# Looking to retire in Spain ?



## Spanishwish (Jun 9, 2015)

We are looking at Spain as a place to spend about 5 months of the year and allow family and friends use the property at other times.
We were watching a place in the sun yesterday and saw some wonderful properties near or around Lake Vinuela so a few questions for us novices please.
Neither of us speaks any Spanish and we are looking for a quite location with decent weather throughout the year .
Is this a good choice of location to retire ?
What is the property market like there at present ?
Cost of living there ?
Is it safe, sorry about this but have heard about some unfortunate incidents elsewhere recently ?
I know this are all very generic questions and with a lot of reading I am sure I would get the answers but a few pointers are always helpful.


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## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

Spanishwish said:


> We are looking at Spain as a place to spend about 5 months of the year and allow family and friends use the property at other times.
> We were watching a place in the sun yesterday and saw some wonderful properties near or around Lake Vinuela so a few questions for us novices please.
> Neither of us speaks any Spanish and we are looking for a quite location with decent weather throughout the year .
> Is this a good choice of location to retire ?
> ...


Welcome 

Spain is quite large , and different areas suit different people !

We are just inland of Alicante city , suits us as its close to the airport , beach and Town .

Are you looking at country / semi rural or urbanisation with lots of neighbours bars etc ..

Cheers Tony Agost Alicante


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

We retired to the Canary Isles, El Hierro. Cheaper here with a better climate, hardly any crime and an extremely friendly local population. Cannot visualize us moving elsewhere.


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## Spanishwish (Jun 9, 2015)

tonymar said:


> Welcome
> 
> Spain is quite large , and different areas suit different people !
> 
> ...


We are looking at somewhere in the country away from the bars and nightlife.


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## Spanishwish (Jun 9, 2015)

Hepa said:


> We retired to the Canary Isles, El Hierro. Cheaper here with a better climate, hardly any crime and an extremely friendly local population. Cannot visualize us moving elsewhere.


Yes we spent a lot of time looking at Tenerife but felt it was a bit too far.


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## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

Spanishwish said:


> We are looking at somewhere in the country away from the bars and nightlife.


So a finca or country house would be more your thing then ?

Most have quite large plots , but remember stuff we can take for granted in the Uk 
and Ireland like tarmac roads , mains services are not always as standard

Personal I enjoy living in the Campo ( country ) with no close neighbours and enjoy the quiet and garden ( although sometimes dogs barking can be annoying but I think that is quite common here )

Are you going to visit Spain to check out some areas yourself ?

Cheers Tony


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## davexf (Jan 26, 2009)

Hola

The local ex-pats group is SOHA SOHA - Save Our Homes in Axarquia - Pressure group in Spain fighting to keep their homes : SOHA – Save Our Homes in Axarquia - worth contacting 

Davexf


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## emlyn (Oct 26, 2012)

Spanishwish said:


> We are looking at Spain as a place to spend about 5 months of the year and allow family and friends use the property at other times. We were watching a place in the sun yesterday and saw some wonderful properties near or around Lake Vinuela so a few questions for us novices please. Neither of us speaks any Spanish and we are looking for a quite location with decent weather throughout the year . Is this a good choice of location to retire ? What is the property market like there at present ? Cost of living there ? Is it safe, sorry about this but have heard about some unfortunate incidents elsewhere recently ? I know this are all very generic questions and with a lot of reading I am sure I would get the answers but a few pointers are always helpful.


You ask is it safe, I assume as you are thinking of looking for a property in the countryside you are wondering about the risk of burglary ,especially if it's remote,and your not there permanently.
This is something we took into consideration when house hunting , and was brought into sharper focus for us when one of the properties we were taken to in the countryside by the agent had been broken into since his last visit.
Whilst initially thinking we wanted the privacy and tranquility of a rural setting we eventually decided as we would not be permanent residents that the best option for us as retirees was a lock up and go apartment in a quiet village where we feel safer,and with neighbours,hope this helps you in your decision making.


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## Spanishwish (Jun 9, 2015)

tonymar said:


> So a finca or country house would be more your thing then ?
> 
> Most have quite large plots , but remember stuff we can take for granted in the Uk
> and Ireland like tarmac roads , mains services are not always as standard
> ...


We are looking for a villa with a reasonably sized garden with a pool . In a an area which is not too remote , with safety high on the list as it will be vacant for long periods.


