In case you missed it, here's this month's podcast again. In this one we look at our half yearly report. Prices up but sales slightly down. How does that happen and what is happening overall in the market.
We also go through some of our recent posts and publications and take some gratuitous swipes at Elon Musk because he's fair game.
The location is technically #Betera, but the relevant reference points are the Escorpion golf course and a road that connects you to #Valencia without the noise of living inside the city itself.
The drone shot tells you most of what you need to know. Four-square contemporary architecture. Salt water pool. Two terraces. Manicured lawn. Solar panels on the roof, which was admirable forward-thinking before the current price hikes of everything.
Inside there are four bedrooms, two bathrooms, zoned air conditioning, double glazing throughout, and an energy certificate rated A (Which is the first one I've seen in Spain I think).
https://valencia-property.com/betera/living-in-a-box-not-a-cardboard-box-2483.php
The latest blog talks about what everyone is looking for after digging into our enquiry lists. And the number one request is not a surprise, it's not even close! However, is it the right thing to ask for? Take a look.
https://valencia-property.com/new/2026/08/17/what-everybody-asks-for-in-2026/
Any photos to share?
The neighbourhood is a mix of long time locals and newcomers, with an authentic local lifestyle and fewer tourists, but still all the shops and facilities nearby you need. Marxalenes park is a short walk away, as is the tram stop that will take you direct to the beach and El Cabanyal.
https://valencia-property.com/valencia-city/nice-top-floor-apartment,-decent-price-2502.php
It's tomorrow and Spain is pretty excited about this
Will you be viewing? If so where from?
https://valenciaproperty.substack.com/p/eclipsemania-hits-spain
Latest Podcast is up. Sales down Prices up! What happened? A review of the first half of 2026. Includes what went badly as well as what went well and a whole lot more. Sit back with a coffee, at the gym or in the car and have a listen. https://valenciaproperty.podbean.com/e/s4ep12/
Start as you mean to go on. Set up your fixed costs to be a minimum and your ongoing life in Spain will be cheaper. Examples and recommendations included.
A property that has what realtor’s love (and you should too), the possibility to significantly improve at a modest cost, and immediately raise the value of the property. Get in touch with us while this is still available.
https://www.valencia-property.com/valencia-city/classic-high-ceilinged-apartment-2492.php
Substack post is up.
Why the weekend is sacred with a side salad of why comments are once again blocked.
https://valenciaproperty.substack.com/p/why-the-weekend-is-sacred
At Stepping Stone Rentals we do more than just property management.
At Stepping Stone, we know that a soft landing involves much more than simply having an apartment lined up. The same goes for owners. Renting out your apartment might seem easy, until you’re dealing with a tenant stuck in a lift at 7am while you’re halfway across the world.
If you're thinking about renting out your property, or you're looking for somewhere to rent, get in touch, not only do we offer medium-term rentals, we've just launched our long-term rental search service too.
https://www.steppingstonerentals.com/blog/more-than-just-property-management/
Do you know our full range of services?
If not take a look at our article and bookmark it for another time...
https://valencia-property.com/new/2026/01/18/valencia-property-services-2026-27/
Graham has updated a lot of the articles on the Valencia Property blog over the last few days. Better linking, easier to navigate and find information. Take a look and delve into the archives.
The Valencia Property Mid Year Report is up. The truth about the market and what on Earth happened in May.
https://valencia-property.com/new/2026/08/02/the-2026-valencia-property-mid-year-report/
How the Basques moved their obsessions on from Whaling to Football. Not a bad decision all in. Definitely worth following this substack too as Miguel explains aspects of Spanish history in English.
No matter where you come from, moving to Valencia comes with a few surprises.
You can read every travel guide, watch endless YouTube videos and scroll through social media for weeks, but nothing quite prepares you for everyday life once you’ve actually unpacked your suitcase. Some things take a little getting used to. Others quickly become part of the reason you never want to leave.
Here are ten things that surprise almost everyone.
If you’re used to sitting down for dinner at 6.00 or 7.00 pm, Valencia can feel like it’s running on a completely different clock. Many restaurants don’t even open their kitchens until around 8.30 pm, and it’s perfectly normal to see families with young children enjoying dinner at 10.00 or even 11.00 at night. During the hottest months, eating later simply makes sense.
