Information that can help you decide...

When it comes to the purchase of property in Spain there are a variety of factors which need to be taken into account. For example, many people intend to initially buy a holiday home and then retire to it in a few years time. Whilst this is possible, more often than not holiday homes are situated in areas which do not always suit permanent living. So you have to do your research and take into consideration that your circumstances may change a little or a lot, minimise the risk as much as you can.

The following information will make you think about different situations and risks and how you can help yourselves by planning etc...

No matter what your requirements, providing they are realistic, we can help. We make no charge for our services as I have explained before and if you end up purchasing a property with our help then that means we have done our job properly and that's great, the seller will then pays us a commsion which is included in the sale of their property.

Anyone who has lived in Spain knows only too well, that accurate, up-to-date information for foreigners is difficult and at times, almost impossible to find. More so if it is required in the English language and on top of that it is often biased, there are pros and cons involved in moving to another country and it is only fair that you should know what they are, so that you can avoid them. It is a very expensive lesson to have to sell up and move to a different area because you were not fully informed in the first place and ended up making the wrong choice. We made our mistakes but because of this perhaps you will make a few less at least!

You need to be as sure as you can be that living Spain for Life is what you really want! so with this in mind please take heed of the following information especially if you are a young family re-locating to Spain and are not self-sufficient or you need to earn a living here.........

       

There is a whole section on the effects of the move for children here but what of the adults...........

A huge part of life are your friends and family, normally when you come here to live in Spain you leave family behind so friends then play an even more important roll in your life, especially when you are adapting to a new life in a new country. New friends are made and even though you can’t replace those that you left behind, it is good to build a network of friends to support you - especially whilst you are settling in. You may find a few that you have lots in common with and others that are just not your cup of tea and will be just acquaintances.  To be honest it is quite an adventure really, its almost like starting all over, a second chance for some, but be aware if you were unhappy before, Spain may not be the answer to happiness, so take a step back and ask yourself is this move for the right reasons?

You may make the best friend of your life here! I thought I had all the friends I needed before moving here but you don't realise how important having someone close is until you have them and then they go back to the UK for a month..........you know who you are! seriously though...

Making new friends does take your mind off missing your old ones and although you don't want to replace them you do need them, it really does help with settling in, and anyway your old friends will still come to visit - some more than others and some will be more welcome than others!

Sometimes new friends in Spain are not friends for long. Not everyone is happy here and the statistics show that probably half of the people that move here to live at some time return to their native country for one reason or another.

People often think the grass is greener on the other side, it sometimes is but you are still the same person and if you were unhappy before you may still be unhappy in a new country or it may not be right for you here. So... you may realize you were happier than you thought.

I have discovered that through people and friends I have met and made and it is very sad when people come and go, a few of my friends and people I have met here have now gone or are going back to the UK. Another friend is on the way - all for different reasons, one couldn't make a living here, another couldn't settle and then on returning to the UK realized that they had made a big mistake. They are now back here but feeling the pinch for their indecisiveness, and the other (also not happy where they chose to live in the end) fell in love with a beautiful house in the wrong place, it was 45 minutes from work, and the people they knew were too far away to have much of a social life. So if you think it is all sun, sea and paradise and everyone lives happily ever after - then think again! This is why you need to do your homework! If it means coming out a few more times before you move or buy permanently then so be it you know a few hundreds spent on a flight or two could make all the difference and in the whole scheme of things it is actually not really that much.

You also have to be careful when making new friends with people as some may drag you down whilst you are settling into you new life be it jealousy or just desperation on their part. When you are a newcomer here you can be very unsettled and the problem is that sometimes, not always but a few of the expat community here have brought along with them ‘issues’ and some people may have ulterior motives when forming friendships. There are a lot of people desperate to stay in Spain and if they think that you can help them to reach their goals then they may be keen to be friends but for the wrong reasons. So just be aware. There are also some lovely people here just as there are back in your home country, all I am saying is that you know nothing about some of these people so be cautious before you let your guard down. 

The worst result of people not settling here I feel is how sad it is for the children who are not in control of their parents decisions. Sometimes after having a hard time settling in, they finally do only to be told that they are returning to their home country. This is actually really common as so many young families come out with the need to earn a living and when they can’t their only option is to return to the UK taking the children out of school and away from all their new friends again. Read more on this subject

This may all sound very negative and it is not impossible to find like-minded, decent, honest people like yourselves. Or to make a good quality life out here. It takes a bit of time, planning and caution and you need a certain amount of money to set yourself up. Once you do find good friends, they almost become like your family as only they know what your new life is about and the new you.

It can work but you have to be clear in your mind that there are pros and cons and you need to be aware to know how to cope in your new life.

Plan and be cautious and research to the most extreme, life out here can be great but without friends old and new and without the resources to live a way of life you are accustomed too it can be quite daunting and sometimes quite impossible.

A word of caution if you need to earn a living out here - then you need to take heed of all of the above and ask people, look on the forums, come out as many times as you need and have at least enough money to tide you over for a year, even two or three. It can take time to build up a business here if that's what you intend to do and you cannot expect to have it up and running overnight and your diary full, believe me it was a year before I earnt a penny with mine.

Also have a contingency fund for things that you hadn't forseen, you know, like when the washing machine packs up the same day as the boiler - just like these things happen in your home country so to do they happen here.....

Its called life.............

I am just so pleased the sun shines for so many days a year!!!