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Why More Buyers Are Looking Beyond the Coast
Why More Buyers Are Looking Beyond the CoastFor years, the classic Costa Blanca property search started with one instruction:
“We want to be near the sea.”
And we understand why.
The Mediterranean is rather difficult to argue with.
But something interesting is happening.
More buyers are beginning their search on the coast — and then slowly looking inland.
Not hours inland. Sometimes only ten or fifteen minutes.
And suddenly the property search changes completely.
What Happens When You Drive Ten Minutes Inland?The sea doesn't disappear.
But quite often, some of the compromises do.
Plots become larger. Views become wider. Traditional townhouses appear. Country fincas become a possibility. And budgets that were struggling to find the right property closer to the coast can sometimes stretch considerably further.
But price isn't the only reason people are looking beyond the beach.
For many buyers, it's about how they actually want to live.
A Different Kind of Costa Blanca LifePlaces such as Pedreguer, Beniarbeig, Ondara, Orba, Pego, Xaló and the smaller surrounding villages aren't simply alternatives to the coastal resorts.
They have lives of their own.
There are schools and sports centres, bakeries and supermarkets, weekly markets, local fiestas, cafés where somebody eventually remembers your coffee order, and bars that are still open long after the summer visitors have gone home.
You might hear church bells.
You will almost certainly hear fireworks at some point without having the faintest idea why.
And depending on where you live, there may occasionally be a chicken involved. 🐔
This is Spain being lived in rather than Spain being visited.
The Coast Is Still ThereChoosing an inland town or village doesn't necessarily mean giving up the beach.
That's one of the things that surprises buyers unfamiliar with this part of the Costa Blanca.
From many Marina Alta towns and villages, you can be drinking coffee in a traditional Spanish square in the morning and standing beside the Mediterranean a short drive later.
Turn in the opposite direction and you're heading towards vineyards, mountains, walking routes and countryside.
It gives you choices.
And for permanent residents in particular, that balance can be enormously appealing.
More House — But Also More LifeYes, property prices matter.
Moving slightly inland can sometimes provide more space, more land or simply more house for your budget.
But we think the more interesting question is:
What do you want outside your front door?
Do you want to walk to cafés and shops?
Would you rather have land and privacy?
Do you want neighbours and a year-round community?
Are mountain views more important than sea views?
Would you happily drive fifteen minutes to the beach if it meant coming home to peace, space and a pool?
There isn't one correct answer.
That's precisely the point.
Find the Place Before the PropertyWe've increasingly found ourselves having conversations with buyers that begin with bedrooms and budgets but quickly become conversations about lifestyle.
And sometimes we suggest looking somewhere they hadn't considered at all.
Because the perfect house in the wrong location is rarely the perfect house.
Whereas finding a town or village that makes you think “I could live here” changes everything.
The property search suddenly becomes much easier.
So if you've always imagined your Spanish home must be within walking distance of the Mediterranean, perhaps widen the map slightly.
The sea will still be there.
You might just discover that the life you're looking for is a few kilometres further inland.
Property. Lifestyle. Real conversations.
Welcome to The Renvida Way.
From Launch to Reserved in 11 Days: Why Property Presentation Matters
Some properties take months to find their buyer. Others seem to connect with the right person almost immediately.
Our recent finca in Llíber was one of the latter.
Professional photographs were taken on 14 August. The property was launched for sale on 17 August. By 28 August, the reservation agreement had been signed.
Just eleven days from launch to reserved.
Was it simply luck? Perhaps there is always a little bit of timing involved in property. But we also think this one demonstrates something we believe very strongly at Renvida:
How you present a property matters.
Selling More Than Four WallsThis was never simply a three-bedroom country house.
Parts of the finca were more than 300 years old. It had wonderful character, an enclosed naya, fireplace, swimming pool, outdoor kitchen and BBQ area, and beautiful countryside surroundings between Llíber and Xaló.
And yet you could still walk into the village in around twenty minutes.
That combination told a story.
Country living without complete isolation. History without having to live in a museum. Space, privacy and views — but with coffee, restaurants, shops and village life still within reach.
That was the story we wanted buyers to see.
Good Photography Is Not a LuxuryBefore launching a property, we think carefully about how it will appear when somebody first discovers it online.
Because that first photograph matters.
