# Thinking about moving to Spain



## redshoes (Jan 1, 2013)

I am so glad I found this forum! I’ve read a number of the posts and am impressed with how kind and helpful people are.

I became a widow last year and have decided I would like to rent an apartment in Spain and live there year round. I’ll rent out my own apartment here at home so that if things don’t work out well in Spain I will have my options open. I’m looking at places that are far away from the ‘Madding Crowd’ however I do love to swim in the sea, but I suppose one can’t have everything in life.

Here at home I live in an apartment that is well built, well insulated, I don’t hear any noise from the apartments above, below or to the side. Is it possible to find something similar in Spain? We have rented in Gran Canaria and mainland Spain for several years and have always been slightly unhappy with the quality of the construction........noise and cold, mainly. I really don’t want to live in a house again with all the worries of ‘the roof’, ‘the garden’ etc. etc. 

I’ve been ‘googling’ the names of the places where people on this forum live which is giving me ideas of possible locations. At this point I don’t have a clue. But I do have one question, I grew up in a big city in England, I’m a city girl, although I do love to visit the country for short periods. Is there much of an ex-pat community in the city of Malaga for example? A small village, sounds very lovely, but if I want a part for my sewing machine, the city might be the place to be. But, of course, there is such a thing as a car. 

I like to live very simply, but I have to have good internet access, because of children and grand-children, and cousins, and friends all over the place.....do inland locations have good internet connections?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

redshoes said:


> I am so glad I found this forum! I’ve read a number of the posts and am impressed with how kind and helpful people are.
> 
> I became a widow last year and have decided I would like to rent an apartment in Spain and live there year round. I’ll rent out my own apartment here at home so that if things don’t work out well in Spain I will have my options open. I’m looking at places that are far away from the ‘Madding Crowd’ however I do love to swim in the sea, but I suppose one can’t have everything in life.
> 
> ...


Most people look at the south of Spain, but it may well be worth your while to consider the north. The weather isn't 24 hour sunshine, but it's still generally better than the UK. However, it depends how much you'd be relying on English speaking communities. There are English speaking immigrants dotted around, but few English communities. If you're interested look up north, cantabria, Basque country, bilbao etc in the search of the Spain forum


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## wiggytheone (Dec 3, 2012)

Hello and welcome

I agree with Pesky Wesky a lot of things will depend if you feel the need to be near a English speaking community, plus if you don't mind me saying you need to consider those niggling things like health and how young you are. A lot of Expats do go to the South of Spain where it must be said you will find more English communities around, however a word of warning, be careful as we knew of a lady in a similar position as yourself and she was talked into moving to Spain and was then bleed dry by the very people who convinced her to come. Just trying to keep it honest. 

Have a look around the Vejer and Conil area you might find what you need there

buen suerte


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I think a few fact finding visits are in order. I've just arrived in Spain for a visit, its early in the morning and its ****** freezing (Its too cold to walk adross the tiled floor to even put the fan heater on bbbrrr)!!! Few places have central heating, insulation, damp courses and unless you view any prospective apartment carefully, you may well find that they're not built to the same standard as in the UK. Many places were built as holiday retreats and therefore were built for the summer and for folk who dont mind noise etc

However, its sounds like a plan that you need to research and it will give you some fun and interest finding out, Spain is a lovely country to live in as long as you dont need employment and are aware of the pitfalls. So have a good nose around the forum

Jo xxx


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## redshoes (Jan 1, 2013)

I live in cold Norway, I'm used to the cold, but that's outside, not inside! Outside I can put a jacket and a hat on and some gloves. When I come into my apartment I want to have a comfortable temperature. Are you saying that in Spain this is very difficult? I can understand that summer rentals do not have proper insulation, but what about the apartments where the Spanish live, year round, for example?


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

redshoes said:


> I live in cold Norway, I'm used to the cold, but that's outside, not inside! Outside I can put a jacket and a hat on and some gloves. When I come into my apartment I want to have a comfortable temperature. Are you saying that in Spain this is very difficult? I can understand that summer rentals do not have proper insulation, but what about the apartments where the Spanish live, year round, for example?


in the winter in Spain we sit outside to warm up & put our coats, hats & gloves on indoors!!

the houses are built to stay cool rather than warm -even apartments in cities, which is where the majority of the population lives - the hot months outweigh the cold ones

I live in a modern townhouse which does in fact have pretty good insulation & underfloor heating - but the costs to run the heating too often are prohibitive. especially since due to a stupid quirk in the system I have to heat the entire 5 bedroom 3 bathroom house when we might only want a couple of rooms heated 

I switch the aircon to warm for a short while to take the chill off the rooms - but yes, we spend mornings & evenings snuggled in blankets on the sofa if we're not busy otherwise

right now I'm on my sofa wrapped in a snuggie 

lots of people use gas heaters & these are still in use, too ....... yes, that IS a heater under the table


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## kalohi (May 6, 2012)

redshoes said:


> I live in cold Norway, I'm used to the cold, but that's outside, not inside! Outside I can put a jacket and a hat on and some gloves. When I come into my apartment I want to have a comfortable temperature. Are you saying that in Spain this is very difficult? I can understand that summer rentals do not have proper insulation, but what about the apartments where the Spanish live, year round, for example?