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## Spanishwish (Jun 9, 2015)

davexf said:


> Hola
> 
> 
> 
> Cheers will look that up.


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## Spanishwish (Jun 9, 2015)

emlyn said:


> You ask is it safe, I assume as you are thinking of looking for a property in the countryside you are wondering about the risk of burglary ,especially if it's remote,and your not there permanently.
> This is something we took into consideration when house hunting , and was brought into sharper focus for us when one of the properties we were taken to in the countryside by the agent had been broken into since his last visit.
> Whilst initially thinking we wanted the privacy and tranquility of a rural setting we eventually decided as we would not be permanent residents that the best option for us as retirees was a lock up and go apartment in a quiet village where we feel safer,and with neighbours,hope this helps you in your decision making.


Thank you and fully understand. Safety is a must for us as the property will be vacant for long periods and we do not want to let it.


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## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

If you are at or close to retirement age you must consider what living somewhere would be like in a few years.

When we moved here 11 years ago we were both healthy and fit. We both drove and had two cars so living away from shops and other amenities wasn't a problem.

Things have now changed. Neither of us are able to drive. My husband is not very mobile and we have to rely on public transport to go to the shops, the doctor or the hospital (which my husband has to do every week).

We are lucky because our house, although away from any towns, is close to a tram station. Even so, we are trying to sell our house to move into town nearer everything. We are finding it impossible to find a buyer so we are pretty well stuck here for the moment.

If we had bought a remote house in the country with no bus or tram service it would be disastrous for us. Please think carefully about this.


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

emlyn said:


> You ask is it safe, I assume as you are thinking of looking for a property in the countryside you are wondering about the risk of burglary ,especially if it's remote,and your not there permanently.
> This is something we took into consideration when house hunting , and was brought into sharper focus for us when one of the properties we were taken to in the countryside by the agent had been broken into since his last visit.
> Whilst initially thinking we wanted the privacy and tranquility of a rural setting we eventually decided as we would not be permanent residents that the best option for us as retirees was a lock up and go apartment in a quiet village where we feel safer,and with neighbours,hope this helps you in your decision making.


I did the same thing. We started with a chalet and land in mind, but the single fact that we would leave it empty at times guided us to an apartment. If you do want a chalet and a garden and have security concerns, a gated community might provide what you need.

Security is a major concern.


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## Horlics (Sep 27, 2011)

DunWorkin said:


> If you are at or close to retirement age you must consider what living somewhere would be like in a few years.
> 
> When we moved here 11 years ago we were both healthy and fit. We both drove and had two cars so living away from shops and other amenities wasn't a problem.
> 
> ...


This is a very important point.

Buying in the countryside and later selling-up and moving into an apartment with everything on the doorstep is a well trodden path by retirees in Spain. Almost all of my English neighbours who are over 70 previously owned villas before buying their apartments.

It's important, therefore, to consider the ease with which you'll be able to sell your property when you decide to move. I'd recommend you buy something that you think will sell easily, but with the market like it has been, it's an objective that's hard to achieve.


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## Spanishwish (Jun 9, 2015)

Hello all and thanks to all who replied to our earlier post. Things are changing fast for us and we need to ramp up our search for a property to spend at least 5 months of the year in and maybe let relatives use for some of the free time but for about 4 months of the year it would be vacant.
Reading some of the earlier posts most people are suggesting the apartment or gated community option rather than the dream we had of having a nice remote villa especially given the need for security. We are still keen on the area around Lake Vinuela and would like to know what the market for apartments and gated communities is like in the area ?


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## Leper (May 12, 2010)

Mistake No. 1:- Using living-in-Spain tv programmes for anything other than peripheral information. TV programmes are usually rubbish when you get into the nitty gritty of long term rent or buying.

Mistake No. 2:- Concentrating on one area only. Gives the impression you're easily led and likely to believe everything you hear from the real estate agent.

Mistake No. 3:- Not reading answers and solutions to previous posts with exactly the same content as yours.

But, all is not lost. Before you do anything investigate any place in Spain suitable to your requirements. Rent there for at least 6 weeks mid September - April (rent for 2 bedroom accommodation should cost no more than €550 per month in rent; allow for electricity use @ €100.00 per month).

There's nothing like hands-on for investigative work. Believe me, you will know after six weeks if Spain is for you. You will learn a lot more in that 6 week period too e.g. what location, road, hamlet etc. It is still a renters market in Spain, so keep an open mind; don't even think of selling your UK property. And remember far away fields are green!

