Advice Please wanted, Thinking of moving to spain Marbella area or Alicante , or other but unsure and need advice

 

 

Hello.

 

I am  mid 50s and my wifes 47, and we have  2 teenager  children, We presently live in Uk  but was thinking of selling our  home here in Uk and moving to Spain  in such  areas as Marbella  orr alicante or other area near coast .

I must be honest We are not experts on the subject and a liuttle unsure it   it is a wise  move , however we are hoping there will be plenty of people on this forum who can give some  constructive advice and Tips

 

We are aware the  housing market in spain is  apparentlt terrible so  I guess there are bargains to be had, This  leads me to the question of  do i buy a three bedroom town house or villa,  or a communla apartment . Not too sure it communal areas carry a  high    monthly    management fees, if so   on average how much ? any advice here welcome 

Also not too sure which part of  spain to consider , we ideally want   to be near coast and i guess with some British People around , however Im led to believe its best to try and intergrate  in to spanish communities .As for cost Im not too sure which area presents best value for money  ?

I guess the issue then  comes to do you then have to apply for spanish  resedency and does this cost and what are the benefits if any ?

As a Bristish Citizen do you qualify for free health care or is it   essential to  take out health care,, any ideas on cost .

I was hoping the costs of living  was alot  cheaper in spain  in relation to  energy costs and food costs  etc , however i would welcome an  honest insite from others .

Im not too sure if i would have to work initially, as it would be my intention to buy a property out right  to keep costs down with the proceeds of my Uk property, which is valued at  approx  £200.000., eventhough I would hope to buy a property and then have some savings . I also receive a pension of approx  £750 a month /

Ant idea on how much one would need minimal to survive?  Ido  not intend to run a car .

We have 2 children one aged 18ys   Boy  , who is unskiled and also a   daughter 22 who is  versitile in her skills  and has a good education .. It would be there intention to get    casual jobs , to contribute to the home .

My worries also are Ive heard horror  stories about the legal system  in respect of buying a home and ive even read its  corrupt in large areas of spain ?

As yuo can see i have alot of  concerns and  still unsure if a wise move , any  advice please send me a message , Many many Thanks  Keith

 

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Welcome to the forum, Keith. All the questions you have asked have been asked and answered before, so a look through this forum would help you make your decision. As someone who doesn't live in Spain (and doesn't want to) all I would say is DON'T sell your UK house yet, rent it out for a year and rent in Spain. You should be able to rent somewhere nice for a lot less than you would be able to rent out your UK house, at least in the Costa Blanca. The Costa Del Sol will be more expensive but I am sure that there are bargains to be had there as well.

Good Luck, Mike

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Check out the ,,One Month On'' thread in the Happy Spain experiences forum further down if you have not done so already. For a gentle easing in.

Best of luck!

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I'm no expert but I can tell you that Marbella and surrounding areas is insanely expensive. The cost of living there is very high (think €10 for a pint!).

Just down the road from there is Benalmadena where you will find a good mix of Spanish and English, new and old villages, and dirt cheap and/or top notch places to eat and drink. You are close to the beach and also close to the mountain villages. Housing prices have dive bombed in the last 4-5 years, so you should find a bargain. You would be close to Malaga airport and local train links (the train only goes halfway to Marbella, stopping at Fuengirola). My family own an apartment there and we have been visiting for about 30 years.

I've been to the Alicante area only once. It was pretty nice, a lot less built up than Costa del Sol with a lot of farm/scrub/plantation land, but still very pleasant. Too little experience of it to comment fully though.

 

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Hi, and from someone who does live in Spain and wants to, I would say not at the moment.yes, property is cheap. However, look at the un employment rate which is double that of UK and over 50% for 18 to 25 year olds. Yes, its cheaper t o live here. Energy prices are about the same. Council tax is way, way cheaper. You may be able to, live on your 750 quid pension unless the pound drops even further.
I do love it here but I've no kids, I get a good pension, I have no mortgage, no rent and so on.
Maybe you could rent out your property in UK and rent in Spain for a year to see what it's like.
You will not get free medical care and the cost of medical insurance will depend on your circumstances but, typicaloy, about a hundred euros a month for a family, of course can vary significantly.
Costa Blanca will be cheaper than the Costa del Sol, both in property and living costs.
Again, move over by all means but don't burn your bridges.

