Finca/Country House for sale in Sax, Alicante

I think this is an outstanding opportunity to get a foothold in Spain, inland Spain, but to be only 35 minutes from Alicante Airport and the beaches, at a truly great price.

The location of the property is fabulous. As a neighbour for almost 18 years, this property is a little higher than mine and has even more breathtaking views and perfect tranquillity.

A 4 bed, 2 bath modernised finca in Sax at 229,995€ is a rare find. Is there a catch? No, not really. There is work to do: the second bathroom, en-suite to the master bedroom, needs finishing off as it is only halfway done. The walk-in wardrobe, also to the master bedroom, needs a little love, but the house can be lived in straight away and the improvements can be made bit by bit.

The house is bright and airy and has been modernised really well with some lovely touches. The master bedroom will be excellent when completed, and the other three bedrooms are all well sized.

The lounge/diner is a great space with lots of light. It is air conditioned and there is also a pellet fire, which is an economical and clean way to heat a house.

There is a super new kitchen off the lounge/diner with lots of cupboard space and worktops, and a brand new, spacious, family bathroom as well.

Opposite the kitchen is a passageway through to the three bedrooms, so none of the four bedrooms are directly off the lounge/diner; sleeping and living areas are separated, a feature I prefer.

The property also benefits from oil-fired central heating for the winter months, a rare feature indeed for a property under 300,000€.

Walking past the entrance to the main house, there is a BBQ area with storage rooms and then the biggest outbuildings: a workshop and a garage. Admittedly, these are the areas that require the most work, but they also have the potential for change of use and could be changed to a guest house if required.

To the front of the property is a relaxation area with a huge tree that provides shade for the hot summer months, and space for al fresco dining, with the views, which are really very special.

The entrance gates to the property can be adapted to open via remote control, and there is a side entrance for people who are not coming by car. The driveway is long and there is plenty of parking space available.

Running costs are incredibly low. The rates are less than 500€ per year, and there is mains water and electricity. Water bills are around 200€ per annum, and electricity is the third cheapest in Europe, but many people install solar these days.

Why Sax?

There are no traffic lights. It has a 13th-century castle, one of seven on the castle route, and there are no traffic lights, parking meters, and hardly enough crime to even mention. What isn’t enough?

Sax is so popular because it is far enough inland to be truly “inland,” yet it is only 30 minutes to Alicante Airport and 35 minutes to the beach. Access is via the A31 dual carriageway between Alicante and Madrid (motorway to you), which runs just outside of the town. It is also accessible by rail and coach from Alicante, so you can go to the beach without having to take your car. We are also only eight minutes’ drive away from the AVE station at Villena.

The AVE is the high-speed train from Alicante to Madrid with only four stops. From boarding the train you can be in Madrid in about 2 hours 9 minutes, for as little as 9€ if you are lucky enough, but around 25€ if not.

Let us stick with the town of Sax for now rather than escaping to the beach or Madrid.

Sax is dominated by its 13th-century castle known as the Headlight and Guardian of The Border, a landscape of history and rock. When driving back home to Sax after daylight, the sight of the castle, fully lit and seemingly floating in the air, is one of the most welcoming sights I have ever experienced. It is a sign we are almost home.

Commercially, it is the home of three major international businesses selling persianas y toldos (window blinds and sun canopies) and a shoe industry, which means that if you recently bought a pair of shoes in a UK department store, the chances are they could have been made in Sax or nearby Elda.

Both Sax and the smaller town of Salinas, just eight minutes’ drive away, have close to full employment and lots of opportunity, which means crime levels are very low and both towns are safe in a way that is hard to imagine if you have arrived from the UK or Holland. Walking around at any time of day or night is a pleasure rather than something to fear.

Sax is small enough for everyone to know each other.

Recently, we have seen the opening of a Consum supermarket, the equivalent of a Waitrose or Marks & Spencer Food Hall. There are also Hiperber and Dia, and a Carrefour shopping mall complex (about eight minutes’ drive away) that has a cinema showing films in English with Spanish subtitles. There are six gyms in Sax and a superb one in the shopping mall, along with Ten Pin Bowling. There are also sushi restaurants and many others.

Sax is served wonderfully well with schools. Our son was eight when we moved here. After reluctantly putting him into a state school, he became fluent in two languages within six months, and after five years in secondary school he went on to study pharmacy at Complutense in Madrid, one of Spain’s most famous and prestigious universities.

However, he didn’t like the idea of going into pharmacy as a career, so he is studying law and working as my business partner. He already has a diploma in Spanish Property Law.

For health, Sax and Spain in general are far superior to the UK. In the town, there is a new Health Centre with eight doctors, two nurses, a diabetes clinic, and a 24/7 emergency walk-in centre. There are three pharmacies, two of which have at least one person who speaks English.

Ten minutes away in Elda is the award-winning University Hospital El Virgen De Salud, where the surgeons are second to none. Newly opened is the fibromyalgia centre offering support and therapies for those suffering from acute pain.

There are now three language schools in the town, and the town hall ran a scheme for language swapping that may be run again.

There are plenty of restaurants and bars with prices that are at first beyond belief. A three or four-course lunch of good quality can easily be found for 13€ or less. For a special occasion, there is Casa Mami and El Fuente restaurant at the Hotel Fuente del Cura.

Nearby Villena, about ten minutes or so up the A31, has some excellent restaurants, including Tita’s Gastrobar and Condumio.

In Elda, ten minutes in the other direction, there is Xambel, Xhagar, Fabrica, La Sirena, and Tenaz, all very good restaurants and surprisingly inexpensive.

Our biggest challenge these days is finding properties as opposed to selling them, as Sax and Salinas have become incredibly popular due to very few building permits remaining in either of the towns. They are still growing, so come look around and enjoy.