# Hello everyone



## Jordansmum (Aug 4, 2010)

Hi everyone
just found your great forum.
We are in hampshire in the uk and are hoping to put the house on the market in the next few months and fingers crossed coming out around spring next year.
Our best friends have an apartment in javea and will be moving out to join the rest of their family in a few years. have been to javea several times and love it and the surrounding villages and towns.
We have a 6 year old little boy so i will be nervous for him as he has learning difficulties and has medication to help him sleep.
We are looking to buy outright and just have small jobs to pay the bills etc.
im sales and marketing and hubby is an engineer but can turn his hand to anything.
So many questions to ask you all, like state schools?? should we rent for a few months first and buy when out there?? Medication over there should we get 6 months at a time here and fly back for the other half of the year?? Dogs do we need a licence?? Ill stop now before i tire you all out.
cant wait to chat more
hugs Donna


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Jordansmum said:


> Hi everyone
> just found your great forum.
> We are in hampshire in the uk and are hoping to put the house on the market in the next few months and fingers crossed coming out around spring next year.
> Our best friends have an apartment in javea and will be moving out to join the rest of their family in a few years. have been to javea several times and love it and the surrounding villages and towns.
> ...


Hi!
Glad you decided to join the forum and not just lurk in the background!!
Do I understand from your post that you don't have jobs to go to? And that you haven't lived here other than having a holiday? You might want to think about looking for a job before selling up in the UK, and renting here for a while before buying to make sure you get the area you really want. 
If you've looked around the forum you'll know that unemployment is higher here than any where else in Europe (Over 20% at the last count) and that finding the "right" place to live can be very difficult, so renting to try out an area is often recommended.


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## Jordansmum (Aug 4, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Hi!
> Glad you decided to join the forum and not just lurk in the background!!
> Do I understand from your post that you don't have jobs to go to? And that you haven't lived here other than having a holiday? You might want to think about looking for a job before selling up in the UK, and renting here for a while before buying to make sure you get the area you really want.
> If you've looked around the forum you'll know that unemployment is higher here than any where else in Europe (Over 20% at the last count) and that finding the "right" place to live can be very difficult, so renting to try out an area is often recommended.


hi Pesky wow that is amazing my husband was just saying about jobs and you are correct there is no way we could possibly sell up without the knowledge of some work.
our friends who already spend a lot of time in javea as their parents are there and have lots of friends have said they will get us some form of work. Of course it is easy to say its the putting into practice that is the problem....
My husband is the realist of the marriage and of course im not lol.
of course i do realise that we are not just looking for the bar work that most people seem to go for. 
but any advise will be so welcome 
hugs Donna x


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Come over and rent for a while, that way you can get a realistic view of how it is to live here - and house prices are falling here at the moment. You can also see what work is available. You're be very limited unless you're fluent in written and spoken Spanish and there really isnt much around - but come over and take a look!! Top tip: Dont burn your bridges in the UK!

Jo xxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Jordansmum said:


> Hi everyone
> just found your great forum.
> We are in hampshire in the uk and are hoping to put the house on the market in the next few months and fingers crossed coming out around spring next year.
> Our best friends have an apartment in javea and will be moving out to join the rest of their family in a few years. have been to javea several times and love it and the surrounding villages and towns.
> ...


lol I was already asleep when you asked your questions!!

I'm in Javea, so have the inside track, as it were

first of all - yes, state school for your son - he's so young it will be no problem for him to learn Spanish - depending upon his exact difficulty the mainstream schools are great but there is also a 'special needs' school (somewhere in Denia?) which takes kids from all over the area by bus - I vaguely know a lady whose Downs syndrome son goes there - she once spent an hour telling me how great the school is! (it was one of those 'coffee morning' things where you meet lots of people you never met before!!)

definitely rent - & if you can afford not to - don't burn your bridges by selling your house - we've been here nearly 7 years and although we originally intended to buy we still haven't - and are so glad we didn't (unexpected health/mobility issues on my part means our needs changed dramatically & we'd have been very lucky to have sold - renting made moving easy!)

work - could be the problem! There really isn't very much here at the moment - there are some English- speaking companies which employ sales & telesales people - mostly on commission - & anyone with a job is holding onto it for dear life!!

for both of you - best to learn Spanish as much as you can before you come & then take more lessons when you get here

medication - the health service here is very good & you'll be able to get anything you need here - in the Valencian region you can 'buy in' to the health service - or of course if you're working you'll be entitled anyway. Apparently from November all residents of Spain will be entitled to free health care due to a new law - those of us who live here have our fingers crossed but aren't holding our breath on that one.

dogs - yes, there is a list of 'dangerous dogs' for which you need a permit - but you don't need one for all dogs


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Jordansmum said:


> hi Pesky wow that is amazing my husband was just saying about jobs and you are correct there is no way we could possibly sell up without the knowledge of some work.
> our friends who already spend a lot of time in javea as their parents are there and have lots of friends have said they will get us some form of work. Of course it is easy to say its the putting into practice that is the problem....
> My husband is the realist of the marriage and of course im not lol.
> of course i do realise that we are not just looking for the bar work that most people seem to go for.
> ...


good luck with that one

that usually means 'oh my living room needs painting' or 'my pool could do with cleaning once a week & the plants trimmed - I'll pay 5 euros an hour - it'll probably take 2 or 3 hours a week'

you'd need a lot of those to buy food!

not many people here can afford to give anyone any work - even the owners of the bigger businesses are tightening their belts


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

realistically all the above advice is correct. Jo's suggestion of coming out to a rental and trying it for while is best. Whilst not wanting "stick a pin in the dream bubble" try first before comiting.

