Spanish Property Magazine 2014 Part Two by SpanishPropertyNetwork

SPANISH PROPERTY MAGAZINE END OF YEAR SPECIAL

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SPANISH PROPERTY MAGAZINE (SPM) END OF YEAR SPECIAL

PART TWO

Welcome to the compilation of the 2014 Spanish Property Magazine. This extensive magazine running to over 200 pages takes the best articles from this year’s SPM and puts them into one easy to reference compendium for you to look at. Every issue is prefaced by its cover so you can see what you will be reading in the following pages, so if you want to know more about residency, prices, laws, taxes, property or more just look through the titles. The following page has the contents so you can also click through to the page you want if you want to read something specific. Apart from this we hope you will just leaf through the 200 plus pages and enjoy.

If you have any questions then contact us of course on info@spanish-property.net and we will get back to you or simply go to www.spanish-property.net and sign up for our newsletters and information.

So let’s start with the first issue of the year in January 2014, read on…

CONTENTS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

INTRODUCING THE SPANISH PROPERTY NETWORK SPANISH PROPERTY MARKET OVERVIEW 2013 LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT GANDIA THE OLD AND NEW SPANISH VISA PROCESS EXPLAINED 10 GREAT THINGS ABOUT LIVING IN SPAIN HOW DO YOU FIND THE BEST PROPERTY IN SPAIN SPAIN - GET USED TO IT FOREIGN BUYERS OF SPANISH PROPERTY THE NEW PODCAST ON SOUNDCLOUD BARCELONA - SANT MARTI 10 THINGS YOU SHOULD BE DOING EVERY DAY IN SPAIN GOING IT ALONE, ESTATE AGENTS OR USING A PROPERTY FINDER RENTAL WITH AN OPTION TO BUY ARE THE GOOD OLD DAYS BACK FOR SPANISH PROPERTY BUYERS? WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE SPANISH PROPERTY BARGAINS DRY UP? 10 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY WHEN BUYING YOUR SPANISH PROPERTY THE 17 WORST THINGS ABOUT LIVING IN SPAIN WORKING WITH THE TV COMPANIES - MOVING TO MALAGA FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED NEW PROPERTY TAXES CAN I BUY THAT WRECK? AN UNCOMMON GUIDE TO PROPERTIES NEEDING WORK WHAT CAN A BARCELONA PROPERTY FINDER DO FOR YOU? 10 MAD REASONS FOR NOT BUYING A PROPERTY IN SPAIN

CLICK ON THE TITLES TO GO TO THAT PAGE

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HOW EXCHANGE RATES AFFECT YOUR SPANISH PROPERTY PURCHASE WHAT’S IT LIKE TO LIVE IN SPAIN BY THOSE WHO ALREADY DO TOP TEN FAMILY TRAVEL GAMES MOVING TO SPAIN WITH CHILDREN VALENCIA’S BEACH AREA - THE CABANYAL, MALVARROSA AND PATACONA SPANISH PROPERTY BUYERS MOVING INTO THE CITY THE TOP TEN MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE IN SPAIN CONVEYANCING AND MORE IN SPAIN, WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN BUYING WHAT IS SPANISH FAST FOOD? WHERE DO YOU GO ON HOLIDAY IN SPAIN WHEN YOU LIVE HERE? THE ENDURING ATTRACTION OF SPANISH BEACHES THE TOP TEN BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN WHICH NATIONALITIES ARE BUYING SPANISH PROPERTY? HOW IS THE SPANISH PROPERTY MARKET DOING? WHAT SOUNDS REMIND YOU THAT YOU ARE IN SPAIN? HOW TO FIND YOUR IDEAL SPANISH PROPERTY - THE RESOURCES YOU NEED WHY WOULD YOU BUY A PROPERTY IN SPAIN? THE LATEST SPANISH PROPERTY TAX NEWS AND REPORTS A CLOSER LOOK AT MIJAS IN MALAGA WORK LIFE BALANCE IN SPAIN DEVELOPING PROPERTY IN SPAIN A SHORT GUIDE

SPANISH PROPERTY MAGAZINE ISSUE 22

SPAIN *

SPANISH PROPERTY MAGAZINE (SPM) Issue 22

what is it like to live in spain? those who are here have their say 10 MAD REASONS FOR NOT BUYING A SPANISH PROPERTY

VALENCIA’S BEACH AREAS: THE CABAÑAL, MALVARROSA AND PATACONA

HOW EXCHANGE RATES AFFECT YOUR SPANISH PROPERTY PURCHASE

SPANISH PROPERTY BUYERS MOVING INTO THE CITIES

10 MAD REASONS FOR NOT BUYING A SPANISH PROPERTY

10 MAD REASONS FOR NOT BUYING A SPANISH PROPERTY Over the years we have had a load of excuses for not buying a Spanish Property. Some of them are fair enough, some of them are rather strange and some of them are on the cusp of a deranged mind working overtime. I really don’t mind if somebody doesn’t want to buy a property, as long as they are honest. After all I try to be honest in the descriptions, my opinions and the properties we offer. But please don’t BS me. So here in no particular order are the top ten mad reasons for not going through with a purchase of a Spanish Property. We have heard all of them and no doubt we will hear more of them in time.

Number 1: There is a pylon within view which could give me leukaemia. An American client once actually said this to me so I took out my telescope and peered into the distance and sure enough a couple of kilometres away behind a small hillock a pylon was peering out guiltily, carrying electricity to some poor unfortunate folks who are now undoubtedly struggling with their leukaemia ridden bodies.

10 MAD REASONS FOR NOT BUYING A SPANISH PROPERTY Number 2: The feng shui is all wrong. Yes the Feng shui, that eastern philosophy that roughly translated means “Ripping off westerners with jokes about chi flowing around the property and prosperity being reflected out of the front door by a badly placed mirror whilst charging you a few thousand Euros for the privilege of telling you this crap”. That Feng Shui. Number 3: I am not sure I will make money on it when I come to sell in 20 years time. Honestly I am not quite sure what I am going to be doing next week, I am totally unsure about my movements next month and the dim and distant future of next year is a total puzzle worthy of the Mystery Machine and the Scooby Doo gang. I used to think that houses were for living in. This excuse, and yes, they DID say 20 years, finally convinced me that the World is mad and people do not see a house as a place for living in but merely as a rather large piggy bank which luckily, generally doesn’t resemble a porker.

