Edwards Estates Expands by opening a New Office in Frigiliana.

Edwards Estates Expands by opening a New Office in Frigiliana

April 30, 2013
Costa del Sol East, Frigiliana News, Property News
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Edwards Estates, estate agent, Frigiliana, Inmobiliaria

EDWARDS ESTATES EXPANDS ITS OPERATIONS BY OPENING A NEW BRANCH OFFICE IN FRIGILIANA.

We may be going through austere times in Spain, but there are success stories to hear about and one of those is Edwards Estates.

When most real estate agents are struggling, Edwards Estates goes from strength to strength and they confirm this with the opening of a new office in the beautiful white washed village of Frigiliana, just a short distance inland from Nerja and the coast.

Established on Castilla Perez in Nerja for over 5 years, this new additional office in the heart of Frigiliana Village is a testament to their commitment and investment to develop the business further in this fabulous location.

The new office has a prime position on the main street ‘Calle Real’ and ensures a full and thorough service to both homeowners who want to market their property successfully and to potential purchasers from across Europe and beyond.

Moving specifically into Frigiliana was always seen as a natural progression for the Company as there was already well established links within the Village. Many families having lived there for many years and with whom Edwards Estates have previously worked whether for sales properties, long term rentals or the ever increasing holiday rental market. It was a clear goal of the Company to eventually set up a specialist, focused office in Frigiliana to promote the wonderful life style that the Village can offer.

A much quieter neighbour of the ever popular Nerja but with a location offering outstanding natural beauty, set amongst the Almijara, Tejeda and Alhama mountains and all within an 8 minute drive of the coast. With a maze of cobbled streets and white washed houses, every corner offers a new delight. The Village is charming and full of character with Restaurants, café’s and local businesses hidden amongst the houses with their colourful hanging baskets and decorated balconies. The surrounding countryside provides a backdrop to some of the most wonderful Villa’s and Villa locations.

To this day, the Village of Frigiliana is steeped in tradition and whilst acknowledging National festivals held throughout Spain and Andalucía, also has one or two of its own which are a joy to be a part of.

The expertise of Edwards Estates in this location, can guide you through buying, renting or selling a property, or alternatively, assisting you in acquiring land to build your own home. They ensure all transactions go smoothly and provide you with a highly professional service together with a great local knowledge, a vital ingredient to a successful sale or purchase.

Edwards Estates is actually backed by over 30 years of sustained and uninterrupted real estate experience in Nerja and the surrounding area with the company being formed by locally born Scott Edwards and his father Robert. The latter started his first Estate Agency in Nerja and London in 1980 as Hollis Edwards Associates Ltd., and was one of the pioneering companies throughout the eighties and early nineties.

Speaking Spanish, English and Swedish fluently they can provide you with the local knowledge and experience of the area, enabling you to make the right choice in the right location. This is a business built on relationships, standards and honesty, words that you can’t associate with many businesses of this type.

Recently, Miguel Forbes the great grandson of the founder of the business magazine Forbes, stated the he considers it a good time for foreign investors to bet on the Spanish real estate market. “Property valuations and stocks are low, it’s time to buy,” he said.

Edwards Estates can help you become part of that future vision, with their aggressive marketing campaigns across several countries, a hugely successful website in the industry and a multi language capability to ensure that International clients have confidence in their service, Edwards Estates really does have it all.

You can find the new office of Edwards Estates in the Calle Real, 51, 29788 – Frigiliana (Málaga), SPAIN.

Web: Edwards Estates in Nerja and Frigiliana.

Telephone: (0034) 95 253 3642.

Property in Axarquia

If you still don’t know Axarquia, you have to. The ancient area, located east of Malaga, in the south of Spain, is considered the place with the best weather in all Europe. Its sub-tropical temperatures, the always available beaches that spread through 25 kilometers and the pretty orange trees that are Axarquia’s hallmark make it one of the best vacation destinies in the world. Surrounded by the Mediterranean ocean and magnificent mountains, Axarquia is a true paradise.

