Three hidden benefits of owning a home in Spain

A property in Spain offers much more than just a sunny bolthole and future nest egg.

A stylish, stunning, money-making property overlooking the Mediterranean: this is no mere pipedream, but the reality for many thousands of Brits who own a home in Spain.

There are many obvious benefits to such an investment, not least the chance to have a year-round bolthole in the sun, a nice little nest egg and a home away from home. But what are the hidden benefits that owning property in Spain brings?

Beyond the obvious attractions, investing in a property in Spain will also mean…

1. You have a gateway to a new world

Whether you want to head off on Friday afternoon to the ski slopes of Sierra Nevada, spend your Saturday morning scooting across to the stunning city of Seville, or simply need to nip into Gibraltar to stock up on a few British essentials, owning a place in Spain opens up so much more than a sunny stretch of the continent for your repeated pleasure.

There is golf, windsurfing, trekking, horse riding, city breaks, a weekend trip to Morocco, a weekend trip to Portugal, a day in Tarifa, or even a driving tour north to take in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia. Whatever you fancy doing this weekend, Spain really is your oyster. And the best part? If you’ve not the energy nor inclination to go anywhere, then the Mediterranean, your swimming pool, your favourite bar or restaurant… it’s all right there, right where you left it last time.

2. A chance to really be yourself

Non expats don’t know it yet, but living – or spending a great deal of time – overseas actually makes people behave and think more openly than they did at home. Maybe that sounds weird. Maybe the thought of being outside of one’s comfort zone would engender more inhibited behaviour. But actually, the opposite is often true – when freed from the pressures and shackles of home, people tend to really discover who they are.

And having a wonderful home in Spain allows you to really explore the edges of your personality. Perhaps you are a wonderful host/hostess, but could never realise that because your UK home was too small for entertaining? Perhaps your interior décor tastes are more Mediterranean than MFI, but you never before had the exposure to the inspiration? And perhaps your neighbourliness is bursting at the seams with generosity and goodwill, but back in Blighty him-next-door was a miserable so-and-so? Who knows? There’s only one way to find out…

3. A new perspective on home

Home is where the heart is. Your heart may never truly leave the UK, despite the joy that a place in Spain will undoubtedly bring. But having a second property, another place to call your own, and one that offers a different vantage point, can give you a raft of new perspectives on life.

Chiefly: just what are your priorities? Is the rat-race of the UK really where you want to spend your days? Will your children thank you for giving them this opportunity to grow up with one foot in each culture? Can you now appreciate the foibles – and strengths – of British life, while also sympathetically enjoying and engaging in Spanish culture? Yes, yes and yes. A home in Spain is a chance to really broaden your mind, pamper your nest egg and expand your social and geographical circles – it’s an investment with very few drawbacks.