Number 4: The chimney is the wrong colour. Well paint it dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry! The property had a feature chimney. You may have heard of a feature wall before, another total load of claptrap espoused on property programmes the world over. A feature chimney took this concept to a totally new level. But guess what, there is something called paint and it can cover up all sorts of previous sins. And it doesn’t cost much either.

10 MAD REASONS FOR NOT BUYING A SPANISH PROPERTY Number 5: It is too cheap there must be something wrong with it.

Yep! Me too!

Number 6: “The walls are not right“. “Pardon me” “The walls are not right” “In what way exactly?” “They are just not right!” “What in a Poltergeist type way, a Jamiroquai way or what? “Pardon me?”

Number 7: I don’t think my cats will like it. Yes, someone actually said this to me. Cats apparently have opinions on interior design, room sizes and undoubtedly the incredibly complicated issues of Feng Shui.

10 MAD REASONS FOR NOT BUYING A SPANISH PROPERTY Number 8: It’s got a bidet and I don’t think I need one of those. So get rid of it then or at least use it in the same way everybody else does, to put their umbrellas in. The fact that a house has a bidet, a beige coloured couch or some really iffy Feng Shui is really neither here nor there. Lose it.

Number 9: I won’t have anywhere to put my fridge. I am not going to suggest that to anyone that they get rid of their pride and joy and dump their fridge of course…. oh wait, yes I am. Just because your fridge is one of those American type ones with a drinks dispenser, ice maker and double doors that looks like something from a NASA mission or gives you access to a new world as in “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” doesn’t mean you should be keeping it. In Spain you should be buying fresh produce daily and keeping your fridge more empty. It reduces food waste you know.

Number 10: I’m okay without a lift but I don’t want to walk up any stairs. I have heard that levitation is all the rage these days. It’s a mind over matter thing. You just stand there and you will eventually get to your destination if you really want it hard enough. Next time I will just take those clients to a place with a ramp up and a slide down. Much more practical.

So there you go the 10 maddest reasons that have been given to me over the years for not buying a property. None of this, it’s too small, in the wrong area, don’t like the view, it’s horrible, don’t make me laugh, you are kidding right, why are you showing me this? A totally different order of madness.

HOW EXCHANGE RATES AFFECT YOUR SPANISH PROPERTY PURCHASE

Spain is in the Eurozone of course and for many clients of the Spanish Property Network the exchange rate has no effect on their Spanish Property purchase because their country uses the Euro and so do we. However this is not the case for a large percentage of our customers who come from outside the Eurozone; the UK, The USA, Canada, The Middle East, The Far East and more.

! Obviously in order to purchase a property in Spain a client needs to make a transfer of funds into the country, usually into a bank account they have previously opened, and then draw a bank draft for payment on the day that they sign to buy their property.

HOW EXCHANGE RATES AFFECT YOUR SPANISH PROPERTY PURCHASE The good news for many of our clients, and we are going to use the UK as an example, is that the Euro has weakened in the last year to levels not seen since 2008 and the financial crash. Against the Pound the Euro hit 1.27 this month. In theory this is good news for buyers but what does it mean in practice? Well in practice it is even better news.

A client of ours is currently buying a property at 325000 Euros in Valencia. If they had made their transfer last year at the 1.22 rate it would have cost them just over 266000 Pounds Sterling. By making the transfer today it will now cost them 256000 pounds a saving of 10000 pounds or put another way 12700 Euros extra has appeared in their account this week to use as they wish. However, do not think that it is your bank that will pass you on the greatest savings. That is far from the truth. We work with various Currency Transfer companies and they are very keen to save our clients a lot of money and do a much more efficient job than the banks of course. Typically our clients save up to 5% on transfers compared to the banks. One of the companies we work with is Currencies Direct. We are very happy that they now have representatives in most of the areas we cover and even more excited to learn that they can now work with our American clients, something previously not possible, when transferring Dollars to Euros for Spanish Property Purchases.

HOW EXCHANGE RATES AFFECT YOUR SPANISH PROPERTY PURCHASE Remember though that all of your transfers into Spain can be done in this way, your mortgage payments, if you have a mortgage, will be at a much better rate for your monthly recurring payments, that car you have your eye on will also be cheaper if you use a currency company, your bank will not get a high percentage of your pension payments if you are drawing your pension in another currency and transfers back to your home country are also at a better rate.

It makes sense, it is usually quicker and because of arrangements in Spain the money coming into your account will not be charged a receiving fee by the receiving bank as it does sometimes when coming from your bank abroad. Click on the link to be taken to Currencies Direct Homepage and sign up to get a quote for your transfer. They guarantee to match or beat all quotes you have on transfers into Spain.

One last thing you should also know. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be afraid to ask questions. You can fix your rate against the Euro if you fear that it may drop between when you make an offer on the property and completion, often a period of up to 60 days (Ask about Forward Ordering). This makes your planning a lot easier for paying at the Notary on the day of the signing. And guess what? If the rate goes in your favour in the intervening time you can take the higher rate but you have made sure you have hedged against the rate falling. A win-win situation which most banks will not offer even at their significantly lower rates.

My only question is, why would anyone ever use a bank to make a currency transfer? You lose money, it is slower and there are always extra charges. It makes no sense.

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S IT LIKE TO LIVE IN SPAIN? (BY THOSE THAT DO)

DIANA BERRYMAN (ARCHIDONA) ! Living in Archidona feels like coming home, we have lived in four other towns in Spain but this one feels like we have settled at last. It is great for families and now my kids can't get away with anything as they have extra "parents" and "grandparents" keeping an eye on them!

