As it prepares to host the Americas Cup, Valencia is THE place to buy

Valencia is Spain’s third largest city – a vibrant, friendly place that boasts Europe’s newest cultural and scientific complex, the largest aquarium in Europe, an outstanding fine arts museum and a fabulous new opera house. Local government and EU investment in the city has provided an excellent infrastructure with an expanding metro network and tram system.

Add to this the proliferation of low-cost flights from the UK and you have a very accessible and attractive weekend retreat.

This year the city is in the spotlight as it hosts the Americas Cup, an extended yachting regatta that will result in crowds of visitors and much publicity for Valencia until the end of the summer.

Property looks good value and data from the Spanish property guide Kyero shows that prices are currently 16% below the national average price.

“Our clients are now going more for apartments than country houses,” says Alex Crespo of estate agent Valencia Estates. “Valencia city remains a very good buy, with prices per square metre for an apartment in the centre averaging £1,275 compared with £2,345 in Barcelona and a buoyant local market.”

Valencia Estates recommends buyers look at El Carmen, one of the city’s better-known districts right in the heart of the old quarter, with good night life and fine restaurants. It has for sale a restored two-bedroom apartment near Plaza de la Reina, which is ultra-modern inside while retaining beautiful period features. It is on the market for €309,000.

An up-and-coming area is Ruzafa, just 10 minutes’ stroll from the Plaza de Ayuntamiento. Many chic bars and restaurants have opened in the last year and there is a fresh fruit and vegetable, meat and seafood market here. Prices have been climbing rapidly as buyers are attracted by the cosmopolitan atmosphere, the architecture, the blossoming nightlife and proximity to the city centre. Valencia Estates has an attractive two-bedroom apartment with period features and balconies and only 10 minutes’ walk to the city centre for sale for €222,425.

Cheaper than Ruzafa and a little further from the centre but close to the science park and a 15-minute drive to the beach is Monteolivete. Valencia Estates has for sale an apartment on the top floor of an attractive Mediterranean-style building that needs total restoration for €178,000.

South of Valencia, yet still within half an hour’s drive of the centre, lies the coastal town of Gandia, a prosperous commercial centre, once home to a branch of the Borja dynasty. Four kilometers away, Playa de Gandia has long, broad sandy beaches backed by medium-rise apartments. Simon Creed of Azahar Properties recommends this area and in nearby Monterrey is offering for sale a seven-bedroom new-build property with private pool and spectacular views for €625,000. The same agent is offering a two-bedroom villa with separate apartment on a huge plot in Monserrat for €335,000, while Peek at Spain have a villa with its own small orchard and private pool for €354,000 .

North of Valencia, on the Northern Costa del Azahar, the coastal towns of Peniscola, Benicarlo and Vinaros are worth visiting, with two-bedroom apartments near the beach on offer for as little as €140,000, and good-sized villas in elevated positions in Peniscola with fantastic sea views available from €300,000. Estate agents Carobtree are offering a beach bungalow close to Benicarlo, and with direct access down steps to the beach. The two bedroom house is in a small, pretty urbanization, has been completely refurbished and is for sale for €235,000.

Properties of particular interest are traditional village houses, especially those within 20 minutes of the coast in villages such as Cervera del Maestre, San Jordi, Calig, Chert and Canet Lo Roig.  Prices start from around €40,000 for a renovation project. Carobtree have a recently constructed detached house, near El Castell and within a short walk of a village, surrounded by countryside and a short drive to the coast of Vinaros and the golf course Panoramica. The property has three good bedrooms, covered terrace and roof terrace with lovely mountain views and is for sale for €227,000.

There is also growing interest in secluded villas in the hills 10-15km inland. These spacious properties are built to a high standard and usually come with over three acres of land. They are in rural settings and there is a pleasant mix of German, French, Swiss, Dutch, Austrian and British owners. There is also an interest in buying plots of land in these locations and choosing to have your own villa built using the services of a local architect and builder. Prices for high-quality detached country villas on large plots of land start from around €400,000. Plots of land (10,000m2 plus) start at around €30,000.

Estate agents Carobtree have a very spacious country property on a huge six acre plot with sea views for sale for €425,000. The house has four bedrooms, an expansive terrace of 100square metres, a pergola and  a large swimming pool. It benefits from a large guest apartment to accommodate friends. You will never run out of water as the house has its own well and youu will never feel guilty enjoying the sun as the house is built with solar panels to power electricity and central heating.

http://www.carobtree.co.uk

http://www.valencia-estates.com 

http://www.azaharproperties.com

http://www.peekprop.com