I live in a 20 year old townhouse in a residencial neighborhood, and like all housing that I've ever seen around here it was built to withstand the heat, not the cold. There is no central heating, the floors are chilly tile, and in the winter the indoor temperature usually runs at about 15º. We run the heat pump on the air conditioning unit if we want to heat up one room a bit, we bundle up, and we have plenty of blankets on the sofas to snuggle under. And as xabiachica says, we sit outside in the sun if we want to feel toasty warm. 

Believe it or not you do get used to it. But nobody here spends the winter walking around inside with short sleeved shirts, like I can see in pictures from home.


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

Wow, Xabi, just for a moment I thought that was a photo of you !!!!! Redshoes, we had three BBQs in December where the temperature outside was a lovely 25C. However, as `people above have said, inside it was much cooler. As JoJo says it was very cold this morning but now lovely outside - around 17C. A portable gas heater (not like the one in the pic) are very effective and an aircon unit, if you have the right sort, can be quite cost effective to use and will quickly take the chill off a room. But, once you've been here for a full summer, the winter is quite a relief...


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

I live in a small village, there are a lot of ex-pats in the area, internet is good and I use Skype for everything. My house is like a sauna, thanks to my new pellet burner, which is cheap to run. Spanish lessons are readily available, some are free. The beach is about an hours drive away and I am close to the large town of Ecija. Everything is accessible, but you do need a car.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

thrax said:


> *Wow, Xabi, just for a moment I thought that was a photo of you *!!!!! Redshoes, we had three BBQs in December where the temperature outside was a lovely 25C. However, as `people above have said, inside it was much cooler. As JoJo says it was very cold this morning but now lovely outside - around 17C. A portable gas heater (not like the one in the pic) are very effective and an aircon unit, if you have the right sort, can be quite cost effective to use and will quickly take the chill off a room. But, once you've been here for a full summer, the winter is quite a relief...


 watch it 

it's still only about 12º here atm - but it's lovely in the sun - perfect for gardening

you're right though, winter does come as a relief - & it's great that we _do _actually have seasons!


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## JaneyO (Sep 24, 2012)

Totally agree about it being warmer out than in and my house is insulated. Near the coast damp cold is a problem. You need a house with both the heatin/aircon units AND some sort of woodburner to be really snug. I've heard the new pellet ones are expensive to buy but very good.


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## redshoes (Jan 1, 2013)

Is a pellet burner like a wood-burning stove?


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## JaneyO (Sep 24, 2012)

redshoes said:


> Is a pellet burner like a wood-burning stove?


Yes but its more efficient and there's very little clearing out ash etc, or the need to carry and store logs- and you can get through 2 tons of those in a winter. The pellets come in bags and there's more flexibility about where you can place the heater.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

The warmer outside rather than in goes for Madrid (province, not city) too, and we live in a house with central heating (gas natural), a wood burning fire and double glazing in most rooms!!


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## Navas (Sep 2, 2012)

Have any of you looked into the possibility of solar panels to help reduce electricity bills? They are very popular in Germany and I'm seeing more and more in the UK. I've seen solar power "farms" in Spain, as well as the (more numerous?) wind turbines, but what about for personal use? Given the number of hours of sunshine, you'd think it might be a viable and popular option. Is the cost prohibitive?


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

Solar electric panels are really expensive in Spain


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## wiggytheone (Dec 3, 2012)

Navas said:


> Have any of you looked into the possibility of solar panels to help reduce electricity bills? They are very popular in Germany and I'm seeing more and more in the UK. I've seen solar power "farms" in Spain, as well as the (more numerous?) wind turbines, but what about for personal use? Given the number of hours of sunshine, you'd think it might be a viable and popular option. Is the cost prohibitive?


