We are all set up now in our new office in Benissa, although still awaiting the new signs which were ordered back in December, and deep joy, we now have central heating – so much easier to type when your fingers aren´t frozen rigid! After what felt like 2 years of pregnancy, Coral finally had her baby on 29th December, a little girl called Alethia. Despite the fact that Alethia is only 3 weeks old, Coral is back at work on the rentals side of the business, whilst I am concentrating more on the sales side

Its been a busy start to the year, with enquiries flooding in for holiday bookings, its just a pity that 90% lead nowhere. However, this is the norm at the beginning of the season when holidaymakers still have so much choice with the majority of properties still available. The sheer volume of holiday properties now on the market is making it more difficult each year to generate the level of bookings we could expect 2 years ago, but we have all our marketing in place which is producing a lot of interest in the properties we are advertising. The Citrus Iberia sales team are also offering rental accommodation to people viewing properties in the area, which may help boost low season bookings. Our new website has now overtaken our dedicated rentals site in terms of popularity and enquiry levels, and we are offering advertising only packages from £50 per year, with discounts for multiple properties.

We rely on our owners to keep us informed of any bookings they may have taken to date, and any dates they would like reserved for themselves to avoid the potential situation of double booking.

We cannot guarantee bookings purely through our advertising, and much of the success of your rentals will be down to you, the owner. Good quality photos are essential, pricing must be competitive, and the property well equipped. The majority of properties do not have air-conditioning, but for many of our enquirers it is a necessity as it can be difficult to sleep during July and August if you are not used to the heat. Sleep deprivation can make all the difference and can totally ruin a holiday, so our advice to owners would be to install it, even if only in the bedrooms if possible, to ensure the maximum amount of interest to browsing holidaymakers.

For those owners whose need for bookings is essential to cover a mortage, long term rentals are worth considering. It does mean of course that you would be unable to use the property yourself, but guarantees a year round income – if a little lower than that of holiday rentals. With long terms, i.e. 6 – 11 months, the tenants also pay the water and electricity bills on top of the monthly rent. At this time of year, we receive many enquiries from people looking to relocate to Spain, and we also have a backlog from those which we have been unable to help due to the lack of suitable properties. On average, 60% are looking for 3 beds with pools, 20% larger 4 bed properties, and the remaining 20% apartments and townhouses.

As is usual for the time of year, especially with empty properties, we are now seeing mould and damp problems which often appear to spring up overnight and spread very quickly. A clean with diluted bleach and a coat of anti-fungal paint will usually keep it at bay until the warmer weather, but it is a huge widespread problem along these coasts and can happen in any property. Regular property checks can help avoid the problem spreading out of control.