PICTURES

Moving day is upon us, I hear them call.

It is time to hit the keyboard and look for a means of transport to take my wife and me to the land of sangria and tapas, and as the adults gather up their young at half term, there is a mass exodus to this land and so transport and a place to rest our weary heads is hard to find. Well, the sort of alojamiento that will pamper the gentler of the species, yep me!  

So we have managed to book passage to this land and we might have a roof over our heads for a short while, six nights in the La Zenia.

But our heads are still full of questions:

Have we got the right locks for the new house?

Will the insurance we took out be of any use if we claim, as that is the only true way to know if the policy is any good?

How will we cope with the snagging?

Do we know enough Spanish to be able to communicate?

Will the Cerveza be cold and the Sol still warm?

All these questions…….

Well when we get back I will post some of the answers and tell you all how it all went.

Sping….

Hi everyone,

So, we arrived at Alicante airport, so far so good.

The collection of the hire car went smoothly as did the journey to the Le Zenia hotel, and we got the added bonus of all those lovely young ladies lining our rout to welcome us to the Costa Blanca! Well OK they were actually ladies of the night, if you get my drift!

On Thursday the 19^th, Atlas arrived at our hotel and off we went to the property, a quick look around to check the overall state of the property and to collect the keys from the builder. We noted a few snags and asked that the place be cleaned as the out side was full of dust and bits of rubble.

We then went to our solicitors to sign the paperwork followed by a trip to our bank and picked up the money to pay the builder, (Bankers draft and cash). This was then paid at the builder’s office in Torrevieja. We now owned the property!

Next step was to order the furniture from Arca; this took a little longer as they have changed the furniture packages since our last visit, but it still arrived and was installed within two days.

Things are moving at a pace now, we moved into the property on the Monday and had a good clean of the whole property, this is when you discover all the problems you missed before. The furniture arrived and was installed, some items were faulty but they were replaced without fuss. Just a note; make sure you order all the items you need, we were short of two sets of curtains and track, Arca charged 350€ for these and we could have got them cheaper off the local market but with all that’s going on we just paid the price. Next day the alarm was installed by Securitas Direct and cost just 3€ a month for the first nine months, this is for the maintenance of the GSM unit which we get free, courtesy of San Jose.

WARNING! Things to do regarding security!

Change all the door locks as soon as you can.

Put key operated window locks on all windows.

Put 4 bolts on the solarium door, one on each corner.

Get a good grill fitter to install door and window grills.

Get some shutter clips from the hardware store to secure the shutters, about 4.75€ each. I will put a picture on the Playa Golf III photo page.

Some of the San José’s grills are not adequate and badly installed.

Get a reliable key holder if you are not a resident.

That’s all for now, but if you have any questions regarding the moving in, please post question and I will reply.

Sping...

Hi Sping - I have just completed on a quad villa at Campoamor and am coming out for a few days in early December to make sure it is all ready for renting - the company I bought through are doing the furniture pack etc so I'm hoping all will be well when I get there!

Any more words of advice now you have been there for a few weeks?

Claire

Hi Clair, if you look at this and other websites you will see lots of information on moving in. Regard the property in the same way that you would regard buying a property in any British inner city and don’t have your holiday head on.

The basic things to look out for are: security; most of the break-ins that happen on the Playa Golf estate happen in the first few weeks of occupancy, usually when the owners are occupying the property, (as in, they might be at the shops or out for a meal) and the most reported method of entry seems to be via the bottom window grills, witch are easily prised off. The intruders seem to be looking for easy takings, cash, credit cards etc.

First thing to do is to make sure you secure your window shutters and get good keyed locks for the windows. Think about getting the grills upgraded on the kitchen and third bedroom / lounge windows, as well as getting grills for the rest of the property, (front door, solarium door and upstairs windows and patio doors). Fit four sliding bolts to the solarium door, one at each corner, as I was informed by the alarm company that this door can be easily prised off. Change all the existing door locks as soon as you can, (remember that the builder will need to gain access to the property when the main services are ready to be connected, water and electricity). So if you change the locks get a recommended key holder to look after the property.

Get an alarm, if you have bought from San Jose, then they will provide you with a free alarm, (contract for the first nine months).

Once you are happy that you have done the best you can to stop intruders, think about the furniture package that the agents are offering. We took the package option and slightly upgraded it, but as you find your feet and explore the area you will find lots of furniture stores that sell really nice items so you might like to think about what you buy through the agents, usually they will give you the option to purchase part of the package.

Talk to the residents when you go over and get recommendations and information about were thing are in and around the area, we did and met some really nice people.

Hope this gets you on the way to a happy holiday home.

Sping.

Thanks Sping - I will pass your comments on to the man who is organising the furniture for me - this company has done a number of villas in the development (Smart Investors) so hopefully they will be familiar with these issues.

Can't wait to get out there!!

Claire

WARNING!!!

So here I am, thinking that all is now complete with our little property in the sun, when the agent gives me a call from Spain.

“Hallow I’ve just called to inform you that the builder has now decided to declare the full amount of the purchase price and would like the rest of the payment please!”

Well! I thought this might happen as some friends on Playa Golf went through this just as they were completing. So the phrase “JUST WHEN THEY THOUGHT IT WAS OVER” comes to mind.

Be warned the Spanish tax man cometh! It’s better to pay this extra amount now than be subject to a higher rate of tax when you sell!

Sping.