BRITONS searching for a home on the Costa del Sol increased by 44% in the last five weeks as many returned home from summer holidays.

According to property search engine Zoopla, Spain continued to be the most searched for destination for a new home, with Ibiza and Menorca the second and third most popular destinations.

They saw a 41% and 19% increase in interest respectively.

Zoopla compared website traffic during the last five weeks – which covers the school summer holidays – to the previous five-week period earlier in the summer.

It also found that the most popular search terms for properties abroad included ‘pool’, ‘beach’ and ‘sea view’.

Property expert Simon Conn says it is not surprising that so many people return from their summer holiday abroad and begin planning how to buy a property overseas.
“We’ve all done it – gone on holiday, stepped away from the daily grind, relaxed in the sun, cocktail in hand, wondering how we can make this feeling last,” he said.

“So when we return to the unpredictable British weather, we hatch a plan of how to buy a property abroad.”

However, he added a word of caution, saying: “Many people jet off to the sun and wish they could stay. But holidaying somewhere is not the same as the reality of living there every day.

“When you are on holiday, you wind down a gear and time is your own, but try to visualise what it would really be like if you live there. If you are uprooting your family and will need to work, be aware that it could just be the same routine in a different location.”