# Moving to Nerja!



## VikkiK (Jun 7, 2012)

Hi everyone, 

I am just after some advice and info from any of you who live out there in Nerja and surrounding areas...

My partner and I are planning to move out there in the next few months. We know the area as we have a rental apartment in Nerja but are looking to buy a house as a permanent residence.... We are looking in Nerja and Frigiliana.

What is the property market like realistically? Speaking with agents they say all is ok but we all know what's happening with the Euro! We may rent first until things settle down?... However, there does look like there are some good bargains to be had?!

I'd love to hear from any of you who have children at the local school/s... We have a four year old who would be starting school in September... Any recommendations?

Any local clubs anyone can recommend to meet new people?

Any experiences (good and bad!) Id like to hear!

Its a huge step for us but we're of the opinion that if we don't do it we will never know  We are renting out our house in England and my partner works off shore around the world so income wouldn't be a problem as he'd continue to do what he does now.

I look forward to hearing from you!!


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Definitely rent first! There are certainly bargains to be had, but property prices are still falling. Also, if you are converting sterling to euros for the purchase, there's a good chance you'll get a better exchange rate in a year's time.


----------



## VikkiK (Jun 7, 2012)

Thank you for your reply...

Do you think they can fall much more?... 

We are coming over soon and going to have a good look around... 

Thanks again


----------



## Solwriter (Jan 10, 2012)

I live about 40 minutes drive from Nerja, across the mountains, so cannot comment on Nerja itself (apart from on my visits there I quite liked the place and people seemed friendly  ).
But Alcalaina is right.
Do rent first as property prices are still falling everywhere. 
Not only that, but this will give you time to get to know the area and the type of property for sale at local level, rather than simply on an estate agents web page. You are much more likely to get a property at a good price and in good condition this way.

Another good reason for renting is that at the moment you may well be able to find a very good property at a low rent. Probably a much better property than you could afford to buy.


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I stayed in Nerja on and off over the winter and I really like it. I dont know about schools etc, but its a friendly and nice town. Thrax on here lives in Friggers and has a young son, so he may have some advice when he's next about

jo xxx


----------



## Soy guiri (Dec 4, 2010)

I am in Adra, so a hour along the coast, but take a look at theses current properties for sale to get the idea, hope its all good for you.




- procam (caixa catalunya): http://www.procam-inmobiliaria.com

- reser subastas (caja madrid): http://www.resersubastas.com

- quermes (cajasur): CajaSur Inmobiliaria

- altamira santander real estate (banco santander): Buscador inmobiliario Altamira Santander Real Estate. Pisos y casa en Madrid, Barcelona

- portal inmobiliario (caja canarias): http://portalinmobiliario.cajacanarias.es

- casaktua (banesto): Portal Inmobiliario Banesto - Venta de pisos y casas de segunda mano y obra nueva

- servihabitat (la caixa): Venta de pisos, casas, apartamentos y locales comerciales - Servihabitat

- oportunidades cam (cam): OPORTUNIDADES CAM - Grandes descuentos en inmuebles procedentes de embargos y adjudicaciones

- aliseda gestión inmobiliaria (banco popular): Aliseda » Gestión Inmobiliaria

- solvia gestión inmobiliaria (banco sabadell): Casas y Pisos, Venta o Alquiler - SoLVIA, Inmobiliaria Banco Sabadell

- ahorro casa (ahorro corporación soluciones inmobiliarias): AhorroCasa.com - Ahorro Corporación Soluciones Inmobiliarias

- revalua (Caixa Penedès) : REVALUA Pgina principal

- anida (bbva): http://www.anida.es


----------



## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

We love this area. There are many schools in Friggers (as we call it), Nerja and Torrox, the ones in Torrox having a very good reputation. Definitely rent as house prices are expected to fall another 25 - 40%. Estate agents, for the most part, have houses on the market at stupid prices and they aren't moving them. Unlike in UK agents here put the houses on at the price the owner asks with no attempt at reflecting what the market really is. We have lived here for nearly 2 years and can now find anything we used to buy in UK so if you have any questions once you are here pm me and I'll do my very best to answer them. A very good supermarket for starters is Iranzo which is on the roundabout which leads down to the Carrabeo car park. From the outside it looks like a liquor store but it is a real tresure trove inside with a huge stock of things we took for granted in UK but cannot get in Spanish supermarkets. On Torrox Costa is Russells Store, a British shop but cheaper than Iranzo and although it is small has a large number of difficult to find items.

