Healthy rise in prices: Gran Canaria property market news
Property prices in Gran Canaria and the Canary Islands are rising steadily, according to Spanish Valuation Company Tinsa. [Read more…]
The latest Las Palmas & Gran Canaria property news including price updates and special offers.
Living In Gran Canaria: A Guide By Laura Leyshon
March 5, 2018 by Leave a Comment
My guide to moving to Gran Canaria as an expat or foreign resident is called Gran Canaria Living. It’s a useful guide to moving to the island, finding friends and settling into island life.
Over the last few years, I have written lots of articles about living in Gran Canaria here and for Gran Canaria Guru and Gran Canaria Info.
Articles like…
A guide to the best schools in Gran Canaria
How to get a Gran Canaria mortgage
The ultimate shopping guide to Las Palmas
I keep them all updated, but they are rather spread out. Several people told me that they weren’t finding the information they needed.
So, I decided to write a book with all the information in one easy-to-access place.
Here it is: Gran Canaria Living.
I’m Laura Leyshon and I’m a British estate agent living and working in Gran Canaria. I lived in Gran Canaria for over 15 years and work for RE/MAX Cony Overseas: One of the island’s most respected estate agencies.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about moving to Gran Canaria.
Gran Canaria Property News: New Holiday Rental Rules For 2018
January 30, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The vivienda vacacional or holiday rental rules in Gran Canaria are still in limbo after the Canary Islands Supreme Court voided large parts of the 2015 law.
We were promised a draft of the new rules by the beginning of January 2018, but they still haven’t been released.
However, the Spanish tax authorities have announced new rules and they need to be followed from January 1st, 2018. [Read more…]
Confidence In Canary Islands Property Market High For 2018
January 8, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Confidence in Canary Islands property is sky high for 2018
A survey of 900 real estate professionals, by the by the Spanish Property Valuation Association, found that the outlook for the Canary Islands property market is positive in 2018.
In fact, the survey found that the Canarian market was just behind top performer Madrid as the region of Spain with the best outlook for the coming year. It predicts that average property prices in Las Palmas city will rise by 5% in 2018, an acceleration when compared to last year.
The survey also measured affordability of property in the Canary Islands by comparing average incomes to the monthly costs of buying a property. It found that prices in the Canary Islands remain affordable; a good sign for the future of the market.
The Spanish property market now seems to be on the rise across the whole country as there are no longer any regions where prices are still dropping.
More on property in Gran Canaria in 2018:
My guide to the Gran Canaria property market.
How to get a Gran Canaria mortgage in 2018
I’m Laura Leyshon and I specialise in helping foreign property buyers and sellers in Gran Canaria. I’m always happy to answer any questions you have. Just give me a call or drop me an email.
New Michelin-Standard Restaurant Gallery Planned in Triana
December 28, 2017 by Leave a Comment
A colonial-style townhouse will soon house four or five smart restaurants offering food at or close to Michelin Star standards, according to La Provincia. [Read more…]
Travel Direct From Las Palmas To Santa Cruz In 90 Minutes
December 28, 2017 by Leave a Comment
The new Armas ferry is the fastest link between Las Palmas and Santa Cruz since the jetfoil
You can now get from Las Palmas to Santa Cruz in just 90 minutes thanks to the new Armas ferry link between the two capitals.
It hasn’t been this quick to travel between the two capitals since the days of the Transmediterranea jetfoil (which stopped running in 2005).
The Armas boat, a catamaran called Volcán de Teno, leaves Las Palmas twice every day at 07:40 and at 15.45.
Tickets for residents currently cost 9.90 euros each way. Buy them on the Naviera Armas website.
The Armas direct ferry competes with the Fred Olsen ferry based in Puerto de las Nieves in the north-west of Gran Canaria. The stretch between Las Palmas and the harbour is covered by bus (which leaves from Santa Catalina Square).
The Armas service is definitely more convenient than getting a bus then a boat with Fred Olsen, or getting down to the airport for a Binter flight.
Los Alisios Mall Open For Christmas
December 18, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Los Alisios shopping mall just outside Las Palmas at Tamaraceite
The huge new Los Alisios shopping centre in Tamaraceite just east of Las Palmas is open to the public in time for Christmas.
Los Alisios is an open-air shopping centre with over 100 shops and 30 places to eat and drink (including a Starbucks). It’s an ambitious €150 million project, and many fashion brands have opened their flagship Gran Canaria stores on the site.
It’s the size of 33 football fields and is the largest shopping centre in the Canary Islands.
We went yesterday for a look around and it really is impressive because it’s all outdoors. The shopping area has wide paved avenues and feels more like an upmarket High Street than a mall.
It has a good mix of clothes shops such as Mango, Zara and Levi’s (full store list here), a big Hiperdino supermarket, 10-screen cinema, and some interesting-looking home furnishing stores such as Conforama. Upstairs has a KFC and plenty of other food choices including a couple of interesting-looking places that do Asian noodles.
There are also several novelty features like an LED staircase, interactive floor games, and giant interactive TV screens that keep the kids occupied.
To get to Los Alisios, either drive to Tamaraceite via the GC-3 road or take a yellow Las Palmas bus (lines 216, 229, 320 and 335). There are 2500 parking spaces under the mall. A taxi from the centre of Las Palmas will cost less than 10 euros each way.
While there was some cynicism about putting such a large shopping area out-of-town in Tamaraceite, I’d say that they have done a great job and that the design and choice of shops will make it a success.
Smoking Banned On Las Canteras Beach After Public Vote
November 29, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Should banned on Las Canteras beach after public vote
The Las Palmas Town Hall has announced that smoking is to be banned completely on Las Canteras beach after an overwhelming majority of voters opted for a ban.
The vote, which took place online, was open to all residents over the age of sixteen. 75% of those who voted chose to make the each completely smoke-free. Just over 4000 people voted, out of a population of 330,000 people in Las Palmas city.
The ban is expected to come into force in October 2018 after local law changes and a public information campaign.
Cigarette butts currently make up 40% of the rubbish collected from Las Canteras beach and the ban will save the city €40K per year in disposal costs alone.
New Rules To Ban Loud Music & Football Outside Las Palmas Bars
October 24, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Las Palmas bars with outdoor tables face strict new rules
Las Palmas’ outdoor bars and cafes face strict new restrictions on noise after a raft of complaints from locals and neighbourhood associations. [Read more…]
Supreme Court Architecture Judgement Costs Las Palmas Millions
September 27, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Court property ruling to cost Las Palmas city millions
The Canarian Supreme Court has ruled in favour of property owners in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria city.
The owners of the last holiday villa on the Las Canteras beachfront (where Franchy Roca meets the beach) argued that they were significantly out of pocket because they had lost the right to redevelop the site of the villa into a much larger building.
The Background: Back in 1989, the Las Palmas Ayuntamiento and Canarian Government decided that protecting the villa, built in 1900, was in the public interest. Its position has always been that the owners of historical and protected buildings were not due any remuneration.
The Court, the highest legal authority in the Canary Islands, agreed with the owners but did not fix the amount of compensation to be paid. It is likely to be in the millions due to the property’s location right by Las Canteras beach.
This judgement reinforces a similar one from 2016 that gave the owners of the Casa Roja at the end of Luis Morote street the right to seek compensation after their building was listed.
There are twenty owners currently involved in similar court cases and it looks like the decision to protect Las Palmas’ most emblematic homes is going to cost it dear.