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Original poster

A Place in the Sun - Pros and Cons

43 replies

Twoginsonetonic · 12/06/2021 10:32

Lockdown dreams…
A holiday den…
Do you have one? If so, where? Would you buy one if you could?
Is it worth it?

OP posts:
newnortherner111 · 12/06/2021 10:43

I don't like second homes. I don't like people being unable to buy a house locally because someone has a home that is only used for say 100 days a year. So I would never consider one.

Hax · 12/06/2021 11:14

In the spirit of the OP, no I don't have one but when I watch a place in the sun I always want one! I love it when they buy in areas I know well.
Criteria for me would be
Short flight from Northern airports.
Close to destination airport
Quiet small town or village
Sea view
A few nice restaurants within walking distance.

In the end though it comes down to whether you want to be committed to spending most of your holidays in the same place.

Ellmau · 12/06/2021 11:27

Also, will you be able to resell easily?

Mabelene · 12/06/2021 11:35

We had one for 20 years, but it was rented more than we stayed in it as a couple of years after buying it we moved over permanently

However, I used to manage properties for other people and you need to allow for paying someone to look after it in your absence.

Are you going to rent it out? Be careful of local laws as a lot of places are tightening up on holiday lets.

If you’re not, how often will you use it? Will you have communal fees to pay, year round internet so it’s there for when you stay? Again, someone as a key holder to keep an eye and arrange cleaning and laundry
Are you buying outright or with a mortgage? Would it sell quickly if your circumstances change?

The idea is lovely but is it practical for you? If you have to spend £200k (which a 2 bed apartment would cost here) that would pay for a lot of holidays, plus you’d still have to pay for travel costs/car hire/food, so you’re only saving on accommodation costs (which may be swallowed up by running costs)

Original poster
Twoginsonetonic · 13/06/2021 07:33

Thanks for the replies. This year being what it it, it’s hard not to think about just getting on a plane and getting to your own place somewhere in Italy …or France or. Portugal.

200k seems like a lot of money @Mabelene for a two bedroom apartment … I can only assume that it’s in a popular place and can be sold quickly if needed. Did you have to speak the language to navigate the buying process?

I wonder in COVID will results in holiday homes abroad prices going up or down…

OP posts:
CormoranStrike · 13/06/2021 07:41

In light of the past year and a half my place in the sun would be in thr UK, so I could at least access it without flights and quarantine.

It would be on one of the more accessible Scottish islands, and I would kit it out as a crafting retreat, so I could spend rainy days there as much as summer holiday home.

TeddingtonTrashbag · 13/06/2021 07:48

I considered this a few years ago and found the ideal place but pit it on hold to see what happened with Brexit am so so glad I did as it would now be not only inaccessible but unsaleable whilst still soaking up property taxes and maintenance charges. It would have cost about £150k plus ongoing charges -as PP said that would buy a lot of holidays without the hassle.

NothingTraLaLa · 13/06/2021 08:02

No. I don’t want to be restricted to one place for my holidays/weekends away, and I don’t want the responsibility of maintaining anywhere other than my main home. I’d rather spend the money on swanky hotels and restaurants where someone else does the laundry and cooking.

Mydogisagentleman · 13/06/2021 08:03

My DH is obsessed with that bloody programme!
We were both due to fly to Portugal on Wednesday to look for a place to retire to in about 4 years.
Unfortunately I am not able to get holiday from work to isolate myself for 10 days and so he is going alone

Original poster
Twoginsonetonic · 13/06/2021 08:07

@Mydogisagentleman

My DH is obsessed with that bloody programme! We were both due to fly to Portugal on Wednesday to look for a place to retire to in about 4 years. Unfortunately I am not able to get holiday from work to isolate myself for 10 days and so he is going alone
Can I ask why did you pick Portugal? Good luck with it anyway .
OP posts:
TinaYouFatLard · 13/06/2021 08:08

We have a beautiful place in the sun! Unfortunately it is in a country that has been completely inaccessible since March 2020. It’s crap but we live it there and will get there this summer come hell or high water.

NautaOcts · 13/06/2021 08:10

We inherited one... not exactly in the sun but in the snow, and in beautiful mountains.

We have sold it now thankfully but I wouldn’t get a holiday home again.

We only have limited times a year we can go away and because of how much it cost us (we inherited it with a mortgage) we felt we had to spend holidays there.

As convenient as it is knowing where you’re going and what’s there, especially with young kids, there’s so much world to see I would rather got to different places.