So does the second.
And the order of the photographs.
And the description.
And the little details that make somebody stop scrolling and think:
“Hang on. I could live there.”
Professional property photography isn't about making a home look like something it isn't. Quite the opposite.
Done properly, it should show a property at its best while still showing buyers the home they will actually see when they arrive for a viewing.
Finding the Right BuyerThere is a temptation in estate agency to believe that more exposure automatically means a better result.
We don't think it's quite that simple.
A property needs exposure, of course. But it also needs to reach people who understand what makes it special.
A centuries-old finca near Llíber isn't going to suit everybody.
Nor should it.
Our job isn't to persuade everybody to want it.
Our job is to help the right buyer recognise it.
And sometimes that happens remarkably quickly.
Eleven Days Later…On 28 August, the reservation was signed.
For the sellers, it meant their property had found its buyer less than two weeks after coming to market.
For us, it was a lovely reminder of why we spend so much time fussing over photographs, descriptions and presentation.
Yes, we occasionally rearrange cushions.
We have been known to move bins.
Plants may find themselves unexpectedly relocated.
And somewhere on the Costa Blanca, there is almost certainly a chicken wondering why we've asked it to move slightly to the left. 🐔
But there is method in the madness.
Every home has something that makes it different.
Our job is to find it, understand it and make sure buyers see it too.
Because we're not simply selling property. We're helping people imagine a life there.
Property. Lifestyle. Real conversations.
The Property That Bit Back: Sold in Six Weeks
The Property That Bit Back: Sold in Six WeeksTales from the Viewings — The Renvida WayEstate agency is often portrayed as a glamorous profession.
Beautiful houses. Spectacular views. Sunshine. Swimming pools. Driving around the Marina Alta looking at lovely properties all day.
And sometimes, to be fair, that's exactly what it's like.
Other days, one of your team gets bitten by the owner's dog in a place that really doesn't bear thinking about.
Welcome to Renvida.
It Started So Well...This beautiful home in Beniarbeig was always going to be a pleasure to market.
Set against the magnificent Segària mountain, with wonderful open views across the valley towards the Mediterranean, it had exactly the combination buyers are looking for: location, outside space, privacy and a home ready to enjoy.
We prepared the property for market, organised the photography and started the usual round of enquiries and viewings.
All perfectly normal.
Then Ben met the dog.
Taking One for the TeamWe're going to protect Ben's dignity here.
Mostly.
Let's simply say that the resident dog became unexpectedly enthusiastic during one visit and made contact with an area of Ben's anatomy that no estate agent expects to put at risk when accepting a listing.
There was considerable sympathy from the rest of the Renvida team.
Obviously.
Once we'd stopped laughing.
Ben survived, his professional pride eventually recovered and the property remained firmly on the market.
The dog, meanwhile, appeared entirely unrepentant.
Surely It Couldn't Happen Twice?About a week later, Jocelyn returned to the property.
By this point Ben's encounter had naturally become part of Renvida folklore, and there may have been some suggestion that perhaps he'd been exaggerating the dog's enthusiasm.
He hadn't.
The dog bit Jocelyn too.
Thankfully in a considerably less alarming location — and apparently affectionately.
We're still not entirely sure how an affectionate bite differs from an ordinary bite, but this was the explanation offered and we're sticking with it.
At this stage it became apparent that the dog wasn't targeting Ben personally.
It simply had its own approach to estate-agent relations.
Meanwhile, We Had a House to SellDogs notwithstanding, the important business continued.
Enquiries came in. Viewings took place. Buyers were introduced to the property and, just six weeks after it came onto the market with Renvida, the right ones arrived.
A sale was agreed.
Happy sellers.
Happy buyers.
A very happy Renvida team.
And, perhaps most importantly, no further members of staff were injured during negotiations.
Sold Subject to Contract in Six WeeksBehind every SOLD photograph is a story.
Sometimes it's completely straightforward. Sometimes there are months of negotiations, paperwork and unexpected complications.
And sometimes there's a dog.
This particular sale has been a genuine team effort, from preparing and presenting the property to managing enquiries, conducting viewings and bringing the right buyer and seller together.
The sale is now progressing towards completion at the notary later this year — and we've been promised cookies along the way, which we consider an entirely acceptable bonus.
As for the dog?