MARIANNE ELIZABETH (COMPETA) ! Cómpeta has long been known as the Pearl of the Axarquía - and for good reason. This breath-taking “pueblo blanco”, with the stunning backdrop of La Maroma and the Sierra Almijara mountains, yet with views down to the Mediterranean Sea, is a great place to live. Cómpeta, a cosmopolitan village, situated inland and to the east of Málaga, is now home to many nationalities whilst retaining its Spanish roots and traditions.

ALICIA SHELLEY (ANTEQUERA) !

Living in Antequera is the most 'real' experience I have had of living in Spain. I have lived on the coast, I have lived in Madrid, I have lived in the 'campo' (if three months count), and I have lived in a small town (neither quite coastal nor inland). Yet Antequera, whilst elegant and full of historic sights still to be discovered by the majority of tourists to the Costa del Sol, is filled with 'normality'. Outgoing and vibrant, yet classic and reserved enough to meet my English nature, I feel it is a pretty good balance of all types of normal.

GAILE GRIFFIN PEERS !

A small part of the view from my bedroom window - why Javea? - it is has an amazing number of different nationalities living in harmony together, I can walk from the house up into the Montgo Park - it is barely two miles to the centre of town - the town has allowed me to become an integral, albeit tiny, part of it - and has paid back my pleasure in it tenfold. They all put up with my appalling Spanish because they know I really am trying and, despite the assumption that this is expatshire, there is a vibrant, articulate and entrepreneurial Spanish core population here who welcome me with grace and warmth

CAROL BYRNE (LAS ALPUJARRAS) !

Living in the lower rural Alpujarras can be a challenge! Cold and often harsh winters, summers so hot and bright the whitewashed houses hurt your eyes. Add a large distance to be covered for even the most simple wants. But some of the freshest air in Europe, views that simply have to be seen to be believed, and our really friendly, traditional village of Murtas make up for any shortfalls. The best part of winding precariously down mountain to get back to 'reality' is ALWAYS coming home again. Come see for yourself!

CRAIG BRIGGS (CANABAL - GALICIA) !

Living in the village of Canabal is quiet, peaceful, and tranquil. The village sits comfortably within an area known as the Ribeira Sacra in Galicia. To say that this is the most beautiful place in Spain would be doing the area a major disservice. It is undoubtably one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Every year we experience all four seasons and although winter can be a little chilly, even for me, I can only assume that's why God made the Costa del Sol.

SANDRA PINNOCK - (ALGORFA) !

Living in Algorfa means living among the orange groves in the shelter of the Sierra de Callosa. I'd never even heard of the place until we came on our inspection visit, but I fell in love with it - and our garden apartment - the moment I saw it. The build quality leaves a lot to be desired, but the community spirit in Algorfa is priceless, and something I want to hold on to forever. How many people have this view from the car park?

LISA SADLEIR (MIJAS) !

Mijas pueblo is a perfect place for our children to grow up. There is always something happening. The ferias are small enough that we do not worry about losing them (unlike when we venture down to the larger ferias on the coast). Anytime we wander around the village their friends call out to them … it is a lovely, safe, family environment. Imagine going to school in a village where you can get stuck behind horse and carriages and donkey taxis … it´s almost a fairy tale for a child!

TOP 10 FAMILY TRAVEL GAMES In Spain you get around. Make sure the little ones arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t arguing all the time with these excellent travel games

TOP 10 FAMILY TRAVEL GAMES As our children get older, we are travelling more frequently and more further afield. As I’m sure any parent will agree, keeping the children entertained whilst travelling makes it a much smoother ride. For this reason, we have decided to share out Top 10 Best Family Travel Games with you.

Whether it is a flight back to the UK to visit family or a road trip down to our beloved Cadiz, or any other place we choose to visit, most of the items on out Top 10 Best Family Travel Games list are usually with us. Remember, we are not known for travelling light, although these games are probably the most compact we have.

We’ve included links to Amazon.co.uk and .com where you can browse and purchase any of the Family Travel Games you like the look of…

! !

The Creativity Hub Rory’s Story Cubes (For all ages)

9 cubes, 54 images, over 10 million possible combos, unlimited stories! Recipient of Dr. Toy’s “10 Best Games” Award, the “Major Fun Award” and “People’s Choice Award”. How it works…Simply roll all 9 dice, examine each of the face-up images and let them guide your imagination through a story that begins with “Once upon a time…”. The secret is not to think too deeply. Simply ‘gulp’ in the images and start talking. And remember, there is no wrong answer! The nine dice, each with a unique image on all six sides, hold a total of 54 images. This means that with every roll, there are over 10 million combination’s for you to use as the inspiration for your story. The uses for Rory’s Story Cubes are boundless. Play them while traveling, waiting in a restaurant, in the classroom, as an icebreaker, for idea generation, or to make learning a new language more fun.

TOP 10 FAMILY TRAVEL GAMES !

Travel Guess Who (For all ages)

The classic guessing game comes in a compact size for plenty of fun on the run. Quick set-up and a self-contained storage tray make it a great game to play anytime, anywhere. Which face has your opponent picked? Someone with brown hair? Someone wearing a hat? Someone with both? Just one good question could eliminate several faces at once-be the first to figure out your opponent’s mystery face and you win the round.

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Sort it Out Game Travel Tin (For all the family)

Sort it Out!™ is the new award-winning party game from Australia that’s sweeping across the world. A great ice breaker for groups of new friends and a battle of wits for old friends and family. Can you sort these animals by their top speed–a bat, a zebra, a crocodile, a salmon and a golden eagle? How about sorting these house-hold inventions by when they were created—flushing toilet, electric vacuum cleaner, disposable razor, bath and facial tissues? In Sort It Out!™, finding out the correct order is just as much fun as getting it right.