This is probably the one thing I’ve completely embraced since moving here. The thought of having dinner before 9.00 pm actually feels strange to me now. If someone suggested meeting for dinner at 6.30 in the evening, I’d probably assume we were just going for a drink first. It didn’t take long before I found myself slipping into the Valencian way of doing things. Now, eating late just feels completely normal.
Forget the typical nine-to-five routine. Lunch is the main meal of the day, usually eaten between 2.00 and 3.30 pm, and evenings stretch much later than they do in many other countries. Even on a Tuesday night, terraces can still be full at 11.00 pm, with children playing in the squares while their parents chat over a drink.
This catches out almost every newcomer. Between roughly 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm, many independent businesses close their doors for lunch or a break during the hottest part of the day. Hairdressers, small family-run shops, neighbourhood businesses and some banks may all shut for a few hours before reopening later in the afternoon. Large supermarkets and shopping centres usually stay open, but if you’re relying on a local business, it’s worth planning ahead.
This is one that still catches me out, even after nearly ten years. If I decide I need a haircut or want to pop into the bank, there’s a good chance I’ll wander over at half past two only to find the shutters down. For some reason, this one just refuses to sink in. You’d think I’d have learnt by now, but apparently not.
One of the things I love most about Valencia is that it still feels a bit like many other countries used to decades ago. Instead of doing absolutely everything in one giant supermarket, people still pop to the pescadería for fish, the carnicería for meat, the panadería for fresh bread, the frutería for fruit and vegetables, or the ferretería when they need a few tools or household bits and pieces. Of course, supermarkets are everywhere, but these traditional neighbourhood shops remain part of daily life.
I really hope that doesn’t change. There’s something reassuring about seeing people supporting businesses that have often served the same neighbourhood for generations. It gives Valencia a sense of community that’s becoming increasingly rare in many parts of the world.
This catches almost everyone out. In many countries, the bill appears on your table as soon as you’ve finished eating. In Valencia, that can feel almost rude. The staff won’t usually bring it because they assume you’re enjoying your company and may want another drink, a coffee or simply to carry on talking. It’s perfectly normal to ask for “la cuenta, por favor” when you’re ready to leave. Until then, nobody is trying to hurry you out of your seat, even if you’ve finished your meal half an hour earlier.
Those roller shutters you’ll see on almost every apartment are called persianas in Spanish, and after one Valencian summer you’ll wonder why every country doesn’t have them. They’re not just for security. Pull them down during the hottest part of the day and they help keep the heat out, block the fierce Mediterranean sun, reduce street noise and make sleeping much easier. Walk through Valencia on a hot afternoon and you’ll notice many homes have their persianas partly or fully closed. It’s part of everyday life here, especially during the summer, helping to keep homes surprisingly cool long before air conditioning became common.
Of course, everyone talks about Valencia’s sunshine. The city enjoys around 300 days of sunshine a year, but for me, it’s the winter that really makes me appreciate living here. While much of northern Europe is wrapped up indoors, it’s often still comfortable enough in Valencia to go for a run, a bike ride, enjoy a long walk through the Turia Gardens or sit outside having lunch or a coffee.
One of the biggest changes is that you stop planning your life around the weather. If you’re arranging a barbecue, meeting friends on a terrace or planning a day out, there’s a good chance you won’t even think about checking the forecast. Most of the time, you simply assume it’ll be fine. After years of living somewhere where the weather dictated almost every outdoor plan, that’s a surprisingly liberating feeling.
You might expect fireworks on New Year’s Eve or during Fallas. In Valencia, they can happen on almost any day of the year. They might be celebrating a local fiesta, a religious festival, a wedding or simply a neighbourhood celebration. After living here for nearly ten years, they still catch me out. I was sitting outside having a coffee the other day when a huge petardo exploded just behind me. I nearly jumped out of my chair. It’s one of those sounds you never completely get used to, but it’s all part of Valencian life. During Fallas, of course, the famous mascletà takes things to another level, with thousands of people gathering every afternoon simply to experience the deafening spectacle.
In many places, going to the beach is something you plan weeks in advance. In Valencia, plenty of people head there after work for a swim, a walk, a drink or dinner by the sea. On warm evenings, it’s as normal as going to your local park.
If you arrive from somewhere where Sundays are just another shopping day, Valencia can be a surprise. Most shops are closed, many streets are noticeably quieter, and families fill the parks, beaches and restaurants instead. It’s a day for long lunches, walks, meeting friends and taking life at a slower pace. At first you might find yourself wondering why everything is shut. Before long, you’ll probably find yourself looking forward to Sundays too.
