The Eurovision House Contest 2017

You have to admire the persistence of the Eurovision Song Contest to take over the vision and soundwaves for one Saturday night every year.  The English entry, Lucie Jones finished in a slightly predictable fifteenth which probably isn’t all bad considering the current relationship with our European colleagues!

It did set us thinking though.  Considering the average property price for the Vale of the White Horse, what kind of home could £350,000 buy you in the top five countries from this year’s Eurovision?

So in reverse order, here’s our chance to do a bit of retirement house dreaming as we take a look at these five very different locations:

5.  Sweden
4.  Belgium
3.  Moldova
2.  Bulgaria
1.  Portugal

When it came to Sweden, we sacrificed space for location, as the idea of waking up with this every day meant that we couldn’t be further from Eurovision if we tried!

For just over £110,000 you get a small two bedroom detached bungalow which apparently has amazing sunset views.  What makes the property more interesting is the outline planning, which will more than double the size.

We suspect that Belgium might not be a country that we will be able to afford anytime soon as £350,000 barely gets you a room.  That said, we can but dream, and who wouldn’t mind living in this understated ‘cottage’ for £3,301,116!

What Moldova lacked in choice, it made up for in style with this impressive five bedroom detached villa for £245,000. 

Or, if you fancy putting this down to a midlife crisis, you could always go for this bar, restaurant and nightclub for £340,000!

Now on to Bulgaria, which is only a three hour flight from Heathrow.  We did stumble across this four bedroom detached property for only £19,600 which would certainly leave you a fair amount of change!

Almost the polar opposite is this two bedroom apartment situated 250m above the Arbansasi Plateau with a complete 360 degree view for £348,000.  What do you think the chances are of the Oxfordshire planners allowing this to be built?

As is typically the case, the house you really want is always over budget.  But for this nine bedroom, two swimming pool property, for £389,000 would certainly make you popular with the family when it comes to holiday time.

Finally to Portugal, and as you can imagine, there’s a wide spectrum of property available from the fashionable Algarve to the rocky streets of Monsanto.  For sheer size, you’d be hard pushed to beat this 10 bedroom detached villa with pool, football pitch and basketball court!   A bargain at £325,000!

If the thought of all that cleaning enough to give you nightmares then this newly built, highly modern, three bedroom property is the one for you, especially if you fancy the occasional game of golf.  Only 20 minutes from Faro airport and yours for £320,000.

If retirement is on your mind and there is just you and your loved one looking to be eternally pampered in the Portuguese sun, then this luxury one bedroom apart with marina views, spa, gym and access to a private beach is the perfect place to indulge yourself.  And at £330,000, you will have enough left over for a cocktail or two!

All properties courtesy of RightMove.  Prices and availability were correct at the date of publishing.