Where to Live in Spain...and Why?

Yes, hindsight is great, Georgia. There weren't forums such as this to help us when we were looking to buy & we knew little then compared with now. NO WAY now would I go with a big agent. I'm agreeing 100% with you &, as you know, I point people in your direction from anywhere I see the opportunity because I believe you do what's good & fair for your clients. 

Unfortunately our local free papers are full of the adverts for the big guys having property exhibitions almost weekly in the local town & people pop in (often just because it's raining !!!!!!)  & are lured by these cheap incentives to go to Spain & wherever, aren't they ?

Because of such terrific forum threads anyone caring to peruse EOS can see there are much better options. As you quite rightly say, better to spend money now on cheap flights & a rental for a week or two & take time to get a sense of where you prefer than 3-4 nights with the big guys who ferry you around & you haven't a clue generally where you are. You can fall in love with a showhome then find yourself ferried by minibus to an area miles away which is just a field & it's there where your plot will be. The big guys get terrific commission for gently persuading you to purchase a new build off-plan so you'll never see a resale with them either.

So the message is clear, use smaller agents having booked flights & accommodation yourselves & enjoy the experience of house hunting, coupled with a holiday atmosphere AND without the big guys looking over their shoulder wondering who you're talking to or where you're going.

Give me a job someone

You are Hired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xx

Best Advise I have heard so Far..................if you feel the time is right and you and your family would benfit from living here then do it,it doesnt really matter on the number of properties built,market forces etc..... the sun still shines,the people are still friendly and your children will have so much more quality of life.

Georgia, that was an amazing post!! I took all of that in THANK YOU

We have just been offered a place at Mar Azul school so I feel that is maybe just a first step for us know as I was starting to feel I was going round in Circles. So plan is to check out the school and if we like it, we are going for it.

I know I orginally wanted to Live in Calida area but I have to think of Katy, she is 11 and not the most outgoing child, I dont feel she would cope in a spanish school and I worry about her future. She is REALLY happy to be moving too as I think she knows herself , here is not the best place to live!

So I know i dont want to stay in Torrevieja but somewhere around there so I dont have to Travel for miles to school. I actually feel excited today rather than stressed as I feel I now have a starting point.

I am going to do another thread on property rentals as this one has lost its track with me blethering on about houses and schools ha ha. Like you say, if we dont like it and we are renting, we can take it from there, at least we will be over there, the kids will be at school and i will be sitting on the balcony with a glass of wine thinking of the RAINY UK!! ha ha

I wanted to know a wide range of opinions on what people enjoy about their area in spain.

Best thing I have done......................joined EOS!!! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE< YOU ARE ALL FABBY

 "I am going to do another thread on property rentals"

Sarah, you're wearing us all out. (Just joking, only too happy to help.)

AREN'T THEY  

Congratulations Sazzle,

That's the first step completed and is the best way to do things,make sure it is fun and you get that buzz from all stages of the move.

There are a few tedious stages,legalities,notary etc... but other than that try to enjoy it,think of it as shopping on a grander scale!!!!!

You are on the right track,children sorted and happy is generally followed by happy parents.

The next step is to find an area within striking distance of the school that you would feel comfortable to call home.

If you take little steps you will find you make greater strides towards your goal.

Put a wish list on here for area and i am sure that you will get a lot of advice,in saying that get yourself a convenient flight,book a hotel and get amongst the natives ask people what is around as a lot of the time the things you are loking for are on your doorstep without you realising.

Good luck,the adventure begins...........................

Regards

Georgia

"cheekey monkey!!"

Georgia, best statement of the day award goes to you:   "To all the people on here who are taking the first steps remember when dealing with agents you have the money and the power,no one can pressure you only yourself."   Excellent! A really good point to remember - so don't be pushed around by anyone.

Second best tip of the day is yours too!  "A good tip is to carry a book with you,"buying property in Spain" usually puts the fear of god into any agent who doesn't know what they are doing"   But be careful on this one - many of the agents out there will drive you out to some construction site in the middle of nowhere on the pretext of showing you a plot to die for, then throw you in a cement mixer and scarper, just to get their dirty little paws on that book!

