Walking along the beach the other day, we paused to look at a block of apartments just being built (more on building methods in a minute) and couldn't help but admire the 3rd floor penthouse and thinking it would make quite a nice little winter retreat.
Immediately a gentleman appeared, shook hands and said, 'Do you want to buy one'. When we asked how much our chosen apartment would cost, he said, "$180,000 and you only have to give me 25% deposit now and the bank will give me the rest and you pay later". Nice arrangement, so Spiros asked him how much interest on the bank loan. "12%, very good" he said, "and you pay it over 20 years. Just give me the 25% deposit."
To make matters entirely clear, we repeated, "We can have that frontline beach apartment for $180,000?" "Yes," he said, "one just like it, and while it is being built (the one we were looking at was finished) we give you 'free' holiday club membership, you get special deals on your holidays here while you wait for your apartment. You just have to go over there, arrange to go to our presentation, collect your 'free' t-shirt and bottle of rum etc. etc."
Co-incidentally the day before we were out in the car, missed a turning for our hotel and ended up at the back of this particular development - where there must have been about 500 apartments currenty under construction and only about 6 are actually beachfront, so I have a feeling that our 'one just like it' would have been one of those being built in the narrow rows stretching back from the beach, with delightful views of the block next door!
We also learned yesterday that even if you buy a place 'near the beach' you won't necessarily have beach access. The hotels can't stop you walking along their beach but they close all the road entrances with security guards and one hotel joins another with no space in between. On the 30km stretch of beach where our hotel is located we asked the Avis agent where else we could drive to go through to another section of the beach. He pointed out only TWO places where 'the public' can go onto the beach - on a 30km stretch of beach! Consequently you might buy a property near the beach, or even with sea view, and still have to drive a considerable distance to a public beach access point.
We also sat and watched the builders. All apartments are constructed with one 'breeze block' (no insulation) concrete box style, then a wooden roof.
The builders spent a considerable time resting, then the breeze blocks were pulled up to the second floor one at a time on a rope. Heaven knows how long it takes to build at that rate, and it would be a bit sad to think that your fabulous beachfront property was in reality just a single brick construction, concrete box.
As we left, Leonardo, the salesman on the beach, asked what we did for a a living and we said "We develop and sell property." "Oh, just like me!" he said. I hope not.
Diana
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