Awesome. Will check that out.
Have you had enough of the nice weather yet?
Sadly i'm still in Preston
Relocation to Spain Experience
- Thread starter Martynt74
- Start date
Awesome. Will check that out.
Sadly i'm still in Preston
Ok, so after a hectic few days we've found somewhere to live until we find something to buy. When we were looking it was really difficult to find something we liked. The place we rented for 3 months in March was great from a size/view point of view, but the decor was pretty old fashioned and as it was the underbuild of a house, the owners living above treated the space we rented as still "their house". It didn't annoy me as much as my wife, but just small things like having people round in the outdoor kitchen by the pool without mentioning it to us (we were on the ground floor by the pool) and walking through our entrance to the property and through our outdoor space when it was more convinient for them to do so.
So we decided we wanted something separate from the owners. Not bothered about sharing proper communal facilities, but just not on the site of the owners. The problem we found is that there were very few properties which appealed. The Spanish government has made it very difficult to evict people, so there are many cases of renting the house out, someone paying one months rent and then refusing to leave. So available options are fairly few, despite a pretty hefty budget of around €1200/mth
There are loads of smaller 1-2 bedroom places in apartment complexes for ~€500/mth, but we decided we were staying for an unknown amount of time, and especially being there over winter. It made sense to be comfortable.
We found these 2, effectively at the most northern point of our search (Els Poblets) and the very southern point of our search (San Juan de la Terreros)
Els Poblets - https://www.idealista.com/en/inmueble/90152945/
San Juan - https://www.idealista.com/en/inmueble/99006790/
Problem being they're a big drive from the place i ultimately want to live, after a bit of deliberation i ruled them both out and was ready to agree terms on this place. It's near Torrevieja which isn't where we'd ideally choose to be, but it's closer to the Hondon Valley which is the front runner for me in terms of a house. Price is probably similar to the above once you add on 1 months Agents Fees and utilities.
Plot twist. I was chatting to an estate agent who mentioned Airbnb and contacting some owners about a winter let, which led me to this place. Smack right where we want to be, 3 bedrooms, private pool, stunning outdoor space and views. Only problem is it shows as €1450+bills which feels a lot. They do also have a slightly smaller 2 bedroom unit on the same plot at €900/mth but without pool access.
Got in touch with the owner and exchanged a few texts and then they asked for a video chat on Saturday. They're private owners so i think try and do enough due diligence. Turns out the main house is usually rented out weekly or for weekends at a fairly hefty rate. However, they're recently had some problems which culminated in Friday night getting loads of complaints from neighbours as 1 guy rented the house, only for a pile of 18yr olds to turn up with a DJ and fireworks.
As such they said they'd rather have less stress and aim for long term lets who respect the place. This place will eventually be their home in a few years by the sound of it. We discussed price and came to the agreement that we could rent it at a reduced rate, however they would have use of one bedroom for 1 weekend a month for when they visit. This has it's own external access and so no entry to the main house.
Not the ideal scenario given my points at the start of this post, but they seem really nice and the house is a 90% match for what i want to buy, so to be able to experience what it's like to live in this kind of location/property is huge and might change my mind (although hopefully it'll confirm it)
There's also the issue that they need the house for 1 week in October for when they have people over to pick all the olives. Again this would have otherwise put me off as it's a huge hassle just after we've arrived/unpacked, but i'm convinced this is the right choice.
It's the main unit in this picture. The smaller building at the bottom is the other rental they have, and the one at the top is another plot i think
In other news, changed the fuel filter on the Van, and it now starts much better. Have a jack/axle stands arriving today to allow me to change the oil.
Also need to stop buying stuff. In the last week, i've bought
Shark Cordless Hoover
Shark Hairdryer
Ninja Woodfire AirFryer
Trolley Jack/Axle Stands
Ryobi Cordless Pressure Washer
I wasn't aiming to do so due to plug issues, but Shark stuff is a lot more expensive in Spain and the above were all fairly decent deals. The Ryobi pressure washer was also a decent price compared to what i could get in Spain. I'm also looking at a squat cage. The used market here means that some stuff is really cheap and it makes sense in advance of getting there!