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Hi Keith, I have a house in Spain for 12 Years we live there for 4 Months of the Year and really like it there, I think Torrevieja in the Costa Blanca is the best place for value and also is the healtiest place in the world to live with the salt lakes. A 4 course meal costs €6 in a chinese restaurant. but selling in the U.K is a bit step I think you should rent first in Spain for 12 Months to see if you like it, rent is cheap about €70 a Week for an apartment long term. if you are happy there great, but you might miss your friends at home.........best of luck..

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I'd suggest a nice long visit looking at areas, perhaps staying in an apartment for a week in 3 or 4 different places. You could look at some of the lovely villages just a little bit inland from the coast too, perhaps about 15 mins in? Apart from Marbella, I don't find Málaga province any more expensive than anywhere else - you just seem to have picked the most expensive place! Longer term, you could either sell up and buy here and have a good chunk left over, or rent your UK property and rent here, and also have a good monthly bit left over to bolster your pension. Either way, things look good for you to come and enjoy the lovely lifestyle in Spain. Good luck!

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Seek advice re tax as it is a subject that is not given enough thought to  by most moving here.Not just income tax , but tax on investments. savings, matured insurance policies etc. What may be taxfree in UK isn't in Spain.

What will you do about employment for your children-another huge concern,

Health -the most important concern-plenty of info on EOS

Financially you have plenty in reserve! Only recently there have been threads about the timing of your move to Spain -make the wrong decision and you could end up paying capital gains tax in Spain on the house you sold in UK!

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Some very good points that Bobaol has made rent before you buy and so on Marbella is one of the most expensive places on the Spanish Costa's to buy a property,  maybe you should set you sites a little bit lower as far as location is concernd even in a recession the properties in Marbella are considered expensive compared to other parts of the Costa's £750 will last you a week in Marbella if you want to go out and socialize good luck.

 

This message was last edited by windtalker on 02/06/2013.

This message was last edited by windtalker on 02/06/2013.

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Hi,

In a similar position, only difference is we have had a house Nr Nerja for some 8 years which we have been using for holidays. Cost of living even on the Costa del Sol does differ. Marbella area is very expensive compared to the east stretch. example a couple of years ago, we went to our house with friends for a visit, a round of 4 drinks in a good bar restaurant was then about 12 to 15 euro depending on the round, on returning to the UK I was back within 2 weeks but on business with a group and the same round of drinks in a Marbella Bar was 4 times the cost. Also house costs are cheaper, plus you are still only 40 mins from Malaga Airport.

We are now packing up in the UK and making the move permanent, yes we are selling up as we want to make it work in Spain. I feel if you are serious about you have to do that, and throw yourself into the way of life fully. But that said, having the house for some time we have seen things in Sunshine, in Rain, and even in a thick fog of sand dust. We visited in holiday time when things are busy, and in the winter when its almost empty of visitors.

The only other point I would make, and this is from experience from a family member who moved to Almeria some years ago, don't just surround yourself with Ex-pats. I know you need we all need friends who talk our own language, but my relations lived on an English enclave, only shopped in English owned shops, and only went to  English owned Restaurants. Never bothered to learn even a word of Spanish. The first sight of Illness, on being released from hospital they ran home. Unable to cope with having to deal with the Spanish lifestyle or people.

Hope this helps

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We have lived in Spain permanently for 12 years and my wifes mum and dad have lkived here for over 30 years. We love it and find it a very nice way of life, howevere we had a good support network of family and friends who could give us the benefit of thier experiance in Spain.  We live near a place called Los Alcazares near the Mar Menor. It suits us very well. I would think that the best thing to do is rent in various areas for a while to see what they are like. Getting your kids work will be I would say very hard to do. Not impossible but difficult. One of the most important things would be to learn some Spanish. Life is easier if you have got at least basic Spanish.

The pace of life in Spain can be very laid back, but if you need to earn money it can be anything but laid back. We love it and would recommend it to anybody, but don't look at it through rise tinted glasses, so your homework and get as much information as possible.

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 Come to Cadiz Province or Costa de la Luz!!

 

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What Maria said! Go visit Cadiz, drive up from Tarifa, go on to Jerez and Arcos and into the mountains and have a look-see before you get stuck on the Autovia del Mediterraneo.

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