The one upside to the story is that it takes place in Essaouira and not the Medina of Fez. Essaouira is one of those gorgeous places in Morocco where travelers experience the thought "wouldn't it be nice to live here." Normally, on more sober reflection, people realise that it is fine as a holiday destination but that it just hasn't the same appeal as Fez as a place to live. It is simply not big, complex and culturally diverse enough to sustain interest year after year. Also the tourist hordes and windy beach would soon drive most people barking mad.
However, Abby Arons and her family found a small house in the Chabanat district and - not to mince words - gutted it and built a couple of extra floors. The investment of some forty thousand pounds on top of a purchase price of thirty-seven thousand makes it very expensive by Fez standards but, as Abby gleefully reports in an article in the British Telegraph, the rental market is providing a solid income.
"The house took a year to build at a cost of £40,000. When Maria handed us the keys to the solid wood Berber front door, it was indeed fair to say that she had produced un petit palais. Four years and two children - Solo, two, and Hope, 11 months - later, Dar Ronda, so named because of the rounded outside walls, is rented out for 60 per cent of the year for £550-£670 per week, and we are already taking bookings from EasyJet passengers."
Read Abby's story in the Telegraph
It should be noted that Arons is the author of Buying a House in Morocco which was reviewed on The View from Fez by Helen Ranger. The book is worth a read but far from a definitive account of all the issues involved. For much clearer detail and depth of experience we would suggest that the best source of information is on the internet at House in Fez.
Buying a house in Morocco is not just an investment in real estate, it is an investment in historical and cultural heritage.
Tags: Morocco Fes, Maghreb news
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