So we decided we wanted something separate from the owners. Not bothered about sharing proper communal facilities, but just not on the site of the owners. The problem we found is that there were very few properties which appealed. The Spanish government has made it very difficult to evict people, so there are many cases of renting the house out, someone paying one months rent and then refusing to leave. So available options are fairly few, despite a pretty hefty budget of around €1200/mth
There are loads of smaller 1-2 bedroom places in apartment complexes for ~€500/mth, but we decided we were staying for an unknown amount of time, and especially being there over winter. It made sense to be comfortable.
We found these 2, effectively at the most northern point of our search (Els Poblets) and the very southern point of our search (San Juan de la Terreros)
Els Poblets - https://www.idealista.com/en/inmueble/90152945/
San Juan - https://www.idealista.com/en/inmueble/99006790/
Problem being they're a big drive from the place i ultimately want to live, after a bit of deliberation i ruled them both out and was ready to agree terms on this place. It's near Torrevieja which isn't where we'd ideally choose to be, but it's closer to the Hondon Valley which is the front runner for me in terms of a house. Price is probably similar to the above once you add on 1 months Agents Fees and utilities.
Plot twist. I was chatting to an estate agent who mentioned Airbnb and contacting some owners about a winter let, which led me to this place. Smack right where we want to be, 3 bedrooms, private pool, stunning outdoor space and views. Only problem is it shows as €1450+bills which feels a lot. They do also have a slightly smaller 2 bedroom unit on the same plot at €900/mth but without pool access.
Got in touch with the owner and exchanged a few texts and then they asked for a video chat on Saturday. They're private owners so i think try and do enough due diligence. Turns out the main house is usually rented out weekly or for weekends at a fairly hefty rate. However, they're recently had some problems which culminated in Friday night getting loads of complaints from neighbours as 1 guy rented the house, only for a pile of 18yr olds to turn up with a DJ and fireworks.
As such they said they'd rather have less stress and aim for long term lets who respect the place. This place will eventually be their home in a few years by the sound of it. We discussed price and came to the agreement that we could rent it at a reduced rate, however they would have use of one bedroom for 1 weekend a month for when they visit. This has it's own external access and so no entry to the main house.
Not the ideal scenario given my points at the start of this post, but they seem really nice and the house is a 90% match for what i want to buy, so to be able to experience what it's like to live in this kind of location/property is huge and might change my mind (although hopefully it'll confirm it)
There's also the issue that they need the house for 1 week in October for when they have people over to pick all the olives. Again this would have otherwise put me off as it's a huge hassle just after we've arrived/unpacked, but i'm convinced this is the right choice.
It's the main unit in this picture. The smaller building at the bottom is the other rental they have, and the one at the top is another plot i think
In other news, changed the fuel filter on the Van, and it now starts much better. Have a jack/axle stands arriving today to allow me to change the oil.
Also need to stop buying stuff. In the last week, i've bought
Shark Cordless Hoover
Shark Hairdryer
Ninja Woodfire AirFryer
Trolley Jack/Axle Stands
Ryobi Cordless Pressure Washer
I wasn't aiming to do so due to plug issues, but Shark stuff is a lot more expensive in Spain and the above were all fairly decent deals. The Ryobi pressure washer was also a decent price compared to what i could get in Spain. I'm also looking at a squat cage. The used market here means that some stuff is really cheap and it makes sense in advance of getting there!
![[FnG]magnolia](/styles/overclockers/avatars/9.png){kind=avatar}
Caporegime
You know the whiners complaining about OH NO I CAN'T POST IN MM ANYMORE BUT I'VE GOT NOTHING TO SAY IN GD BOO HOO.
This, this thread right here, is what you should be contributing.
Good on you Martyn with a Y.
This, this thread right here, is what you should be contributing.
Good on you Martyn with a Y.
Whoop Magnolia approval. Just what i've always wanted!