Your son can now go to school here and for that he will need to be on the Padron so make that a priority. It is not compulsory to send kids to school at his age but it is from the age of 6, however I would definitely recommend you consider getting into one pretty soon as it will prepare him well for state school, unless you are thinkiong about International Schools.


----------



## VikkiK (Jun 7, 2012)

thrax said:


> We love this area. There are many schools in Friggers (as we call it), Nerja and Torrox, the ones in Torrox having a very good reputation. Definitely rent as house prices are expected to fall another 25 - 40%. Estate agents, for the most part, have houses on the market at stupid prices and they aren't moving them. Unlike in UK agents here put the houses on at the price the owner asks with no attempt at reflecting what the market really is. We have lived here for nearly 2 years and can now find anything we used to buy in UK so if you have any questions once you are here pm me and I'll do my very best to answer them. A very good supermarket for starters is Iranzo which is on the roundabout which leads down to the Carrabeo car park. From the outside it looks like a liquor store but it is a real tresure trove inside with a huge stock of things we took for granted in UK but cannot get in Spanish supermarkets. On Torrox Costa is Russells Store, a British shop but cheaper than Iranzo and although it is small has a large number of difficult to find items.
> 
> Your son can now go to school here and for that he will need to be on the Padron so make that a priority. It is not compulsory to send kids to school at his age but it is from the age of 6, however I would definitely recommend you consider getting into one pretty soon as it will prepare him well for state school, unless you are thinkiong about International Schools.



Thanks so much for your reply... We will certainly rent now when we first come over as ive heard from quite a few people now that the prices are set to drop further. It will also give us chance to see if we want to live in the town or out in the countryside.... I will start contacting agents for properties to rent... Unless of course there are private rentals available you know of?.... Are they advertised locally in the supermarkets etc? As I said we are coming over in July and hope to find somewhere then and move soon after.

Its our daughter who we need to get into a school! I understand you have a soon of similar age? Which school is he at? Also, what do you mean by a Padron? And how do I go about doing this? Apologies for all the questions but we are obviously new to this! We would like her to attend school as soon as we get there. She will be 4 1/2 by then...

Thanks in advance for your help.


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

When you move to Spain you will need to get NIE numbers, residencias and to sign on the local padron. These things mean that you will be legal in Spain. So once you arrive and have a place to live, you need to get these things to proceed further. You will also need to prove income to obtain a residencia. 

The one thing you also need to think about is that if your husband is commuting, you'll need to be prepared to get a car or organise some form of transport to and from the airport??? We lived near a train station and my husband used that when he commuted. Nerja doesnt have a train line and its a good 50 minutes drive to Malaga airport

Jo xxx


----------



## VikkiK (Jun 7, 2012)

jojo said:


> When you move to Spain you will need to get NIE numbers, residencias and to sign on the local padron. These things mean that you will be legal in Spain. So once you arrive and have a place to live, you need to get these things to proceed further. You will also need to prove income to obtain a residencia.
> 
> The one thing you also need to think about is that if your husband is commuting, you'll need to be prepared to get a car or organise some form of transport to and from the airport??? We lived near a train station and my husband used that when he commuted. Nerja doesnt have a train line and its a good 50 minutes drive to Malaga airport
> 
> Jo xxx


Thank you Jo!

I take it we get the NIE Numbers and residencias from the Town Hall in Nerja? So we need to have an address in Nerja or Frigiliana before we do this? Proving an income I suppose would just be like it is here in the UK when applying for mortgage etc?.... That shouldnt be a problem. 

Yes, a car is not a problem and im used to driving on the 'wrong side of the road'!!! I will most likely be taking him to the airport (same as happens here, we live approx 1hr from Manchester airport) We will probably just bring our UK car over and then look to buy a spanish one once were settled. 

How long have you lived over there? Have you ever had regrets? 

Thanks Vikki


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

VikkiK said:


> Thank you Jo!
> 
> I take it we get the NIE Numbers and residencias from the Town Hall in Nerja? So we need to have an address in Nerja or Frigiliana before we do this? Proving an income I suppose would just be like it is here in the UK when applying for mortgage etc?.... That shouldnt be a problem.
> 
> ...



Sadly, we no longer live in Spain. The commute got too much for my husband (hence my comment. We found living nearer the airport helped, but not enough!!), the kids wanted to go back to the UK for college and our tenants left our UK house. 