How to Play: The winner is the first player to reach 20 points by knowing the biggest, fastest, loudest, earliest, smallest and longest of everything, or just being a lucky guesser. Place a topic card in the middle of the table and all players answer the question at the same time by placing their five coloured tiles in the correct order on their tile holder (see example question image). When it’s time to see the answer you don’t just get the correct order, we back it up with some facts too (did you know James Murray Spangler invented the electric Hoover in 1908?). For each answer you get in the correct place on your tile holder, you get 1 point towards your target of 20 points. A great, fun after-dinner game and ideally packaged to take on your travels. For 2 to 4 players.

TOP 10 FAMILY TRAVEL GAMES !

Pass the Pigs (For all ages)

The original party animals. Try your luck using pigs for dice. Will you roll a sider or start makin’ bacon? This game, in its elegant silver-coloured case, remains an- all time classic game to be played anywhere, by anyone. Using the two little pigs as dice, your objective is to score 100 points before your friends do. How those little porkers land determines the points you score. Roll a Double Snouter and score 40 points. Roll a trotter get another 5 points and you’re well on the way to 100. But, do you bank those points or risk rolling again? Roll a Pig Out and you lose all your points for that turn. A roll of a makin’ bacon and you lose all your accumulated points. You’ll need hog-sized helpings of luck and nerve if you’re going to get your snout in the trough… These pigs are truly addictive–a classic game for generations.

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Smart Ass Game Travel Tin (For older kids and adults)

Smart Ass is the ultimate trivia game where even a dumb “ass” can win! This quick-moving, fun party game involves everybody on every turn and as soon as you think you know the answer to a question, just shout it out! There are four main question categories: Who am I?, What am I?, Where am I? and Hard Ass. Each question is made up of a series of ten clues which get progressively easier (see example question image). The first person to shout out the correct answer wins the round and keeps that card. If anyone blurts out the wrong answer then they’re out until the next question. The first player to answer four questions correctly wins the game and is crowned the ultimate Smart Ass! This tin version of Smart Ass makes a great after-dinner game and has all the fun of the Smart Ass board game – just without the board! Its portable size means it can be taken on your travels and brighten up any journey. If you already own the Smart Ass board game, it will make a great booster pack of fresh new questions to extend the fun. For 2 or more players and ages 12 to adult.

TOP 10 FAMILY TRAVEL GAMES !

Bananagrams Game (For all the family)

Bananagrams is a fast and fun word game that requires no pencil, paper or board. All you need is a table. One hand can be played in as little as five minutes. It is great for family fun as well as being educational. Bananagramsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; portability makes it perfect for travel. Just grab the pouch and go. (Imagine a game of Scrabble without the need for a board!)

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LeapFrog LeapPad Ultra (Great first tablet for the younger ones!)

Everything mums want; everything kids will love

Built for children, inside and out, the LeapPad Ultra is a kid-friendly tablet with a 7 inch high-resolution screen and safe WiFi that works with hundreds of fun educator-approved games and apps. The tablet is designed for children aged 4 to 9 years, and works with all LeapFrog Explorer cartridges and downloadable apps (sold separately).

Looks like yours; plays like theirs

LeapPad Ultra is built from the ground up to be ultra-tough for kids, and has all the features they want. Play, draw, and write on a 7 inch high-resolution screen, designed with feather-light responsiveness for a kidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s touch or for stylus-based play. Capture the world in two ways with front and back cameras and video recorders.

Kids can add cool filters and effects to photos with Photo Fun Ultra, and create crisp, colourful masterpieces with the enhanced Art Studio Ultra app. They can also rock out to included learning songs, or jam to their own music with the built-in MP3 player.

TOP 10 FAMILY TRAVEL GAMES !

Nintendo Handheld Console 3DS (These keep our two occupied for hours!)

Nintendo 3DS is a groundbreaking hardware release that brings 3D gaming to the handheld market for the first time. The fourth major release in the DS product line, the Nintendo 3DS utilises 3D Slider functionality and an improved top LCD display to present a glasses-free 3D effect on compatible games, while giving players the option to moderate the effect as they see fit. Taken together with additional features including full analogue control in 3D game environments, motion and gyro sensors that transfer the movements of the handheld into the game, 3D camera functionality, an adjustable stylus and full backwards compatibility and you have not only a must-have system, but a revolution in handheld gaming.

All-New Kindle Paperwhite (Mainly for mum but dad and kids get to read it too. Great for reading by the pool or on the beach!)

Unlike reflective tablet and smartphone screens, the latest Kindle Paperwhite reads like paper – no annoying glare, even in bright sunlight. (And that includes by the pool and on the beach!)

Paperwhite guides light towards the surface of the display with its next generation front light – unlike back-lit tablets that shine in your eyes – so you can read comfortably without straining your eyes. Adjust your screen’s brightness for great reading in any light.

Kindle Paperwhite is a great choice if you already have a high-speed internet connection and wireless router set up in your home. If you do not have Wi-Fi set up at home, Kindle Paperwhite 3G may be a better option – 3G connectivity lets you download books anytime, anywhere.

So there you have our Top 10 Best Family Travel Games from Amazon. Would you add any others?

We have lots of silly, fun, family games that we have made up too. We’ll share them with you another time. Happy Family Travels everyone!

MOVING TO SPAIN WITH CHILDREN

BY LISA SADLEIR

! We are very excited to announce that our book about Moving to Spain with Children is due to be published in September 2014.

! As well as being available in kindle format, a print edition of Moving to Spain with Children will be published, thanks to UP Publications Ltd. This means that not only will you be able to buy the book online but also in certain bookshops (little shrieks of joy by mum here).

! We will also be planning a promotional campaign to visit book fairs and other exhibitions over the following months. More details soon.

! If you search online you will find a multitude of books about Spain; books set in spain; books about: moving to Spain; books about living in Spain and peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stories about moving to Spain from UK. However, there is very little information available about Spain for children and almost nothing about Moving to Spain with Children.

! Until now, that is.

! To give you a taste of what to expect, we have included part of out Introductory chapter and also some feedback from individuals who have read the draft copy of Moving to Spain with Children.

! We look forward to your feedback too.

Moving to Spain with Children by Lisa Sadleir ! !