We like to think it was simply conducting its own very thorough vetting process.
Apparently we passed.
Thinking of Selling a Property in Beniarbeig?We know Beniarbeig extremely well because this isn't simply an area in which we sell houses. It's part of the community in which we live and work.
If you're considering selling a property in Beniarbeig or elsewhere in the Marina Alta, come and have a conversation with us.
We can't promise every sale will be completed in six weeks.
We certainly can't promise there won't be dogs.
But we can promise honest advice, local knowledge and real conversations from beginning to end.
The Renvida Way.
No estate agents were seriously harmed in the sale of this property.
What Happens When You Give an Estate Agent a Blank Website?
This morning I sat down with what looked like a very empty website.
By lunchtime...
...it wasn't empty anymore.
Somewhere between cups of coffee, far too much enthusiasm and more ice creams than I'd care to admit, things escalated rather quickly.
Pages appeared.
Then more pages.
Then local guides.
Then buyer guides.
Then lifestyle guides.
At some point I suspect our developer wondered whether I'd accidentally cloned myself.
He logged in and simply replied...
"OMFG!"
I'll take that as a compliment.
The truth is, this website isn't just a collection of properties.
We want it to become something much bigger.
A place where you can discover villages you may never have heard of.
Learn where the locals really eat.
Find hidden walks.
Understand what life is actually like in Costa Blanca North.
Read about the funny things that happen during property viewings.
And perhaps even smile along the way.
We're not trying to build another estate agency website.
There are plenty of those already.
We're trying to build something we'd genuinely enjoy reading ourselves.
Some days we'll talk about property.
Other days we'll recommend a restaurant.
Or a village market.
Or a mountain walk.
Or maybe we'll simply tell you a story that made us laugh.
Because buying a home has never really been about bricks and mortar.
It's about finding somewhere that feels right.
That's what we're hoping this blog will become.
Not a sales pitch.
A conversation.
Now, if you'll excuse me...
I have a feeling tomorrow's to-do list is going to involve creating even more pages.
Our developer may never forgive me.
 
❤️ See you in the next story...
The Renvida Team
"Helping people find more than a property... helping them find home."
We're Here. Pull Up a Chair...
We're Here. Pull Up a Chair...Well... we made it.
If you're reading this, you've found the brand-new Renvida website.
Welcome.
We've spent months planning it, building it, changing our minds, changing them again, drinking far too much coffee and probably driving our developer slightly mad in the process.
But here it is.
And we're ridiculously proud of it.
If you're expecting a blog full of stiff property jargon, market statistics and corporate announcements...
...you might be in the wrong place.
Because that's not who we are.
This blog is where we'll share the real Costa Blanca North.
The places we love.
The villages we know by heart.
The restaurants we can't stop recommending.
The hidden walks.
The spectacular viewpoints.
The local fiestas.
The funny stories that happen during property viewings (don't worry—we'll protect the innocent... mostly!).
The occasional disaster.
And yes... there will almost certainly be dogs, sunshine, coffee and the odd glass of wine along the way.
Because buying a home isn't really about houses.
It's about imagining your future.
It's wondering where you'll buy your morning bread.
Which café you'll call your favourite.
Where you'll walk the dog.
Which neighbours will become friends.
Where your grandchildren will want to spend their holidays.
That's the part we love.
The houses are important......but the life that comes with them is what really matters.
That's why you'll notice our website is a little different.
We're building more than property pages.
We're creating local guides.
Buyer guides.
Village stories.
Hidden gems.
Local secrets.
"Did You Know?" moments.
And honest advice from people who actually live and work here.
Some articles will make you laugh.
Some might surprise you.
Some will probably make you add another village to your viewing list.
If that happens...
Our job is done.
So whether you're planning a permanent move, looking for a holiday home, searching for an investment or simply daydreaming over your morning coffee...
We're genuinely delighted you're here.
Welcome to The Renvida Way.
We're looking forward to sharing Costa Blanca North with you...
...one story at a time.
❤️ See you in the next story...
The Renvida Team
"Helping people find more than a property... helping them find home."
PS...
If you've reached the end of our very first blog post...
...thank you.
You're officially part of the journey now.
The coffee is always on, the conversation is always honest, and we have a feeling the best stories are still waiting to be written.
Welcome to Renvida. 🖤
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