If this is of any help I have recently read an article in one of the property magazines from a couple asking advice on the same thing and they were directed to Murcia. Unfortunately have a stack of these magazines and cant identify exactly which one the article (letter and reply page) was in. The main point of the enquiry letter was that the couple have already sold up and live in Spain but wherever they are based hadn't been as beneficial as they had expected.

In relation to the other point on this thread- we did an inspection trip earlier this year but added 1 night to it to independently look around the area and look in the property agents windows and drive out to a few locations. This extra night gave us a day and a half to visit the places we thought we may travel to once we have a place and to go to a couple of developments we had seen on the 'net but weren't part of the official inspection trip. Our agents were excellent, quite low key but actually took us to Cartegena on the final morning of the inspection trip and dropped us off for a few hours, at that point they didnt know what our decision might be. They certainly didnt control all of our movements which was what we had been warned was likely to happen.

Hi Merehead

Just my two pence worth ..... i live in a small village just to the north of the Mar Menor and since i have been in Spain, 4 years now, have not suffered from an in jury to my knee which while in the uk was having injections just to keep it going ... duckhams hypergrade for the knee joint. I used to wake up in the UK on a cold morning and literally hobble out of the house it was so bad but since being here it has not played up at all, fingers crossed. So would suggest that the climate does certainly help.   again as i said just mt two pence worth

Robbie

Merehead, We took over our apartment on CB a few months ago, although we have yet to spend more than 2 weeks there.  My wife who also suffers from Arthritis felt the benefits within a few days, so that is one of the many reasons we had for buying inthe area.  According to our newspaper (quoting I think the WHO), the healthiest place for Arthritis sufferers is Salt Lake City in the US, the CB in the Alicante area is apparently the second best, presumably because of the salt lakes in the area.  Whether it's the salts that are beneficial, or perhaps it's just that the salt makes the air very dry, I don't know, but whatever it is it seems to work.  We met a guy living near us who had suffered from Arthritis since he was a child and in the UK was on a cocktail of drugs, now for the first time he is drug and pain free.  I don't know if it works for everyone, but certainly worth investigating.

Mike

Can I add to this?

I was dianosed with Osteoarthritis at the age of 26. I am now nearly 53 (crikey, where did those years go?!)

We own our holiday home in Playa Flamenca, 10 minutes drive South of Torreveija and the salt lakes.

We have had our place since Nov 2003 and I can honestly say that after being there for a few days, I feel so much better!

I have just had a hip replacement, but before that, I managed to walk the whole of the stone peir at Torreveija port.

This is a     L   O   N   G     peir!!!!

Ok, I did have some stops to sit along the way, but back in the UK I could never have walked this distance.

I am looking forward to flying to Spain this Thursday to see if the climate can improve a slight setback I have with my new hip.

I am confident it will, so yes, C B climate is great for Arthritis and asthma sufferers too I hear.

Hope this helps you in your choice,

kind regards,

Hi All,

Has anyone considered the mud baths at Lo Pagan, we didn't get there the last visit but apparently they are reported to be very theraputic for all sorts of joint ailments, athritis etc. Want to try it out next time so will let you know.

Hi Candyfloss,

We have done the mud baths at Lo Pagan, and yes, they stink!

It's the sulphur in the mud.

You have to go into the lake first, wade in deep, take a bucket with you to scoop the mud up.

some go naked, others wear swim wear.............maybe mud wrestling goes on, but didn't while we were there!

It's warm......spread it all over or just where you want some relief, then lay on the path or lake edge to bake in the sun.

Go back into the lake to wash off the mud before you then lay in the salt river to get extra benefits.

Don't go into the river covered in mud else the Spanish will not be amused!

As for the worms, mmmm, didn't see any, but it sounds feasible that there may be some in the mud!

So if the men wear condoms, you could.......................oh no, I'd better not..........................he he he!!!