New Home In Valencia Spain at last.

After our very long and intense search for a new place in Valencia, I’m happy to report that we found a really wonderful apartment to call home for the next year, maybe even more.  The saying “all things happen for a good reason” certainly applies here. We missed out on several places that we thought would have been a good fit and were disappointed and or mad when they happened. Looking back, we realize that everything bad led us to this good one. Here are a few lessons learned along the way as well as pictures from our new home.

hallway
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The Foyer. I loved the antique furniture at first sight.
flat in valencia hallway
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The hallway. A very long one. The worst part is that we have managed to fill almost all of the storage space :-).

The Wish List for our new home in Valencia:

One of the things that attracted us to Valencia was the slightly bigger size. The public transport system was also a big draw. There are at least 5 metro lines as opposed to the single one in Seville. It would make getting around much easier.

  • 2 bedrooms
  • 2 baths
  • Patio for the dogs
  • Close to public transport (bus and metro)
  • City center location
  • Close to supermarket
  • Nearby cafes
  • Gym close by (that one was Federico’s. Definitely not mine 😉 )
  • Gas stove top
  • Max price of €700/month ($750)
new home in valencia spain
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Dining area in the living room. There is a little enclosed balcony with the view from the first image where l like to sit and people watch.
livingroom
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The living room. Should have seen the landlord’s face when we asked him to remove this humongous thing ;-). We’ve come to love Don Quixote and Pancho Sanza.
kitchen in flat in valencia
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Kitchen. A good sized one.
kitchen view
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We bought a fryer and juicer for all those Valencia oranges, something else they are famous for. Like the concealed fridge too.
kittable
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Complete with perfect eat-in area too.

The Search:

Our search started while we were still living in Seville. We actually made two failed trips out here to secure a new apartment. The online search websites we used were:

Idealista

Fotocasa (my favorite because it shows you the place on a map as well as available public transport)

Pisos

Habitaclia (tends to have classier listings)

We turned down several apartments that we found mainly because there had little or no patio space for the dogs even when the owners allowed them. Some had Juliet balconies which was inadequate. Having to take them out several times a day was not an option. We had done that in Malta at one of the places we lived in and it was not fun. The bigger dog especially would go out like 7 times a day and you never knew if he really needed to pee or more than likely just wanted to be out (more often the case).

kitchen door
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The kitchen leads out to one of the huge patios 🙂 and gets lots of sun too.

We were turned away from some places because pets were unwanted. It’s annoying finding out afterwards. Most of the listings would say “no pets” so we had assumed not saying that meant they were okay with them until we saw/liked the place and then found out.

guest room
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One of the guest rooms.

Some places were a perfect fit and were priced right too. These ones went off the market so fast, it made our heads spin. I remember one that was an attic flat. It had 2 bedrooms and a small terrace that would have been perfect for the dogs. It was also right across from the supermarket and the area was nice. The pluses outweighed the negatives. They had over 37 showings that day according to the realtor. So many in fact that she just stayed there the whole day and it was just a revolving door . In the 10 minutes we were there, 2 other women came to see it. I liked it more than Federico because at the point, I was desperate and looking to settle for anything close to our original wish list. Thank goodness they didn’t choose us even though l was bitterly disappointed.

office
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The sitting room of the master bedroom which l have turned into an office of sorts and leads to the sun room.
sittingroom
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Plenty of storage too!

After checking out of our AirBnB with our wonderful hosts, we stayed at another place in the city for 5 days to be closer to the action. Driving out from that suburb in to town was just too stressful and took too long. There had been 2 flats that l liked from the very beginning. They were actually quite similar looking back. Federico ruled them out because they were out of our price range. We called on the first one, saw and liked it. The owner however turned out to be a real dick. He thought he was renting out Buckingham palace or something. He was so drunk with power that we decided to pull out, much to his surprise. It was so worth it 🙂 and l would have gladly stayed another month at a temporary rental.

bedroom
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The master bedroom. Plenty of space in our Valencia home :-).

We thought the same would happen with the second place. We liked it a lot from what we could see. We were however afraid the owner would be just as horrible which would explain why they were both still on the market during our 2 month search and both had dropped their prices. The first to €750 and the second to €790. We called one of the realtors with the listing and she refused to show it to us without a work contract which devastated us. I had the brilliant idea to call another one with the same listing. They agreed to show it to us that same evening. We saw it, we liked it and offered to pay more upfront in lieu of the “nomina” and “avalo bankario”. She called the owner who was extremely happy to hear that but was out of town till the Friday night. We arranged to sign the papers that same evening and moved in the next morning which was exactly when we had booked the AirBnB till.

sunroom
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The sun room gets plenty of sun 🙂
dogs lying on patio
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And they are loving it so far!

