Ever wished you
could buy a holiday home in the sunshine? Lifestyle
Editor ZOE CHAMBERLAIN meets two Midland couples who
went in search of a place in the sun.
RETURNING
from a break in the sunshine can often leave you with
thoughts of buying your own holiday home abroad.
It
could have something to do with the bleak greyness
of late British summer, the shops being full of winter
clothes and the desperate desire to resist switching
on the central heating for just one more day.
But
not everyone is so fanciful - the number of people
biting the bullet and buying a dream holiday home
abroad is rocketing.
TAKE
Colin and Susan Hattersley from Leicester. The couple,
both 48, shocked their children after returning from
two weeks in Goa with the news they'd bought a brand
new holiday apartment for £14,500.
'We
had no intention of buying anything when we went out
there,' says lorry driver Colin. 'It hadn't even crossed
our minds.
'I
paid for a trip to Goa as a Christmas present for
Susan last year. We stayed with my sister, who'd bought
a holiday home out there five years earlier.
'During
our second week, she was looking at buying another
threebedroomed villa so we went along.
'We
saw a one-bedroom apartment and immediately fell in
love with it. We signed the deal there and then.'
Their
new apartment includes a communal swimming pool, gymnasium
and landscaped garden plus 24-hour, year-round security.
It
is just five minutes drive from a gorgeous beach,
10 minutes walk from the centre of Goa and less than
two hours from the main airport.
'We
had invested in the stock market but our shares were
losing value,' says Colin. 'So we decided to use the
money to buy a holiday home we could enjoy.
'I
was apprehensive to begin with and when we came home
our kids - Martin, 26, and Rachel, 24 - were a little
shocked.
'But
now we've done it, I'm really pleased we did. In fact,
we've already expanded. We discovered the apartment
next door was vacant so we remortgaged our house and
snapped that up, too.
'We
now want to knock down a dividing wall and turn it
into one luxury apartment with two bedrooms and a
25-foot lounge.
'The
cost of living in Goa is so cheap it's almost embarrassing.
We can furnish the whole apartment for less than £3,000,
including all the appliances. And general maintenance
costs just £3 a week.
A
s far as the paperwork for the deal, we had absolutely
no problems. The people were great and I felt very
comfortable dealing with them.
They
were very trustworthy.
'We
don't see the home as a business venture. We plan
to use it ourselves and perhaps let it to a few friends
now and then.
'But
we may look at buying a third apartment with our son
to rent to holidaymakers because we believe there's
a market for it.
'You
can stay in hotels in Goa for under £30 a night
but many of them aren't the kind of places I'd like
to visit.
'I
think most people would prefer to stay in a nice holiday
home with its own pool that's a little off the beaten
track and which is quiet and peaceful. 'When you do
the maths, you realise you wouldn't have to rent an
apartment out for too many weeks before it's paid
for itself.
'We've
already booked a month off work ourselves and we're
due to fly out to Goa on Boxing Day. You can really
get good flight deals if you shop around.
'My
sister is eventually hoping to retire to her holiday
home. Unfortunately that's something I can only dream
of because I had a kidney operation in 1997 and I
need hospital treatment every three months.
'But
buying our holiday home is one of the best things
we've ever done. I'd say it's a dream come true -
except that we'd never even thought of it before.'. |