The breathtaking area, with its big mountains and small villages, remains mainly traditional and free from the interest of big tourism groups. Almost all these little places dedicate to the culture of olive, almond and vine. It’s a simple world, where, currently, rural tourism and property renting still comprise the largest chunk of the local economy.

Recently, Axarquia has been the target of major investments in the tourism area and its resources. Nothing that can take away the sense of tradition that the region can convey, of course. These investments comprise, in total, three million euros that have been spread across 50 different initiatives. The goal is to boost the area’s appeal to the Spanish and foreigners.

These millions allowed the development of a visitor centre, located in La Viñuela and other projects like an information system with digital maps, the construction of a museum dedicated to honey, in Colmenar, the Galvez Museum, in Macharaviaya, and also the expansion of the Morisco de Sayalonga Museum. And don’t forget the numerous improvements that are being made in all Axarquia and the publication of several guides related with tourism (development and creation of souvenirs, urban landscape and nature or a traditional cookbook with all there is to know about the local gastronomy).

You can see that Axarquia is a great choice for your vacations and, once you tried it, you will want to go back. In this case, property analysis seems the right thing to do, since the region has country and village properties available for potential renters and buyers, without forgetting the luxurious villas scattered around Axarquia.

Fortunately, this region is still partly free from the problems that came with the real estate and construction crisis that hit the country. Property to rent and buy in Spain is in a stall. Before the crisis, purchasers wanted to buy cheap and then rent or sell to make more money, but the economy backfired their intentions. However, the situation remains different in Axarquia and to find a property that suits your taste and requirements all you have to do is talk with a trained professional.

Written in full by BuySellRentSpain.com

The Moscow Ballet Company to perform Swan Lake in Almunecar

April 3, 2013
Almuñecar News, Costa Tropical News, Festivals and Culture Events, What's on Costa del Sol East
4 Comments
Almuñecar, costa tropical, cultura, culture, Lago de los Cisnes, Swan Lake

As part of the 2013 European Spring Tour, the Moscow Ballet Company will perform Swan Lake at the “Auditorio Casa Cultura” in Almuñecar on 12^th May, at 20.00h.

Act I

The Garden of Prince Sigfried’s Castle

After a glittering musical introduction, the first scene is set in a splendid park, with a fairy-tale castle in the background. Prince Siegfried and his friends are drinking, and peasants enter to congratulate him; meanwhile, his friends dance for the young Prince’s entertainment.

A messanger presages the arrival of the young Prince’s Mother. She follows to pronounce that her son should now marry, choosing a bride from the young women to be presented to him at a ball the following evening. She leaves and the rustic dancing resumes until darkness suddenly falls and a flock of swans appear.

The court jester has an idea of shooting one of the noble birds and, armed with a crossbow, sets off with his friends and heads to where the swans are heading.

Act II

The lake Shore

By the banks of a lake by moonlight, a flight of swans glide past, led by their own Queen.

The Prince’s friends are eager for the chase, but he begs them to leave him, and whilst he is alone the Swan Queen comes to him in the human form of Odette and tells her story. She is under the spell of an evil magician, Von Rothbart, and reveals that by day she and her friends are turned into swans. That subjection will only end when she marries; until then she has only her crown to protect her.

The whole swan group arrives and they reproach the Prince for attempting to deprive them of their beloved leader. Odette intercedes and the Prince discards his crossbow. He and Odette dance, professing their love. The entire flock joins in; and the act ends as an owl (the wicked Van Rothbart) flaps heavily above.

Act III

It is the following evening and in a luxurious hall in the Prince’s castle preparations are underway for the feast. The court jester orders the servants around; guests start to materialise; and finally, the Princess-Mother and her entourage. A sequence of turns commences until the Princess asks her son which of the women he favours. ‘None’, he replies to her annoyance. At a sudden fanfare Baron Rothbart enters with his daughter Odile, whose resemblance to Odette strikes the Prince.

