Villages in Spain tend to have a central square, the Plaza, which is the focal point of the village and usually has the village shop, perhaps a townhall, and then traditional townhouses or apartments. Modern villas and old cortijos and fincas can usually be found in the rural area surrounding the village and in the deeper countryside, along with ruined farmhouses.
Cities consist of townhouses and blocks of apartments in the centre with suburbs of villa style properties and townhouses.
Urbanizations can be found on the outskirts of cities and major towns, as well as in popular coastal areas. Urbanizations are purpose built estates of properties which may have their own facilities such as shops, a communal swimming pool and sports facilities. Many urbanizations have been purpose built for foreigners such as the British and Germans.
So, what type of property is best for you? It all depends on your budget, circumstances and needs.
Apartments – Apartments can be found in great supply and range from high rise apartments in cities and package holiday resorts, to plush, lower rise apartments in country clubs and golf course resorts. Whatever your needs, you will be able to find an apartment to suit you. They vary from small studio apartments to luxury penthouse apartments with huge floor spaces, and often have great shared facilities – swimming pool, gardens, sports facilities, even a golf course. Some apartments have terraces with enough room to have a barbecue, hot tub, sunbathing area and an outside eating area.
Apartments tend to be low maintenance, but you will probably have to pay maintenance fees and community charges.
Apartment life can be great unless you've got noisy neighbours or are in a block of holiday lets which can be empty in winter and packed out in summer.
Townhouses – Townhouses range from modern properties, in urbanizations or resorts, to the traditional white-washed properties found in Spanish pueblos. Although they look tiny from the outside, they are often huge, going way back and having three or four different levels. Don't let the narrow exterior put you off!
Some of them have gardens, but most will have balconies or a roof terrace instead. Townhouses on urbanizations and resorts will often have communal gardens and swimming pool.
Villas – Spaniards don't tend to live in villas, they are generally built for immigrants. Villas tend to be bungalows and so are ideal for the older generation and for those with mobility problems. They usually come with a decent plot of land and may even have their own pool, others have shared facilities.
Villas can usually be found on urbanizations or in the middle of the countryside. Check the legality of rural villas and urbanizations with the townhall.
Fincas and Cortijos – These types of property are rural properties. A finca is a country house and a cortijo is a farmhouse. There are many ruins available on the market, as well as refurbished ones, and they are great because they often come with a large amount of land and even some outbuildings and orchards. Make sure that the property has basic facilities like water and electricity, that it is fully legal and that you can get the relevant permission to make improvements.
As you can see, there is a wide variety of property in Spain and, in some areas, you may even find cave houses! Whatever type of property you have got your heart set on, do not sign anything or part with any money unless you have had an abogado check all of the legalities.
