moving to spain

• ·       Learn some Spanish, many establishments and government departments do not speak English and they get as frustrated as you do not being able to communicate.
• ·      Check health care facilities in your area – if you are not a UK pensioner healthcare may not be available unless you have private insurance. Some areas may accept a UK health card for minor problems – others won’t.
• ·      Can you stand the heat here, especially in July and August? For many it is just too much and lots of Brits get out of Spain for these months.
•        Spain closes for August because of the heat, so don’t expect any progress with any government business in August.
• ·      Remember, there is no financial help here so be certain that you are covered for emergencies.
•        Keep your UK bank accounts current and don’t keep large sums in Spanish accounts. An account can be   embargoed for several reasons – even in error.
• ·      Electricity in not cheap so think about alternative heating arrangements.
• ·      Houses in Iberia do not have any insulation as such, no cavities and no damp proofing. They do not have any provision for the prevention of the passage of sound either. In short Spanish houses are cold and damp in the winter, like saunas in the summer and very noisy all year round. A UK building inspector would never allow Spanish houses to get above the damp course!
• ·      The culture between Spanish and Brits is quite noticeable, we like a 9-5 work day and Spanish workers don’t. We are happy to have our Horlicks and Bickys at 11.00pm and locals are night birds. Will I ever get used to a split day due to Siesta?……..  Nope, I doubt it!
• ·      Never part with any money before you get the goods and beware of all the Brit ‘Easy-Jet Builders’ these guys didn’t know a brick from a boiler in UK but they morph into builders on the plane over Madrid.
• ·      Never deal with Estate Agents who only have mobiles and no fixed address – it will end in tears! Fortunately most of the S**t-Brits have gone back to their lairs in UK now so there are still decent hardworking builders and agents in Spain – but check them out very carefully.
• ·      Beware of Spanish lawyers – they ain’t like our decent UK solicitors and Mammon is their God.
• ·      Corruption and greed is still very evident in Spain and whilst this is well documented, take absolute care to establish the status of your intended purchase – don’t just take your Abogado’s word for it, especially if it is a coastal location.
• ·      Don’t buy yet, property prices in Spain have a long way to go and the turmoil within the Eurozone makes it a very risky move.

 One thing to bear in mind if you do decide to go for 6 months rental, how close are you to your family?   We have a holiday apartment in Spain and have had it for 7 years so have had plenty of time to consider the consequences of moving over.   In the beginning I was determined to go, then I noticed that after a couple of weeks I was always ready to go home to see children and grandchildren and I have 3 sisters who I meet with weekly, plus I am really close to my daughter and see her every Sunday for lunch.   Although I love Spain and we are very good friends with people on our urbanisation and in the village, I cannot now see myself moving over permanently, my hubby could live on the moon though like most men.   That plus the cost of living there now.   Over the years we have had the apartment the cost of living has risen.   We only have state pensions and hubby has a very small pension, about £50 per week but in the UK we are close to large supermarkets and have a bus pass.   Our apartment is in a small village and although they say there is a bus service, I have never yet seen one go through, though they are supposed to run every hour.   We are right in the village and so have shops and bars, doctors, police, townhall etc. but you do need a car in Spain to go into neighbouring villages and I could not foresee a time when we would not need a car there and they are becoming increasingly expensive to run there. 

If financially you are OK, don't get homesick when you are away for a couple of weeks and always love the heat even without air con, then perhaps it is for you.   Don't go over with rose coloured glasses, try to stay practical focussed on the things that are most important in your life in the UK because then you are prepared for changes to your lifestyle when you move to Spain and bear in mind that tourist places like Fuengerola are ok for holidays but would you really like to live there permanently.   We love Benidorm for two weeks but would never, ever contemplate living there!   Finally, (although it is something none of us like to think about), consider how you would feel if something happened to your husband or wife, in the Uk you have friends and family for support, you might find yourself completely alone in Spain and many have returned to the Uk in these circumstances.

Whatever you decide to do I wish you well, Spain is a lovely country, the sun is great and the people friendly !

 Definitely no reason not to retire to Spain. And, by the way, not all "holiday areas" need to be avided. Take Torre de la Horadada ("Torre" for short), for example, which tick a lot of boxes: you'll be no more than half a mile from beautiful blue-flag beaches, promenades, bars, restaurants, a couple of supermarkets, even a health spa. The local sports center is only a five-minute drive away (20 minutes by bike). The area is completely flat, which makes it ideal for walking and cycling (it even has well-designed cyclo ways and wheel chair ramps). Torre has good public transport links to the beautiful cities of Cartagena and Murcia, not to mention the number of golf courses within a 15 minute radious. No wonder so many people are retiring to this lovel part of Spain, including many Spaniards!