Life is easier in the UK than Spain, the language, rules, family, finances etc. But I prefer Spain. I have friends who rent in Nerja every winter and this winter I'm renting with them, so we'll be there from December thru til April

Jo xxx


----------



## VikkiK (Jun 7, 2012)

jojo said:


> Sadly, we no longer live in Spain. The commute got too much for my husband (hence my comment. We found living nearer the airport helped, but not enough!!), the kids wanted to go back to the UK for college and our tenants left our UK house.
> 
> Life is easier in the UK than Spain, the language, rules, family, finances etc. But I prefer Spain. I have friends who rent in Nerja every winter and this winter I'm renting with them, so we'll be there from December thru til April
> 
> Jo xxx


Thanks Jo... Thats ashame, but understandable you had to come back to the UK. We are going with the opinion that if we dont like it/get homesick etc then we can just come back. If we dont try it we will never know. 

Did you find it easy to make friends out there? This is probably my main concern as I will be there for periods on my own! We do know a couple of people in Frigiliana already but would want to meet people more my own age. I guess this would be possible when my little girl starts school and I get to meet the other mums?!


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

VikkiK said:


> Thanks Jo... Thats ashame, but understandable you had to come back to the UK. We are going with the opinion that if we dont like it/get homesick etc then we can just come back. If we dont try it we will never know.
> 
> Did you find it easy to make friends out there? This is probably my main concern as I will be there for periods on my own! We do know a couple of people in Frigiliana already but would want to meet people more my own age. I guess this would be possible when my little girl starts school and I get to meet the other mums?!


I made friends cos my children were at an international school. My daughter spent time in a Spanish school and sadly the school gates were mainly spanish and my language skills let me down. but she used to go riding and so I made friends with the English owner and her friends. I also made friends thru our english letting agent and thru this forum. Once you meet a couple of people its then a network thing and gradually you find you know lots of people

Jo xxx


----------



## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Our son is just over 2 years old so he doesn't start school until September next year. We will be looking at several over the coming months.

The NIE is obtained, in your case, from the police station in Torre del Mar. You can download the application form from the relevant sticky thread on this forum. There are two types of NIE; a non-residency and a residency. You must make sure you are given the residency NIE otherwise when you open a bank account they are likely to freeze it after three months. The padron is applied for at the Nerja town hall but there is a foreigner's department there and they will go through everything with you. I can't remember when they are open but I think it is 10 am till noon on Thursday and one other day, possibly Monday, but the opening times are on the door. And there are several really nice restaurants around there. The FD is close to the Balcon. 

Living in the town would be very noisy but there are several urbanisations to the north of Nerja, Capistrano being the most famous and having the most Brits. It is much quieter than in the town. Frigiliana is very pretty but mostly a tourist town and extremely deserted in the winter months although that may be what you are looking for. We live on the Friggers to Torrox road, about 10 minutes from the north of the village. Campo (countryside) living isn't for everyone as it is very quiet, but we have wonderful views over Friggers, Nerja and the sea to the souith and the mountains behind us. We are about 20 minutes drive from supermarkets etc. The main shopping centre is El Ingenio in Torre del Mar which takes about 10 minutes on the motorway. A really good game for the kids is count the cars: you might not see any!!! 

Beyond that is Malaga which is more than an airport; it is one of the most extraordinary cities I have ever been to and I love it. The lights at Christmas are unbelievable, the best I have seen by far anywhere in the world. And just beyond Malaga is IKEA, Leroy Merlin (DIY supplies) and Plaza Mayor a large centre which looks like a Florida shopping mall and is split into two halves, one with retail and designer shops the other is all restaurants and a huge cinema which shows films in English.

Having said all of that you robably knew it anyway so apologies if we are talking about grannies sucking eggs etc.

As I said before, once you are here pm me if you have any Nerja specific questions and NIE and banks and stuff. We use Spanish property for sale: Find 125,000 Spanish properties for sale for searching out long term rentals as most agents advertise through them. Another really good contact is HappyHomeRentals although they don't have a website just everything through Kyero. PM me and I'll let you have the phone number and email address of the girtl who runs it.

Good Luck and enjoy!!!!!


----------



## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

As for meeting people of your own age, I have to ask, what is it??? My wife is always looking for new contacts and is in a quite varied selection of people of all ages. She also can let you know about a local mother and toddler group in Nerja which is a good place for making contact with new friends.


----------



## VikkiK (Jun 7, 2012)

Excellent, Thank you Thrax for all your info! I will start to check out some rentals this coming week... We are coming out on 16th July and can hopefully secure something then! Exciting!