Essential reading for parents

Spain is a wonderful place to live. It is the place I have chosen to bring up my children. Having lived here for over 23 years now, I cannot envisage living anywhere else (although I will never say never!). !

Living in Spain allows us, as a family, to appreciate that: we have more time with our children; we spend more time outdoors in the fresh open air; family comes first; material possessions are not important; people are generally very friendly and open; we are living an invaluable experience. !

Every year, many people consider moving to Spain. Every year people make the move and sometimes it doesn’t work out and they return home (you know, the stories often published in the tabloids and UK sensationalist TV programs) . From experience, I am inclined to say that many failed relocations are due to inadequate research and incorrect advice (Health issues aside!). !

……. !

So, if you are moving to Spain, without a secure income and looking for work, please rethink. If you are planning to move to Spain in search of a better family life, please read on …

Moving to Spain with Children by Lisa Sadleir

! Welcome to Moving to Spain with Children, the aim of the book is to: ! Give you food for thought Provide factual info & sources of information Share real life experiences Warning: If you are looking to be sold the dream, put this book down now and buy one of the many other books on the market. ! This book is not here to sell you a dream. This book will show you the reality. This book will show you what life in Spain is really like. This book will tell you what you need to think about before deciding to make the move. This book will give you a much better start to your life in Spain. This book will become your invaluable source of thinking material and insight, in preparation for your move and during your first months in Spain. ! In Summary… ! Don’t even think of Moving to Spain with Children without reading this essential self-help manual. Compiled by a successful British working Mum who has experienced the relocation roller-coaster for you – the highs, lows and occasional shrieks of panic – it could save you months of hassle and heartache. Chapters cover: ! Timing your Move; Choosing the Best Location; Schooling; Paperwork; Learning Spanish; Healthcare; Property purchase; Starting a business and other considerations crucial to ensuring a smooth transition to your new lifestyle.

So there you have a taste of what is to come. To add your name to the waiting list and be advised as soon as Moving to Spain with Children is available, simply click the button here and add your email details. We look forward to receiving your questions and hearing your stories about Moving to Spain with Children very soon. (We may include you in our next book!) The following video is a recent TV interview where we introduce our projects: Our Book about Moving to Spain with Children and also our language learning activity books, Cooking with Languages â&#x20AC;Ś

VIDEO

VALENCIA’S BEACH AREA: THE CABANYAL, THE MALVARROSA AND THE PATACONA

VALENCIAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BEACH AREA: THE CABANYAL, THE MALVARROSA AND THE PATACONA Valenciaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beach to the North of the Port is divided into three areas; the Cabanyal, the Malvarrosa and the Patacona (For purposes of this article we divide it into four). However it really is just one long and very sandy beach with an excellent promenade that you will find people skating, cycling and jogging up and down every day all year round. The beach area is not overdeveloped as great measures have been taken to make sure that there was no massive property development that could spoil the feel of the area. However this has meant that for many years it was ignored. Now things are changing and even the Valencians are starting to appreciate what an underused and excellent asset the city has. To find out why we need to look back at the history of the city.

Valencia grew up during the growth of Spain hundreds of years ago and at that time the river was navigable up to the entrance to the city, the Torres Serranos. Marco Polo used to bring silks from the far East and trade them in the Lonja de la Seda (Now a World Heritage Site opposite the central Market in the city). Nevertheless over the years the river began to silt up and the boats could not get to the traditional city gates (Valencia at the time was a walled city so it was the only entrance from the river)

Little by little the boats got further away from the city until they were forced to dock at the edge of the Mediterranean rather than coming up the river. The City meanwhile had developed and its cultural, population and heritage centre was not going to change. Effectively the enclosed and walled city had turned its back on the sea.

VALENCIA’S BEACH AREA: THE CABANYAL, THE MALVARROSA AND THE PATACONA

The people who had traditionally lived by the sea meanwhile were fishermen and their families, boatmakers, sailmakers and more who had little to do with the city of Valencia over 4km away inland. They developed their own identities, had a different attitude and a totally different outlook on life from their city brethren.

This differentiation continued well into the 20th century and as Valencia the city grew it came to join up with the area by the coast until to the outsider it became a part of the city as a whole. However the people of the beach area still considered themselves apart. Their attitudes remained different, their allegiances were different (They support Levante football club not Valencia) they had different traditions (Easter parades are reminiscent of Granada and Sevilla rather than the more reserved Valencia) and the feeling in the barrios was still different to the city folk. In the late eighties Blasco Ibañez Avenue was expanded and there was a plan to extend it through the Cabañal area from the Viveros park effectively dividing it into two. The locals were not happy and fought it bitterly. Over twenty years later there is still no solution to this impasse. Most of the people living in the beach area want rehabilitation and modernisation of the area whereas the local government continues to try and force through demolitions of historic property and the community and they have effectively blighted the area for over 20 years allowing decay, squatters and drugs to thrive in the area to be affected by the demolitions… if they ever happen.

This does not affect the vast majority of the beach area though and here is your little guide to what is what and where you can find it.

VALENCIA’S BEACH AREA: THE CABANYAL, THE MALVARROSA AND THE PATACONA !

Valencia’s Port Area.

Extensively modernised for the 32nd America’s Cup of 2007 and then used again for the 33rd edition, the beach goes north from the port area and the Port itself is now the hub of a new plan for a technological park attracting new businesses into the area. Home to Formula One for a few years the area now has great potential, excellent communications with the metro lines coming in from the centre of the city and a brand spanking new superyacht marina. On the beachfront you get the best selection of Paella restaurants in the world and a huge and imposing five star hotel, Las Arenas, backing onto a squat and social housing ;-).

Property in this area known locally as the Canyamelar part of the Cabañal is excellently priced and with great potential for both rental and long term capital growth. Foreign buyers of property in Valencia seem to love the area for its gritty realism, its excellent restaurants and the vibe that is given off.

VALENCIA’S BEACH AREA: THE CABANYAL, THE MALVARROSA AND THE PATACONA !