Odile herself dances enticingly, followed by an elaborate sequence of national dances by the company. The Princess-Mother is pleased to see that Odile has caught her son’s favour. The young couple themselves conjoin together and the Princess-Mother and Rothbart advance to centre-stage to announce a betrothal. With that, the scene ominously darkens, an agitated version of the principal swan theme is heard; a window flies open noisily and through it can be seen a white swan replete with crown. Horrified, the Prince pushes Odile away and rushes out amid general confusion.

Act IV

The girls, including Odette, gather around the lake. Odette is heartbroken. Prince Siegfried finds them consoling each other. He explains to Odette the trickery of Von Rothbart and she grants him her forgiveness. It isn’t long before Von Rothbart appears and tells the prince that he must honour his word and marry his daughter or both he and Odette will die. Prince Siegfried refuses. A fight follows, Von Rothbart’s evil spell is broken by the power of Odette and Siegfried’s love for each other and the swans, are released from their enslavement.

Source: The Moscow Ballet

Spanish Property Market – as it stands

March 27, 2013
Property News
No Comments
España, marketplace, mercado inmobiliario, property, propiedades, Spain

LPG Spain was recently approached by the web site, Spain Made Simple, asking us our opinion on the current state of the Spanish property market for their newsletter.

We were more than happy to oblige. Here are their questions along with our answers:

Q. Are property prices in Spain going down, up or stabilizing?

A. Spain’s property market is now into its seventh year of recession. During this time prices have dropped significantly from the heady heights of pre 2007, prices of which many claim, had to drop. During this period, many thousands of estate agents, developers and builders have disappeared, leaving a hard core of professionals still struggling to survive. However, price performance has varied considerably in different parts of Spain depending primarily on its clientele, domestic or foreign.

Within the domestic market, Spaniards have seen the bottom drop out of their market with prices coming down up to 60% in some areas as banks haul in repossessions and unsold new stock from developers that have gone out of business. Added to this, the banks are also offering 90% + mortgages to the Spanish who buy any of their stock.

On the other hand, coastal regions have fared much better as the majority of buyers are from overseas. Whilst it‘s been a complete buyers market over the last 4 – 5 years, where purchasers have been offering very low bids on property already drastically reduced, there are regions that are now beginning to recover, which leads me to the next question…

Q. Who represents the main buyers now, is it the Spanish or has another foreign market taken over from the British?

A. The Costa Blanca reports thriving business from the Russians. The Costa del Sol has been almost invaded by the Scandinavians, in particular those from Sweden and Norway, whilst the British, historically the nation that has purchased more property in Spain than anyone, is still a little conspicuous by their absence, although in the past six months have shown an increase in property purchases in Spain.

As an Estate Agent on the east Costa del Sol, in Nerja, Edwards Estates also employs Swedish staff, and can attribute 75% of sales last year to this market. We would also go as far as to say that during the course of this winter, the problem that we are having is not a shortage of clients, but a shortage of quality and well priced property. This indicates that the majority of prices in our area are still overpriced, in the eyes of the purchaser, but property that is priced well for the region is selling quickly.

Concluding, we see that 2013 may be the year that prices do stabilize in areas that are in demand, whilst the Spanish domestic market will continue to suffer with even further reductions in price added to the main problem for potential buyers, uncertainty in the job market and the unemployment situation, currently at over 5.000.000 people, still rising and expected to reach 27% of the active working population this year, more than fifty percent of which are people under the age of 30. Not an easy situation for those trying to get onto the property ladder.

Robert Edwards – Administrator of LPG Spain.

Residents Day Nerja 2013

March 26, 2013
Festivals and Culture Events, Nerja News, What's on Costa del Sol East
1 Comment
día del residente, nerja, residents, tourism, turismo

This year’s Resident’s Day will be represented by a record number of 39 associations, companies and groups, to take place in the new Plaza de España square (behind the Nerja town hall) on 14^th April.