6 weeks to go now. I imagine time is going to fly by as we try and get everything sorted and fit in seeing people before we leave.
The Van is working beautifully, after all my messing changing the oil/filters, it turns out it was the damn battery causing most of the problems. Swapped that over and it starts straight away now. Also dropped it off at the local mechanic yesterday for him to do the rest of the service and check over all the brakes/suspension etc, and everything is now looking good. Still need to clean the back out a bit.
In my annoying habit of accumulating stuff that we don't need to take. I gave away my weight bench and adjustable squat rack to my eldest stepson, my wife was pleased about this space/weight saving, until i "popped out for a bit" the other night, and then yesterday unloaded a full size 7' squat cage and adjustable bench i'd found cheap on Facebook Marketplace. It's dismantled and stores fairly flat so i'm hoping should be ok. The bench is battered and was free and needs reconditioning, so worst case i'll leave that at the tip before we go.
Tomorrow sees her middle child move out. He came back home last year as his landlord was selling up and his mates moved in with partners, so he took the chance to save up for a few months and tomorrow moves into his own flat. Fortunately it's unfurnished which clears up the answer to "what we doing with this furniture"
The main issue is the Sofa. We only bought it around 2 years ago and it's in decent condition and fairly expensive when new. A sofa guy who came to do a repair on a stain recently said it's worth >£500 but i don't see us getting that and time is a factor. Think i'm just going to stick it on Ebay on the next 80% selling fee deal and hope for the best. Worst case it sells for a pittance, best case it sells at a decent value. We did have it as a set with a small loveseat thing, but my mother in law has decided she wants that.
6 weeks to go now. I imagine time is going to fly by as we try and get everything sorted and fit in seeing people before we leave.
The Van is working beautifully, after all my messing changing the oil/filters, it turns out it was the damn battery causing most of the problems. Swapped that over and it starts straight away now. Also dropped it off at the local mechanic yesterday for him to do the rest of the service and check over all the brakes/suspension etc, and everything is now looking good. Still need to clean the back out a bit.
In my annoying habit of accumulating stuff that we don't need to take. I gave away my weight bench and adjustable squat rack to my eldest stepson, my wife was pleased about this space/weight saving, until i "popped out for a bit" the other night, and then yesterday unloaded a full size 7' squat cage and adjustable bench i'd found cheap on Facebook Marketplace. It's dismantled and stores fairly flat so i'm hoping should be ok. The bench is battered and was free and needs reconditioning, so worst case i'll leave that at the tip before we go.
Tomorrow sees her middle child move out. He came back home last year as his landlord was selling up and his mates moved in with partners, so he took the chance to save up for a few months and tomorrow moves into his own flat. Fortunately it's unfurnished which clears up the answer to "what we doing with this furniture"
The main issue is the Sofa. We only bought it around 2 years ago and it's in decent condition and fairly expensive when new. A sofa guy who came to do a repair on a stain recently said it's worth >£500 but i don't see us getting that and time is a factor. Think i'm just going to stick it on Ebay on the next 80% selling fee deal and hope for the best. Worst case it sells for a pittance, best case it sells at a decent value. We did have it as a set with a small loveseat thing, but my mother in law has decided she wants that.
Biggest advice I can give is, when you are ready to buy your property, get an external appraisal, the bank one was absolutely useless.
You REALLY REALLY dont want termites
Thanks. The lady we're renting from said the same thing. Apparently there was an issue on one property they almost bought where the boundaries weren't correct and could've caused a nightmare when selling it on but they only were allowed to conduct the survey the day before completion for some reason, but at least were able to pull out.
The process seems a bit of a nightmare, and seems crucial to have a decent estate agent/gestor. I've already had the issue when buying my car that multiple gestors and the car dealer told me i needed a Padron to buy a car when i insisted it wasn't required as long as i had an NIE. Took about a week of back and forth before they relented and said they'd process the paperwork which they did and no issues.
Worst case, i'll get the same people Homer Simpson used. "To kill a termite, you've got to think like a termite"
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If termites are a problem in the area (like where I live) you can get a perimeter put in that kills any colonies that encroach on it, unfortunately it was too late for us by then, but at least we had budgeted for a full remodel already.