Also feeling bad/sensing negativity from the neighbours and locals

Forgetting what you left there and what’s home 😂 (leading to a very expensive purchase of a ski jacket in the village there one year)

Finding someone reliable and trustworthy to take care of it and do cleaning/changeovers when it’s let - not easy

Dealing with demanding holiday let guests

The emergency repairs, plumbing etc

Worrying about big expenses like the roof being done

Ours was also not that easy to get to, 3 hours from the airport or 10 hours drive from Calais so not that feasible for just a long weekend.

Feels a bit like a weight has been lifted now.

Sarahlou63 · 13/06/2021 08:13

I live in Portugal, it's wonderful Grin

Clymene · 13/06/2021 08:14

@Mydogisagentleman

My DH is obsessed with that bloody programme! We were both due to fly to Portugal on Wednesday to look for a place to retire to in about 4 years. Unfortunately I am not able to get holiday from work to isolate myself for 10 days and so he is going alone
In breach of Foreign Office guidance means most travel insurance is invalid. Does he know this?
Mydogisagentleman · 13/06/2021 08:42

@Clymene - yes.
As for the question of why Portugal? He plays croquet and it has some good clubs.
It’s lose enough to return to the uk if our DD needed us to or my parents had a health issue and I can drive over with my dog

W1spaWh1sper · 13/06/2021 08:50

We have a camper van
Enjoy going to lots of different places

WeAreTheHeroes · 13/06/2021 08:56

Brexit is bound to have an impact on holiday homes in the EU as this means for a lot of people the maximum amount of time they can spend there is 90 days.

Original poster
Twoginsonetonic · 13/06/2021 09:02

@WeAreTheHeroes

Brexit is bound to have an impact on holiday homes in the EU as this means for a lot of people the maximum amount of time they can spend there is 90 days.
Is this true ? I didn’t realise… surely one can get permanent residence if they own a house? It must be different in different countries too…
OP posts:
HollowTalk · 13/06/2021 09:03

You can't get a permanent residence just because you own a house in the country! That's a completely different thing.

Mydogisagentleman · 13/06/2021 09:13

@HollowTalk
My husband was eligible for Irish citizenship. He is going to travel for the first time on his Irish passport.
As an EU citizen, he will be eligible to live full time there. I can have one once he has held his for 4 years if we have been married for that time.
We wed in 1987!

Bonitalazenia · 13/06/2021 09:17

We bought a 2 bedroomed apartment on a gated urbanisation on the Costa Blanca 4 years ago, best purchase ((66k euros) ever. Huge communal pool. Great Market. Near beach, bars, restaurants and shopping centre. Until Covid travelled over 4-5 times per year, used by family for costs only. The communal fees are low (170euros p.a). Made lots of friends in the community. We have a lady who manages the property for us and does a property check for 15euros a time. Maintenance issues are minimal, its a lock-up and leave. Love it love it love it! 2.5hrs flight from UK. Hoping to get back to our happy place in late July.

SpiderinaWingMirror · 13/06/2021 09:21

We pondered for years and the outline plan was to buy somewhere in our 50s. Then Brexit happened and the hoops youd have to jump through to spend much of the year there in retirement plus reciprocal health going made it not worth it.
We will just rent each year instead. Tbf we aren't ex pat sorts anyway!

DazzlePaintedBattlePants · 13/06/2021 09:32

Mydog you have to be resident in Ireland for at least 3 of the previous 5 years to be eligible for Irish citizenship by marriage.

We have a place we inherited, in a block of flats. I love it and miss it dreadfully right now. Not sure we could afford to buy it ourselves though.

SimonJT · 13/06/2021 09:37

I was going to buy a static in the UK, but when I looked into it properly it was essentially as expensive as a second mortgage. So I started looking at very small properties (forest of dean), I eventually found what was an old tiny outhouse on a farm that had planning permission to be turned into a little three bed, but couldn’t be used as a main dwelling. It used to be a stable for a very small riding school, so it isn’t near the other farm buildings etc and has woodland all around it now.

We completed on Tuesday, it will take a long time to do it up, but it will be worth it. I’m starting the stripping out process next week, its full of random crap, so the big skip will be coming. We do have a camper, so its nice having something to stay in on the weekends that we’re doing the work.

Original poster
Twoginsonetonic · 13/06/2021 09:39

@bonitalazenia good for you!
Was it straightforward to buy? How much do solicitors cost?

OP posts:
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