 Honeywater -

I would not consider Torre de la Horadada as a tourist area 

Always bear in mind that Spain demands a fair old slice of dosh as 'Inheritance Tax' if one partner shuffles of the mortal coil and if both decide to visit 'Fiddlers Green' at the same time - the UK dependents become liable. In either case it is a considerabe sum to find and Spain will stick to the rules. A friend lost his mother last year and he inherited a nightmare with assets in UK and Spain to be dealt with and the Spanish fiscal department demanding all sorts of documentary proof. It took 14 months and 5 trips to UK before the matter was settled to the satisfaction of  Snr. Grabbit. My pals legal fees ( a UK Lawyer and a Spanish Abogado) were huge. It's just another load of aggro you don't need in life - but it's there lurking,  waiting to jump out of its dark cornerand bite you on the bum!

 Torre de la Horadada is very busy in the summer months, eg July and August, but its spot the person any other time.

I agree with woodbug 100% - also had a good laugh at your post at the suggestion that labourers morph into builders on the plane over.  Similar to what happened in Ireland when the Celtic tiger roared its mythical head.  Only difference was these labourers were Irish labourers returning home to cash in!  Spain is so much like Ireland was 10 years ago, when the cracks started to show there and look at it now.

I also agree prices have a lot further to drop in Spain, prices just rose too high too fast to maintain in a country like Spain, without even considering the whole eurozone decable which will no doubt put an end to the fantasy of the good ole days for many more years to come.

Foxi

 Woowoo, you say you don't want to drive, does your husband ?   If not you will find this a distinct disadvantage as even with local transport you will not find everything on your doorstep, especially sorting out any legal matters, residencia, etc.   As has been said the bus services do exist in many towns but are unpredictable and it is far from being on a par with UK services where every town can be accessed with a bus pass in a day or so !

I would agree with everything TheWoodBug has stated, in a nutshell it is not utopia.

Also please bear in mind, Spain DOES NOT PROVIDE INTERPRETERS, unlike the UK at the moment who provides them in many local authority offices and services offered to the public, even the NHS.   I have never been in a Spanish hospital but I have read that it can be a lonely place if you do not speak Spanish and as has been said, ensure you are covered for your private health insurance because otherwise you will only be covered for I think it is two years maximum on what used to be the E106 but I think it is called something else now.   When you are officially retired you will be covered under the Spanish Health system.

I have been visiting Spain for holidays for over 30 years and as I said had our apartment for 7 years and love my visits there, however we are trying to sell our apartment now due to financial reasons but have no chance at the moment.   They say that the property market has not hit the bottom yet but I do wonder how much further it will go as Spain is only now starting to hit the buffers and looking for a bail out.   The amount of unemployement like the UK is causing huge problems in Spain but it is much worse there than here with over 50% of youngsters out of work and 24% of the working population overall and businesses are closing down all over the place as people have no money to spend.   This all has an impact on the economy.    Spain has its share of problems at the moment and so if you go over, do not expect to escape from the "doom and gloom" atmosphere.

As TheWoodBug said it is difficult not to sound negative but "forewarned is forearmed" !!

lived on c del sol for 2 yrs Calahonda decided area not for us moved to Almeria near Turre

Mojacar

always rent /and property prices will come down a lot more due to economic situation

i would not buy a property untill find out what will happen with the Euro

if the Banks do collapse you do not want to have just spent a lot of money on a  major asset a house

I agree with thewoodbug but do not be despondent. Spain is a lovely country, it is not Utopia and things are very different from UK. Do not come with preconceived ideas.  If you have family, especially grand children do think twice because many people find that they miss their families. Realistically you DO need to drive. We have lived here on the Costa Tropical, ten minutes from the coast in a small village for eight years. My advice would be do not buy beyond your means. Many people have and now cannot fund their mortgages therefore have returned to UK. Do have a good look round before you buy. Think what sort of area you want to live in because Spain is a very diverse country and varies considerably from the very quiet locations to the dreadful fish and chip areas. Good luck and I hope you decide to move to Spain.

I agree with Thewoodbug, JWhite, Foxilzdy and Rob in Madrid. I think between them, they have summed things up very well.

Nothing more to add really, except good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I agree with other posters, with two exceptions: it is possible to live in Spain and NOT drive, however you have to pick your area very carefully.  Some Spanish properties are well built, though I accept that this isn't the general rule! 

Where we live wouldn't suit you, as we are too far from the beaches, but apart from that we think it would meet your requirements. We can get a bus into Murcia city, and bearing in mind the fact that it has to come from Yecla (about 30 minutes away by bus) and has several stops, it is rarely more than 5 minutes late, which I think is acceptable.  We can even get a direct bus to Valencia, which we have done a couple of times, plus a couple of other towns.  We live on the outskirts of a large town (population about 25,000) that has lots of shops, bars, restaurants, an excellent theatre, and many fiestas throughout the year.  The only time that we miss having a car is when there are concerts in bodegas outside Jumilla and we can't persuade any friends to drive us there and back!

