8 reasons why investing in Spanish real estate in 2019 is an excellent idea

Once, René Froger sang about "a home of your own, a place under the sun." Unfortunately, the latter is far from always the case in Belgium. If so, Spain is a safer choice for sun addicts to set up camp. However, abundant sunshine is only one of many reasons to invest in Spanish real estate. How about the following 8 compelling drivers:

1/ Interest rates are historically low

Savings books don't bring in a rotten penny. In fact, Belgian interest rates recently reached zero. ZERO! Mindful of inflation, you just watch your hard-earned savings shrivel up before your very eyes. Investment funds, bonds and stocks are also not doing too well.

No, you'd be better off investing in Spanish real estate, which at least will be of some use to you. Real estate is the only investment that holds up in our economic climate. The Central Bank of Spain anticipated more than 10 percent returns on residential real estate in 2019. If your sleepy bank account had a face, it would be whistling between its teeth in admiration right now.

The other side of the coin is that loans are also spotty. More to the point: if they are going to drop any more, I'm sure they will be put in for free as flippos with a pack of chips. Take advantage of it.

2/ Spanish cuisine is for licking fingers and thumbs

Not only is the Mediterranean diet delicious and fresh, it is also very healthy. Or why do you think all those rural Spanish bompas are getting so ancient. Additional advantage: eating out is cheap in Spain. If you opt for the daily menu, many places offer extensive lunch for as little as ten euros.

You already know classics like tapas, gazpacho and paella, but each Spanish region has its own specialties. Which you can't eat anywhere else, or at least not prepared the same way. For example, you must be in the region of Malaga for a gazpachuelo Malagueño, a hot soup with fish, shrimp and other seafood. Yummy!

Admit it: an excellent additional reason to live near Malaga. For example, in these beautiful apartments with spacious terraces and a communal pool in Fuengirola. They are also near the Malaga airport. Which brings us seamlessly to next point.

3/ Spain is at the door

Not literally, of course, but still: any airline worthy of the name flies from Belgium to Spain. Daily flights depart from Zaventem, Charleroi, Liège, Ostend and Antwerp to all corners of Spain. That makes your Spanish second home almost as attainable as an apartment on our own coast. And much warmer.

This accessibility is not only a huge advantage if you are considering a second home, it is also a crucial aspect if you turn your back on Belgium and live in Spain for good. Or isn't it nice to know that you can always fly back to - we're just saying - cheer on your favorite team during that important title match or attend your niece's birthday party? We thought.

4/ You can (partially) recoup your investment

In a previous blog post, we talked about financing real estate with an individual pension commitment. An interesting construction for any self-employed person to finance a residence in Spain. But even once purchased, opportunities exist to make the financial burden of your place under the sun easier to bear.

For example, have you thought about renting out your new home? The rental market is doing extremely well on the costas, where half of Europe comes to work on its bronzing during the summer. Granted, you may not get rich from it. But it is a great way to recoup a portion of your investment.

If you don't feel like making arrangements, you can call on a home management company. In exchange for a 15 to 25 percent commission, such a firm takes on all management, from tenant search to administration to cleaning. That way you don't have to do anything and still keep a nice penny.

5/ Spain is the healthiest country in the world

You want to attack the world record of Jeanne Clement, the oldest human ever? Then move like hell to Spain. According to the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, Spain is the healthiest country in the world. Nowhere in the EU do residents reach an older age than in Spain. Calculations by the University of Washington also indicate that Spain will soon overtake Japan in terms of the highest life expectancy.

This should come as no surprise: Spaniards eat healthy food, don't worry about trifles and like to surround themselves with family and friends. Not to mention (again) the healthy portions of sunshine they gain. Then you automatically pull it long on our globe. Spaniards not only live long, they live well. The good news: You can adopt that lifestyle and suddenly extend your life by several years. Investing in Spanish real estate is all you need to do.

6/ You can still make bargains there

It is no wonder that Belgians often borrow to buy a second residence - and that they do so especially in Spain. The biggest sales are over, but you still get much better value for money than in Belgium.

To invest in Spanish real estate, you don't even need deep pockets. We already offer a lot of apartments under 150,000 euros. How about this modern apartment in Torrevieja, for example, which can be all yours from 105,000 euros? That includes community pool. Admit it -- you barely have a garage for that in Belgium.

But even if it may be a little more, we definitely have what you are looking for. A four-bedroom luxury villa with an infinity pool, within strolling distance of the beach, we say. Living like god in France - yes, you can do that in Spain too. This villa in Torremuelle is close to nature and the best golf courses of the Costa del Sol, but just as well you are in a jiffy at the airport or in fashionable Marbella.

7/ Life is cheaper in Spain

Life is becoming more and more expensive. You realize this all too well when the bompa recounts how he used to drink pints of beer at four francs apiece. For the young reader, that's 10 cents. Of course, Spain does not escape this inflation, but the cost of living is a lot lower than in our region. According to Numbeo, the website that compares food prices, the cost of living in Spain is easily 25 percent lower than in Belgium. This makes it easy to save money at the supermarket, restaurant and gas pump.

8/ The sun always shines there

Yes, we know we are repeating ourselves. But admit it, wouldn't you throw it around everywhere? Move to the costas of Spain and it's done with gusts of rain in your face every time you leave the house without an umbrella. Instead, you get warm summers, mild winters and 320 sunny days a year. While your Belgian friends sit with a hot chocolate chilling in front of their fireplace you are sitting on a terrace with a sangria.

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