I am 30 and my other half 38.... Maybe when we come over I can PM you and meet up for coffee?!.... 

Thanks again Vikki


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

VikkiK said:


> Excellent, Thank you Thrax for all your info! I will start to check out some rentals this coming week... We are coming out on 16th July and can hopefully secure something then! Exciting!
> 
> I am 30 and my other half 38.... Maybe when we come over I can PM you and meet up for coffee?!....
> 
> Thanks again Vikki


 I met mr and mrs Thrax and little Thrax when I was over last winter - A lovely family!!!!

Jo xxx


----------



## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

jojo said:


> I met mr and mrs Thrax and little Thrax when I was over last winter - A lovely family!!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


If you are planning on being around from December to April we can meet up again!!

Happy to meet up with you Vikki for a coffee. My wife is 41 but behaves like a 10 year old. I am so old the world was in sepia when I was born. Don't forget to pm me so I can let you have Happyhomerentals email addy and phone number


----------



## VikkiK (Jun 7, 2012)

Brilliant! Will PM you straight away.... Looking forward to meeting you all! You too Jo, hopefully we shall be there by December... Eeeek!! 

Thanks again both of you


----------



## VikkiK (Jun 7, 2012)

Thrax, 'I think' i've just PMd you? However, as im new Im not sure if this went through?! Will try again!


----------



## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

VikkiK said:


> Thrax, 'I think' i've just PMd you? However, as im new Im not sure if this went through?! Will try again!


It went through - they both did!! - and I have replied


----------



## DROOBY (Aug 5, 2008)

Looks like I'm late to forum as usual mr Thrx and the lovely Jo have covered it all not much i can add. 
My wife and I have lived In Frig now for 4 years and have 2 children aged 6 & 8 both basically started there's schooling here and don't know anything else. They love it and and school is brilliant. I do have to add that they no longer go to school in Frig but Nerja at San Miguel. 

We are both in our early 30's and have a very good bunch of friends of all ages both British and Spanish its a very friendly place, I think we with host or attend BBQ and parties at least twice a month winter and summer so be prepared for some heavy socialising!!
I did commute to Uk for work and know a fair few lads that do the same for rigs etc.. I will start again as soon as my broken arm heals. I used to commute to London from Scotland and to be honest Malaga to London sometimes is cheaper and doesn't take much longer. I also fly to different places around Europe and Malaga is good for this because of the number of routes available.

D


----------



## VikkiK (Jun 7, 2012)

DROOBY said:


> Looks like I'm late to forum as usual mr Thrx and the lovely Jo have covered it all not much i can add.
> My wife and I have lived In Frig now for 4 years and have 2 children aged 6 & 8 both basically started there's schooling here and don't know anything else. They love it and and school is brilliant. I do have to add that they no longer go to school in Frig but Nerja at San Miguel.
> 
> We are both in our early 30's and have a very good bunch of friends of all ages both British and Spanish its a very friendly place, I think we with host or attend BBQ and parties at least twice a month winter and summer so be prepared for some heavy socialising!!
> ...


Thank you Drooby! Yes, they have both been really helpful! 

The BBQs and Parties shound good! Are you quite close to Frigiliana?

Yes, my other half works on the rigs and in Scotland so he will be flying to and from (as he does now from manchester)...

Can I ask why you moved schools? My little girl will be 4 1/2 when we get there and so will hopefully start in September (hopefully!)

We are over in July to have a look at some houses so if you are free it would be great to meet up with you and your family?!

Vikki


----------



## DROOBY (Aug 5, 2008)

VikkiK said:


> Thank you Drooby! Yes, they have both been really helpful!
> 
> The BBQs and Parties shound good! Are you quite close to Frigiliana?
> 
> ...


Hiya Vikki,

Yep we live in the village, we did try the campo for a year but found the village better for us. The kids have a large group of friends so there always in and out and round at each others houses. It was a bit of a mare driving up and down all the time meeting with friends plus I enjoy toddling to the local Spanish bar to meet friends for footie at the weekends.

There's a few of us moved our kids to Nerja but I'll pm you details don't like to get too political on the forum. It's an old fashioned v modern thing;-)

Yep give us a shout when you over and we'll arrange something never know your luck might be a BBQ weekend

D


----------



## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

We could probably all meet up together somewhere. Could be fun!! Winter here can have some very cold evenings but we had BBQs right through to the end of December and started again in April...


----------