What surprised you most when you first moved to Valencia?
Or if you’re still planning your move, which one of these do you think would take the most getting used to?
The apartment was originally two separate units. Someone had the sense to combine them, which is where the generous proportions come from. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a washroom, 110 square metres. Large living room. Decent kitchen. Fully furnished and ready to go. Air conditioning throughout. Two rear balconies that the current owners use for storage and they are handy to have.
Go up one more floor and there's a huge semi private terrace. The apartments below don't use it, so in practice it's yours. There's a storeroom up there too.
Third floor, no lift. That's the only real negative part. But the IBI and community fees are so low that the carrying costs are almost embarrassing.
https://www.valencia-property.com/valencia-city/the-market-looks-good-2494.php
As you may have noticed if you are anywhere in Europe we have reached peak summertime and the temperatures are rising.
https://valencia-property.com/new/2026/07/27/summertime-and-the-living-is-easy-2/
AI is about to hit the skids. There, I’ve said it. And that matters because… There, I’ve said it in a way that AI would phrase it. That’s not opinion that’s a fact. Whoops I keep on doing it… You’re totally right…
https://valenciaproperty.substack.com/p/ai-is-going-down-and-that-matters
For many visitors and newcomers, this can be one of the strangest parts of adapting to summer in Spain. In a country known for its heat, why does air conditioning sometimes feel like a last resort rather than the first thing people reach for?
The surprising answer is that plenty of homes do have it. According to figures published by Idealista, around 41% of homes advertised across Spain include air conditioning, while the proportion in Valencia is considerably higher, at roughly two-thirds of properties on the market. Even so, having air conditioning and using it constantly are two very different things.
Cost is one of the main reasons. Electricity bills are taken seriously in Spain, particularly after years of price rises and uncertainty in the energy market. The exact cost of running an air-conditioning unit depends on its efficiency, size, electricity tariff and how hard it has to work, but a typical split system may cost somewhere around 20 to 50 cents per hour. That does not sound dramatic until it is running for eight or ten hours a day, every day, for several weeks.
There is also a very different idea of what air conditioning is supposed to do. In some countries, indoor spaces are cooled to 20 or 21°C regardless of the temperature outside. In Valencia, many people are perfectly happy setting the unit to 25 or 26°C. The aim is not to make the room cold. It is simply to remove the worst of the heat and humidity. Setting the temperature too low also means the system works harder, uses more electricity and creates that unpleasant shock when you step back outside into blazing sunshine.
Traditional Valencian homes were also designed long before air conditioning existed, and many of their features still make a real difference. Thick walls help slow down the heat entering the building, while tiled floors remain cooler than carpets or wooden flooring. Persianas, the heavy exterior shutters found on almost every apartment, are lowered before the strongest afternoon sun hits the windows. People open the house early in the morning, close it up during the hottest part of the day, and then open everything again late at night when the temperature finally begins to drop.
There is also a cultural suspicion of excessive air conditioning. Many people in Spain are convinced that cold air causes sore throats, stiff necks, headaches or summer colds. You will often hear someone complain about the corriente, or draught, and ask for the air conditioning to be turned down even when everyone else is sweating. Restaurants, taxis and offices can become battlegrounds between the person who wants Arctic conditions and the person sitting nearby with a cardigan wrapped around their shoulders.
This is gradually changing. Spanish summers are becoming more difficult to manage, heatwaves are lasting longer and nights are often staying uncomfortably warm. Air conditioning is increasingly seen as essential rather than luxurious, especially for older people, young children and anyone working from home. Newer systems are also far more efficient than older machines, and heat pumps are now being used for both cooling in summer and heating in winter.
Even so, Valencia still approaches summer differently from countries where air conditioning runs constantly. People close the shutters, avoid the streets at the hottest time of day, sit in shaded plazas, eat later and wait for the evening breeze. The air conditioning comes on when necessary, but it is usually part of a wider strategy rather than the entire strategy.
After a few summers here, many newcomers start doing exactly the same thing. They lower the persianas before leaving home, open every window after sunset and become strangely proud of surviving another afternoon without touching the remote control. Others remain loyal to the air conditioning from June until September and consider the electricity bill a small price to pay for being able to sleep.
Which side are you on? Have you adapted to the Valencian way of managing the heat, or does the air conditioning go on the moment the temperature rises above 25°C?
Posted from Streets of Valencia on Facebook.