Advice on buying an apartment please

[Busyboysmum]

Hi

This is my first post so hope I am posting it in the right place.

We spent a very happy August in Puerto Pollensa and fell in love with the place. We have been looking for a while for the perfect place to buy a holiday apartment along with my mum and my brother.

Whilst out there we looked at lots of apartments and decided that we liked the area around the main square as a location as it is so central.

There is also a public swimming baths that we can join so we wouldn't necessarily need a swimming pool.

Just wanted some advice please about the pitfalls potentially about buying in Puerto Pollensa.

We're also a little concerned about the winters - I believe that we would have to store all our clothes/bedding etc in sealed plastic to stop them from going moldy over the winter?

Any thoughts and advice would be most welcome

Thanks in advance

 

[Mark]

Welcome to the forum.

It's a good idea for three of you to buy it and spread the costs.

Seek advice about the legal side of joint ownership so you can minimise any future inheritance taxes.

I would visit in the low season and in the depths of winter so you get a feel for the place when quiet, some love it some don't. I love it and so does my wife

If you like the winter you will know to look for somewhere that can be kept warm for winter holidays and have some winter sun for Christmas.

I like photos of winter and here is one I found on flickr of someone's January the 1st, that view and sun beats England for new years day doesn't it

Port de Pollenca by Gonzobonzo, on Flickr

Good luck

 

[Busyboysmum]

Thanks Mark,

The plan is to come for the 6 weeks summer holiday with the kids and possibly some of the half terms. I know the weather isn't supposed to be amazing out of season but we like it quiet - we often go to Menorca in October half term which I am guessing is similar. We love the deserted beaches and having the place to ourselves. We tend to self cater as we have 3 boys and I assume the supermarkets stay open out of season?

No plans to come out at Christmas actually as we love having a big family Christmas and then a big party here for NYE.

I suppose my worry is if we leave the flat for the winter what will we find when we come for the summer? We are more interested in the residential type blocks than the holiday apartments. Will these survive the winter months in better condition?

We have actually put an offer in below the asking price on this apartment:

https://www.engelvoelkers.com/es/ma...rca;typ:buy;&pageSize=10&language=es&elang=es

Does anyone know this block at all? It does have a log burner so if you came out in the winter I guess that would provide some heat. Or in the autumn or chillier Spring evenings.

We haven't heard back about the apartment - how long do you usually have to wait before getting feedback from the seller? We put the offer in last week.

 

[Tommo]

I think the apartment is opposite the Flora apart hotel. If so, you may experience some noise from their music evenings during the season.
We actually regularly rent a apartment further up the street and find the location perfect for its proximity to both town and beach. It's also very quiet.
We have visited the port out of season. We spent six weeks there and had a fantastic time traveling around the island and thought PP was perfect.
Hope this helps.

 

[Molt de Renou]

If you do buy, I would advise against storing things in plastic bags as it could agravate the problem, if there is one.

I don´t know the ages of the people who will staying there but it will be important that the property has a lift, as it will make a resale far easier.

If it is near the Flora apartments, as Tommo suggests, a parking space would come in handy, especially during the summer months.

Good luck

 

[debz1]

I agree that storing clothes in plastic bags would probably be the worst thing you could do. I've never had a problem with mould on either the walls or on clothes but I'm not sure if this is just down to luck.

I do put wardrobe hanging dehumidifiers, that you can buy on Amazon, in all the cupboards over the winter months and they are full of water when we return. I also leave the bathroom window open slightly (shutters shut obviously), so that there is a bit of air circulating.

Hope this helps

 

[Family Ordonez]

Hi

We bought an apartment last September just around the corner from the one you are considering, we are next door to Tango restaurant. We love it, this area is great, very central yet quiet. We were over for 2 weeks in August and didn't find it noisy at all, we always manage to find a parking space close by. We also enjoy the quieter months in fact we love everything about Puerto Pollenca. Although we have only experienced one winter so far we haven't had any problems with damp. For us buying there is the best thing we have ever done it is just magical. Let me know if I can help further

Paula

 

[Shaun&Caro]

I think the apartment is opposite the Flora apart hotel.

We have a place is just opposite Flora Apart Hotel (I can't open the link, so not sure exactly where the place you have offered on is), and our experience is:

- great location near (but not too near) the square, the Pine Walk, Hiper Centro, the ring road to get out of town etc.
- music from Flora Apart Hotel in the summer isn't horribly loud and is generally over by 11pm ish, as far as I recall. You can always go in and listen, as well!
- no mould issues but would advise to keep air circulating throughout the winter as mentioned
- parking in the summer is unlikely to be right outside the apartment, but there is plenty of parking next to Puerto Azul Suite Hotel (50m away)
- it is chilly in the depths of winter but, relative to the UK, I find it 'warm' for probably 9 months of the year

We bought a year ago and only regret not doing it earlier.
Hope it works out for you.
shaun

 

[mallorcaboy]

We owned apartments in the Port for nearly 20 years and we visited all through the year and lived full time for nearly two years.
It is quieter in the winter but there certainly is enough open to make it a great place to winter.. Also travelling around the island is easier any places to visit are not so busy . It’s wise to buy towards the centre, we had a place in Llenaire and found it very quiet indeed during the winter.
We had a wood burner, but our apartment was only small and actually made the place too hot, but we loved it. We also had some free standing oil filled rads that are great and cheap, you can connect them to timers if you want, and this could work for you when you are not there by having them come on for an hour or so during the day if you are worried about damp. We bought the from Confort I think, although we never really had a damp problem. You could always employ a maintenance company to do a regular check and air out, but don’t really thing you would need it.
Very excited for you; owning a property over there does of course have the odd worry but overall its an amazing thing to have, and we are planning to buy again soon

 

[Lorenzo]

Great idea to buy in the port! It is a beautiful place all year round in our view!
The only advice I would offer at this stage is to get a good solicitor - and preferably one that is completely independent of the estate agents you are using.
I'm sure that members of this forum would be happy to recommend a good solicitor. It's also a good idea to have your Spanish documents professionally translated (even if you are fluent in both languages) as small discrepancies in key points on the deeds can occur. I know two different people who have lost out in this way....:-(

 

[Yorkie]

Hi Busyboysmum. We have an apartment just opposite on the top floor of the Loto building. We love it. Mendez Nunez is quiet but central and just 3 minutes from the beach and 5 from the square. We have had no trouble with noise or mould etc and just leave our things in the wardrobe. It can get a bit nippy in winter but nothing a jumper and a fan heater can't fix. The buying process was easy. There are just a few bits afterwards like changing the services over but your solicitor can help. Enjoy it )

 

[Busyboysmum]

Wow some great replies everyone thank you so much.

Now just waiting for the Agent to get back to us.

When they come back to us we will go ahead as you have put my mind at ease about the area and the winter.

I will be back for some more advice no doubt.

 

[Yorkie]

I'd give the agent a prod. Ours got back to us in about 4 hours after us making an offer. It was a different agent though. Good luck.