Majorca - The lack of supply in certain places means the Soller Valley does have
its hot spots. The pretty village of Deia, for example, has attracted a luxury
hotel as well as a raft of wealthy expats prepared to pay prices starting from
£450, 000 for a small stone house. Similar properties 20 minutes away, however,
can cost around half that. "Deia is fashionable, " explains Crawford, "and people
will pay just for the kudos of owning there."
In contrast, Crawford has country villas starting at around £200, 000, historic
townhouses in attractive Soller town from around £300, 000, and small, rural
casitas (small stone houses) with several acres of land for under £150, 000.
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Majorca Rural - Rural villas with more
facilities and easier access can also be found in the surrounding valleys.
For around £350, 000 to £500, 000 you can get pretty three- or four-bedroom
properties with a garden, pool and mountain or distant sea views – or you
can get something large in need of restoration.
If you want a little more excitement, try Soller town. Just 10 minutes from
the coast, there are direct trains to Palma and a local population that
keeps the place lively and distinctly Majorcan.
The town offers a mix of character properties and newer apartments. Prices
range from £200, 000 for two bedrooms to around £400, 000 for something pretty
with four or more bedrooms in good condition, and from £110, 000 for new
one-bedroom properties. However, the town won't get overcrowded, because the
local authority has imposed a ban on planning permission for at least the
next few years.
The news has already made buyers move more swiftly. Crawford has seen
prospective purchasers lose a property during the time it took them to buy a
cup of coffee, but thinks it's good to protect the local area and its
character. "People buying here want to be near the coast but also integrate
with the locals and enjoy a slower, more peaceful way of life."
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Sóller, Majorca: My kind of town
Sóller is the real thing, a traditional Majorcan town near the sea, embraced
by mountains and surrounded by dense woodland.
Why Sóller?
For many years I had a skewed vision of Majorca (sand, sea and sangria),
until Sari, my sister's au pair, urged me to visit her home town of Sóller
in the island's craggy north-west corner. It was love at first sight and I
was captivated by the beauty of the landscape.
It's called the Golden Valley for good reason, an Eden bursting with
voluptuous lemons and oranges and rich olive oil the colour of sand. Sóller
is the real thing, a traditional Majorcan town near the sea, embraced by the
imposing Tramuntana mountains and surrounded by dense woodland.
What do you miss most when you're away?
The raucous frogs beneath my window, a night sky drenched in stars and the
scent of citrus blossom in the air.
What's the first thing you do when you return?
Throw on my scruffiest jeans and T-shirt and head to Café Paris in Sóller's
Plaça for an espresso and gossip with charismatic owner and friend José.
Anna Nicholas.
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PROPERTIES FOR SALE MAJORCA, IBIZA and MENORCA
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Majorca - Buyers' guide
* For rural properties, such as olivars, the Spanish government will
contribute up to 50 per cent of the cost of upgrading facilities and adding
solar panels and septic tanks.
* In coastal areas where development has been rampant, including trendy
Puerto Andratx and Calvia, the local authorities are under investigation for
allegedly granting illegal building licences.
* Property in Majorca is probably legal if it was built more than seven
years ago. If it is younger than that, check the deeds thoroughly and make
sure the planning permissions are all complete and legal before purchasing.
* A raft of proposals for golf courses, roads and urbanisations caused
anti-development demonstrations on Majorca last spring. Plans are now being
reviewed, but check that the site of your new home isn't scheduled for
future development.
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Majorca - The lack of supply in certain places means the Soller Valley does have
its hot spots. The pretty village of Deia, for example, has attracted a luxury
hotel as well as a raft of wealthy expats prepared to pay prices starting from
£450, 000 for a small stone house. Similar properties 20 minutes away, however,
can cost around half that. "Deia is fashionable, " explains Crawford, "and people
will pay just for the kudos of owning there."
In contrast, Crawford has country villas starting at around £200, 000, historic
townhouses in attractive Soller town from around £300, 000, and small, rural
casitas (small stone houses) with several acres of land for under £150, 000.
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Casitas or olivars (as they are known when in olive groves), are worth
checking out for those who just want a place to get away to. These tiny one-
or two-room properties used to be a base for farmers to stay while
harvesting their crops.
Crawford says prices are often low because these buildings don't have road
access and can't be externally enlarged or altered in any way, though the
interiors can be updated, and utilities such as water, septic tanks and
solar panels can be installed.
"Some agents tell buyers that you can extend the casitas, but it's not
true, " says Crawford. "The local authority will send people out in
helicopters looking for anyone breaking the rules and force them to demolish
anything illegal."
He says that most olivar buyers like being tucked away on their own land and
use them throughout the summer. "The owners often live in cities and want to
be isolated when they're here, and artists also buy them as somewhere to
escape and work. People think having so much land is hard to manage, but
because the climate is so dry, the landscape is pretty low-maintenance."
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PROPERTIES FOR SALE MAJORCA, IBIZA and MENORCA
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