Fiona and Simon are looking for a second home with golf nearby. Can we find them the perfect pad?

Dear Property Clinic,

We have decided to buy a second home and think that a house or apartment on a golf course and close to the sea combines the best of both worlds. Simon is keen on golf and wants to combine holidays with a chance to improve his game. I want to buy somewhere that we can lock up easily and know that it will be secure until our next visit. We have family who will join us for holidays so two to three bedrooms is a must. I think that new build would be best as we like modern, low-maintenance properties.

Fiona and Simon Jenkins, Hampstead

Florence and Bill are planning to retire to Spain, so they’re looking for a purpose-built home with an active social scene. Can we find them the perfect spot?

Dear Property Clinic,
Now that I’ve taken early retirement, my husband and I are thinking about how to make the most of this next phase of our lives, and we’ve decided to move to Spain where we feel we can have a much better standard of living in a healthier climate. We’re both in our fifties and very active, but we don’t enjoy moving house so we’d rather find a long-term home that will see us through later years when our health might not be as good. Ideally we’d like to move to a self-contained resort with an active social scene aimed at people of our age. Where should we start looking?

Florence and Bill Parker, Hampshire

Head away from the coast into the wide-open spaces of Inland Spain, and you could find a truly authentic bargain  

How many dreams of a home in Spain include a pool and a Mediterranean vista? Plenty, no doubt – though many more centre around a little piece of rustic south European heaven or a handsome townhouse in a ‘real’ Spanish town.

Even as the property market in Spain slows down there are areas of the country that are bucking the trend. Many have been, until now, off the radar as far as Spanish buyers are concerned, let alone foreigners: towns and villages so remote that the population has spent the last half century getting out, not rushing in.
But a lot of expats are looking for something different – remote or picturesque or unspoilt. Which is why you can turn up at a little town in Teruel province, or Extremadura or a tiny hamlet in the north of Granada province and discover that a British couple moved in last year and, yes, they love it here.

Make sure your investment property is up to par by buying on a golf course

Spain and golf are the perfect match: great courses, great infrastructure, great prices and, of course, great weather. It might not be much fun nipping out for 18 holes on a wet and windy spring Saturday in Minehead or Manchester or Muirfield, but it’s a different story in Spain. Even through the winter the southern half of the Iberian peninsula is, more often than not, bathed in sunshine so that all you have to worry about is the course itself.

Not surprisingly, countless thousands of British golfers (and their families) love the experience so much that they buy golf course properties. Even when the markets tighten, golf developments still sell well because the rule of thumb is high quality at good prices.

We’ve picked out some of the best new developments on courses across Spain and the result will provide some idea of the vastly different golfing and living experiences you can find from the Costa Brava to the Canaries, from Galicia to the Costa del Sol.

Jeff loves Mallorca, and Marcia can’t do without city life. Can we help them find the perfect compromise in Palma?

Dear Travel Clinic,

My husband Jeff is in love with Mallorca, and wants us to move over there this year, as he can now work from home wherever he is in the world. I’ve told him I’m a city girl at heart, and I want to be somewhere with shops and lots going on all the time. We’ve compromised on finding an apartment in Palma. I’d like somewhere with extra space to have guests to stay and so that Jeff can have space and peace to work during the day. Can you help us find a flat to suit us both? Our budget is up to €450,000.

Marcia Smith, Manchester

Jen and Tony Dawson are sun-worshippers looking for an all-year-round second or full-time home in the Canaries. Can we find them a hot property?

Dear Property Clinic

I'm thinking of taking early retirement this year and we were considering buying a property in Spain. We're both real sun-worshippers so after some lovely hot holidays all-year-round in the Canaries we thought the islands might be the ideal place to buy. We're not sure whether we'd like to keep it as a second home, or move there permanently, so we don't really have a set price range in mind. All we would ask is that the place be fairly new or recently renovated.

Jen and Tony Dawson, Brighton

Spain magazine speaks to developers and agents for their advice on buying brand new homes by the beach.

"Beachfront property will always retain its value as there is constant demand for this coveted location whereas supply will always be finite. Says Andrew Benitz, director of Titan Properties. “In my area of the Costa de la Luz huge swathes of land are backed by protected sand dunes and pine forests and therefore prohibited to build on, further reducing supply and consequently property located closer to the beach will always sell at a premium.”