Stories &
Insights.
Guides, market perspectives, and reflections on Mediterranean living from the Medsol team.
Spain’s New Flood-Risk Rules: What Murcia Buyers Need to Know (2026)
A draft royal decree would ban new homes in Spain’s highest-risk flood zones and require flood risk disclosure in writing. It isn’t law yet — here’s what’s proposed and how to check a property yourself.
By Lee Doherty
Driving from the UK, Ireland or the Netherlands to Your Murcia Home
Two realistic routes: the Portsmouth–Santander ferry, or overland via the Channel Tunnel. Real leg times, toll costs, and why the drive matters even more for Dutch and Belgian buyers.
By Lee Doherty
Do You Need a Car on a Murcia Golf Resort? An Honest Answer
Yes. The resorts sit three to eight kilometres outside their host towns with no scheduled bus service. What public transport actually exists, and where you could realistically live car-free instead.
By Lee Doherty
Murcia or Alicante Airport? The Honest Comparison for a Costa Cálida Home
Murcia (Corvera) is far closer to the golf resorts; Alicante has sixteen times the flight network. Real drive times, transfer costs, and which airport to fly depending on where you're coming from.
By Lee Doherty
Can You Fly to Murcia in Winter? Every Route That Runs January to March (2026)
Corvera airport served 11 destinations through winter 2025–26, with year-round UK and Irish flights. Nine summer-only routes drop out from late October. Every winter route, mapped out.
By Lee Doherty
The Month You View In Decides What You Buy: Viewing Property in Murcia by Season
View in late February to April, or late October to November, and you see the resort as it actually is most of the year. August — when most people view — shows you none of that. A month-by-month honest guide.
By Lee Doherty
What Owning on a Golf Resort Actually Gets You — Membership, Green Fees and the Owner Discount
Buying on a Murcia golf resort doesn't include golf, but it does buy a cheaper membership. GNK Golf's 2026 rates, the real break-even math, and which courses ownership actually covers.
By Lee Doherty
Murcia vs the Algarve: An Honest Comparison for Retirement Buyers
The Algarve costs about two and a half times Murcia per square metre, and Portugal's retiree tax break closed in 2024 with nothing replacing it. A straight, numbers-based comparison for buyers weighing both.
By Lee Doherty
Your Passport Isn’t Stamped Any More: EES, ETIAS and the 90/180 Rule in 2026
The EU's Entry/Exit System went fully live on 10 April 2026, replacing passport stamps with biometric registration. Here's what actually changed, who's exempt, and the truth about ETIAS's delayed launch date.
By Lee Doherty
The Mar Menor Now Has Legal Rights — What That Means If You’re Buying Nearby
The Mar Menor became Europe's first ecosystem with legal personhood in 2022, upheld by Spain's Constitutional Court in 2024. Here's what that law actually changes for buyers, and the separate building moratorium that does.
By Lee Doherty
Mar Menor and Property Values: What the Data Actually Shows
The Bank of Spain found Mar Menor property owners lost over €4 billion in housing wealth after the 2015 pollution event. Yet Los Alcázares prices just hit an all-time high, up 34.9%. Both are true — here is what the gap actually means.
By Lee Doherty
No, VAT on Holiday Lets Did Not Go Up to 21% — What Actually Happened on 27 July 2026
The proposal to raise IVA on Spanish tourist rentals from 10% to 21% was pulled from the Council of Ministers agenda on 27 July 2026. Here's what actually happened, and the EU deadline that matters more.
By Lee Doherty
Modelo 210 Has Changed: The New Deadlines, Including One That Falls on 31 December 2026
Spain rewrote the Modelo 210 filing deadlines in June 2026 — but your 2025 imputed income keeps the old deadline, due 31 December 2026. Most non-resident owners don't know this date exists.
By Lee Doherty
Can You Legally Let Your Murcia Resort Home? The Community Vote Nobody Checks
Around 34.71% of Murcia tourist-rental applications are rejected — most over building statutes or a missed community vote. What to check before you buy for rental income.
By Lee Doherty
Spain's Tourist-Rental Registry Was Struck Down: What Murcia Owners Must Actually Do Now
Spain's Supreme Court annulled the national NRUA rental registry in May 2026. Here's what actually still applies in Murcia — and what you can stop worrying about.
By Lee Doherty
Living Near Murcia City & Cartagena: Culture, Beaches & Amenities
The golf-resort belt sits about 25 minutes from both Murcia city and Cartagena, and 15 from Corvera airport — a Baroque cathedral, a Roman theatre, and the Mar Menor, all in easy reach.
By Lee Doherty
How to Check a Property Is Legal Before You Buy in Spain
Pull the nota simple, match the escritura to the property, verify the habitation certificate, confirm registration, and rule out protected or rambla land. The full legal-check process before you sign.
By Lee Doherty
Is Murcia a Good Place to Invest in Property in 2026?
Regional prices rose ~6.5–7% year-on-year, entry costs sit well below the Costa del Sol, and resort rentals can yield 4–7% gross. An honest look at the returns and the risks.
By Lee Doherty
Off-Plan Bank Guarantees in Spain: How to Protect Your Deposit (Ley 57/68)
Every off-plan payment in Spain must be protected by a bank guarantee or insurance policy under the LOE (which absorbed Ley 57/1968). Here's how the protection works and what to check before you pay.
By Lee Doherty
How Hot Does Murcia Get — and Does It Flood? An Honest 2026 Climate Guide
Murcia summers average 34–35°C with occasional days above 40°C, winters are mild, and rain is rare but can arrive violently via a DANA. The honest climate and flood-risk picture for buyers.
By Lee Doherty
Snagging a New-Build in Spain: The Room-by-Room Checklist
Snag a new-build before you sign: a full room-by-room inspection checklist, what Spain's LOE warranties cover (1/3/10 years), and how to protect your deposit.
By Lee Doherty
Buying a New-Build in Murcia: The True Cost on Top of the Price (2026)
On a new-build in Murcia, budget roughly 12–14% on top of the asking price — mostly IVA. Here is the full tax and fee stack, with a worked example.
By Lee Doherty
The Real Running Costs of a Murcia Resort Home: IBI, Community Fees & Taxes
For a €350,000 golf-resort villa, budget €4,000–€8,000 a year in running costs. Here is exactly what goes into that figure, with a full worked example.
By Lee Doherty
Living in the Murcia Region: An Honest Guide for UK & International Buyers
Big skies, a slower rhythm, and a cost of living roughly 12% below the Costa del Sol. Here's an honest look at life in the Murcia region, resort belt to city.
By Lee Doherty
Living on a Golf Resort in Murcia: Corvera, Alhama & the Jack Nicklaus Courses
What day-to-day life actually looks like on MedSol's three Murcia golf resorts — the gated routine, the courses, who it suits, and the honest trade-offs to check before you buy.
By Lee Doherty
The Proposed Foreign-Buyer Tax in Spain: Will It Affect You? (2026 Update)
Spain's proposed 100% tax on non-EU buyers is not law, was left out of the 2026 housing package, and has no clear path to a vote. Here's the real status and the taxes that actually apply.
By Lee Doherty
Why Is Golf-Resort Property in Murcia Such Good Value? (2026)
Golf-resort property in Murcia costs a third of the Costa del Sol for the same climate, golf and gated-resort lifestyle. Here's the honest reason why, with the real numbers.
By Lee Doherty