What €790 gets you in Valencia and what we love:

  • 3 bedroom
  • 2 bath
  • Almost 1700 square feet and over 500 square feet of patio space
  • A parking spot (an additional €100-120 in the center)
  • 2 large patios for the dogs
  • Sun room
  • Close to metro and bus stops
  • Cafes nearby
  • Mall within 10 minute walk
  • 16 theater movie house that play some English movies within 5 minutes walk
  • Supermarket 7 minute walk
  • Overlooking the park and a little enclosed balcony from which to enjoy the view of the track and field stadium.
  • Community pool and gym 3 minute walk (haven’t checked it out yet, but it is inexpensive to join according to the landlord.
  • 15 minute walk to the old city
  • The furniture. I suspect one of the reasons it stayed unrented was the antique furniture. This is what we absolutely loved. It’s obvious someone cared for this place a great deal and it was a home (the landlord’s parents till they passed)
  • Close to everything. We’ve already had the dogs groomed (3 minute walk), had our teeth cleaned (2 minute walk), gone to the pharmacy (less than a minute walk) and had my nails done (4 minute walk). We’ve only driven the car twice in 3 weeks :-).

Our new home in Valencia and what we don’t love:

bathroom
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Not loving the tile colors, but l can live with it! 🙂

  • I am not a big fan of the bathrooms, linear and the tile color leaves a lot to be desired. He doesn’t care. The shower is also super small, like for a kid or a skinny person ;-), so we use the one with the tub. It would have also been nice to have a master suite.
  • The walls are thin, just like all over Spain and Malta. We have been lucky however that the noise has been minimal from the neighbor upstairs. The TV is loud in the evenings till he goes to bed, we only hear it for about 20 minutes since we spend most of the day on the other side of the flat. There are only 2 flats per floor too so that helps a lot.
  • Electric stove top and water heater, not gas
  • No wall heaters. We’ll have to wait and see how cold it gets in the winter. It couldn’t be colder than the house in Seville for sure, so I’m sure we’ll manage.

What we learned and advice for flat hunters:

  • Don’t bother searching till you have boots on the ground.
  • If one agency turns you down, try another one
  • Offer up a few months rent at a time in lieu of a work contract or a guarantor
  • Print out your bank statements to show. They love seeing things in black and white
  • It’s more important to show how much your monthly income is than your savings
  • Make sure that the realtor holds on to the deposit, not the landlord. Valencia is the first place we have seen where they actually do that. It’s impossible to get your deposit back from the landlord. You can of course rent directly from landlords (look for “particulars” advertisers) to save the one month fee…but… :-). The realtor also printed the lease in English for us so we could understand, but the legal one has to be in Spanish.
  • Negotiate with the landlord. We could have easily knocked off €90 off the list price but got too excited which really ticks me off :-). I think we were just shell shocked and loved it too much to haggle.
  • Join Facebook groups to get a glimpse of life in the city. By posing a question, I got good advice about neighborhoods and not to focus too much on being in the very center as everything is kind of close.

Despite the fact that we went over our budget, I am very pleased with where we ended up and l think it is worth the money. For sure we could have found something great for less, but we would have had to compromise on space for the dogs and shitty, boxed in streets that make me feel trapped. I had also been spoiled by the €600 we had been paying Seville that l was loath to increase the budget.. Well, he was :-). For us, this was worth all the frustration of the hunt. This is the closet that we’ve come to what we left behind in the States..so yeah..pretty happy!

 

What do you think of our new home in Valencia? How much space would €790 ($850) rent where you live? How hard is it to find good rentals?

 

 

 

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53 thoughts on “New Home In Valencia Spain at last.”

  1. Felicidades! How wonderful, I know what an ordeal it can be so to finally be settled and find a great place is like winning lotto. LOL! Cant wait to hear about your next chapter in Valencia.

    Reply
    • Thanks Christine! An ordeal is definitely the right word. It didn’t get any easier, but we have already forgotten the bad part :-). We can’t wait to now start enjoying the city :-).

      Reply
  2. I was really looking forward to this! I really like your new house, the huge Don Quixote painting included. I absolutely love all that storage space and the long hallway would be a favorite for my son who would run back and forth until he’d be too tired to move. But what I like the most is the sun room – it’s absolutely amazing and I can only imagine how pleasant it is to be there.

