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Hola Sábado! This time last week, A Place in the Sun Live was well underway at Manchester Central, and what a weekend it was. We met so many great prospective property hunters looking for their dream property in the sun. This week, figures released from A Place in the Sun revealed that there were 6,742 visitors, with Saturday bringing in the most visitors to an A Place in the Sun exhibition since before 2007…things are looking fantastic for the property market.

The Your Place in Spain stand was a hive of activity, as visitors took time to chat to us about what they were looking for, and take a look at the properties we had on show. We featured a snapshot of some of our recommendations and current hot properties from both the Southern and Northern Costa Blanca, Costa Calida, Murcia Golf resorts and Almeria.

The Your Place in Spain Ltd stand at A Place in the Sun Live

It was also great to see the celebrity presenters from the show too, with Jonnie Irwin, Jasmine Harman, Amanda Lamb and Laura Hamilton all making appearances and being interviewed at ‘The Hub.’ They gave the crowds their expert advice and opinions on buying property in Spain and other overseas countries. It was great to see such a good reception from the audience, with questions being asked and even screen tests for the next series of A Place in the Sun! I wouldn’t mind taking part myself…

Amanda Lamb & Jonnie Irwin at The Hub

The Hub…all quiet before the doors opened.

The three days passed in a whirlwind, and it was a fantastic experience. Here at Your Place in Spain, we absolutely love A Place in the Sun exhibitions, and it is great news that there are two more this year, and Manchester is being booked in again for next year too.

Our feedback made it on to the A Place in the Sun newletter about the show

These exhibitions are a very enjoyable and informative experience for property hunters, there are seminars taking place all day with advice from property professionals that are great to listen to. It’s good to stroll from stand to stand, taking in advice and looking into locations and properties available.

The Hub was a hive of activity.

Another great bonus for us was that this exhibition was in our very lovely home city of Manchester, with so many clients living locally and eager to come and see us in our showroom. We’re looking forward to some great meetings, and helping many local clients realise the dream of owning a property in Spain.

As always, we carried with us our message of buying safely, and that house hunters should be aware of what property they want to view and what is available to them, prior to any trip. Arriving in Spain to view your ideal properties but then only being shown property that somebody wants to sell, is completely wrong, and must be avoided.

Furthermore, the importance of using an independent solicitor is both invaluable and a real comfort to customers as they begin their search for a property. When making a significant investment in a foreign country, it is essential to have the correct answers to all questions and queries.

Rob & Joanne on the Stand.

It was a pleasure to exhibit, as always, and fantastic to meet so many great people. Take a look at some of our top properties from across our portfolio, as featured at the show….

Southern Costa Blanca – 

https://www.yourplaceinspain.com/property/townhouseforsaleinvillamartin-13/

https://www.yourplaceinspain.com/property/townhouseforsaleinplayaflamenca-10/

Northern Costa Blanca – 

https://www.yourplaceinspain.com/property/villadetachedforsaleinorba-4/

https://www.yourplaceinspain.com/property/villadetachedforsaleinalcalali-2/

Murcia – 

https://www.yourplaceinspain.com/property/lo-santiago-villa-murcia/

https://www.yourplaceinspain.com/property/traditional-finca-la-aljorra/

Almeria – 

https://www.yourplaceinspain.com/property/apartmentforsaleinvera-6/

https://www.yourplaceinspain.com/property/villaforsaleinarboleas-9/

All properties are subject to availability, and plus purchase costs.  If you would like further information on any of the properties or locations, or advice on properties & talking to an independent solicitor, then just click here.

We’ll see you at the next show, and we can’t wait!

Joanne, Your Place in Spain Ltd

You might wonder why we talk about the exchange rate on our social media pages almost every day here at Your Place in Spain, but the importance of this is absolutely crucial to making sure that we can help our clients get the best property that they can for their money.

This week the exchange rate has been at its highest since 2008, as it reached highs of 1.39.  Can we possibly dream of a rate of 1.40?

We can’t predict what the exchange rate is going to do, but what we can do is look at some issues that could possibly affect the rate.  By doing this, it helps us to advise our clients when we think the rate could be good, and when we think the rate could possibly take a dip.

One of those issues that could possibly affect the exchange rate is the UK General Election, coming up in May.  Political situations bring some uncertainty to the market, and previous rates and history show that around uncertain times also comes a dip in the exchange rate.

With the rate currently being so high, sitting at 1.38, and yesterday (Friday 6^th March 15) the exchange rate very briefly reaching 1.39, it could be time to start thinking about fixing a rate, particularly if your plans for purchasing a property are in the coming months.  We can help you to do this, and tell you what it is that you need to do in order to get the best rate that you can.

Did you read our previous blog about how the exchange rate affects the purchase price of your dream property in Spain? Take a look.

There really hasn’t been a better time to buy since 2007. With our buy safely process, great prices for both re-sale and new build properties and the exchange rate very much in the buyers favour, be savvy and speak to us today. 

Let us help and tell you we can do to make sure that you get the best deal and value that you possibly can on your property in Spain.

Joanne, Your Place in Spain 

It’s Tapas Tuesday, and this week is a rather special Tapas Tuesday too if you’re a lover of football like us. Tonight, our city of Manchester plays host to a very important football match as FC Barcelona are in town to take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. It’s a Champions League night, and a big one at that, so why not settle down to watch the game with a few tapas to nibble on??

Wondering what’s on the menu this week? Well I’ve gone for something quick and easy, so that there’s no missing the big match build up whilst you’re cooking away in the kitchen. This is simple and speedy but most importantly delicious….

Spanish Stuffed Peppers, with Tomatoes, Chorizo and Sweet Sherry –

This is a dish that I first tasted in Murcia, and when I got back home I tried to re-create it myself. This is a recipe that I use to, give it a try – 

Ingredients –

4 Red Peppers / 3 Garlic Cloves / 4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil / 15-20 Cherry Tomatoes / 4 Tablespoons Sherry Vinegar / 140g Chorizo, chopped into small pieces / Crunchy Bread, chopped into small chunks / Sprinkle of Sugar / Salt and Pepper

What to do –

• Pre-Heat your oven to around 180C.
• Then wash the peppers, and cut them in half and take out the seeds. Then put the 8 halves into a large casserole dish, with the cut open sides facing up.
• Chop your cherry tomatoes into smaller pieces, you can leave them quite chunky though or even leave them whole if you prefer to do so. Chop you crunchy bread into very small pieces, and the chorizo too. Pop them all into a bowl and mix together before adding in the 3 crushed garlic cloves and the Sherry vinegar.
• Drizzle a little olive oil over the mixture, season well with salt and pepper and just a sprinkle of sugar too.
• Using a spoon, stuff the peppers with the mixture, then drizzle a little more olive oil over the peppers.
• Cover the peppers with tin foil and put them in the oven for around 30 minutes. Check on the peppers regularly, they should be quite tender after this. Take them out of the oven and remove the foil, then pop them back in the oven for another 20 minutes.
• After 20 minutes, they should be perfect and ready to serve. Use some of the crunchy bread that is left over to eat with the peppers and mop up the lovely garlicky juices.

Enjoy….