Even the Aussies begin eyeing Spanish property

Everybody needs good neighbours, so could yours soon be Australian?

Plenty of regions and countries around the world like to lay claim to the fact that they are, in fact, ‘God’s Own Country’.

Be it a proud Yorkshireman, a teary Irishman marooned in a bar in Thailand, a flag-waving American keen on telling anybody who will listen why they hail from the Greatest Country on Earth, or even the quiet German, politely experiencing other cultures but silently ranking each as that-little-bit-inferior to their own.

Such nationalistic pride is understandable, and actually quite useful. The world is learning to embrace difference, but the flipside to that is a growing sense of remembering where you came from.

Australians are a great example of this…

The cliché goes that, if you walk into any bar in central London you are likely to be greeted with a chipper “G’day, mate!” And it’s certainly true that most of Europe’s capital cities appear to be teeming with young Australians.

Their trips to Europe tend, however, to be temporary. And, well, why not? Australia is a country blessed with acres and acres of space, a strong economy, plenty of job opportunities, fantastic weather and even better scenery. It is for these reasons that thousands of Brits flock there every year to work, retire, or buy property.

But a recent news article in a prominent Australian media outlet ran a gushing appraisal of the Spanish property market in which it extolled the virtues of buying a home in Spain.

From the traditional Spanish lifestyle through to the classic Spanish architecture and – yes – even the stunning weather, the story sought to convince Australians that Spain might well be the perfect location for a property investment.

This actually makes sense. Australian wages are high, but so are property prices. Australians who make it to Europe are often astounded at the relatively low cost of living, so for a young Aussie couple hoping to get on to the property ladder but still enjoy the type of sunny, outdoorsy lifestyle they grew up with, Spain makes perfect sense.

The weak euro makes Spanish property affordable for many Australians, while the chance to own a property in the Eurozone is bound to be attractive, particularly if Australian investors also take advantage of Spain’s generous Golden Visa scheme.

Right now, very few Australians own property in Spain. But the regularity of articles such as this one is surely going to increase as Australians look to broaden their investment horizons. So while the Costa del Sol is still very much a Brit-flavoured corner of Spain, might one day they have to make room for their tanned, tinny-drinking Antipodean cousins?

Stranger things have happened, mate!