Property sales tax is painful, UK stamp duty is like a pin ***** compared to 10% up front machete hit :|
Property sales tax is painful, UK stamp duty is like a pin ***** compared to 10% up front machete hit :|
Yeah, it's killing our deposit in a way and limiting us quite a bit and some backs cap "rural" properties like we're looking at at a 60% LTV which starts to hit us even more.
The slim benefit is that if we can get my wifes disability registered we can potentially get the tax reduced to 4%. Not sure whether we can reclaim it if it's approved after the fact though.
You can start a MM olive oil emporium - stuff is so expensive in the UK now.
Do you have significant rates/habitation tax in addition to rent (pro-ratad if it's also an olive farm though) ?
I guess, if its's been short rented it has air conditioning - if you need that, special care with any BBQ's I'd imagine, now.
when is D day ... trial van packing schedule
No, there's no rates payable for rentals. It includes wifi/cable tv and water bills and pool cleaning. So just the €1250 rent and then whatever the electricity costs, we're fairly heavy users so budgeting to about €200/mth. I did see one awesome place which was only €600/mth rental and had a huge solar array including batteries so would've been stupidly cheap, but sadly in the wrong area (about an hour north of Valencia)
Yeah, there are bans on open fires during the summer months, which is bizarre as they have just had a huge Fiesta in the village with loads of bonfires and fireworks, yet people can't have a BBQ! We've just bought the Ninja Woodfire to cater for outdoor cooking.
Ferry is booked for the 1st October. Not bothering with a trial packing run. The main annoyance is that my wife has told the son who moved out he can have out bed and washing machine. Absolutely fine, other than it means i need to use the van to get it all to him last minute which limits being able to load the van up until the last minute
@Tuppy_Glossop Seems there are some excellent Vineyards in the area too which i'm looking forward to boring the wife about.
Contacto - Bodegas Cerdá
bodegascerda.com
And payment sent for the rental. Damn scary sending ~£2500 to someone who you've only exchanges a few whatsapp messages with (and the video call)!
Soldato
I'll be over for a visit, for sure.
Associate
No, there's no rates payable for rentals. It includes wifi/cable tv and water bills and pool cleaning. So just the €1250 rent and then whatever the electricity costs, we're fairly heavy users so budgeting to about €200/mth. I did see one awesome place which was only €600/mth rental and had a huge solar array including batteries so would've been stupidly cheap, but sadly in the wrong area (about an hour north of Valencia)
Yeah, there are bans on open fires during the summer months, which is bizarre as they have just had a huge Fiesta in the village with loads of bonfires and fireworks, yet people can't have a BBQ! We've just bought the Ninja Woodfire to cater for outdoor cooking.
Ferry is booked for the 1st October. Not bothering with a trial packing run. The main annoyance is that my wife has told the son who moved out he can have out bed and washing machine. Absolutely fine, other than it means i need to use the van to get it all to him last minute which limits being able to load the van up until the last minute
@Tuppy_Glossop Seems there are some excellent Vineyards in the area too which i'm looking forward to boring the wife about.
Contacto - Bodegas Cerdá
And payment sent for the rental. Damn scary sending ~£2500 to someone who you've only exchanges a few whatsapp messages with (and the video call)!
When we lived near Huelva when I was a kid (1977) - all the English families (Everyone was a building a new chemical plant) had a November the 5th bonfire party and the police turned up and said the bonfire and fireworks had to stop due to the risk of forest fires - a week or so later there was a local Fiesta and we never saw so many bonfires and fireworks in our lives !
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Small update, but now just under 4 weeks until D-DAY.
Currently living amongst a lot of boxes, and managed to sell the sofa which is good. All other furniture is either earmarked for family, coming with us or being left for our house buyers, so luckily nothing to stress about on that front.
Purchases are now done. I got into trouble for turning up one day with a full squat cage and i think that was the final straw for my wife. A shame as i saw a cracking pair of speakers for sale locally at a bargain price. Also wouldn't mind a rowing machine. Alas it'll have to wait.