    Great choice and I hope you’ll have a great time there!

    Reply
    • I can totally see Baby C running himself ragged. Amazing how things work. When we forget something in the bedroom, we’re both hesitant to go get it because it is a bit of a distance..hahah! He would also love the park almost right across the street, always little kids playing on the swings etc. We love the painting too. The storage space has been great, and Federico is loving having so much space for his clothes. We are loving it so far and thanks for the best wishes.

      Reply
    • Thanks Mimi! It certainly does have personality :-). I can totally see it being expensive in D.C with all the politicians. Yikes..those are L.A prices :-).

      Reply
  3. Hey that new place looks great! The only thing I didn’t see was a laundry room but maybe you just didn’t show that photo…

    In Vancouver $1800 gets you a tiny one bedroom. I live on the outskirts, a second home on a small acreage, the big thing was my dogs, and they’re welcome here. Tiny 3 bedrooms for $900 includes utilities and cable and Internet. And I have a gas stove, but that wasn’t a priority, even though I’ve had gas stoves in all my prior houses. And I’m real lucky to get this place. They weren’t advertising it. I’d put up “house wanted” ads on Craigslist with a photo of my dogs and they called me. Cozy, clean, and really great landlords. The only thing that would make this place better is if it was set up for horses.

    Reply
    • Good eye Cheryl. The washing machine is actually out on the patio by the kitchen. They built a little covering for it to shield it from the elements. We have the clothes rack right there so you can just put them out. Dryers are pretty much non-existent in Europe save for fancy apartments. I remember visiting Vancouver years ago. Gorgeous place, but l did notice that the homes and flats were expensive, and l can just imagine what it is like now. I love how the dogs come first as fas as finding a place. It’s great to have wonderful landlords too. It sounds like you have a good deal considering. Thanks for chiming in :-).

      Reply
  4. Your place is totally awesome Kemi and I have that guest room staked out for a future visit! Know how totally frustrating the apartment search was but it looks like the effort netted you a real treasure. The kitchen looks like a cook’s dream (go Federico!) and your dogs look like they’ve made themselves right at home. (But those bathrooms kind of made my eyes bleed! HaHa!) I have a hard time wrapping my mind around all the space plus Valencia will be a wonderful playground for you both. Congratulations on finding a perfect place to set up home! Anita

    Reply
    • Thanks Anita. We are enjoying it very much so far. The guest room is waiting for you guys :-). Federico definitely likes the kitchen. It’s not as fancy as yours with the silent return drawers you have and the state of the art fridge and everything else, but it works :-). The dogs are loving it too. They’ve made a nice adjustment to not having all the grass and Fede says he’s definitely okay with not having to clean a pool. The bathrooms colors do hurt the eyes, I am learning to ignore it. Thank goodness it’s only those 2 rooms and not the other way around. Looking forward to you guys visiting :-).

      Reply
  5. Kemkem, when I worked as an au pair in Madrid, the family had a tiny balcony off the kitchen and I’m pretty sure that’s where the washing machine was too! At least I don’t recall it being in the tiny kitchen. I remember the mother wanted the underwear hung on that balcony and the rest of the clothes hung on the main balcony off the living room. I thought she just didn’t want people walking on the street to look up and see their undies. When I moved out I was visiting an English schoolteacher who lived in Madrid and told me she had 2 English friends renting an apartment. One day a policeman knocked on their door and told them their underwear on the balcony clothesline was visible from the street and that was against the law, and he fined them. She’s sure he just pocketed the fine money, but I’ve always wondered if that’s really the law in Spain or Madrid, or are Spaniards just modest about others seeing their undies!

    Reply
    • Oh I will have to check on the undies thing.. It would be funny if true. I can’t recollect seeing any undies on the lines now that l think of it except boxers shorts. What does one do if they have no concealed balcony l wonder? I would say they were more on the modest side though so l could see it being a law. I can believe the “fine” never made it to the police station. It was probably used for tapas and beer..hahah!!! Didi you enjoy your au pair work?

      Reply
      • No, I didn’t really enjoy working as an au pair. The parents were weird, not typical Spanish family. The father would come up from work, go straight to his bedroom and do crossword puzzles, ignoring his daughters. Then one day he comes home with a newborn German Shepherd puppy (the guard dog at his company had a litter) and they knew nothing about puppies. Like it should have stayed with its mom for 6 weeks. Morons! Lucky I was there to assist and tell them stuff like the puppy would open its eyes around 2 weeks old. They had no conception how big this dog would get in their tiny apartment. Weirdos. I stayed a couple of months, packed my bags and said adios.