The event was presented by the Council member for Foreign Residents, Innocence Quintero, and the head of the Department of Foreign Residents for Nerja, Jacqueline Gomez. This beats the previous best of 37 representatives.

The associations, companies and groups that will be participating are: American International Club, APCUN (Nerja Communities President), Almijara Bowls Club, Caritas, CAS (Animal Protection Society), Casa Argentina, Ecuador House, Rincon Clinics, Santa Cecilia Clinic, Coastline FM, Costa Camera Club, Costa del Sol News, Euro Weekly News, Francophone Costa del Sol, Cudeca Foundation, Gins Golf Society, Hispanic-Nordic Association, International Club, Liberty Seguros (Pet Insurance), Lions Club, NADFAS Fine Arts, National Health Federation (Alternative Health), Nerja Bridge Club, Nerja Donkey Sanctuary, Sanysol Residence, Seniors Residence, Royal British Legion, The Royal Navy, Sanitas Health Insurance, Andalusia Shanty Choir (German Choir), Radio Sol Almijara, Nerja SPA (Animal Protection), Sur in English, Svenska Magasinet (Swedish magazine), Workshop Friendship, Weightwatchers Club, 41 Club Round Table and the Foreign Residents Department of the Nerja Town Hall.

The event takes place from 12:00 to 19:00 hours and will begin with a concert by the local Municipal Band, followed by live music on stage throughout the day with performances from representatives of the various participants.

In the case of rain or high winds, the event will be postponed to the following Sunday, April 21st.

Forbes Magazine: “It’s a good time to invest in the Spanish property market”

March 7, 2013
Property News
1 Comment
España, Inmuebles, property, Spain

The great grandson of the founder of the business magazine Forbes, Miguel Forbes, considers it a good time for foreign investors to bet on the Spanish real estate market. “Property valuations and stocks are low, it’s time to buy,” he said.

In a presentation of Forbes magazine in Spain, the founder’s great grandson says he is confident the magazine will serve to better understand the success and recipes of millionaire entrepreneurs, such as Amancio Ortega, founder of Inditex (Sara shops and boutiques), who has recently appeared in third place in the annual list of the richest people in the world.

Editor’s note: It’s good to hear some positive news about property and Spain in general.

Foreign House Buyers in Spain up 28.4 pc in 2012

March 5, 2013
Property News
3 Comments
España, property, propiedades, Spain

A total of 38,312 foreign, non-resident nationals in Spain bought a home last year. This represents an increase of 28.4% compared to 2011, according to the Notary Association. 42% of the transactions closed at a price above 160,000 Euros.

By region, Murcia and Andalusia are the two regions where the number of buyers has fallen, whilst Catalonia last year recorded more than twice the number of buyers as compared to 2007. The origin of new homeowners has also changed, because for the first time the Russians represent the second largest volume of homebuyers, behind the British.

Regarding prices, 42% of transactions closed for an amount in excess of 160,000 Euros, precisely the figure that the Spanish government has set as a recommended amount in order to grant residence permits to foreigners who purchase a home in Spain. This however, is still subject to final legislation by the government.

Buy a house in Spain and obtain a residence permit.

A Guide to Easter in Andalucia

March 4, 2013
Andalucia News, Festivals and Culture Events
No Comments
andalucia, cultura, culture, Easter Week, Semana Santa, Spain

A Guide to Easter in Andalucia

Holy Week in Andalucia is one of the most extraordinary events in the cultural calendar. Deep-rooted in tradition, both social and religious, the processions that take place throughout the region are well worth including on your holiday to Spain.

The largest and most spectacular processions take place in Seville and Malaga. Seville is most famous for its ‘Madrugá’ procession with the Macarena and Triana virgins who appear in the small hours of the morning. In Malaga, it’s the procession led by the Legionnaire soldiers (complete with their goat mascot) who take centre stage.