It's mentioned in the other thread but second hand stuff is excessive over in Spain so stocking up on anything we know we'd want makes sense (to me at least)
Have just paid a local Accountant to set my wife up as self employed. I could probably do it myself, but the cost/risks of mistakes are high and for €300 including the first 3 months submissions seemed a no brainer. It's then €45 per month. Given my wife only has a single client in the UK (her current employer), it shouldn't be complicated and €540/yr seems a lot for such simple returns. I'm debating using them for 12 months though and accepting the cost and then taking over once i'm familiar with the system. I've enough other stuff to sort out initially though so one less thing to worry about is nice.
The ordeal to get everything done with everything requiring an in person appointment is getting painful, but also needing to do it in a particular order and with longish delays for appointments is causing a headache. My wifes self employed, but to be fully register she needs something called a "Digital Certificate". It's all done online until the last point where it says "no go to X location to verify your identity". Then she needs to be registered as self employed to get proof of health cover which is needed for residency. Then i can't apply for residency until she has hers sorted.
Going to be a rush getting everything done in time given i'm limited to only 90 days.
Currently living amongst a lot of boxes, and managed to sell the sofa which is good. All other furniture is either earmarked for family, coming with us or being left for our house buyers, so luckily nothing to stress about on that front.
Purchases are now done. I got into trouble for turning up one day with a full squat cage and i think that was the final straw for my wife. A shame as i saw a cracking pair of speakers for sale locally at a bargain price. Also wouldn't mind a rowing machine. Alas it'll have to wait.
It's mentioned in the other thread but second hand stuff is excessive over in Spain so stocking up on anything we know we'd want makes sense (to me at least)
Have just paid a local Accountant to set my wife up as self employed. I could probably do it myself, but the cost/risks of mistakes are high and for €300 including the first 3 months submissions seemed a no brainer. It's then €45 per month. Given my wife only has a single client in the UK (her current employer), it shouldn't be complicated and €540/yr seems a lot for such simple returns. I'm debating using them for 12 months though and accepting the cost and then taking over once i'm familiar with the system. I've enough other stuff to sort out initially though so one less thing to worry about is nice.
The ordeal to get everything done with everything requiring an in person appointment is getting painful, but also needing to do it in a particular order and with longish delays for appointments is causing a headache. My wifes self employed, but to be fully register she needs something called a "Digital Certificate". It's all done online until the last point where it says "no go to X location to verify your identity". Then she needs to be registered as self employed to get proof of health cover which is needed for residency. Then i can't apply for residency until she has hers sorted.
Going to be a rush getting everything done in time given i'm limited to only 90 days.
@AndyCr15 Fancy lending me some cash and you can have a holiday residence in the guest house whenever you want Be great for cycling and learning the language.
www.jewelsestateagents.com
Be great for cycling and learning the language.
Four bedroom luxury villa with two bedroom casita and swimming pool
We are delighted to present this epitome of luxury living in this stunning villa in a tranquil location,with scenic views over the surrounding countryside. Only a short drive to the prosperous town of Pinoso where you will find all the amenities you need. This villa has a large build size of...
www.jewelsestateagents.com
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Soldato
Amazing, that's pretty much what small detached shoe boxes are going for here now. Different world.@AndyCr15 Fancy lending me some cash and you can have a holiday residence in the guest house whenever you want
Four bedroom luxury villa with two bedroom casita and swimming pool
We are delighted to present this epitome of luxury living in this stunning villa in a tranquil location,with scenic views over the surrounding countryside. Only a short drive to the prosperous town of Pinoso where you will find all the amenities you need. This villa has a large build size of...
Soldato
And still the UK has huge draw for people to live and work here.
Yeah it's a real shame the initial buying fees are so high (~15%) because that €70k wipes off my deposit and puts that house out of reach to still hit the 70% LTV level when the mortgage itself is affordable on a monthly basis
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***** getting real now. Am in work till Wednesday, then off Thursday/Friday to pack the van. Pretty much everything is in boxes as we speak with only the bare minimum left out. We laughed at the stereotypical gender roles yesterday. I was sorting the shed out and my wife was cleaning the kitchen cupboards!
