New build property in Torre-Pacheco

First, something the listings rarely say

Torre-Pacheco is constantly advertised as "Mar Menor", and it does belong to that district. But the municipality has no coastline. It sits inland, on the flat Campo de Cartagena. The lagoon beaches are a ten to fifteen minute drive away.

This is worth knowing before you start viewing, because a great many listings say "Mar Menor" without saying that. It is not a problem, and for most buyers the trade is a good one, but it belongs in the first paragraph and it almost never is.

What you get in exchange for those fifteen minutes: your own plot, a private pool, a single-storey house, and prices in a different bracket from the seafront.

The golf, which is the actual reason people buy here

Few municipalities in Spain have this density of courses in such a small area: La Torre Golf and Saurines de la Torre at Roldán, Mar Menor Golf, the nine-hole Club de Golf Torre-Pacheco, and New Sierra Golf at Balsicas.

Two things follow from that.

Views hold their value. A house fronting a fairway keeps its outlook, because nothing can be built in front of it. On open land that guarantee does not exist.

The season is longer. Golf resorts stay occupied through the winter, when coastal towns quieten. If you plan to let the property, that changes the arithmetic considerably: you are letting into a year-round market rather than a summer one.

How the municipality is laid out

Torre-Pacheco is not one settlement but several, each with its own character.

Torre-Pacheco town is the administrative centre: town hall, market, health centre, everyday shops. It functions as a large Spanish town rather than a resort.

Roldán and Balsicas are the two other main settlements. Balsicas has something genuinely useful: a railway station on the Murcia–Cartagena line. In an area where almost everything is done by car, that is worth noting.

The resorts, La Torre, Mar Menor Golf, Saurines and Santa Rosalía, operate as gated communities with their own pools, services and communal areas. This is where most of the new build sits.

Getting here, and a correction

The airport for this area is Región de Murcia International (Corvera), around 30 kilometres away.

One point that still needs correcting: San Javier airport stopped handling commercial flights on 15 January 2019, when Corvera replaced it. Property websites continue to advertise "near San Javier international airport". That has been wrong for seven years.

Alicante-Elche is further out, at around 90 kilometres, but carries considerably more direct UK routes. Cartagena is about 25 kilometres and the city of Murcia around 30, both by motorway.

Prices

Most new build in the municipality consists of detached and semi-detached single-storey villas with a private plot and pool.

What moves the price: whether the property is inside a resort or outside it, whether it fronts a golf course, plot size, and build stage. Off-plan is typically 10–20% cheaper than completed, in exchange for waiting 18–24 months.

A note on running costs: resort properties carry community fees that standalone houses do not. They cover pools, gardens, security and shared roads. Ask for the exact figure before you commit. It varies substantially between resorts and it is an annual, permanent cost.

Buying from the UK

Brexit changed how long you can stay, not whether you can buy.

As a non-EU national you may spend 90 days in any rolling 180-day period in the Schengen area without a visa. Owning a house does not extend that. If you want longer, you need a residence permit obtained separately.

Buying itself is unrestricted. For a new build you need an NIE (foreigner identification number), which we arrange. A Spanish bank account is not required to buy; you can pay the developer from your UK account. It is useful later, for utilities and annual taxes.

Property purchase no longer grants residency. The golden visa, which gave residence rights for a €500,000 property investment, was abolished in April 2025. A great many websites still advertise it.

Purchase taxes. New build attracts 10% VAT plus stamp duty. Torre-Pacheco is in the Región de Murcia, where the rate applying to VAT-liable transactions fell from 2% to 1.5% on 25 July 2025. Add €1,500–2,500 for notary and registry. Budget around 12% above the purchase price.

The annual tax that catches people out. Non-resident owners pay Spanish tax every year on a notional rental value, whether or not they let the property. Since Brexit UK owners pay 24% instead of the 19% applied to EU residents, and can no longer deduct expenses against rental income. On a resort villa this is not trivial. Have a gestor quantify it before you commit, not after.

Mortgages. Spanish banks lend to non-residents at up to 70% of valuation, against 80% for residents. Arrange it before reserving.

The bank guarantee. Developers are legally required to guarantee every payment made before completion. Ask to see it before you sign anything. It is what protects your money if the build stalls.

You do not need to travel. Video viewings, paperwork prepared remotely, completion under power of attorney granted in the UK.