Turn an extraordinary space into a meaningful place with Casas de Lorca
Imagine a five acre plot of land in the province of Murcia, south east Spain, close to the city of Lorca; blueprints laid out on the table before you of a villa with Moorish arches, a central courtyard and ornate turrets; a large window that looks out onto the Cordilleras Béticas mountains with a breeze full of sea air rolling in from the coast only 20 minutes away and a clear blue sky with the sun beaming down giving life to all. This sounds like an extract from a fairy tale or something only dreams are made of but for one man all these elements have become reality.
Lorca based property developer, Casas de Lorca, offer the opportunity for those looking to buy land and build their very own luxury villas in this spectacular setting. Drew Broadley, a retired gentleman from the town of Montrose in Scotland, is just one of Casas de Lorca’s clients who “took the bull by the horns” and decided to build his very own casa in Spain.
“I decided to use my time and finances as an investment into Lorca, with villas in mind that would be more like a home than the average “holiday property”. I chose Spain because of its popularity with the British, its retirement community and the fact that it is so accessible in distance and cost” says Broadley. “So many properties in Spain are small and only cater to short term visits but the properties that I chose to have built not only had unique build features but are also safe, spacious and private making them very appealing to those who want to get away from it all.”
Broadley, who influenced some of the architectural features of the villas, has taken many visits to the area, taking an active role in making sure the villas would have as much “sales appeal” as possible. He says “I bought four plots of land to build on with a view to sell or rent three of the properties and use the capital from those to design and build my own on the forth plot. The process has been very simple and with Casas de Lorca being an English speaking developer means that all the contracts and lawyers documents were covered in both languages. The communication between developer and client should be high on the list of considered factors when purchasing abroad.”
Financially Broadley bought one of the plots with savings and then took out mortgages through two Spanish banks for the remainder. He comments “I took the mortgages out with two of the commercial Spanish banks, Cajamurcia and Banesto. Cajamurcia were helpful as they have their website in English and they have internet banking in English. Banesto’s website is a bit hard to follow as everything is in Spanish but I suppose us lazy Brits should learn Spanish!!”
Mike Hamilton, Sales Director of Casas de Lorca, goes onto say: “Despite the state of the current market people are still looking to buy abroad and are still attracted to Spain for many reasons. Enquiries to the company Conti Financial Services for overseas property mortgages still highlight Spain as its top destination for UK buyers. Recent research carried out by savings bank Alliance and Leicester International has also highlighted the top ten reasons why people rate their new country of residence over the UK with Spain coming top of the polls for better climate and weather with quality and pace of life taking second and third place. The study asked British expats and families who have immigrated to Spain which just shows the large spectrum of people that Spain appeals to.” Hamilton, who guided Drew Broadley through the process of buying and building, knows that there are more than just financial considerations when buying abroad especially when you are able to have elements of choice in design and layout of your home. Drew Broadley embraced this advice when considering his four properties and really appreciated the guidelines that Casas de Lorca provided.
“There are 3 fundamental considerations that people should always look at, the never changing location, design and materials” says Hamilton. “Choosing the right plot for your home can vastly affect the feel of the property and also the finished value. A finished villa on a plot with magnificent views can be worth over 50% more than a finished villa without views or with poor access.”
Hamilton goes on to say that like Drew the eventual selling on or renting the property out has to be considered. “Personal taste forms part of the process when it comes to design and layout but there are a few key factors which affect the desirability of the property. Firstly orientate the house towards the best views. In the UK people usually wish to orientate the house towards the South but this is not necessary the case in Spain. It is better to look out towards the views whichever direction they might be and to have the sunrise flooding into the house rather than facing south when the sun is too high to come into the house.”
“The layout of the house is also extremely important. A good house is split logically between the day time and night time areas and one of the biggest pieces of advice I can give is when looking at possible house plans is to imagine walking around the house and imagining how it is going to flow. The expert design team at Casas de Lorca can assist with this and can give useful advice on architecture features such as courtyards and turrets; we have even designed a house with 15 arches made from Tuscan Stone surrounding a pool which is built into the house!“
“So having got the location and design right, the last challenge is the materials. At Casas de Lorca we have built an exhibition centre to help manage this process” concludes Hamilton: “From tiles to the type of stone window surrounds, wood for the doors and built in wardrobes to the door handles, we have literally thought of everything.”
Making a sound investment that’s been given the personal touch will always be a rewarding experience and Drew Broadley is just one of the many people who have enjoyed the services and opportunities that Casas de Lorca has provided. One of the design villas available through Casas de Lorca is Casa Cordoba a classic Andalucian styled 3 / 4 bedroom villa uniquely built around an internal glass walled courtyard. The views through the living room and the high tower fill the villa with lots of natural light and provide stunning views of the surrounding countryside; prices start from £236,900 /€319,000.
So, for your opportunity to follow Drew’s footsteps and to make an extraordinary space your meaningful place contact Casas de Lorca today on 0844 734 8057 or visit www.casasdelorca.net.