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Moving to Spain… advice from those who have done it?

In the run-up to to the vote it was a surprise to me that the Brits in Spain (or at least the ones interviewed by the BBC etc.) mostly seemed to be in favour of Brexit.
We've just returned from Tenerife after visiting friends that voted for it (I refuse to print the word). It took until now for them to finally admit what a mistake it is.
 
I could live on Lefkas.
I love it.
Never will now though.
Private medical insurance, a requirement in the EU now for post brexit retirees, is just too expensive.
Perhaps that was their plan all along. Keep us all from retiring to another country and spending our money eslewhere :(
 
I certainly agree that living abroad peels back a few layers of the onion that you don't notice or do notice but think won't bother you if you decide to live in the place of interest. Not sure even 6 months is enough to suss them out and work out if you can accept them. Some I have accepted, some I have not, and it's been over 4 years since I left for France now!

A few times I have heard this theory that there are 3 stages to your expatriation: 1, Excitement, all is amazing. 2, Frustration, getting things done and feeling part of it eludes you. 3, Not caring any more about the things that frustrated you and just feeling happy that you are at that 3rd stage.

It happened to me in Thailand, I guess I am still in stage 2 for France!
 
Perhaps that was their plan all along. Keep us all from retiring to another country and spending our money eslewhere
They certainly don't want you leaving at 55, spending your private pension pot in Spain and coming back at 75 in poor health and broke
 
They certainly don't want you leaving at 55, spending your private pension pot in Spain and coming back at 75 in poor health and broke
Well for certain but they don't even seem to want to care for people that don't leave and end up in poor health!
 
Perhaps that was their plan all along. Keep us all from retiring to another country and spending our money eslewhere :(

That would involve:
a) That they worked that out, or care about it.
b) That they wouldn't want to do that themselves. Bojo's own father just squeaked through.
c) That they care about anything except their own financial benefit.

Seems highly unlikely.
 
I think leaving the EU will have put the kibosh on the Spanish retirement dreams of many. We have Northern Irish friends who are keeping on their house in Spain but they’re taking advantage of their Irish EU passports to do so.
 
Why is Spain a good place to retire ? The answer is very good weather that nearly always makes you feel better. You never catch a cold out here and the sunshine certainly boosts your health. There is a better sense of community as everyone tends to help each other out and making friends is the name of the game. You can live much better for the same money as Spain has a much lower cost of living for most things. The food is considerably better than the second grade muck you buy in UK supermarkets and the local wines are just wonderful and dirt cheap. The Spanish are very welcoming because we spend money that boosts their economy but we don't pinch their jobs.

The Spanish love noise as it is a sign of life whilst the Brits regard it as a form of pollution. Dogs barking all day long is something you get acclimatised to eventually. People talking in their gardens at two in the morning is nothing unusual when the weather is hot and eventually you end up joining them. So when in Spain, do as the Spanish do.

The best advice is to rent for 90 days and rent again for 90 days when you come back and then rent again. It takes quite a long time to work out what suits you the best. .

Great advice I agree with all of it, especially the 90 days suggestion. We have given that advice to anybody who is considering it. Personally for me I would prefer to have the option to move to different locations and try them out. Buying ties you to a single place. For most people renting for 3-6 months a year would be enough time away. It would take many many years to spend as much renting compared to the cost of purchase. Also having to factor in the ongoing maintenance and repeating annual running costs. I was thought French in school and unfortunately my mind is too lazy now to go to the effort of learning Spanish. I think you need to be fluent in the language to really get the best out of residency.

For me any experience I have had in Spain has been positive. We love North Tenerife and if I had too much money to spend I could see plenty of reasons to buy a nice house there.
 
We almost bought a flat in Paris 20 years ago and before that, Cape Town as we spent a lot of time there and love both places. In retrospect I’m glad we didn’t because ownership comes with opportunity cost- ‘I’ve bought it so I better get the use out of it’, instead of doing other things.
My main motivation for having a property abroad would be to escape the winter climate and short daylight hours here but I can do that by renting for say two months a year in winter. When the problems with Covid recede, that’s what we will do.
 
The idea of renting for 2-3 months, twice a year or so is the other option we are looking at.
It certainly keeps all options open & in a lot of respects may be the simplest way forwards.
 
Friends from Hamburg rent a place November to February at Erinvale, just outside Cape Town. Costs peanuts.
 
Pre Covid I was working my way up to reducing then stopping work and spending a couple of months or more out of the UK each year. For the last 5 years it has been South East Asia but South Africa looks good too. For me it has the advantages of being in different places which I've enjoyed all my life and missing out on cold dark winters as well as remaining a UK resident.
Hopefully to be continued in 2022 ....
 
Pre Covid I was working my way up to reducing then stopping work and spending a couple of months or more out of the UK each year. For the last 5 years it has been South East Asia but South Africa looks good too. For me it has the advantages of being in different places which I've enjoyed all my life and missing out on cold dark winters as well as remaining a UK resident.
Hopefully to be continued in 2022 ....

Same plan here but my flights frpm Grenada for Jan / Feb have just been cancelled. No alternative suggested.
 
Yea the recent fire around the Gaucin area was huge. Started on purpose, apparently. Madness.
I’m told that sometimes, drug gangs start fires on purpose to stretch the police resources to make job of bringing in stuff from Africa easier.
Wildfires up in the campo aren’t unusual but it does make you think carefully about having a home up in the hills for sure.

I live just to the west of the Sierra Bermeja which is were the fire was and it was scary when the wind changed direction, Fortunately it rained on Monday and Tuesday which helped dampen down the mountain. If you live in southern Spain you expect fires every year and unfortunately some are started on purpose.

I retired here nearly 3 years ago, aged 59 and It's the best thing I've ever done. The climate suits me just perfectly and after 40 odd years in the building trade it's lovely having warn and mainly dry winters. I sold everything in the UK and don't plan on going back, not because I don't like England but I can't take any more wet and cold weather for 6 months of the year.

If you can afford it I'd say go for it, I'm living off savings until my private pension kicks in at age 65 but I'm renting as the sums don't add up for me if I'd bought a place.

Good luck if you do decide to go for it, Soto is a great place.
 
Bob,
The area we are very keen on is pretty close to you then, specifically Alcaidesa.
I mentioned Soto, as not many people know of Alcaidesa. I have friends in San Roque.
We were there last week & saw the smoke & fires, when we went to Estapona. Yes, the rain would have been very welcome for the affected people.
Our take on it is not “living on the cheap”, but rather living a better quality of life for the same money.
The People, traffic levels, quality of produce in the shops & yes the weather, even if July/Aug is a bit too hot for me.
 
Matt, sorry for the slow reply - I didn't see your thread..
We did the move for different reasons to you, and with a young child who was our ticket into being accepted into a largely peasant community.
For you I'd say that the most important thing is to get out there and join in with the local people if you want to become a part of it all.
If we were in your situation I'd certainly say that keeping a place in the UK is a very good idea for lots of reasons, and renting for as long as it takes to be sure that you want to be there and in all seasons.
If I could retire I'd certainly go back but with a holiday home for 4-6 months and a place here.
Keeping away from expats will help you become accepted as you'll have to join in, it's very easy to mix with others who speak the same language and understand your humour etc.
Good luck!
 
Hi Steve
Yes, your advice seems to line up with what pretty much everyone else is saying.
So the latest plan is to rent first, for a few months, maybe a couple of times to see the different seasons etc, before committing to a purchase.
Splitting the budget for 2 places, one in England & one in Spain changes the goalposts but I can see that it’s the sensible thing to do for the long term.
 


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