19 May 2012 12:55 PM:
I have been preparing to return to Spain in search of my new home. Two nights ago at a local cafe the young lady over heard my conversation about my home search. She came over to our table and began to cry, telling me of her family and why she left Spain for the USA. She is here on a tourist visa but really here to find work and help support her family. At first I thought it was just a scam but the more she got into the story the more I realized it was true. She had already found work at a local hotel and was staying with another relative who came to the DC area a few months ago with the same plans. Lourdes said she lost her job, at a bank, 6 months ago and the only way she would have been able to keep it was to begin having sex with her manager, which she refused to do. She was university educated in finance, spoke english very well and was engaging. She wished me well on my search but with a word of caution. Lourdes said to hold off on any purchase, property values will continue to fall as well as the eruo. Her specialty was foreclosed property management (also saying that the bank she worked at had more returned properties in it's inventory than posted on the books, she oversaw these properties not posted). I've changed my search plans and now am looking for a rental.
Thread:
The future for ex pats
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