for.

The facts are that more and more working people are based in Spain, either commuting back to northern Europe or running their businesses via the internet or phone. Spain is still cheap compared to most north European cities and removes the currency risk for many European buyers. Clientele is mainly made up from around 16 European countries including mainland Spain and Morocco. This means the housing market follows a completely different set of rules to other markets.

Schools, colleges, cinemas, shopping centres and leisure facilities are springing up along the Costa del Sol in preparation for the larger number of families and expats living here. Cinemas are prepared with up to 8 different languages on 20 different screens. Colleges are Spanish, English and other nationalities. Serviced offices and commercial properties are in demand as many people start their own companies in a new country.

In conclusion, the population of Southern Spain will continue to grow, property is in continued demand and new developments are being built to accommodate the increase of people. If you’re buying in Spain for investment then look for something with ‘zizz’ that will continue in growth and demand for the coming years.