The Cabañal

The central part of the Cabañal is dominated by the market and limited by the underground railway station which links the area up with the city centre in one stop. In this area you find a mix of older two story fishermen’s houses and 1950ʹ′s and 60ʹ′s four and five floor buildings mostly without lifts. All of the Cabañal area is just a few minutes walk from the Las Arenas beach and the population here tends to be a mixture of older residents mixing happily with the local student population who attend the nearby Valencia University.

To the east of the Station is the area that will be affected by the planned demolitions and it is scruffy, very scruffy. You can buy a property for a song here but the potential compulsory purchase may well put you off if the evident decay of the area doesn’t. Don’t worry though, it is just a couple of blocks before moving back into the Cabanyal itself. The Northern part of the Cabanyal has hundreds of beautifully tiled two story homes in various states of repair, rehabilitation or falling down. This is a property investor’s wet dream.

VALENCIA’S BEACH AREA: THE CABANYAL, THE MALVARROSA AND THE PATACONA !

The Malvarrosa

The Malvarrosa takes its name from the plant that used to grow wild about the beach area and it is a solid working class area of Valencia with excellent connections by bus into the centre and the marvellous beach just a few minutes walk. The property in the Malvarrosa ranges from apartments from around 40000 Euros up to million Euro houses on their own plots with superb sea views and amazing pool and gardens.

There is a buzz about the Malvarrosa area of the city that is different to the rest of the city, a feeling that people don’t belong to Valencia itself, an otherworldliness and friendliness that is created by the closely bonded community. As in any working class area there are a plethora of fruit and veg shops, a lack of chain stores, grubby corner bars serving surprisingly good food with very reasonable menus of the day and people standing around on street corners smoking, chatting and watching the world go by. Gentrification is happening in certain areas of the Malvarrosa but avoid the Casas Rosas area (One street) as despite the properties being virtually given away you wouldn’t want to live there)

VALENCIA’S BEACH AREA: THE CABANYAL, THE MALVARROSA AND THE PATACONA !

The Patacona

The newest area of Valencia beach is the Patacona. Even just fifteen years ago there were fisherman’s huts here at the side of the Mediterranean which gave it a strange feeling when backed by the growing eight or nine floor buildings being constructed behind them. Then in one of those awful corruption scandals that always seem to involve Valencian politicians and constructors they were given compulsory purchase orders as they violated the coastal law and they were bulldozed. Conveniently this left some prime building land for the constructors to put some new restaurants, apartment blocks and more, conveniently forgetting the Coastal law, just as the building boom went to bust.

However it is not all bad, some old Palaces and houses were left which are now developing a huge buzz with the Llevant restaurant, the La Más Bonita cake shop, the Spaghetti and Blues restaurant/club and more taking off, the Patacona is now being recognised as an excellent place for families to hang out during the day overlooking the beach and for going out in the evening for excellent Mediterranean style food and drink with a sea breeze.

VALENCIA’S BEACH AREA: THE CABANYAL, THE MALVARROSA AND THE PATACONA Property is more expensive here, built as it was just a few years ago, and there are a few skeletal buildings that may or may not get finished as the economy comes back to life but expect to pay roughly double per square metre in the Patacona than the Malvarrosa meaning we recommend the Malvarrosa or the Cabañal for that Spanish city seaside bolthole.

There are other areas of the city and elsewhere with coastal acccess of course. To the North of the City is the Port Saplaya Marina where people who maybe don’t have a superyacht but like sailing moor their boats. 4km into the city from the North it is a popular area with an ever growing permanent population rather than the 2 months of summer full and ten months empty feel of many coastal areas.

To the South of the Port you have the Nazaret area which is probably the cheapest real estate that stands direct onto the Mediterranean, (Including that in Africa) However it is not really recommended as it is out on a limb and separated from the rest of the beach area by the container port.

If you want to know more about the beach area of Valencia and what your money will get you just contact us by mail here or on Twitter and ask for more information. Happy to be of help.

SPANISH PROPERTY BUYERS MOVING INTO THE CITY

Spanish Property Insight commented on a Knight Frank report that states that Spanish property buyers, and investors, are gradually moving away from the Spanish Costas and are looking towards the big cities, for more higher end properties and a better return on their investment.

In Madrid alone, sales to foreign investors account for 15% of the market which is a relative high for a city 300km and more away from the nearest coast. Sales of property in Barcelona have increased by 50% compared with a year ago, with a large proportion of that from foreign buyers. Valencia is also attracting huge numbers of foreign buyers now as rental yields on property are excellent when compared with the much lower prices.

When looking at prices, if you are at the lower end of the investing spectrum, Valencia is the place as prices are up to 50% cheaper than the two biggest cities. Whilst Madrid and Barcelona are experiencing a huge boom in the numbers of short term rental apartments, available both for tourism and for business, as the Spanish Economy starts to move more in those areas and tourists look for something different from the hotel sector.

SPANISH PROPERTY BUYERS MOVING INTO THE CITY It must be remembered that the big cities benefit from less seasonality than the Costas for foreign investors, as they are inhabited all year round. Traditionally there are two or three months of good rental yields on the Costas (except on the Canary Islands where good yields all year round can be found with a little spadework). Cities, on the other hand, have people flooding into them for work opportunities, (Work is less available in the countryside), for students and for long term rental. There is a good opportunity in the long term rental market because Spanish cannot, in general, get mortgages to buy as the banks are hugely reticent to grant mortgages still. Therefore people are forced into a situation where they need to rent and they are also looking for long term stability in their rental contracts.

One thing to bare in mind is that there are certain places where your investment for rental has to be thought out well. Barcelona has just temporarily suspended the granting of tourist licences for short term rentals. The hotel lobby is heavily pressuring ministers in the Spanish Government to regulate against sites like AirBnB and others offering short stay rentals and the tax office is tightening up on non declared rentals.