A discovery trip will help you plan what you want, what you need for a budget and forewarn you of problems

best of luck and I hope it works for you


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

thinking now............(dangerous I know!)


if you had bought outright - so no mortgage or rent - you could manage quite comfortably for a family of 3 on maybe 500 a month - I've managed on _a lot_ less but it was no fun

it wouldn't be the high life - but comfortable


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

xabiachica said:


> thinking now............(dangerous I know!)
> 
> 
> if you had bought outright - so no mortgage or rent - you could manage quite comfortably for a family of 3 on maybe 500 a month - I've managed on _a lot_ less but it was no fun
> ...


no smoker, non drinker yes you might get by on that figure, but plan for 800 to 1,000 pm min


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

dunmovin said:


> no smoker, non drinker yes you might get by on that figure, but plan for 800 to 1,000 pm min


yeah - non-smoker scant drinker


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## awaypa (May 13, 2010)

*Hi!*

Hi,

I, too, live in Hampshire (Titchfield, near Fareham) and are planning to move out to Spain by the end of the year (if all goes well, otherwise will probably be early 2011).

My fiance and I already have a holiday villa in Xativa (about 40 mins from Valencia) and I am flying out there again on Wednesday (11th) to look at another property in Betera (15 mins from Valencia) which we are considering for a B&B.

I'm sorry to hear about your son. I had a child with medical problems who spent a considerable part of her life in the hospital! She's grown up now and a teacher.

Would you like to stay in touch and compare notes, since we're kind of neighbours and will be in Spain around the same time?

Look forward to hearing back from you.

Rita


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

awaypa said:


> Hi,
> 
> I, too, live in Hampshire (Titchfield, near Fareham) and are planning to move out to Spain by the end of the year (if all goes well, otherwise will probably be early 2011).
> 
> ...


Hi & welcome

we seem to have quite a few posters from this area at the moment

please - stay in touch here - it's great to read everyone's experiences of moving


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> Hi & welcome
> 
> we seem to have quite a few posters from this area at the moment
> 
> please - stay in touch here - it's great to read everyone's experiences of moving


Hi there Miss Mod!!

Thanks for taking on the role!!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Hi there Miss Mod!!
> 
> Thanks for taking on the role!!


shhh

no-one else has noticed


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

I thought it was Mrs. Mod as she's a headteacher !


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> I thought it was Mrs. Mod as she's a headteacher !


you can call me ma'am


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## dunmovin (Dec 19, 2008)

xabiachica said:


> shhh
> 
> no-one else has noticed


I noticed..... but kept quiet so I could "slip under the radar"


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## country boy (Mar 10, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> you can call me ma'am


Is that Ma'am as in "Spam", or Ma'am as in "Farm"? 


For guidance, HMQ demands the spam version!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

country boy said:


> Is that Ma'am as in "Spam", or Ma'am as in "Farm"?
> 
> 
> For guidance, HMQ demands the spam version!


as in spam

does she really?

I never knew that!


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## lynn (Sep 25, 2008)

xabiachica said:


> as in spam
> 
> does she really?
> 
> I never knew that!


:focus::focus:


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

lynn said:


> :focus::focus:




so - does anyone else know anything about Javea or Xativa?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

xabiachica said:


> so - does anyone else know anything about Javea or Xativa?


Not a thing, only that when we were looking at Javea before we moved to Spain, a friend of mine said it was like Brighton in the sun, whatever that was supposed to mean ????????????? However, I know rather too much going off topic  

Jo xxx


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

jojo said:


> Not a thing, only that when we were looking at Javea before we moved to Spain, a friend of mine said it was like Brighton in the sun, whatever that was supposed to mean ????????????? However, I know rather too much going off topic
> 
> Jo xxx


it's nothing like Brighton!!!

jeez - can you imagine if you'd ended up here!!??

oh what fun!


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## shoemanpete (Jan 4, 2010)

The two posters who are moving over will be sick of hearing the same advice which is,.............do not sell up in UK-yet. The income from the rent will/should/could be more than the rent you need to pay out here. 
There are too many people who for whatever reason have found that they can't stay or have to go back, as jojo will confirm. Then try to sell here and re-buy in UK, no laughing matter. We nearly sold, but listened to wise counsel.


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## Maundler (Jul 30, 2010)

Besides, it doesn't matter which part of Spain expats want to relocate to in Spain. Construction is on a tough spot in Spain and prices are falling, even if you have enough money to keep your house in the UK and buy a house somewhere in Spain, I would advise them to wait a while and then buy. Statistics say that prices are going to drop in the next 1 year and a half. Prices (although they have fallen quite a bit) are still ridiculously high for Spanish people and have to drop a bit more..


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

shoemanpete said:


> The two posters who are moving over will be sick of hearing the same advice which is,.............do not sell up in UK-yet. The income from the rent will/should/could be more than the rent you need to pay out here.
> There are too many people who for whatever reason have found that they can't stay or have to go back, as jojo will confirm. Then try to sell here and re-buy in UK, no laughing matter. We nearly sold, but listened to wise counsel.


We nearly sold and bought here - thank heavens that our UK house wouldnt sell, so we rented it out. We've since looked at the houses we wanted to buy here three years ago, they were totally impractical in retrospect. But more than that, not only have their prices been reduced significantly BUT they're still for sale by the same owners!!!!!! Our UK house has possibly gone up a bit since then, so had we have done what we intended to do (buy Spain, sell UK), returning to the UK would have been virtually impossible! I know that returning wasnt our intention, but life has strange twists and turns, especially in this economic climate, so you must protect your financial interests and your assets, especially if you have a young family!

Jo xxx


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