The Costa Property Podcast

Torremolinos and Benalmádena sit ten minutes apart on the same train line, they share the same beautiful stretch of coast, and on paper they look so alike that choosing between them has started to feel impossible. Torremolinos or Benalmádena is a decision our international buyers often get stuck on, and after our Fuengirola versus Benalmádena episode so many of you told us how much you loved this...

Something has been sitting on our vision board for well over six months, and today we finally get to share it publically. This episode is a little different from our usual format. There is no guest and no deep dive into one topic. Instead, we are filling you in on everything that has been brewing behind the scenes at WL Costa Properties and here on The Costa Property Podcast, and why every one of...

Raising our family on the Costa del Sol is by far the best decision I have ever made. Our children are bilingual and they spend most of the year outside, and that is a childhood I could never have given them back in Ireland. However, there are a handful of things I wish somebody had sat me down and told me in my early days here. So that is what I am doing for you today. Ten years on, and after hel...

Of all the questions we get asked, and we get asked a lot of them, this one comes up again and again.  Will I make friends out there? Will I fit in? Will I have somebody to actually go for a coffee with? Because you could live in the most beautiful apartment in the world, and if you do not have a community around you, you will still feel like this was not the right move. So this week Sandra sits d...

You are scrolling Idealista. There is a two bedroom in Benalmadena at 350,000 euro, the terrace looks lovely, there is a bit of a sea view in the background, and you say to yourself, we could actually do this. Here is what nobody tells you while you are sitting there scrolling. The number on the screen is not the number you pay. So what does it actually cost to buy a property in Spain in 2026? Not...

Ten years ago this month we packed up our house in Ireland, put two small children in the car and moved to the Costa del So from Ireland. Since then we have helped hundreds of international buyers make the same move and find their dream property from our base in Benalmadena. So if you were here this summer and you had that moment, the one on the last evening where you looked around you and thought...

With 10 years living in Benalmadena and hundreds of international buyers guided through this exact decision, Sandra and Warner know the Fuengirola vs Benalmadena question better than almost anyone on this patch. In this episode of The Costa Property Podcast, Sandra walks you through the exact 5 questions we ask every buyer who's torn between Fuengirola and Benalmadena, the two Costa del Sol t...

Everyone thinks of Benalmádena as a holiday town. We call it home. In this listener-favourite episode - back by popular demand because you keep asking us - Sandra and Warner go behind the scenes of daily life in Benalmádena and explain why they chose it over Marbella and Málaga to be their forever home on the Costa del Sol. From the marina to Arroyo de la Miel to the whitewashed Pueblo, we break d...

Ten years ago we sold our house in Ireland, packed up the car with two babies in tow and moved to the Costa del Sol in Spain.  Everyone thought we were mad… In this very personal episode of The Costa Property Podcast, Sandra and Warner sit down for an honest, behind the scenes look back on ten years of relocating to the Costa del Sol. The fears nobody tells you about, how they actually survived, a...

The Costa del Sol property market has changed in 2026 and almost no other agency on this coast is willing to say it out loud. In this Q2 2026 Market Update episode of The Costa Property Podcast, Sandra and Warner sit down for an honest, no-spin breakdown of what has actually happened on the Costa del Sol in the first half of 2026, and the buyer-profile shift every international buyer needs to unde...

In this episode of The Costa Property Podcast, Sandra Laurie sits down solo to unpack the single biggest mistake she sees international buyers make on their Costa del Sol buying trip and how to make sure you don't make it yourself. The team at WL Costa Properties have spent 30+ years combined experience walking international buyers through the Costa del Sol coastline. We know exactly where th...

In this episode of The Costa Property Podcast, Sandra and Warner sit down for an honest conversation about what's actually happening in the Costa del Sol property market so far in 2026 and the question every international buyer is asking right now: should I buy now, or should I wait? If you've been sitting on the fence telling yourself "surely the prices are going to drop because of...

In this episode of The Costa Property Podcast , Sandra and Warner sit down for a conversation about the Costa del Sol's most misunderstood town, Benalmádena. If you've ever dismissed Benalmádena as "just a tourist spot" or written it off based on a holiday memory from 10 years ago, this is the episode you need to hear before you buy on the Costa del Sol. Sandra and Warner unpac...

