Who are we?
Lecrin Valley Property is a properly registered Limited Company dedicated to the sale of houses, land and all types of property in the Lecrin Valley and is run by Carmen Gallego and Ron Potter. Our office is in Melegís in the centre of the beautiful Lecrin Valley. We are ideally situated in this little known area of Granada Province, less than three quarters of an hour from the ski-slopes of the Sierra Nevada; half an hour from the majestic Alpujarras nature reserve, (the inspiration for so many British writers,) and the same distance to the little known but aptly named Mediterranean Costa Tropical. It is an easy motorway drive of not more than an hour and three quarters from Malaga airport, or twenty-five minutes from Granada´s newly proclaimed international airport, serving London and Liverpool.
The people.
Carmen is from Asturias in the north of Spain. Fed up with the incessant rain in that province and longing for a sunny climate, but also loving the lush greenery of her native north, she found in the Valle de Lecrín the best of both worlds. Like her native Asturias, the Lecrin Valley has abundant water, but here it runs prettily along centuries old irrigation channels used to sustain the lush orange and lemon groves, it doesn´t descend daily from the heavens. There is an abundance of sun, but the coastal humidity is distilled here by two thousand feet of altitude, providing some of the purest air in Europe. This is what called her away from her previous life as a Doctor working in pharmaceutical companies in Asturias and Madrid.
Ron, is originally from London, and after leaving home at fifteen and spending the next thirty years travelling and working around the world at the Queen´s expense, he decided that of all the countries he had visited, the place he wanted to settle was here in El Valle. The openness of the people, the slow and measured pace of life, the closeness to the ski resorts atop the Sierra Nevada and the beaches of the Mediterranean sea, all combined to convince his once restless spirit to put down roots here. Having restored houses in the Cotswolds, run his own thatching business in the UK, and having been involved in new-build and restoration projects here in the Valley of Happiness, as the Moors so aptly named it, he has finally found what he didn´t know he was looking for.
Carmen and Ron have an established a network of friends, friends of friends, and relatives of friends, who keep them informed of all types of property and land that are coming up for sale. Many of these have a fascinating history and nearly all have a name which tells a story in itself. The local mayor is determined not to let the valley fall prey to the overbuilding of the coast, and restricts the availability of new-build land vigorously. His policy is to have the village houses sensitively restored and the integrity of the villages protected, rather than have them fall into decay whilst ugly new estates spring up in the countryside. He is fully conscious of the delicate balance between the ancient agricultural inheritance of the valley and the need to come gently into the 21st century, and we at Lecrin Valley Property wholeheartedly endorse his policies, working hard to achieve the best possible balance between the two. Thanks to his efforts the area of El Valle, which comprises the three villages at the centre of the Lecrin Valley, has just been declared a Site of Cultural Interest which can only enhance the area as a whole.
Legal matters
Before we offer our houses for sale we ensure that they have clear title deeds. If they don´t, they are not offered for sale until we have tracked down the rightful owners, sometimes as many as a dozen of them. One of our associates is a bi-lingual solicitor and a member of one of the oldest and most respected legal families practising in Granada.He is extremely well-versed in Spanish property law and can lead you clearly through what would for most people be the mindfield of Spanish property ownership laws. Another associate is an English-speaking accountant, who can help you to set up a Spanish bank account and can advise you on all aspects of financial law such as double taxation, the capital gains implications of owning a house in Spain and inheritance laws. We can also help with Spanish mortgages if needed, which are well below English interest rates. Our business registration (CIF) is B-18397216. Make sure that you only work through a properly registered company with a CIF. Failure to do so leaves you exposed should things go wrong.
Designing your dream home
We can offer you a complete service from design, through project management to completion, should you wish to build yourself your dream home. Architects, builders, all kinds of professionals, electricians, plumbers etc. We have built from scratch or restored some of the finest houses in the valley.
What then?
When the builders hand over the keys to you, we can find people toto help you fit out your house, or help you with advice on the best places to acquire everything you need to set up your house, such as furniture, furnishings and fittings.
And finally
And if when your house is finished you cannot live here permanently, our sister company, Viasur, can offer you a full maintenance service to keep your dream alive and well and in prime condition. In addition, we can arrange to let your property which will enable it to pay its way and help you to recover some of your initial capital outlay.
Buying to rent
We are often asked if it is a viable business proposition to buy a house in Spain and use the income from rentals to fund that house.
In general we would say that the income from rentals should pay for the upkeep of your house and perhaps give you some spending money at the end of the year. Buying with hope of funding a mortgage from rentals as well as keeping it running is not a good idea. However, if one is prepared to work hard at promoting one´s house, advertising on one or more of the many villa rental or holiday home websites, or even better, open a website for the house, then it is possible to make a modest living from the property.
In the summer, a house with a pool can command a forty per cent greater rental price than a house without.
Costs to be considered are as follows;
Electricity
Gas
Telephone
Local rates
Water rates
Insurance
Maintenance costs from a maintenance company
Pool cleaning
Cleaning before and after visitors
Gardener if needed
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