We live in a modern apartment on the second floor of a five-storey block, and everybody who has visited us comments on how well built it is. We rarely hear any noise from other residents - there is a small dog that barks from time to time, but as she belongs to us we can't complain!  it is 34 degrees outside, but we don't have any air con. and it doesn't feel hot enough to use an electric fan, because we have the sliding door onto the balcony partly open and there is a breeze.  In winter we do use electric fires at times when it is very cold, however the sun shines most days through the glass doors onto the said balcony, which heats the living room up nicely during the day-time, and we pull down the shutters like our Spanish neighbours when it gets dark, which helps to keep the electricity bills down.

We rented here before buying, so we knew that we liked the town and particularly the local people.  We moved in June, so experienced the summer heat, and didn't move into our own flat until the following April, so experienced the cold winter too.  I have to say that it felt a lot colder in the rental apartment as it was an old property with draughts coming from the windows and doors.  Going back to the transport issue, we knew that we could get around on the local buses when we needed to and that most of the time we could find everything we needed in our own town.

Have you considered the Costa Blanca or Costa Cálida?  I'm sure somebody will point out if I'm wrong (!), but the climate here is very good and generally it is cheaper than the Costa del Sol.

Good luck whatever you do, and enjoy your fact-finding holiday!

Sue

Wendy,

Thanks for asking that question re moving. I am in exactly the same position as you. I am travelling to Marbella airport (Oct time) to have a look around with the view of my partner and I (Both mid 50s) retiring immedialtely to Spain. I lived for a few months in Vera which was an eye opener. We actually enrolled at the local night school in Vera and took Spainish lessons. We will have a car, and intend to rent for 6 months, with a view of possibly renting out at home and living in Spain returning every 6/8 weeks to see family.

I shall keep my eye on this forum, excellent content. Good luck and let me know how you get on.

Dick

07985 549377

who is Wendy?  did i miss something lol.  And what did you think of Vera?  I and hubby personally didn't like it one bit, awful place and full of awful ex pats who didn't integrate at all, not Spain.  I started visiting and living in Spain in late 60's and boy what a change.  We couldn't wait to speak the language back then for starters.  And please peeps don't start berating me, as this is my own opinion from my own experience and that is all I can testify too.

This message was last edited by Foxilady on 09/06/2012.

Hello,

Wendy is 'WooWoo' the person that started this thread on 1st June, I think. The funny thing I thought about Vera were the Germans playing Boules on the beach, NAKED. When they bent over it was looking up the Dartford Tunnel.

Which reminds me,

What is Brown and comes out the back of Cowes? The Isle of Wight Ferry.

Why don't the Chinese have telephones? Because they wing the wong number.

The old ones are the best.

You must speak El Lingo, otherwise you will not get anywhere in the rural towns, where all they speak is some dialect of Catalonian. Great fun.

I am looking forward to October.

Dick

XX

oh yesssssssssssssss Dick they made my husband cringe lol. 

And thank you for reminding me who Wendy is, duh!  I completely forgot the name of the person who started this very interesting and illuminating thread.

cheers Dick for the laughs.

Foxi

 I assume that when people here talk about "Vera" they mean "Vera Playa" on the coast and not the inland town?  We stayed in an apartment near Vera Playa a couple of years ago, when we were considering buying in that area, and much preferred Garrucha.  In the end we decided to live further north in Murcia and also further inland (about one hour from the coast).

I agree with Dick that it is very helpful to speak some Spanish, though even living inland we find that quite a few people speak English.  The children learn English from quite a young age and some schools now are bi-lingual.  What we do find is that the local people are very appreciative and supporting when we speak in our limited Spanish and of course there are very many people here who don't speak any English.  We go to Spanish lessons twice a week in our local Adult Education Centre.  These are free (as we are on the padrón) and made more challenging by our teachers not speaking any English!

In Murcia the official language is Castellano, which would make life easier if it wasn't for the regional habit of dropping most final letters and even some in the middle of words!  Examples are "adio", "bueno día", "do y tre", "mercao". We went to a concert last night where the musicians were called "Cantos Jazz Fusión" and were introduced as "Canto Ja Fusió"! 

Yes Sue I did mean Vera Playa.  I agree Garrucha and Mojacar are more desirable as places to live.  We have said if we ever did move to Spain and rent we would live more inland as well.

I lived in Spain under Franco and the only language back then that was allowed was Castiliano (castellano) but of course that all changed when spain became a democracy under Juan Carlos of Spain.

These days I have forgotten more spanish than i ever learnt, but its good that when i am in Spain it comes flooding back within a month or so. 

I really cannot understand why anyone from the UK would want to live in Spain and not be enticed to learn such a lovely and expressive language, words fail me.  Not for the first time lol.