Ocean-view Apartments in My Favorite Chilean City--$49,000

Explore the labyrinth of narrow streets, sidewalk cafés, and galleries in the old town of Valparaiso

Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2007
Valparaíso, Chile

Read more about Chile in International Living Postcards--your daily escape

Valparaíso is what I call a “real” city, as opposed to a tourist town.

Built on a series of hills around a sparkling blue bay, many find Valpo (as it’s called locally) similar to San Francisco. The hills are so steep that for more than a century the city has maintained a cable-car elevator system--just hop on if climbing the old stairs or narrow, winding, cobblestone alleyways becomes tiresome.

As you explore the city’s labyrinth of pathways, you’ll come across many coffee shops, tiny and larger restaurants of every type, art galleries, and antique shops.

If you need something more commercial, head for the narrow coastal plain of the city along the shoreline--you’ll find a thriving business and commercial district with everything you’ll need.

While spending time in the city, I had a look at the real estate market--I found some small, brand-new, one- and two-bedroom condos for sale in a restored 1930s building. Within walking distance of all the restaurants, cafés, shops, and bars (and three blocks from the port and metro station), they start at $56,000 for one on the top floor with a balcony and a view of the water, to $66,000 for the slightly larger ones on lower floors, without the view. Frankly, the character of the building was lost once you got inside the small condos, but I still considered them a good value for the area.

On Playa Ancha, I found an apartment of 984 square feet with three bedrooms, two baths, and two covered parking spaces. Most importantly, it boasts a broad ocean view--somewhat distant, but impressive nonetheless. The asking price is just $49,000.

Moving up the line, the next home also had a panoramic view and 1,466 square feet of living space, four bedrooms (one with a balcony) and two baths, as well as a tiled interior patio and parking for two cars. The asking price is $99,800.

One of the city’s best properties has got to be a house on the famous pedestrian walkway Mirador Atkinson, one of the city’s attractions. It’s an impressive 7,500 square feet and has a great view of the harbor. The asking price is $358,900.

So if you’re willing to stray from the beachfront condo projects, you don’t mind that your ocean view is of a thriving, clean seaport, and you won’t get upset when the Tango music doesn’t stop until 4 a.m. on Saturday night--then Valparaíso may be for you.

Lee Harrison
Roving Latin America Editor, International Living

Related articles:

- Beachfront and Old Colonials for Less Than $100,000

- Chile: Latin America's Premier First-world Venue

- Everything You Need to Know About Purchasing a Home in the Sun

Related events:

- Lee Harrison will speak at the Live and Prosper in Uruguay Seminar in Montevideo, Uruguay, next week, Nov. 28-30. This is turning out to be one of the biggest events of the year, but there are still places left.