Buy the bones. Build the home.
When new-build move-in-ready doesn’t exist at your budget, there’s a better path: a property with good bones, a negotiated discount, and a fixed-timeline renovation that turns it into exactly what you pictured.
The “new build” you want, at a price that exists.
The market for new, move-in-ready homes in a tight budget often just doesn’t exist. So instead of chasing the finished article, we get creative: value for money, a great location, a spacious layout, and good bones we can modernise.
The word “renovation” can be daunting — so my priority is to remove the stress and uncertainty before you commit. Fixed plan, fixed timeline, detailed quote, one contractor I trust.
Light is the transformationFour steps, all the risk taken out first.
Find the “unchangeables”
Location, square footage, the view, the light — the things you can’t renovate. I look past dated finishes to the home hiding underneath, in a barrio you actually want.
Negotiate the discount
I present a clear case based on the property’s real condition. The reduction I secure is what funds the renovation — so the work often costs less than you’d fear.
A fixed plan, before you commit
I bring in a professional, reliable contractor I’ve worked with for years. Before the sale is even final, we have a full plan, a fixed timeline and a detailed quote — the stress taken out up front.
Managed to “like-new”
Electrics, plumbing, floors, light, kitchen, aircon, furniture — managed to completion while you get on with your life. You arrive to a finished home.
A 1970s Málaga flat, transformed in six weeks — for under €30,000.
Alex’s budget couldn’t buy new. So we found a dated apartment with a prime location, generous space and sea views, negotiated a discount that funded the work, and ran a back-to-the-bricks renovation on a fixed six-week timeline: new electrics, plumbing, floors, a 2.5-metre sliding glass door that flooded it with light, and a brand-new kitchen.
Bought & renovated · MálagaI asked Alex to look past the finishes and focus on the “unchangeables”: location, space, and the sea view. That was our canvas.
Michael Fee, Málaga
Do the reading first
Costs & money · 6 min
What a €350,000 Costa del Sol apartment really costs
The taxes and fees on top of the price, worked line by line on a €350,000 resale — and why a new build costs more. Honest 2026 numbers.
Read →
The process · 6 min
5 costly mistakes British buyers make on the Costa del Sol
The five most expensive mistakes British buyers make on the Costa del Sol — and exactly how to avoid each one. Honest advice from an agent here.
Read →The process · 7 min
NIE, arras, escritura: the Spanish buying process in plain English
The Spanish buying process for British buyers: the NIE, an independent lawyer, reserva and arras, the notary and escritura — and how long it takes.
Read →Got a budget and a vision that don’t agree?
That’s exactly the conversation to have. Tell me the towns and the number, and I’ll tell you honestly whether a renovation gets you there.
Thank you — that’s the first step.
On the real site this would reach Michael directly and he’d reply, usually the same day. This is a demonstration site, so nothing was sent.