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Company directors Trevor and Lynn Broughton, who live near Malmesbury in Wiltshire, are buying a new four-bedroom, three-bathroom detached Spanish Colonial-style villa at Desert Springs, Europe's only international award-winning luxury family resort and championship desert golf course in the Almeria region of south-east Spain.

Says Trevor (49): "In 2005, after discovering the beautiful unspoilt scenery of Almeria and the wonderful golf course at Desert Springs, we bought a two-bedroom townhouse in the resort. Since then it has proved to be so popular with our three grown-up children, as well as friends who have stayed and want to return, that we decided to exchange it for something bigger which will also enable us to spend much more time enjoying the sunshine and golf."

The Broughtons opted for a 238 sq m Texas country villa standing in a landscaped garden with a built-in barbecue and space for a private pool. The property comes with air-conditioning, a roof terrace and an underground double garage.

The couple have not disclosed the price they paid to buy the Texas off-plan – it is due for completion in two years – but Bridget Rosser of The Almanzora Group, which sells the properties at Desert Springs, says the list price for a new one currently is 
€1 million.

"However, we are realistic about the current sterling / euro exchange rate situation and are happy to negotiate terms with potential buyers in the current economic climate," says Bridget.

The Broughtons are funding the purchase of their new property with a Spanish mortgage to top-up the proceeds of selling their townhouse, when the market improves, as well as those from the sale of another property they bought earlier on the Costa Blanca.

The news follows the announcement at the end of last year that 55-year-old Martin Symington and his wife Sandra, whose home is in County Down, have agreed to exchange the four-bedroom home they bought at Desert Springs six years ago for the first in a new generation of exclusive detached homes with an exterior design inspired by some of the old manorial farmhouses in Almeria. The couple are trading up to buy the Caprichosa for around €2.5 million; the actual price will depend on the final specification which will be customised to meet their special requirements.