Thinking about moving to spain is it wise now?

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David G

Whatever your reasons for wishing to move to Spain (or indeed any country) make sure you are doing this on a sound life plan and not just a dream of " living the dream " in Spain.

For many people who move here the dream does turn sour as most have no idea what they will do, how they will earn enough money and do little homework prior to the big day of the move. Research, realistic plans and a realistic time to acheive your goals is essential if you are to succeeed.

I have lived on the Costa Blanca for 5 years and have a great life BUT it has taken a great deal of time, very hard work, long hours, commitment and learning about the Spanish way of living to make it happen. It also took a few years to get rid of the way of living back in the UK which is very far removed from the way you have to live here.

The most important factor to consider is - Are you serious about living as a Spaniard does which means really accepting the entire culture and all the country has to offer - if not then donÂ´t do it. Never get caught in the trap of living in an ex-pat only ghetto. It is so far from reality that you will likely end up going home having never really been part of the fantastic culture and lifestyle choices that our hosts enjoy.

Having said that the foreign community is still a good place to start your new life provided that you also learn to enjoy and accept how much you will need to change your outlook on life to truly enjoy living here. Learning a little Spanish is essential as is making some good Spanish friends who will help you learn how to live well and happy.

The best advice is to move here for 12 months and immerse yourself in the way of life to really see if it is for you before commiting to selling up in the UK. DonÂ´t buy a property but rent for a year first.

If you are thinking about setting up a business (as so many do) to earn a living be extremely careful as it has a huge( 75% ) failure rate and never ever part with any money for a lease etc without an independent lawyer. This is especially true if you are considering buying a bar - do your homework first and only pay a deposit through your lawyer. The hours are long and it is no holiday so do a reality check at every stage before commiting to a small business.

Hope this is of some use to you. Sounds a bit negative but sadly I have seen more people return home with nothing, than those who stay and make it really happen. Having said that if you do the research and have a solid plan it can and does work for many thousands of people. If you work hard and learn fast the lifestyle here is incredible and the positives outways the negatives 100 to 1.

Good luck if you decide to make the move and enjoy Spain it is a fantastic country.

Foot Note: Despite what the press say Spain is no worse off than most countries during the current economic downturn. Property prices are simply where they should be after a very over inflated market where selling prices were 25% above actual real value.

knitknackers

If you want to buy now is a good time, most reasonable offers will be accepted It's a buyers market.
If you want work in Spain forget it unless you speak the language and even then it won't guarantee you a job.

You won't get as many euros for your pound as you would have got say four years ago.

Be very careful and take no notice of these television programmes that show Brits succeeding they aren't all that they portray.

BarcelonaMan

Be sure to check a similar Yahoo Answers question from a few weeks ago at http://nz.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvpFHE6y12.zOVCAkF3PZ27JZwx.;_ylv=3?qid=20080907145507AAO7UVB&show=7#profile-info-pY50AQlpaa

Here's my reply to that question although slightly edited:

I don't think anyone's going to be able to tell you if moving to Spain will be easy or hard because it's different for everyone.

We're not even sure WHY you've chosen Spain. Can your couple live and work legally in Spain or did you choose Spain on a map and decide to move there? Where are you living now and what's your citizenship?

It's EASY to buy houses in Spain. Right now it's a buyer's market. But keep in mind that decent houses in the cities will cost you about $500,000(+!) USDollars or $700,000 USD in a nicer neighborhood. And when I say "houses" I mean a 2-bedroom flat with one bathroom and about 65-85 square meters in a multi-level building. Getting any kind of loan to buy a house with no job or an insecure, low-paying job won't make you a good risk for banks either. You'll likely have to rent for several years. This can cost between 600-900 Euros per month.

Unemployment in Spain is pretty high, MUCH higher for foreigners, and even higher yet for foreigners whom don't speak much Spanish. Salaries are low for the average Spaniard and even lower for the foreigner.

I wish you the best of luck but think this idea through very very thoroughly before taking the plunge. Consider the welfare of the child as well.

So how easy is it to move to Spain? Just getting your residency papers and or visas will likely be an overwhelming task, nearly impossible probably. Check your requirements at your local Spanish embassy or consulate office. They have websites.

Saludos, MadridMan/BarcelonaMan(.com)

hilverchas

Been here 26 years now, (god sounds like a broken record doesn't it!!),
its a buyers market just now, I have just seen a property for sale in the free press we get...
Restored cortijo, Farmhouse, it looks lovely)
5 double bedrooms in the main house also - 3 bedroomed cottage/pool/terraces, olive/fig/nispero trees, double entrance gates, good road access peaceful SAFE area
Price 189,000 euros.............Grandad area.............what a bargain.

OR you can go for this...Elivira Marbella
5 beds/6 bathrooms, pool etc., etc., 2,000 meters land.......2,700.000
euros..............

I have had 26 years of a very good life, you can live here how you want, high on the hog Marbella fashion or according to your bank balance, despite the currency fluctuations prices are still cheaper here, you get more for your rates money! bins emptied twice a day, NOT once every 2 weeks! car tax is cheaper, if there are things you just can't live without, we have ex-pat supermarkets, C & A, Dunnes, even Iceland, what more could you want, you are still in Spain with the wonderful weather, today is clear blue skies, warm very nice..............
Good hunting...............

