Advice for buying a holiday home

[ShabbyChic999]

Hi everyone
My DH and I recently suffered the loss of a close family member and received an inheritance from them. It is a good amount and we would like to invest in a property - a holiday home we could use ourselves and also rent out - either a small place here (we live in Ireland - I love the idea of a fixer upper but that might be rose tinted glasses!) or an apartment abroad.

I'm just wondering if anyone has gone through this and would have any advice please.

We live just outside a city so the idea of a holiday home in our own country maybe 3 hours away on the coast would be lovely but I'm conscious the weather is not reliable!

Buying abroad is a bigger unknown but there is good value in south of Spain and regular flights all year round. We had initially thought about the south of France but flights are seasonal.

I'd love to get your opinions and thank you ❤️❤️❤️

Homes abroad are more hassle than you think. Getting work organised if you don't know anyone locally is a nightmare and generally the workers add extra to the quotes. Then trying to explain what you want done in another language can also be interesting.

We sold ours after a few issues with the property as it was costing a lot of time and effort to get things sorted.

It is a nice problem to have but I am sorry for your loss.
Some of the traditional holiday destinations abroad are almost becoming too hot now at certain times of the year because of climate change. Might be something to keep in mind especially if you are tied to certain travel times, school holidays, for example.

One of the three peninsulas from Tralee down to Bantry would be my choice if I lived where you are. That's a fantastic coast for a holiday home.

We bought a 3 bedroom flat near Jerez a couple of years ago.
We were fortunate with the agents that we used and have been able to rent it over July/August and early September. The rent pays towards the maintenance charge.
Since we got it, we have had air-conditioning installed, ceiling fans in all the rooms, next week the bathroom is being completely renovated.
None of this would have been possible if not for Jose etc Al.
We are lucky inasmuch as my DH has Irish citizenship and will be able to get Spanish residency. I will also be allowed thanks to him.