# moving to Spain



## Tommy D (Nov 4, 2009)

Hello 
I would like to find a small winter house for now with the possibilities of retiring in Spain . I narrow my search to Denia area in the Costa Blanca region . Could anyone advise on how to get started with this . I look on Internet but cannot get my teeth into anything . Any possible leads with real estate 
THanks 
Tom D


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Hi Tommy,

Would you be interested in a small casita inland from Alicante?
It is on a secure plot with electric gates and my daughters property is also on the site.

Maiden


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

MaidenScotland said:


> Hi Tommy,
> 
> Would you be interested in a small casita inland from Alicante?
> It is on a secure plot with electric gates and my daughters property is also on the site.
> ...


Its only about 80 kms from Denia then! 

To the OP, you really cant beat coming over here and looking yourself. Theres loads of property for sale in the Denia area and I'm sure in the current climate you can get some good deals.

Some say its the best time to buy here at the moment ..... if they are right, who knows!


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## lynn (Sep 25, 2008)

I think if you are just arriving in Spain, it would be better to rent than to buy at the moment. Rentals are very cheap, and very negotiable, and it would give you a much better idea of what the area is like before you commit to putting money into it. Property prices are depressed in Spain, and I think they will continue to stagnate, if not drop further, for a while yet. Therefore, there is no pressure to buy.


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## grahunt (Jan 22, 2009)

Agree with Lynn on the rental issue and them being negotiable, if the owner doesn't negotiate then walk away, but not on the sale prices. I don't see further falls in many areas, although in some yes mostly coastal, then again i do not see price rises or a couple of years yet so if you are thinking of buying now may well be a good time but don't let any agents tell you that prices are going to rise any time soon to try and get you purchasing. Rental with an option to buy is common now where you discount all or a proportion of the rental amount from the agreed purchase price.


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## lynn (Sep 25, 2008)

grahunt said:


> Agree with Lynn on the rental issue and them being negotiable, if the owner doesn't negotiate then walk away, but not on the sale prices. I don't see further falls in many areas, although in some yes mostly coastal, then again i do not see price rises or a couple of years yet so if you are thinking of buying now may well be a good time but don't let any agents tell you that prices are going to rise any time soon to try and get you purchasing. Rental with an option to buy is common now where you discount all or a proportion of the rental amount from the agreed purchase price.


Just to give you some idea, we negotiated 28% off the advertised rental last April. We dealt with the owner direct as the house was advertised in a local paper, but I would imagine that agents are open to similar offers. There is so much property available, if they don't want to agree the price, there is always another house round the corner.


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## Tommy D (Nov 4, 2009)

lynn said:


> Just to give you some idea, we negotiated 28% off the advertised rental last April. We dealt with the owner direct as the house was advertised in a local paper, but I would imagine that agents are open to similar offers. There is so much property available, if they don't want to agree the price, there is always another house round the corner.


Hello 
THank you all for your replies . I had recieved contact from a real estate agent and he was quite helpful in " getting started " Question : Do you think coming over @ dec 27 to Jan 7 would be helpful or do you think the Real Estate business would be shut down during the Holidays ? Tom D


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Tommy D said:


> Hello
> THank you all for your replies . I had recieved contact from a real estate agent and he was quite helpful in " getting started " Question : Do you think coming over @ dec 27 to Jan 7 would be helpful or do you think the Real Estate business would be shut down during the Holidays ? Tom D


Hhhmm, I¡d like to say that they'd be "up and running" for business during that time, but in Spain they celebrate "the three kings" on 6th January, which is bigger than christmas over here!!!! So therefore, a British agent may well do the christmas thing and then carry it over til 6th January. Ask them???? and of course it may not be quite as easy to view properties if people are celebrating???

Jo xxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

grahunt said:


> Xmas is one of the major viewing times for clients



Well there you go Tommy, grahunt is an estate agent, so thats one that is gonna be open and fully functioning over the christmas period, Maybe his area is different (I think he's in the Javea/Alicante region???). I asked my estate agent friends in my area (Málaga provinces) and they're going back to the UK for christmas cos so little business is done over that period!

What you need to do is contact the agents in the area in which you're looking

Jo xxx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Even if the agents aren't open, the general public will be there. Christmas is not the obscene commercial extravaganza it is in the UK. Trains run on Christmas Day and Spanish bars charge normal prices. (Expat bars think that they charge 50 euros for their menú plus a glass of cava and a silly hat!)


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> Even if the agents aren't open, the general public will be there. Christmas is not the obscene commercial extravaganza it is in the UK. Trains run on Christmas Day and Spanish bars charge normal prices. (Expat bars think that they charge 50 euros for their menú plus a glass of cava and a silly hat!)


The Christmas/three kings and the build up isnt like the UK christmas thing luckily, but it is like every other Spanish fiesta tho and some!!!!!

Jo xxx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Indeed!!!! We were in Alfaz for their festival last week. One Spanish custom I still cannot come to terms with is fireworks in the day. You get the noise but not the "pretty" colours


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

SteveHall said:


> Indeed!!!! We were in Alfaz for their festival last week. One Spanish custom I still cannot come to terms with is fireworks in the day. You get the noise but not the "pretty" colours


....... and the total diregard for "Health and Safety", altho its refreshing to see no rules, regulations or barriers etc, it does get a bit scary!!! LOL

Jo xxxx


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## SteveHall (Oct 17, 2008)

Yes, the mayor seems to think its 100% OK to spend more on fireworks than the library! 

ThisISspain LOL


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## Hombre (Sep 10, 2009)

jojo said:


> The Christmas/three kings and the build up isnt like the UK christmas thing luckily, but it is like every other Spanish fiesta tho and some!!!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


Sorry to spoil the illusion but here they are putting up street decorations. The whole town is being dressed up. We can't believe it. When we arrived 7 years ago, it was unheard of to see anything relating to Christmas before Dec 18.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Hombre said:


> Sorry to spoil the illusion but here they are putting up street decorations. The whole town is being dressed up. We can't believe it. When we arrived 7 years ago, it was unheard of to see anything relating to Christmas before Dec 18.



Actually they're doing the same here, we've gotta great big, light covered bow across our street!!!! I love christmas in Spain tho, who said christmas should be white and snowy?? I dont think it was like that in Bethlehem!!!

Jo xxx


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## Hombre (Sep 10, 2009)

jojo said:


> Actually they're doing the same here, we've gotta great big, light covered bow across our street!!!! I love christmas in Spain tho, who said christmas should be white and snowy?? I dont think it was like that in Bethlehem!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


We were in Bethlehem a few years ago...and ..as we were about to enter the "place of Christ's birth "...ie; the manger..( a cave actually )...a local offered us scratch cards, with a promise to pay out when we exited the manger.
Sort of spoilt the moment somehow......


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## grahunt (Jan 22, 2009)

It's the Corte Inglés influence. Longer time to sell Xmas stuff

And it's Valencia Jojo ;-)


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

jojo said:


> Actually they're doing the same here, we've gotta great big, light covered bow across our street!!!! I love christmas in Spain tho, who said christmas should be white and snowy?? I dont think it was like that in Bethlehem!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


Yes, but do they actually turn them on before December 1st? Here i think that's the switch on date.
What I like is the Christmas decorations that are still up in June when the kids finish school for the summer!!


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