But all towns and villages, whatever their size, celebrate Easter with processions. You’ll often find that these smaller, less elaborate events give you the chance to soak up the atmosphere without the crowds in the larger cities. Probably the best place to see all this in the Axarquia region is in Nerja where the pretty, narrow streets add even more mystique to the occasion.

An Easter Procession Guide

For the uninitiated a Spanish Easter procession can be a confusing affair raising plenty of questions. It’s always better to know a little about what you will see prior to the event so this guide will help give you a general idea of who is who and what is what in a typical Andalucian Easter procession:

Brass band: The local band accompanies the procession and plays most of the time. The music is usually slow and solemn except on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday when it’s more upbeat to match the happier occasion.
Brotherhoods: Local religious associations who own and look after the statues and floats that make up the main part of the procession. It’s considered a great honour to belong to one of the brotherhoods (most towns have several) and membership is traditionally passed down the family.
Floats: Called tronos or pasos in Spanish (literally thrones), there are usually two floats in each procession (one with a statue of Christ and the other of his mother in mourning, the Virgin Mary). The floats are decorated with hundreds of flowers and candles that surround the statue centrepiece.
Each float is massive and weighs several tonnes. Members of the brotherhood (known as costaleros) stand at each side of the float and walk along supporting it on their shoulders. The weight and effort involved in this means they can usually walk no more than a few paces before having to rest, the reason why processions last hours. Some bearers walk blindfold and/or barefoot.
Nazarenos: Men, women and children dressed in dark robes (usually black or purple) parade in front of the floats and they usually carry a candle or lantern. They also wear a long pointed hat that covers their face and has just two slits for their eyes. (It’s believed that the Ku Klux Klan adopted this outfit after seeing it during Easter in Spain.) On Easter Sunday, nazarenos dress in green, red or white.
Penitents: Men and women dressed in black (the women usually wear a black lace mantilla) and carrying lighted candles and rosaries, walk in front of or behind the float. Those doing actual penitence walk barefoot or even crawl along on their knees.
Saeta: This is an improvised song, part of the flamenco cante hondo (deep song) genre, in honour of the statues. It’s sung by an onlooker when the floats get to certain points in the itinerary and forms one of the most moving parts of the procession.

Easter Dates

This year Easter week falls between 24^th and 31^st March. The key processions include:

Palm Sunday (24^th March): A joyful celebration involving floats with statues of Christ on a donkey, this procession is joined by children and families who carry typical palm decorations.

Easter Monday-Thursday (25^th-28^th March): Mournful processions that increase in solemnity as they approach the small hours of Good Friday. Many that take place on the Thursday evening are silent except for the occasional saeta.

Easter Sunday (31^st March): In stark contrast, this is a happy event with upbeat music and church bells. Floats depict the Resurrection of Christ.

Reproduced with kind permission of:

Explore Nerja

Almuñecar and La Herradura Cultural Agenda for March 2013

February 22, 2013
Almuñecar News, Festivals and Culture Events, La Herradura News
No Comments
Almuñecar, cultura, culture, la herradura, What's On

Here’s What’s on in Almunecar and La Herradura on the Costa Tropical (Granada) in March:

Friday 1st at 19:00h
European Religious Films (Original soundtrack) Ordet (The Word) Denmark Sala Proyecciones Casa Cultura

Saturday 2nd at 19:00h
Musical band competition
“Memorial Francisco Muñoz Heredia “
Auditorio Casa Cultura.

From the 4th to the 10th Semana de La Mujer
See activities programme

Monday 4th at 20:00h.
Concierto Piano
Ricardo Rodríguez Cuadros
Organized by Juventudes Musicales
Auditorio Casa Cultura

Friday 8th at 19:00h
European Religious Films (Original soundtrack)
 Det Siunde Inseglet (The Seventh Seal) Sweden 
Sala Proyecciones Casa Cultura.

Published with kind permission of the Seaside Gazette. See the full guide…

Agenda Cultural Almuñécar/Herradura | Costa Tropical Gazette News.