SPANISH PROPERTY BUYERS MOVING INTO THE CITY We have just got one of the last tourist licences for a couple of our clients in Barcelona so they can rent out their property in the centre, without any problems. We are now looking to find a selection of properties available in the city with licences for sale too. The fact they have a licence will make them slightly higher in price than others without a licence, but for investors, that licence is often the single most important thing. Long term rentals are not affected by the new licensing system.

! If you are looking to invest in a city property just get in touch and we will see what we can offer you depending on your requirements. We have local experts in Simon in Barcelona, Pierre in Madrid, Lisa in Malaga and Graham in Valencia to offer you much more. Take a look at some of the past issues of the SPM (Spanish Property Magazine) too for some of our great offers and contact us on info@spanish-property.net with your requirements.

SPANISH PROPERTY MAGAZINE ISSUE 23

SPAIN *

SPANISH PROPERTY MAGAZINE (SPM) Issue 23

what is it like to live in spain? those who are here have their say Conveyancing in Spain what to look out for

The Ten Most Expensive Places To Live in Spain

Why we moved to valencia - a clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story

holidays in spain. where those who live here spent the summer and why

THE TOP TEN MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE IN SPAIN

THE TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE IN SPAIN Spain of course has some wonderful places to live, whether they are in the countryside, in the cities or on the coast or even a combination of two, coastal Barcelona anyone? So Forbes have done a study and found the most expensive cities in Spain to live. One thing we love here at the SPM is that two of our main cities, Valencia and Malaga do not even figure on the list, in Valenciaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case especially considering it is the third biggest city in Spain. So here you go with a few thoughts on them too.

! !

1: San Sebastian.

A bit of a surprise at the top of the list, San Sebastian in the Basque Country is crowned by the beautiful La Concha beach and is known for its stunning gastronomy and wild weather.One of the reasons that it is so high in price might well be that you have never really heard of it, loads of people havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. However it has a film festival too just like Cannes, better beach, worse weather. Make sure to get there and try out the Tapas, stunning.

THE TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE IN SPAIN 2: Madrid ! Not too much of a surprise at number 2 as the capital of any country is usually amongst its most expensive, Brasilia excepted. Madrid is in the list largely thanks to the population having to pay back for all of those failed Olympic bids that the governing PP party has tried so unsuccessfully. This has raised the local taxes and costs a lot meaning Madrid takes a deserved second place

THE TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE IN SPAIN 3: Barcelona

Currently the third most expensive city in Spain and maybe soon the most expensive city in the newly created Independent State of Catalonia, Barcelona â&#x20AC;&#x153;enjoysâ&#x20AC;? its position on the rostrum largely due to the lack of opportunity for expansion. Hemmed in by the mountains around it, the sea to the East and with most of the city built up to its maximum height Barcelona will find it difficult to grow and the demand by people coming to live in this vibrant city is huge. Beware of the heaving tourist numbers though.

THE TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE IN SPAIN 4: Tarragona ! Another surprise perhaps. Do you know where Tarragona is? Well the second Catalan entrant is best known for being near Barcelona (According to Ryanair anyway who think Reus airport, not too far from the city and useful for Port Aventura the best amusement park in Spain, is for Barcelona) (Do check out Romanic Tarragona though, great Roman remains)

THE TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE IN SPAIN 5: Bilbao ! Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the Guggenheim Innit! Well actually no. Bilbao has always been high in the price stakes as it is a prosperous town in the Basque country and remember this is the second entry for the Basque country. Of course best known for the aforementioned museum and a lot of rain, my personal opinion is that despite being as ugly as sin Bilbao seems bloody expensive ;-)

THE TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE IN SPAIN 6: Palma de Mallorca ! Our first non-mainland city, Palma is the capital of the island of Mallorca and home to the Spanish Royals whenever they are on holiday which is most of the time. A huge Marina and well known Cathedral are the standouts of Palma and because of the glitz and glamour of the Royals and the Marina prices are kept high. Remember Mallorca is not just Magaluf ;-)

THE TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE IN SPAIN 7: Girona

! This list has a thing for those pesky Catalans and Ryanair airports that count as Barcelona! Girona is the third Catalan entry, this could be a very different list next year after the independence vote. Inland and some 100km from the Capital of The New Republic of Catalunya, Girona is a lovely city with well known features such asâ&#x20AC;Ś. erm nopeâ&#x20AC;Ś not quite sure why it makes the list but it does. I think it is the general cost of Catalunya as a whole which reflects their more vibrant economy than the rest of Spain perhaps.

THE TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE IN SPAIN 8: Lleida ! Catalans again!!! Lleida in the Pyrenees distinguishes itself from the other Catalan cities in one major respect, Ryanair do not fly there and claim it is Barcelona! Yay! Erm thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it.

THE TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE IN SPAIN 9: Toledo

! Cool, somewhere not in Catalunya. Toledo is one of the ancient capitals of Spain before intermarriage, internecine wars and whims of various Kings moved it to Madrid. Best known for making swords and the Alcazar on the hill, Toledo is about an hour from Madrid and really there is no reason to think why it is so expensive unless everyone makes their money from selling swords to Americans who then have to leave them at Madrid airport as for some reason Homeland Security wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let broadswords on transatlantic flights.

THE TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE PLACES TO LIVE IN SPAIN !

10: Zaragoza

The final entry in our list is the most difficult to pronounce according to any football commentator from the UK that has ever tried. Zaragoza lies inland, not in Catalunya, but sort of halfway between Barcelona and Madrid so it’s a great place to stop off for a coffee and that is about it. Known for being a Fascist stronghold and having the largest abandoned real estate project in Spain on the edge of the city, Zaragoza has very few redeeming features, apart maybe from being slightly less boring than Burgos and being Las Vegas compared to Albacete. (Looks nice on the photo though)

So which cities are not on the list? The aforementioned Valencia and Malaga of course. Stunning places with redeeming features, unlike Zaragoza, like Córdoba, Granada, Alicante, Oviedo, Gijón, Santiago de Compostela, Vigo and so many many more including Albacete which has to be a major omission surely (SarcasmFontOn). The next issue of the SPM will feature the places that should be in the ten most expensive cities in Spain, in our opinion and why. There will be some overlap of course but we will be looking at why from the point of view of the lifestyle return on your investment. FOR PHOTO CREDITS SEE OUR BLOG POST

CONVEYANCING AND MORE IN SPAIN. WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN BUYING

CONVEYANCING AND MORE IN SPAIN. WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN BUYING When you are buying a Spanish Property just like in any other country there is a process to go through to make sure that what you are buying is exactly as stated by the owner or agent. Whether you are doing the conveyancing yourself or getting a lawyer to do it for you, always recommended by the way there are standard checks that will make sure that what you are buying is secure and without hidden charges.