Then you've got to decide (wait for it . . .) whether to continue renting or buying.


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## Spanishwish (Jun 9, 2015)

Leper said:


> Mistake No. 1:- Using living-in-Spain tv programmes for anything other than peripheral information. TV programmes are usually rubbish when you get into the nitty gritty of long term rent or buying.
> 
> Mistake No. 2:- Concentrating on one area only. Gives the impression you're easily led and likely to believe everything you hear from the real estate agent.
> 
> ...


Many thanks Leper , fully agree with your comments and we will for sure come and rent for a month or so . If I may , one "how long is a piece of string "question .....where would you recommend to look , we do not want to be near any touristy bar/club areas. Inland but within ~20 min drive to somewhere to swim in the sea. As mentioned earlier security is high on our agenda as the property will be vacant for a large chunk of the year. Thanks again for your quick response.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Spanishwish said:


> Hello all and thanks to all who replied to our earlier post. Things are changing fast for us and we need to ramp up our search for a property to spend at least 5 months of the year in and maybe let relatives use for some of the free time but for about 4 months of the year it would be vacant.
> Reading some of the earlier posts most people are suggesting the apartment or gated community option rather than the dream we had of having a nice remote villa especially given the need for security. We are still keen on the area around Lake Vinuela and would like to know what the market for apartments and gated communities is like in the area ?


The places closest to Lake Vinuela where you would be most likely to find apartments would be Puente de Don Manuel (lots and lots of British people living there, has a fish and chip shop, Arkwrights grocery store, British hair and beauty salons, British bars and restaurants, etc) and Alcaucin. I don't know of any gated communities around the area but there are small developments of villas all over the place. Which is one of the problems, really, there was a great deal of building in the early years of this century and it's one of the areas where there are lots of problems with illegal homes so be very careful.

Personally I would look at the village of Periana where you might find a villa with pool on the outskirts or in a small hamlet nearby. A lot of properties around there have wonderful views of Lake Vinuela and the surrounding countryside. Frigiliana is another good option.


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## Spanishwish (Jun 9, 2015)

Lynn R said:


> The places closest to Lake Vinuela where you would be most likely to find apartments would be Puente de Don Manuel (lots and lots of British people living there, has a fish and chip shop, Arkwrights grocery store, British hair and beauty salons, British bars and restaurants, etc) and Alcaucin. I don't know of any gated communities around the area but there are small developments of villas all over the place. Which is one of the problems, really, there was a great deal of building in the early years of this century and it's one of the areas where there are lots of problems with illegal homes so be very careful.
> 
> Personally I would look at the village of Periana where you might find a villa with pool on the outskirts or in a small hamlet nearby. A lot of properties around there have wonderful views of Lake Vinuela and the surrounding countryside. Frigiliana is another good option.


Many thanks Lynn , just had a quick peek at both villages some interesting properties for sale. We will be planning to spend some time in the area in the coming months .


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## Calas felices (Nov 29, 2007)

Also consider if you have property with land and a pool you will probably spend most of your holiday getting them sorted it so that they can be used. Alternately you could find someone local who could look after the property for you and then you could spend your time worrying if they have been using it/letting it out whilst you are not there!


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## Spanishwish (Jun 9, 2015)

Yikes , so many potential pitfalls, looks like I shall need to look back through many threads to get a better understanding of them all . As Leper said , all this top show stuff we are seeing on "A place in the sun" et al looks like we are seeing all these so called great places through a heavily rose tinted camera lens


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## Leper (May 12, 2010)

Spanishwish said:


> Many thanks Leper , fully agree with your comments and we will for sure come and rent for a month or so . If I may , one "how long is a piece of string "question .....where would you recommend to look , we do not want to be near any touristy bar/club areas. Inland but within ~20 min drive to somewhere to swim in the sea. As mentioned earlier security is high on our agenda as the property will be vacant for a large chunk of the year. Thanks again for your quick response.


Well, I live part of the year in Mojacar Playa Costa Almería. I'm Irish. It is a tourist resort, but nothing like the high rises of other costas. Most of the Brits there escaped the hustle and bustle of other costas and they intend keeping Mojacar Playa low rise. The local population is made up of expats and Spaniards 50/50. The off season is quiet, but if you ever wondered where the Spaniards go on holidays, Mojacar Playa is one such place.


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