I had to install a generator system in a house as they had lost their electric (legal stuff). Solar panels and wind turbines were also looked at prior the installation. The cost of the solar panels here were literately through the roof and for what you paid it would have taken years to get the investment back, plus the power generated to cost also ruled them out. Shipping them in from elsewhere in Europe also was not cost effective.
However there are a lot of houses around the bizarre's that have solar panels for water heating and these are more acceptable but still very pricey. 
Wind turbines can be used to supplement battery chargers but again power to cost is an issue. However you may find that during these economic times that you may be able to get a deal on solar panels that may make them more cost effective, but dont hold your breath.

Sorry to be negative, perhaps someone will come along, that will totally blow my post out of the water, and I hope so if you are thinking of investing in alternative power.


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

I live on the island of El Hierro in the sunny Canary Islands.

Heating we do not have neither do we need it. I do however have a pullover which I sometimes put on in the evenings.

The reason we do not have heating is because winters are not allowed here, we are on the same latitude as Florida and further south than Suez. The coastal temperature here rarely go below 18ºc. However the higher regions of the Canaries are a lot cooler and some of the other islands do have snow in the mountains.

Apartments here are nearly always noisy, perhaps you should consider renting a small cottage. We have an apartment on the coast, It is for sale and when it sells we will invest in a house.

If you need the company of ex pats, try Gran Canaria, if I had to leave here that is where I would want to live. I like Las Palmas de G.C.

Have a look at the link below for photos of where we live.


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## JaneyO (Sep 24, 2012)

We looked into solar panels for hot water here in Menorca and as we are 60 something decided we would be dead before we recouped the cost! However electricity prices have gone up a lot since then so it might be worth it if you plan to stay in the property for some years especially if -or more likely when-prices keep rising. If you are driving down from Germany maybe you could bring one with you?
It's buying the panels that costs a lot here, there are good electricians who could install then at reasonable cost.


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## Navas (Sep 2, 2012)

wiggytheone said:


> I had to install a generator system in a house as they had lost their electric (legal stuff). Solar panels and wind turbines were also looked at prior the installation. The cost of the solar panels here were literately through the roof and for what you paid it would have taken years to get the investment back, plus the power generated to cost also ruled them out. Shipping them in from elsewhere in Europe also was not cost effective.
> However there are a lot of houses around the bizarre's that have solar panels for water heating and these are more acceptable but still very pricey.
> Wind turbines can be used to supplement battery chargers but again power to cost is an issue. However you may find that during these economic times that you may be able to get a deal on solar panels that may make them more cost effective, but dont hold your breath.
> 
> Sorry to be negative, perhaps someone will come along, that will totally blow my post out of the water, and I hope so if you are thinking of investing in alternative power.


Well solar panels are not exactly cheap in the UK either. If I remember correctly, the average cost of a domestic installation would be somewhere between ₤10,000-15,000 
Are you saying it would be more than that?


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Navas said:


> Well solar panels are not exactly cheap in the UK either. If I remember correctly, the average cost of a domestic installation would be somewhere between ₤10,000-15,000
> Are you saying it would be more than that?


Solar panels for electricity, considering you have to store it in some way (batteries, etc) are pretty much a no-no on cost effectiveness even with the increases in electricity prices. For hot water, it's a much more affordable prospect. When I researched them in UK, you could get a half decent one for DiY installation for about £1300 that also had a small PV section to run the pump but, of course, you'd have to get it from UK to wherever and either install it yourself or get somebody to do it for you.

Will see if I still have the particulars on the computer and will post later if I can find them.


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

Navas said:


> Well solar panels are not exactly cheap in the UK either. If I remember correctly, the average cost of a domestic installation would be somewhere between ₤10,000-15,000
> Are you saying it would be more than that?


I looked into it for a swimming pool heating some years ago. It would have cost me about €2500 + fitting for what amounted to two panels, and would have raised the heat by a couple of degrees. Fairly useless really

Then I thought how about the water in the house. The cost was going to be similar, but we actually only have the water heater on for maybe 2 or 3 hours a day in winter and less in the summer.

Overall to raise the pool temp by a significant amount we would need a huge bank of panels the size of the pool itself. So even though we have a natural power source, it just doesnt seem worth it


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## lenharrop (Jan 6, 2013)

hi,

I would recommend that you come and visit an area for a month
and then that will give you an idea if thats where you would like to be.

I live in salobrena , costa tropical on the coast about 45 mins from granada and hour from
malaga. It has been 18 degrees today , bright blue skies and not a cloud in sight.

SNIP.

kind regards jan


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

We have solar hot water, I think it was money well spent!!


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## JaneyO (Sep 24, 2012)

lenharrop said:


> hi,
> 
> I would recommend that you come and visit an area for a month
> and then that will give you an idea if thats where you would like to be.
> ...


Wherever you fancy spend some time in January or February and again in August, if you can hack both of those you;ll be ok!


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