spain..rent or buy?

[Levo-Lon]

My father and wife are wanting to move to spain..
they were thinking of buying Torrevieja'..area..
they wont have much ..maybe 80k so ive sugested they sell here and rent..you have to pay about 10k in fees to spanish gvt when buying for starters..

they both have pensions and in ok health..
i just think renting saves the Being tied and if they dont like it they can come home easily plus you never know what may happen health wise ..

any experience off this...anyone tried it?

 

[Markymark]

Just be careful, there are many, many out there who now can't afford to come back due to mis-matched property prices but need to due to family/ill health.

Also, get them to think about life when moving around might become hard as public transport can be poor and ex-pat housing developments are often up hillsides with little local amenities (ie everything is a car drive away). That beautiful villa with sea views has stairs up to the front door and every room is on a different floor.

 

[Fnaar]

I love Spain, and I would happily have its babies, but there are many pitfalls for your expat. In fact, tell them not to be expats, but to embrace the idea of Spanishness.

 

[Chromatic]

Who's going to say it?

 

[Dayvo]

I spent four months near Albox, Andalusia 11 years ago and met a lot of ex pats who had burnt their bridges, but were desperately happy and wanted to return home (for a variety of reason: missed family, friends and pubs, the weather, the food, the 'way of life' etc) but could not afford to buy property back in Britain again.

Unless they were prepared to lose many tens of thousands of pounds, then they were resigned to staying in Spain. needless to say, the majority didn't bother to learn Spanish, thus alienating themselves even more.

My mate and his wife who had moved there, had too much money and too much time, and spent most of their days with their (in a similar position) friends getting drunk at other friends' villas stretched out around the swimming pool.

If you want to make a go of it, try and learn some basic language, then go and rent AWAY from the ex pat crowd and see how you like it.

 

[Globalti]

Who's going to say it?

Say what? That they WILL get old and unwell and they WILL want to come home. Anybody who invests all their money in property in Spain (or anywhere else outside the UK for that matter) is stark staring bonkers. The TV has been full of documentaries about people who are caught in the trap and can't come home. I have friends who went to Antigua following a dream 25 years ago and are stuck there and desperate as they've got nothing in the UK.

Rent in Spain and keep the house here, rent it out and let an agent look after it.

 

[sight-pin]

I do believe buying a car is not so simple either, think you need N.I.E numbers and register for padron at the town hall first.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Ive told them to rent as i know my Father very well..i dont think he will like it after a few mths..
the wife has wanted to move there for a long time..

ive sewn the Rent seed to my dad today..hope they see its the way forward..

on the keep their house..it has to be sold really as her ex husband had a 30k pay off so the house needs selling to clear that as they simply cant keep paying the mortgage...as its all due for settlement very soon.

id prefer them to keep a nest egg for the return..

 

[Levo-Lon]

[QUOTE 4090264, member: 45"]What, ask why meta's father is running off with meta's wife?[/QUOTE]

mate if only..lol if only

 

[Levo-Lon]

another pit fall and can be very confusing is the Spanish law on driving licences, although both the UK and Spain are in the E.U and the UK licence has the E.U flag the law in Spain was that you had to change your licence to Spanish after 12 months...

Dad wont be using a car..hence wanting a area like Torri

 

[Chromatic]

[QUOTE 4090264, member: 45"]What, ask why meta's father is running off with meta's wife?[/QUOTE]
Yes

 

[MarkF]

Torre is nice for retirees but one will get ill/die, then what? Rent

There are about 1.5 million homes for sale in Spain, over half a million are new (never sold) homes, that massive over supply is not going to improve for many, many years. Rent.

They don't have to be in a Brit town, the could rent all over Spain very cheaply in staggeringly beautiful places with low living costs and little crime..............due to no work available.

Valencia is a fantastic City with superb beaches, it has a good climate and it's flat with a great cycling infrastructure/culture. They can nip to Beni on the bus for a Brit fix.

 

[Levo-Lon]

Yes

Yes i could have worded that better..

 

[Levo-Lon]

I don't know Torrevieja but there are a fair number of brits in and around that part of the costa blanca, but if no driving an apartment in the town would be better as public transport isn't great but before they rent find out how close to any fiestas/holidays the street is near because fiestas can take over a whole street or area of a town and they can be very loud and start very late...

that's exactly why ive told him to rent..if he dont like it moving will be easy..but sell?? That could be a nightmare and very costly..

ill have another go at getting them to see the light...

 

[Globalti]

I would hate living in Spain; I've lived there for about 8 months and didn't really enjoy it; I found the Spanish too noisy for my liking. I enjoyed the Spanish culture of music and food but thought the British culture was absolutely dire. I dislike Alberto Contador because as an English teacher I knew some lads like him and I think I know what makes him tick.