Property

Manilva is at the heart of one of the most dynamic property markets in Europe and in this section we will bring you information and articles by people with first hand knowledge and experience of all aspects of the industry.

The Market

Paul Grindrod, independant property consultant, has made his home in Sabinillas, Manilva and this is what he has to say:

Summer is here on the CDS and the inevitable slowing of property transactions allows for a little reflection.

When I first moved here in 2002 I was part of a sales team selling up to 100 properties per month yet an ex colleague revealed recently that the much depleted team had only sold 4 properties this year!

The main reason for this seemingly catastrophic decline has much to do with the diminishing speculative market that has seen the serious investors move on and as with many fast track economies some of the big sales outfits have become victims of their own success, expanding rapidly and then imploding as sales dwindled.

It is hard to believe now that just a couple of years ago buyers outnumbered properties, especially newly built apartments that were ready to move into yet now we appear to be spoilt for choice and a buyers market has returned, or has it?A closer look at what people are actually buying into is required and reveals much about our developing coastline.

Firstly the Manilva area and in particular Sabinillas has changed dramatically in the past 3 years and the very real benefits to the community and area that the new roads and infrastructure have brought to this former backwater cannot be overemphasised.

They have quite literally put Manilva on the map and transformed the way we go about our daily lives as anybody who used to commute to Gibraltar will testify. Sabinillas itself has been the welcome recipient of an ongoing beautification exercise that has seen considerable investment from both public and private sector and with no sign of stopping we are seeing the benefits from the recent buying 'boom' as everyone has a little more money in their pockets.

Just taking a walk around the town, along the new paseo, looking in the new shops, bars and restaurants reveals much and is indicative of an economy on the up and investment in the area from property sales is responsible for much of it.

I can see a time in the not too distant future when Manilva will be as desirable as anywhere on the coast in perceived terms and for my money it has arguably the best location on the CDS, with easy access to Gibraltar, Costa de la Luz, not to mention Seville, Cadiz, Cordoba, 3 airports (Malaga, Gib & the recently revived Jerez).

So we have a lot to offer and there are plenty of property bargains out there right? Well like a lot of things when you narrow it down the choice is more limited and can be divided into permanent homes and shorter term or holiday accommodation.

The former is better catered for and there appears to be no shortage of new apartment blocks going up which because of available land still have good locations if not the views and wow factor the northern Europeans crave yet the dream home with views, orientation, local facilities and proximity to golf, beach and harbour remains as desirable and hard to get as ever and the prices reflect this.

New buyers may not see the marked uplift of prices enjoyed over the last few years but will benefit from improved facilities that make Manilva a better place to live. Like the Internet pre broadband we all used it yet never realised quite how good it could be!

Taking a drive around the area reveals plenty of ongoing construction that cater for all tastes and budgets and some new projects which in a few years will be industry standards for their locations and various qualities, my tip for the future is the new development called Rock bay, between Sotogrande and la Duquesa. This is a stunning new project that uniquely has the roads, gardens and infrastructure in place with building due to start shortly.

Initially apartments are available from circa €260k and later individual Villas will be built to spec over a site that enjoys some of the best views on the coast. Closer to home the Doña Julia development behind Marina de Casares is set to receive the coasts first 6 star hotel complex and combines low density building with beautiful landscaped gardens and built to standards comparable with anything in Sotogrande or Valderama yet at a fraction of the price.

They have a well presented showflat behind the La Venta restaurant which is worth a look to see just how well these things can be done.

Quality never goes out of fashion and crème rises to the top are two expressions that ring true in many markets and never more so than with property, check out either of the above and you will see why – oh to be a first time buyer in Manilva!

For further info please contact me, Paul Grindrod at property@manilvalife.com