Hellz Angel AWAY

I lived in Spain for 4 years. The property prices are very, very bad at the moment. We want to sell our flat that we bought for 240.000 euros ( yes, that IS a lot of money ), and they told us that the maximum we were going to get was 195.000. I guess it would be OK to buy now, but you'd have to check on the Internet. Remember to do a lot of research before making your final decision.

Buena suerte!

Sue C

Hi, can't think of any reason why it would be less wise now than before, except that the pound will buy you fewer Euros than it would have done a year ago. If you don't already speak Spanish, I would suggest your first step would be to start to learn it. If you are planning to work or run a business in Spain, I would seriously recommend you to find out e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. you need to know before you make a commitment. Spain is a lovely country and the people are wonderful but the bureaucracy can be quite mind-numbing.

dot&carryone.

The weather appears to be more predictable.

Flicka

Depends on your situation. If you need to work and make a decent living then life will be very tough. If however you have cash to spend and are retiring then good second hand properties can be bought and knock down prices.

dart

You know, the wisdom of moving to another country...it has a lot of variables.

Where are you moving from? Are you taking a bunch of money with you? (and what money is it? - more wise if you are bringing pounds than US dollars, for instance, less so, if you are planning on bringing BACK Euros to England, for instance, in a few years, but then, who knows what will happen in a few years???) What do you plan to do for a living? Are you gainfully employed in something that you can do from anywhere? Are you retired? Are you trying to make the most of your pension?

If you are young, and looking to invest in real estate, your poster who said they are trying to sell their apartment, well, THEY are getting a raw deal, but if you are looking to BUY, then, well, if sellers are having a hard time, it's because buyers are getting good deals! In the US, we call it a "buyer's market" in Real Estate. I wouldn't take that as a warning, but as a plus.

On the other hand, if you are thinking about plunking down a couple grand and buying a bar to run, I hear that's just not as great an idea as everyone thinks it is. Nor is opening ANY business to run for yourself. And any other work is hard to get, as well. They are in a deep recession right now. If you are independent somehow, then you'll be okay, but if you need to get a job, don't count on it.

And then there's the whole legal aspect...if you are American, then you have to have a work visa BEFORE you go...I hear you get that through the Spanish Embassy/Consulate. If you wait until you get there, the time lag will be such that your travel visa is likely to run out LONG before you can secure the work visa (or any permanent visa).

And you must keep in mind that the rules and regulations are very fluid there, and the red tape can be daunting.

Good luck. If you are young, and don't care about insurance and all the pension, etc. that you might be leaving behind, go for it! Make a start, and set yourself up, there. I would LOOOOOOOOVE to be able to do it again! (spent a year of school there...much easier to do as a student, mind you).

agooddub

I wouldn't bother. I agree with all the other replies. The gravy train left the station a couple of years ago.

jackie m

It would depend what area and what qualifications you have and how much money. I have just came back from a holiday in spain and food prices and drink prices are very high. We were half board but food in the hotel was so bad we ate out and the average burger cost 4eu and a meal steak pie chips, was from 15eu and a pint of beer from 4-5eu. We were in salou and there were 3 different attacks in the one week that we heard of and you cant move from the african community selling anything from sun glasses to drugs, they even hang around street corners in gangs of about 6 of them every 20 yards. I spoke to our rep and she told me there is more foreigners on the payroll than british people. Wheter you decide to go is your choice but I would think twice.

BARRY B

If you are buying be careful. According to recent TV many people get caught with Spanish planning and housing laws. It bears no resemblance to our system. One person had been living happily in Spain for seven years and was evicted due to a dispute over whose original bid for the property was the legal one! Caveat Emptor.

Dennis - 1

I could tell you lots of nice things about living Spain and it can be nice. I could tell you all things that you would like to hear or I can tell the straight forward truth.

The first thing you need if you are going to move to Spain is money, lots of it.
Not for a property thats in decline its a buyers market, what you need money for is to grease the wheels, for good private health insurance, the Spanish NHS is equally as good as the British NHS but its a complete nightmare to use, private health insurance in other words "money" paves the way and makes health care possible.
You need money to pay all the people who will have their hand in your wallet, most of these people will not be Spanish a lot will be English, there are the estate agents who you never ever trust no matter how honest they look or honest they claim to be, then there are the lawyers some are very good and some very bad recomendation is usually the best way to find one and then there's the Spanish system itself, the rules are constantly changing and the bureaucracy is the worst nightmare.
In Spain most people live in self governing communitys, this could formed by two or three dwellings or it could be up to hundreds of dwellings and commercial premises, the community is run by one of the owners who is voted into the job annually as the President usually with the help of a commercial managment company, this has to be paid for along with the common areas maintenance etc. by annual fee's which some times can be very expensive, its a system sometimes difficult to live with.

What I saying is that these wonderful television programs that make it look so wonderfull and so easy are only entertainment.

No they're not even that, they're deceitfull rubbish.

How do know all this. I lived in Spain for four years and I'll not say I didn't enjoy living there, before I left to move to Spain I learn everything I thought I needed to know I found a fantasic Spanish Lawyer who became a friend and who helped me as much as he could, I learn to spot the sharks who would rip me off with out a second thought.
In the end it was the bureaucracy that wore me down I needed to get back to a system that I understood and could deal with.

I'm not saying don't go thats your personal decision just think long and hard about it before you make your decision and if you go try to leave yourself an escape route in case it doesn't work for you.

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