So we have decided to take the plunge

Hi All

After posting at the beginning of the year about living the dream and moving to Spain it's becoming a reality. 

We we are going to long term let in Los Alcazares for 12 months and see what's what. We decided against Mazarron CC as too isolated and far from airport. I was very conscious of isolation....but hey that again is a assumption on my part and I dont live there. 

I think think from all the advice and comments we got we felt it best to just try. Scary handing in my notice but what's the worst that can happen We go home if it doesn't work out. It's very tempting to just buy as prices are low but my biggest concern is all the pit falls I keep hearing about. 

Any top tips to a couple of newbies that are wet behind the ears would be much appreciated. 

Many thanks 

sue

Don't know you're circumstance, so no point in saying too much, but I would recommend you have a serious programme to learn Spanish.  For most, a once a week class will not scratch the surface - you need to work on it daily. 

Try and integrate it into every activity - eg before you go shopping write your list in Spanish and when you cannot find an item ask in Spanish, using a full sentence etc etc

If at the end of the year you decide to return to the UK at least you will have learnt Spanish, hopefully.  But good luck.

Thank you. I am really keen to learn Spanish and improve on my tourist level. I am 44 my partner is 56 we are keen to live this 12 months and integrate into community. There seems to be a fair mix in Los Alcazares we already spotted a Spanish tutor to contact on arrival 😊

The British have a fetish about owning property, I think that you are doing the right thing. If you like the idea of living in Spain and decide to buy after road testing it, you will have a far better idea of what you want and where you want to be, or you might like the idea of carrying on renting.

All the best to you.  

Sue- dear - MCC Mazarron too isolated and far from the airport?

it's about 45 minutes from San Javier!

As for being isolateted- hardly! It's near Camposol for all immediate shopping and Medical needs, 

it's a few minutes from Mazarron town, and villages such as La Pinilla, Las  Palas etc.

It's about 45 minutes from the big city of Cartagena

Not my idea of isolation!

Didn't mean to offend having stayed there three times I felt it was too isolated for me I like to walk to shops and beach that's all.  Camposol is not for me but respect those who like love it and live there 😃

Very wise to neither buy or live on one of the purpose built urbanisations.  Unfortunately even Los Alcázares and Towns in close proximity are very much Brit enclaves these days. Paradise for holidays but 24/7 living then perceptions of utopia  can become more nightmarish than living the dream that the occasional property owning visitors would have you believe.

As is the case here, If there is an Iceland store within 30 km of where you live then it's Britian in Spain so learning the language is unfortunately not a priority in your area of choice any more.

The above paragragraph is NOT a statement of offensive negativity but of reality,by one who resides in, and has intimate knowledge of Murcia for 10 years but  hope Sue you enjoy the experience and maybe on travelling around Murcia and beyond you will find a Spanish location you could happily live in permanently.

People, in your situation, desiring a gap year, or more, need to have a more balanced opinion than can be provided by the over positive  visitors v  reality of permanent residents as to what living here is really like so hope, once insitu, you will relate your feelings on this forum. Positive or negative will surely be welcome and very useful.

You have made a good desition not to buy straight off l have been to area you have chosen a couple of time's ,as for you finding the country club isolated that statement has left me confused ,l have a place on Camposol just up the road from the country club Camposol is not for everyone  it is a urbanisation or a new town so what it does have is all the amenities and services that you will require the airport is 45 mins away and it has a community that live on the their all year round and unlike other prominently British community living in Spain it does not turn in to a ghost town in the winter good luck.

Sue_dear, best of luck with your move. You are definitely making the right decision to rent for up to a year. We actually bought a flat as a holiday home when we had no intention of moving here. I wish we'd simply rented in different areas as we were stuck with the same place. It was nice, felt really relaxed when coming out but it would have been nice to go to other places.

As it was, we decided we really like it here and wanted to move out which we did some 8 years after buying the flat. We now have a lovely home less than 20km from where the flat was but we lost a lot of money when we sold the flat (combination of taxes, collapse of housing market and so on) and would have saved a bomb if we'd rented.

So saying, it did give us the opportunity to look at other places from the CDS up through Murcia and towards Valencia. We now love it where we are and definitely glad we had the chance to look around as you will have when you are renting.

Best of luck in your new life.

Sue_dear, you have stated that you like to be close to the beach, we are exactly the same. Circa 10 years ago we almost bought a beach front, 2 bed duplex in Calahonda, it could have been had for around €250,000, I keep tabs on any of these that come onto the market and note that they are still selling for circa €250,000, however property a few hundred metres inland has, in many cases, halved in it's value of 10 years ago.

You are soon going to become an expert on where to buy and where not to buy, you are in the best possible position to pick up the right property at the right price, whilst you are renting, good luck.