WHEN it comes to buying a home abroad, no one knows more inside tips than the A Place in the Sun presenters.
With costs rising all over the world those on the hunt for a holiday home might be disheartened – but there are still bargains to be found according to property expert, Craig Rowe.
A brand new series of A Place in the Sun is back and presenter Craig Rowe who first joined the show four years ago has found a hidden gem.
In the upcoming episode airing on Thursday, January 7, Craig heads to the French countryside region of Limousin.
He’s helping best friends Fiona and Tina look for Fiona’s ideal home with a a maximum budget of £80,000.
Yet Craig reveals that they manage to bag a deal for £75,000.
Craig told us: “I’ve spent a lot of time in France, but for this show we were in Haute-Vienne – and I was amazed at the prices.
“At first when we were looking through the properties I said to my producer, ‘I think we’re going to struggle to get something decent for that price’.
“But you’d be amazed at what we found which were really good properties – and that really surprised me.”
While the Limousin region is miles away from the coastline, it’s well-known for being a hotspot for watersports thanks to its thousands of lakes.
In fact, the region is even called the ‘French Lake District‘ – it also has lots of walking and cycling routes.
Craig added: “It’s a beautiful region filled with little patisseries and boulangeries, which is everything I love about France.”
Craig continued: “It has lots of beautiful French towns, and of course, lots of lakes so you won’t miss being by the coast – and if you want to visit a city then Bordeaux isn’t far away.
“There’s still an expat community, and as we found, properties are really good value.
“With prices going up all over the world, it’s great to find these pockets where you can still get a really good bargain.”
If the French countryside doesn’t tickle your fancy, but you still want somewhere up-and-coming with lower prices, Craig has some other suggestions.
He said: “Valencia is one of my favourite places in Spain and in the last few years, I’ve heard more and more about it.
“It’s really booming and while property prices are going up, it’s still much more affordable than Barcelona or Madrid.
“Another place to watch in Spain would be Murcia – it’s still relatively under the radar because it doesn’t have as many airlinks as Malaga or the Costa Del Sol.
“For example in the winter you’ll have to fly from Alicante, but it’s definitely up-and-coming. That’s one to watch in 2026 – it would be a great place to invest.
Outside of Spain, I’d consider Porto in Portugal which is a great alternative to Lisbon which is getting quite expensive. But it still has great culture, food and wine.”
If you’ve been watching A Place in the Sun wondering whether now is the right time to buy abroad, Craig has some words of wisdom.
Craig told us: “Property is going up everywhere, in the UK, Europe, the States. So if you’re thinking about doing it, why not now?
“Costs are only going one way, and while you’ve got these little gems, like Haute-Vienne, which are up-and-coming destinations, take the opportunity now.
“2026 is an exciting year, and I know for A Place in the Sun, we’ve got a lot of filming coming up with house hunters – there’s still a big passion and a hunger for people who want to look at properties overseas.”
After selling Brits their dream home for five years, Craig is getting ready to take the plunge himself.
“My partner Paul and I are hoping to buy a property in Spain, we’re not in a position to do it yet, but hopefully we’ll be able to in the next couple of years.
“I love Valencia as a city, whereas my partner loves Barcelona – but I think he’s coming round to my idea.
“Valencia is smaller than Barcelona, it’s the third biggest city in Spain, but there’s only around 800,000 people that live there, so it’s still a relatively small city.
“It has amazing coasts, beautiful architecture, it’s got everything you need from a city.”
Watch Craig on A Place in the Sun on Thursday 8 January on Channel 4 at 6pm – new episodes will continue air Monday-Friday.
One Woman Who Was on A Place In The Sun Bought Her Dream Spanish Home For £45k…
Jacqui Lockhart from Scotland left for Almoradi on the Costa Blanca shortly after the airing of her episode of A Place in the Sun back in December 2017.
Originally looking for a holiday home, Jacqui travelled to Spain in search of her dream escape with the help of presenter Danni Menzies.
After looking at multiple apartments, Jacqui fell for a flat in Almoradi with a communal pool and rooftop costing just £45,000 – after visiting 10 times in one year, Jacqui made it her permanent home.
Talking to Sun Travel about her move to sunny Spain Jacqui said: “It took a lot of guts for me to move. To say ‘right, I’m not coming back to the UK’ took a lot of courage. But it’s been so good, I absolutely love it.”
She says that one of the biggest perks of life abroad is that going out for meals and drinks works out to be a lot cheaper.
Jacqui said: “I love going out for meals, and it’s so much cheaper than in the UK, you can get a glass of wine for €1.50.
“You can get a three-course meal and a coffee for around €10.”
Jacqui bravely bit the bullet and loves her new life abroad, she does heed some warnings for anyone hoping to do the same.
She explained: “I’m lucky as I have a plan B, I’ll never sell my house in Scotland.
“But I know a lot of people here who have sold up completely, moved lock, stock and barrel and now they’re coming into their dotage and they can’t go back because they can’t afford it.
“I also know some people who came just before Covid wanting to open a bar and then as they started, had to close because Spain went into lockdown.
“They lost so much money and used all their savings to live and have had to move back to the UK and rent which is such a shame.
“My other piece of advice would be to rent first to see if you like the area. Thanks to Brexit, Brits can only rent in Spain for three months at a time, but do that and get to know the town you like.”
Plus, another A Place in the Sun presenter reveals her favourite foreign family holiday park – and it’s surprisingly affordable.
And another A Place in the Sun presenter moved to the Costa del Sol where she spends evenings on the beach but reveals there is a catch to her new life in Spain.