One of the unexpected oddities to be encountered by any house buyer is the lack of genuine luxury homes for sale in Spain that have real character. This may seem an odd thing to state, given that there are quite a few luxury properties on the market.
However, how many properties have you seen that have individuality and some indication of being ‘Spanish’, as opposed to being in an anemic, modernist style (however wonderful)? The latter, in my experience, look as though they have come out of the pages of an international ideal homes magazine and could be situated anywhere in the world. Often they lie within relatively new estates and have little privacy, with a view of the sea and their internationalised style being their most striking characteristics.
Of course, occasionally, I do stumble across luxury homes for sale in Spain that you could fall in love with and imagine living in for a sustained period. These are always quirky and are, invariably the result of some highly skilled, extensive and dedicated reformation work by purists – with an eye to detail and an unstoppable insistence upon perfection.
Four examples of these types of houses are located in my own area and deserve a close look – if you like special properties or are looking to buy something really unusual in Spain.
1. The most perfect family home in Spain?
2. The most gorgeous finca within 10 minutes of the Mediterranean beaches?
3. The most lovely art deco house in Spain?
4. Secluded and beautiful – a unique finca to love!
In fact, one of the reasons why luxury homes for sale in Spain situated within the countryside along the Mediterranean coast are so rare is because there never were very many decent properties within the Spanish countryside. Unlike the UK, for example, the Spanish have traditionally lived within their villages and towns rather than within the countryside.
Indeed, where the British have always lived on their land (often in the middle of their estates or farms) the Spanish have always lived in their villages and then gone out to their fields. This means that there is a dearth of country properties compared to the UK – let alone properties of a size and character that most people would like. It is true to say that there are some cortijos or masias around but these are often incredibly massive with the ones I have seen usually in diabolical condition, having been left to deteriorate for generations.
Of course, over the years of the property boom loads of luxury homes for sale in Spain were built but most of these were constructed on coastal estates that were virtually dedicated to foreigners. This makes their situation artificial and far from the dream homes that most foreigners (surely) really desire. Equally, and sadly, most of the recent building in Spain is striking for having no traditional Spanish or Moorish features – arches, courtyards with fountains etc. This is a shame because Spain has a fine architectural heritage, albeit one that seems to have been forgotten.
Indeed, within coastal areas of Spain I despair at much of the construction erected over the past twenty years. Much of it has been built with the minimum of decoration or detail with boxy/square buildings being all too common, with their design subordinated to the cheapest way to construct a property (whether a block of flats, town house or villa). This has been very unfortunate and has, all too often, ruined coastal areas (or countryside) that was previously very beautiful…
Nick Snelling