Wake up early, open the window, listen for traffic, dogs, scooters, whatever your nerves can handle. Make coffee. Try to book an appointment online with the town hall.
If the form crashes twice and you still don’t feel like throwing the laptop, that’s a good sign. Walk down, ask the clerk what they really want from you when you register as living there. Take ID, a copy of your rental contract or deeds, and a recent utility bill with your name on it. Some places are relaxed. Some aren’t. You learn fast by asking one direct question at the window.
Find the health centre you’d actually use. Stand outside and watch the flow. Is there parking you can manage on a wet Friday. How long is the drive to the main hospital and what’s it like at 5 p.m. when the road backs up. In the Marina Alta that hospital is in Dénia. Try the route once when you’re not in a hurry so you’re not learning it on the day you need it.
Internet decides whole weeks. Don’t trust a map. Check fibre by the exact address and run a speed test in the living room with the owner’s permission. If it’s rural or up a hill, ask the neighbours what they actually get. A lot of people are using Starlink now because it just works if the dish can see the sky. It costs more than standard fibre but it saves you from those dead zones that look pretty in photos and then kill your Zoom calls.
Money is boring until it’s not. On top of the sale price you’ll pay purchase tax, legal and notary fees, registry fees, and later the yearly council property tax. Apartments or gated places often have a residents’ association; ask for the last two years of meeting notes and the budget. If they’ve got roof repairs brewing or a lift that keeps breaking, you’ll see it there. If you rent, check what the landlord actually covers when the boiler sulks in November.
Now walk the town as if you live there. Jávea is three places in one. The Arenal has the wide sandy beach, families, bars, restaurants, and it’s easy. The Port is calmer, with a working harbour and people who live there all year. The Old Town has narrow streets, old townhouses, a church, a covered market, and good tapas bars where the same faces show up in winter. Each bit has a different price tag and a different pace. You won’t feel them from a listing.
Use local sources, not just the national property portals. If you’re serious about this town, open APlaceinJavea. It gives you what’s actually for sale, how prices move between Arenal, the Port, and the Old Town, and enough straight detail to stop you flying over for the wrong place. It’s practical. That’s what you need at this stage.
Do one honest weekday. Drive the school route at 8.30. Try to park near the market and get three things in ten minutes. Sit by the health centre and watch a changeover of patients. Check the wind on the seafront after dark and decide if that’s pleasant or a jacket every night. Ask a neighbour where they buy screws and which plumber turns up. Write down what you found. If the town still makes sense to you at 5 p.m., you’ve probably picked right. I