In this episode of The Costa Property Podcast, Sandra and Warner sit down for an honest conversation about a MAJOR shift they're seeing in buyer behaviour in 2026 and answer the question: Is Spain really a Safe Haven? From US buyers seeking safety and predictability, to UK and Irish families who've simply had enough of rising costs and weak leadership , Sandra and Warner share exactly wh...

If you're using AI tools like ChatGPT for your property search in Spain, this episode is essential listening before you make any decisions. In this episode, Sandra is joined by AI educator and startup CEO Susanne Drews (Chemp AI), who has lived in Spain for 20 years, to unpack the real risks of relying on AI for your property search on the Costa del Sol. You’ll hear exactly how to use it wise...

In this honest 10-year reflection, Sandra and Warner share the 10 biggest lessons they’ve learned from building a life in Spain over the past decade, including what they would do differently, the mistakes people still make, and the advice they now give their VIP clients before they buy or relocate. This is the real behind the scenes lessons you only learn after years of actually living here. You’l...

If you’re an international buyer looking for a premium villa lifestyle on the Costa del Sol, Marbella isn’t the only option. In this episode, Sandra is joined by Julia Payne, who has lived in La Capellanía, Benalmádena since 2000. Julia shares what makes the area so desirable, how community fees work, what types of homes you’ll find, lifestyle perks and average price tags for homes  What you’ll he...

Welcome to the final step of our 3-part Map Your Move to the Costa del Sol series. In this episode, we pull everything together so you can move from dreaming to doing with a clear financial plan and a realistic property strategy. You’ll understand how to get clear on your real budget beyond the purchase price, how to think about cash vs mortgage, and how to shape your buying strategy around your l...

Welcome back to Map Your Move to the Costa del Sol 3 Part Series In Part 2, we get into the less glamorous but absolutely essential side of making your move work: realistic timelines, visa and residency considerations, schools and healthcare. We also unpack the difference between buying a property for investment or future retirement and relocating properly to live in Spain, why working with the ri...

Most people start their Costa del Sol move the wrong way round. They browse listings, fall in love with a town on holiday… and only later realise it doesn’t fit real life.  In our brand new series Map Your Move to The Costa Del Sol Part 1, we share the fail-proof process that we use with serious international buyers to get location + mindset clarity before property viewings. What you’ll hear ⬇️ ✔️...

In this special Episode 100th of The Costa Property Podcast, we celebrate a major milestone and share what’s coming next for the show.  The podcast began as a simple way to help buyers feel calmer and more informed when buying or relocating to the Costa del Sol, cutting through information overload, rumours, and misleading headlines. In this episode, we reflect on what we’ve learned after 100 epis...

In this episode, Warner sits down with our client Lee, a Costa del Sol homeowner who recently sold his property with WL Costa Properties in El Pinillo (Benalmádena/Torremolinos area) and made a big lifestyle move to El Faro.  Lee shares what surprised him most about the process, what mattered when choosing an agent, and the behind-the-scenes details that helped sell his home fast. This episode is...

If you’re thinking about buying a property on the Costa del Sol in 2026 and you’re asking, “Will prices keep going up or should we wait?”, this is the conversation you need to hear. Sandra and Warner of WL Costa Properties answer the big 2026 questions international buyers are asking, and Warner gives his straight answers based on notary data from Benalmádena and 20 years real estate experience on...

Has Marbella always been top of your Costa del Sol wishlist? In this episode, we break down why Benalmádena has gone from underrated to in-demand  and why more and more serious buyers are choosing Benalmádena After almost a decade living and working here, we share what we’ve seen buyers get right about the Costa Del Sol in 2026 and where expectations still need a serious reset. You’ll learn: Why B...

Thinking about moving to Spain on the non-lucrative visa (NLV)? In this episode, Sandra sits down with WL Costa Properties client Vicki Owen, who has just completed the full UK → Spain NLV process while juggling a wedding, a house sale and a relocation to Benalmádena on the Costa del Sol. She walks us through the paperwork, the costs, the three-month wait with no passport, and the emotional side o...