Retiring to Tenerife

Just a thought...why not consider renting as opposed to making a purchase that serves to bind up a large sum of your cash in a property that you would then be stuck with?  Then, you could invest the house cash and when you have certainty about the area youre happy with, then buy at that time if it makes sense for you.  Or, better, why not consider investing and keep renting, using the returns from your investment for living expenses...  (sorry if youve already gone through that thinking... just that I am aware of the downside of being stuck with a property in a buyers market, its not fun)
Cheers

Many thanks for your suggestions.They are certainly other avenues to explore.What you say does make sense and is worth considering.We have time on our side before we rush into anything and are grateful for your reply.

Thanks

Chayofa is a bit out the way and gets a bit nippy in winter. That said, it is well served by supermarket chains and other stuff up the road in La Camella. I had 2 lovely years in Los Abrigos and prefer that place hands down. Be careful about buying. I have a friend who has a lovely apartment in Chayofa but he's been trying to sell it for 6 years! Maybe he bought it at top dollar, I don't know. But he can't shift it either because of the price , location or further building work that is due to take place there.
Good luck whatever you do.

Thanks for the information, it's really appreciated.  Buying a property in Tenerife sounds like it can be quite a tricky business getting the right area etc, so we are eager to learn all we can.  We found your comments very helpful and are grateful you took the time to respond to us.

Cheers

I'm getting ever closer to that time of life too, and although I enjoyed living in Tenerife, I found the island life terribly frustrating. I wanted to go and see a band I like (Rush), who were touring Europe. I never went because the outbound flight left a day too early and the return flight two days too late! So a night out would have meant taking almost a week off work!!!
Obviously, in retirement, a work schedule is not an issue, but life on an island wasn't for me. I bought a place on the mainland (a house, not a flat) near the sea (8km) and have 2 airports relatively nearby (Alicante and Murcia), a huge shopping plaza (La Zenia) within a  minute drive and bars and restaurants in walking distance.
Nice and central and easy travelling. It suits me better (although I haven't actually LIVED in the house for more than a few weeks so far, due to my job).
Just a thought....

Sounds lovely.We have considered the mainland but are worried the winters will be a bit chilly but haven't ruled it out.As you say island life may not be for everyone and again you've given us something to think about.Renting for a year or so could be a sensible thing to do by the sound of it as there seems to be many things in the mix attached to living and buying property in Tenerife.

Thanks again