        Reply
        • That definitely sounds like a weird setup and l probably would have bolted like you did. The poor puppy. I sure hope it turned out well for him but l suspect not. Some people just have no clue :-(.

          Reply
  6. Your new digs look great – love the outdoor space too, what a bonus for you guys and for the dogs. The furniture has loads of character, so does the bathroom, perhaps too much! It was really great to have all of your advice on the whole process of searching for an apartment. Thanks so much for sharing that. Looking forward to seeing more of Valencia and we hope to get there soon. Cheers.

    Reply
    • I figure maybe the bathroom tiles were thrown in for free with purchase of the other tiles :-). Otherwise it must have been an in color in the old days. I wish l could buy up some of the “old lady furniture” as this one girl put it online as they are cheap as chips because IKEA stuff seems to be all the rage ;-). We learned things as we went along that l wish we’d known at the beginning. It would have made things so much simpler, and it was different in Seville and different in Malaga still. Hopefully you guys will get to visit soon. It’s a great place :-).

      Reply
  7. Congratulations on a great find. The apartment looks spacious and it has lots of character. The outdoor space for the dogs is definitely a winner, they look so relaxed there. The search was quite hard work, but well done for persevering and it has paid off. Great location with all the amenities nearby, I will be looking forward to learn more about Valencia and how you are settling down in your new home there 🙂

    Reply
    • Thanks Gilda. The dogs are really enjoying it, almost as much as we are. Thinking back to all the missed chances, we are so grateful as we were starting to lose faith and were willing to compromise. We even contemplated empty places and to furnish would have run into the thousands which would be a waste in the end as we would not recoup the costs. I love looking onto the park and spend a few hours on the balcony daily just watching the people run, jog. They even teach kids American football on weekends. I still don’t understand it. I can’t wait to discover more of the city. Hope you guys visit at some point, we’d love to have you. I know you’re gearing up to go :-).

      Reply
    • Thanks. Yeah, the prices are really low for what you get for the most part. I see why all those dream selling companies promote Spain as a destination.

      Reply
  8. Glad you all found a home and that you’re happy with your choice. House hunting can be such a long and frustrating process until you fine the one.

    Reply
    • It certainly was long and yep! frustrating, even after the experiences of having rented in different cities in Spain. Now, l will forget until the next time :-).

      Reply
  9. I love seeing how homes in other countries are set up! Thank you for sharing your home with us. Is that a bidet in the second bathroom photo? 850 doesn’t get very much here in Chicago, so I think that you did very well!

    Reply
    • Yes it’s a bidet. Actually both bathrooms have one and it was definitely on Federico’s list of wants. He grew up in Rome so he was used to it and hated not having it in the States :-). I love seeing homes in different places too. I’m the nosy neighbor who shows up at the Open Houses. They started showing episodes of Chicago P.D here and l have to say the city looks really, really nice so l can see how it would be expensive. Thanks for reading.

      Reply
  10. I felt like I was reading an episode of house hunters international. Congratulations on finding a place you are happy with! That monstrosity of a picture though…… whew. That’s a lot to get used to lol

    Reply
    • Haha! Thanks. I love House Hunters International so glad to hear it :-). We have totally gotten used to the painting. It adds a unique flavor for sure. Cervantes is a much beloved hero in Spain so it makes us feel a bit Spanish ;-).

      Reply
  11. It seems like a great find Kemkem. Lots of space, 2 bathrooms, and close to the old city (location alway the most important thing for us). Great! I guess he won’t be taking that painting down? 🙂 A bit overpowering but you’ll get used to it with time. Looks very comfortable and the kitchen looks modern.
    Congratulations to the two of you!

    Frank (bbqboy)

    Reply
    • Thanks Frank. Actually we only wanted him to take the painting down because neither one of us remembered the other wall space for the TV. Once we moved in, we asked him not to bother as we both came to like it. It adds a certain something to the room along with the chandelier. It actually makes me want to read Don Quixote now :-). The location is awesome and so glad l joined the FB group and discovered other nearby places otherwise we would have focussed on the old center itself which looking back would have been a nightmare as far as the dogs were concerned. I walk slow too, so 15 minutes is not so bad to get there :-). The location is awesome! Thank god it didn’t work out with the ones we liked before.

