Real Estate

Sean Woolley: Marked increase in demand for families buying in Marbella since COVID

Aloha College

COVID has changed so much, and has opened opportunities for working age people to be free to move where they want and seek a better life for their families. Now that people have found new ways to work, especially from home, moving to a sunnier climate such as Marbella has become a genuine option, not just for Northern Europeans, but also for those clients from further afield, such as the United States and Canada.

This has led to a significant increase in interest from families looking to the Costa del Sol as a place to live and now families with children make up about 80 percent of our buyers. Just under half of these are looking to make a permanent move to the area. Quality of life is the main driver for families making the move, while the quality of education, the opportunity to mix with a multi-national peer group, and the perceived safety of the area are also very important.

In fact, many of our buyers from North America are alarmed at the continued levels of gun crime in their home countries, and they love the fact that there is no such problem here in Spain.

Choosing a school comes first

The search for families is different than retirees, or those looking for a holiday home. It starts with the school and one of the big appeals of the Marbella and Costa del Sol area is the large selection of good quality international schools in a relatively small area. There are a range of schools covering different curriculums, in different languages, and offering a range of academic, sporting and arts options to suit all kids.

It’s important for us as agents to support clients with information, insights and advice at this stage, but not much more than that.

If a client has interviews with schools in, let’s say, Fuengirola, Sotogrande and Marbella, there really is little point in searching for property until they have chosen the school. Once that’s done, then we help to draw a radius of areas within easy travelling distance of the school. We find that most buyers don’t mind a school commute of 10-to-15 minutes by car. We rarely get asked for walking distance, perhaps mainly because the housing stock on the school’s doorstep may not be suitable for the client.

In no particular order, the most popular schools for our clients are Aloha College, Atlas ASM, Swans International School, Sotogrande International School and the English International College, although there are several others that are equally as good.

Space and amenities

Families generally need space, so properties with 3-plus bedrooms and 2-plus bathrooms are always popular. For villas, a home office is often essential, as well as dens or areas within the house for children to call their own. A pool and garden are essential for villa buyers, although many clients prefer more of a communal feel with on-site amenities and areas where children are likely to meet others and make new friends.

The choice often comes down to budget and location.

The higher demand and specific requirements of families has really pushed the prices of good, well-located family homes in Marbella since COVID. In some areas, prices have doubled in just 2-to-3 years. However, there are still good value properties available and options to purchase land and build a family home, too. The quality of life, family friendly society and the lower cost of living, still make moving to Spain as a family very popular and something which many of our clients, colleagues and friends are so
pleased that they have done.

The Simons family

‘… the best decision we ever made for our young family’

Darren Simons COO of Cloud Nine Spain made the move from the United Kingdom when his children were young and has never regretted it:

“We moved to Spain over 12 years ago and our two children were just 3 and 4 at the time. Many of our close friends and family were concerned that the children wouldn’t perhaps receive the best education due to being in a foreign country and the language and education system possibly being a challenge. Upon reflection we felt it was the very best decision we ever made for our young family.

Darren’s daughters Initially our girls attended Colegio Diadin in Benahavís – a state school providing education in Spanish. Due to the high volume of British children attending, some of the classes were bilingual.

“We soon realised that this was a fantastic foundation, as it provided a natural immersion into the
Spanish way of life and more importantly a grounding of the Spanish language of which they are now
fluent,” Darren said.

Three years on, they moved their children into an international private school in Elviria, Marbella where
they were educated in Spanish and English following the Cambridge and Spanish Baccalaureate.

“It has been an amazing journey for both and has given them skills for life, enabling them to speak
two languages with the local Andalucian accent. The out of school activities were also excellent, with
horse riding, gymnastics and even after school chess.”

His children made many friends of many nationalities and continue to thrive living here in the
Costa Del Sol with their further studies.

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See more about Spain here in Dispatches’ archives.

Read more from Sean here.

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Sean Woolley is the founder and director of Cloud Nine Spain. With 20 years’ experience of helping clients buy and sell properties in Spain, he’s known as “The Property Doctor” and has contributed to a host of publications. He has recently written the book “From the Ground Up – The Insider’s Guide to Buying Spanish Property,” sharing his years of experience, real life stories, tips and tricks with buyers interested in investing in Spanish Real Estate.

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