Admittedly had i been less messy/organised generally, my task would've been easier and i could've helped out cleaning!
The van is back at the garage, it seems to be leaking oil from the injector seals which has got progressively worse. I swear we barely drove the previous 8 months of the year (road trip to Spain excluded), but seems we're constantly using the van. I think partly it's the perils of van ownership where people want a hand moving stuff! It's also not changing into first/reverse very easily when cold. Putting it into second and then sliding straight up to first helps a little, but it's really hit and miss. This morning it was smooth right from the off. I think it may be a sticking clutch cable, where it's not having enough travel to disengage as the bite is often quite low. Hoping again it's an easy fix. Definitely don't want to be touching the gearbox/clutch!
Friday night we moved our king size bed and washing machine to my stepsons and then yesterday moved our last chair to my mother in laws. We borrowed a single bed for Friday night which my wife used and i slept on the floor. One night was enough though so Saturday i bought an airbed. It's actually surprisingly comfy, although it's really cold. The single bed went back to her mums yesterday too so we now have nothing bulky in the house. We have around 3 piles of "stuff" though which is making it hard to visualise how much it all is in completeness. Hoping to get the 2 side units into the van as soon as it's back from the garage and then everything else is mainly boxes, except for the odd awkward item, like footstools/bikes/Jeep Seats.
Fingers are crossed for a completion on Friday still, there was a huge mess around a TPO for the river bank near our house which is nothing to do with our house, but the buyers solicitors wanted a copy for some reason. There seems to be one final Land Registry document outstanding but hoping that everything can be done and in place ready so that when it's received/ticked off, everything else is finalised. Worked out Interest costs us £33/day so any delays get expensive! Had also been working a budget around not making a mortgage payment on the 2nd October
Admittedly had i been less messy/organised generally, my task would've been easier and i could've helped out cleaning!
The van is back at the garage, it seems to be leaking oil from the injector seals which has got progressively worse. I swear we barely drove the previous 8 months of the year (road trip to Spain excluded), but seems we're constantly using the van. I think partly it's the perils of van ownership where people want a hand moving stuff! It's also not changing into first/reverse very easily when cold. Putting it into second and then sliding straight up to first helps a little, but it's really hit and miss. This morning it was smooth right from the off. I think it may be a sticking clutch cable, where it's not having enough travel to disengage as the bite is often quite low. Hoping again it's an easy fix. Definitely don't want to be touching the gearbox/clutch!
Friday night we moved our king size bed and washing machine to my stepsons and then yesterday moved our last chair to my mother in laws. We borrowed a single bed for Friday night which my wife used and i slept on the floor. One night was enough though so Saturday i bought an airbed. It's actually surprisingly comfy, although it's really cold. The single bed went back to her mums yesterday too so we now have nothing bulky in the house. We have around 3 piles of "stuff" though which is making it hard to visualise how much it all is in completeness. Hoping to get the 2 side units into the van as soon as it's back from the garage and then everything else is mainly boxes, except for the odd awkward item, like footstools/bikes/Jeep Seats.
Fingers are crossed for a completion on Friday still, there was a huge mess around a TPO for the river bank near our house which is nothing to do with our house, but the buyers solicitors wanted a copy for some reason. There seems to be one final Land Registry document outstanding but hoping that everything can be done and in place ready so that when it's received/ticked off, everything else is finalised. Worked out Interest costs us £33/day so any delays get expensive! Had also been working a budget around not making a mortgage payment on the 2nd October
Note to Future Martyn "Good Luck"
Also, no idea why i have so many god damned patch cables. Think it's because i change stuff around a lot and always forget to check cable boxes and re-order in specific sizes.
Also, no idea why i have so many god damned patch cables. Think it's because i change stuff around a lot and always forget to check cable boxes and re-order in specific sizes.
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