In the News price of 50,000 Euros. The North wall and gate also need repair work to the facades, which has been the case for some time, and money for this will be advanced. The initial cost of archaeological exploration work to determine the exact work needed is 74,000 Euros, and the cost of the full project is given as 950,000 Euros, as adjoining properties are being demolished to improve the access. Other work necessary is to remove a cement base that was put against the South wall in the 1980s which has always been a cause of damp. Some painted surfaces will be sandblasted to expose the natural stone and graffiti will be removed. The castle is open from July 1st to September 15th, Tuesdays to Sundays from 9am- 3pm and with special events from 7pm-10pm except on Sundays. A normal visit to see all the areas takes about 90 minutes and admission is now free.
Fewer Tourists in Private Accommodation Since 2016 owners letting out their houses or apartment in Almería province for holiday lets have to be registered with the Junta de Andalucía and identity details of guests have to be notified to the Guardia Civil police. This means that the numbers can now be quantified. Figures from the Spanish Institute of Statistics from January 2019 up to the end of April are that 24,788 people stayed in this type of accommodation but this was 600 less than in 2018. This 2.4% decrease was not matched in the rest of Andalucía where numbers went up 13%. Nights spent in the accommodation in Almería province went down by 3.417, and the average stay in the four month period went down from 19.7 days to 19.2. Tourist bodies in Almería province have no concrete explanation for the drop in figures except that at Easter it appears that more people chose other major cities. The Los Escullos, Cabo de Gata, tourist complex between Rodalquilar and San José in the Cabo de Gata National Park was very popular and 17,000 holiday-makers stayed there that were a mix of Spaniards, Germans, Brits and French tourists.
Investments in Almería Province The Junta de Andalucía (the governing body for Almería) is now run by different political parties than before and they have announced an investment in the province of 125 million Euros. This amounts to
176 Euros per head of population and is more than the average of 135 Euros throughout the rest of Andalucía. Funding is in place to finish the maternity and children’s hospital that has been built alongside the Torrecárdenas hospital and is scheduled to open in 2020. The 061 health services in the province will be extended and the construction of a new hospital at Roquetas de Mar will be put out to tender. New PET-TAC equipment will be installed at Torrecárdenas which is a very advanced way of detecting cancerous growths. This will mean that patients no longer have to go to Granada for the same investigation. New equipment will enable heart valves to be implanted without major surgery and there is a promise that in all three hospitals in the province (including HuércalOvera) not a single bed will be taken out of service in the summer months. Previously this has taken place and reduces the availability in the high tourist season. Money will be made available to finish the Almanzora motorway from El Cucador to the A-7 motorway that they state will be completed by 2022, and funding to finish the Las Buganvillas to Vera dual carriageway.
Selling Your House and Not Moving Out A new way for a home owner to sell their house and not move out and the buyer receiving a discount is becoming more popular. It applies to elderly people who want to receive some funds, and buyers who are prepared to wait it out until the occupier dies before they take possession. It is becoming very popular in Madrid and Barcelona, and the estate agent Engel & Volker is handling more and more of these sales. The discount off the normal property value depends on the age of the owner. If they are aged 70 the expected discount may be 40%, if they are aged 80 about 30% and if aged 90 about 20%. For high value homes this is an attractive proposition for the owner that gives them a big financial boost, and the buyer becomes the owner of the property at a price that is well below the market value. The name for this type of transaction is “a bare ownership” as the official description is a “bare legal title” sale. In October 2018 the first “bare ownership” property show took place in Madrid where buyers could talk to the owners and as it was a big success others are being planned there and in Barcelona. An
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