      Reply
  12. Very nice indeed, and looks even nicer than your villa in Seville! Well done. You got a great deal!

    Ha! Ha! Rent is cheap in Berlin, but not in the gentrified area where I live! And actually, the larger the place, the better the price! We live in two-linked apartments of 1,200 square feet with a private garden that is 120 square feet, which we found by word-of-mouth. It’s extremely hard to find good rentals. In fact, I would like to buy it at some point, but whether the owner would sell it is anyone’s guess!

    I like the antique furniture of your new apartment in Valencia, and the fact that it’s furnished! Honestly, as a fellow Anglo-American, I had the shock of my life when I rented my first apartment in Berlin many years ago. Alone. And it was empty! No kitchen safe for a scraggy old cooker, and no light bulbs even. I ended up sleeping in the dark because I didn’t know this!

    Suffice to say, I asked the landlord, if they could break the wall of the dining room so that I could make a converted bedroom, and if I could build my own kitchen instead. They said yes! I found that place because I had been walking around the neighbourhood and I saw a telephone number in the top window! I actually couldn’t afford the original place that I saw, so they gave me the apartment next door which was slightly smaller, had a balcony, and was opposite an Embassy! And that was where I lived when I met my husband – The Music Producer!

    Reply
    • I always say rent is cheap in Berlin until you add that warm and cold price :-). Wow! You and the Music Producer were meant to meet weren’t you. It’s like sliding doors with the apartment. Your first flat sounds like a real nightmare..no lightbulbs, etc. I would run as fast as l could. It would be awesome if you are able to buy your current flat. It sounds awesome and l know you guys love it there. I know a garden is nearly impossible to find in Berlin. You’re right about it being nicer than the house in Sevilla so we are pretty happy about that :-).

      Reply
  13. Definitely a great value. That would be probably $1000 here in Raleigh, possibly 20-40% more depending on how prime a location and how posh the interior is. Agreed on the furniture – that’s probably what’s holding back the renters. That initial impression makes it look kind of old. I’d totally rent it as an airbnb but might prefer a slightly more modern look (and more plush furniture, uncushioned dining chairs since kids make a mess).

    Reply
    • For sure we got a great deal as far as square footage and location. I had a good laugh about the furniture. For sure it held back younger people and thought it was ironic that l spent so much money in the U.S accumulating antique furniture and here, people think it’s old….haha! One of the many reasons l am glad l’m old because l prefer antiques :-). The dining room chairs are something l could take or leave though. The location is awesome :-).

      Reply
      • We’ve only purchased two new pieces of furniture ever (very comfy couch and an internet mattress) with the rest of our furniture being hand me downs, free stuff, thrift shop finds, or stuff we built out of scrap materials.

        Needless to say we have a ton of flexibility when it comes to aesthetics. 🙂

        Reply
        • That sounds comfy indeed. I much prefer homes where l can put my feet up and relax so to speak than worry about messing up the furnishings or have eyes on me as l moved. I once went to a party where this guy had all white stuff, from the carpeting to the sofas etc. and we had to leave our shoes at the front door and he watched everyone with hawk eyes. Hated it :-).

          Reply
          • I’ve seen people like that. And they have kids. Like WTH were you thinking? Just make everything green and brown and then let the kids have fun while they’re kids. And get nice stuff when they’re gone. 🙂

          • Haha! That is just crazy. Why on earth would you buy such light furniture with kids? It’s just asking for trouble 🙂 :-). I would wait for sure. Yep.all green, browns and maroon and let them at it! Your trip is coming up soon :-). Bet you and the kids are excited!

          • We went with the cheapest carpet when installing new just before kids. Forest green. There’s all kind of stuff on the carpet and you can’t really see it. Kids grow up; we replace. Done!

            Yes, we’re right at 1 month till the big trip! And we are at the excited stage now. Next comes last minute stressing over stuff that’s not really an issue. Then comes “holy crap am I really setting out on a 9 week adventure overseas with 3 kids?”. Then a 7.5 hour flight across the Pond and we’ll be living in Portuguese and off to the races it is. 🙂

          • It will be tiring but exhilarating at the same time. The kids are used to traveling at this point so it shouldn’t be a huge deal. I look forward to reading all about it :-).

    • It’s kind of sad, but there is truth in it. I hope it doesn’t get to that point, but l don’t feel so good about it :-). Glad you have a sense of humor about it though :-).

      Reply

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