Like many life-changing moves, it started with a screen-test at one of the property exhibitions that was ‘done for a laugh’. That set in motion a trip out to the Costa Blanca, a dream home and planning an early retirement of beach days and road trips.
Yet serendipity has been something of a feature of Mandy and Mick’s life since they got together after a 40-year gap of not seeing each other (after a wave on Facebook, the source of so many such re-unions). “We could have extended our home in the UK but we thought why don’t we get one in Spain? Our motto is life is short, so just go for it,” advises Mandy, 58, who had lived in Canada for many years.
A dream home in Quesada: budget, mortgage and what they bought
The newly engaged couple from Luton flew out with Ben Hillman to find them a property in the Ciudad Quesada area of Alicante province in the southern Costa Blanca. Mick had never even been to the popular area of the coast, yet the couple decided they would look for a three-bedroom villa with a swimming pool for their healthy £240,000 budget.
The property hunt gave them a lot to think about, but they ended up buying ‘property five’ – a two-bedroom property in Cuidad Quesada – for £224k – in February 2023.
The purchase went through very smoothly and the couple used A Place in the Sun Mortgages to get a 40% mortgage on the property. “We didn’t want to tie up all our cash,” says Mick, 59, who says that purchase costs added around 15% to the total amount they spent on their new home. Mick is still working as an insurance broker but Mandy is retired, having worked from the age of 14, and has enjoyed getting stuck into decorating their new home.
Applying for the Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV)
They are applying for a Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV) but are keen to get their affairs in order before coming tax resident in Spain, or they may be liable for paying capital gains tax on their worldwide assets, which includes any UK properties.
Settling into life in Spain: community, neighbours and lifestyle
“I’m going out every four or five weeks for a few days to work on the villa, and to get to know the area,” says Mandy. “In June we were there for three weeks. Actually we also got married". “In Quesada, we’ve made very good friends with our neighbours – we’ve got British one side, Germans the other and the Norwegians across the road.”
This very much reflects to cosmopolitan nature of Quesada, as it’s known for short, a vibrant town that was master planned by an entrepreneur (Mr Quesada) in 1972 but has evolved into a very desirable place to live.
They love nearby Rojales, and Guadamar is their favourite beach. “We love Spanish life and have a little brown book of places we want to explore,” says Mandy, who shares three grown-up children with Mick. Her son who lives in Ottawa has already visited their new home.
The couple are learning Spanish – which they advise doing if you can before you arrive in Spain – and also to keep an open mind about area and size of property. The couple thought they wanted a three-bedroom villa but ended up buying a two-bed property, realising that they didn’t really need a third anyway.
“We are so in love with the place we just can’t wait to go,” says Mandy.
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