! There are also other checks that wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t appear in any conveyancing but you should do to make sure that the property could be lived in without any problems. Take a look at the list below and if you think there are more that could be added let us know at info@spanish-property.net.

CONVEYANCING AND MORE IN SPAIN. WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN BUYING 1) Nota Simple From The Property Registry

This will give you various bits of information, most importantly making sure that the person or entity selling you the property has the right to do so. However it will also tell you the state of any charges levied against the property including mortgages, embargoes and other charges. If there are charges then you should ask the owner for a Carta de Pago of any outstanding charge before signing the final deeds. Usually the only charge is the outstanding mortgage if there is one and a representative of the bank should attend the signing of the deeds to cancel the mortgage by receiving the outstanding payment as part payment.

2) Note From The Community About Charges

If you are buying an apartment or a house on an estate or development where there are common charges, for example for garden maintenance or pool cleaning, those charges are shared between the properties on the community. The president of the community needs to sign a letter stating that the owner of the property being sold is up to date on community payments. If they are not then you need a breakdown of the costs owed by the property you are buying and if the owner cannot or will not pay them the notary should note this and a retention on the sale price should be made in order to pay up to date as the notary ensures that the property is sold with all payments up to date and therefore the property is sold free of charges.

3) Check Out The Community

It is also necessary to know if the community itself is up to date on payments and has no debts that you could inherit a part of by buying a property. You should also check out any by laws of the community such as whether pets are allowed and what are the rules governing use of common areas etcâ&#x20AC;Ś

4) Minimum Declarable Price

In some autonomous communities it is now law that the tax on purchase is paid on the higher of two prices ie the real price paid or the minimum price of purchase according to the Cadastral Value of the property (This is the case in Valencia for example and you can see an article about it here) Because there are some absolute bargains around now oftentimes the minimum declared price according to the Catastro is well above the actual sale price and therefore the tax payable may well be considerably higher than the 6-10% charged by different autonomous communities (Madrid is 6% at the time of writing whereas Catalunya and Valencia are 10% as examples)

CONVEYANCING AND MORE IN SPAIN. WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN BUYING 5) Total Cost of the Purchase

Never make an offer and sign a deposit contract if you cannot afford the purchase. It seems obvious right? However, many agents will not spell out the total cost of a purchase which can add 15% or even more onto the base cost of the property. remember to add in tax, estate agent fees, notary, registry, gestor, lawyer and the potential for a higher tax if the conditions in point 4 are right. Also if you are getting a mortgage remember there is also a tax, opening commission from the bank, notary, registry and gestor for the mortgage and possibly even a commission for making the study initially.

6) Buildings Inspection

If the building is over 20 years old then it should have an ITE (Inspección Técnica de Edificios) done within the last ten years. A building should have this done every ten years and any issues that come up should be sorted out by the community.

7) Outstanding Legal Cases By Other Members of the Community

Has the property got any pending legal cases from other members of the community? When that new bathroom was put in did it affect the flat below? Have there been leakages into the flat below which haven’t been sorted by insurance or agreements with the owners? It isn’t common as community living is usually pretty convivial in Spain but it can happen.

CONVEYANCING AND MORE IN SPAIN. WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN BUYING 8) Projected Work on the Building

The community of owners needs to inform you if they have any upcoming building or repair plans that will require a “Derrama” (Extra payment to community funds) This may include painting the facade on a block of flats and repairing pipework, installation of a lift or changes to the entrance hall for example. These costs can be considerable so it is better to know them beforehand.

9) The Property’s Services. Charges and General State

Checks need to be made to find out if the property owner is up to date on water, electric, phone, internet and gas charges. The last three receipts that have been paid should be asked for and if a property is not connected up, maybe to the electric for an example, there will be a reason. You need to look into it. The reconnection charge can be high especially if there a a report made to the authorities about illegal hooking up of the electric for example and getting reconnected can take a long time. With this in mind if the house is not connected up to services then you need to ask for the First or Second Occupation Licence (First licence on new properties and second on older properties) as without it the electric, gas and water services cannot be connected up after purchase.

Also it is advisable to check water pressure, electrical circuitry, gas connections and more. However this is not always possible if the services are turned off. Remember that there is no point investing in a power shower if there is no water pressure.

10) Comparison Between The Property Registry and the Catastro

This is especially valuable for houses as there may be a discrepancy between the size in the registry and the Catastro due to extensions that have been added onto the property. If the property is found to be larger than stated on either of the two then a new build declaration should be done which in theory is the responsibility of the seller to pay for and register (They have to sell what is there in reality not what was there some years ago) Many people built an extension illegally and paid the fine but never got round to registering the extra build. On selling they should do that. Again if it is not done before signing the full deed you should get an estimate of the cost of doing the new build declaration before signing the final deeds and hold back a payment for the full cost of it. This should be done in full knowledge of the owner otherwise it will cause a problem on signing.

There are other checks that should be done of course according to the individual property, surveys for damp and building defects, checks on local river courses, if the building is on a flood plain, rights of way over land etc… etc… However they are not for every property in every place although we make a good argument for getting a survey done in every case.

WHAT IS SPANISH FAST FOOD?

SPANISH FAST FOOD

One of the many things we love about living in Spain, is the food and the importance of family time around the table. If you read our post, Spanish Food For Children, you will see that our children enjoy a wide and varied diet. However, there are times when a bit of Spanish fast food is what is needed.

Fast food is a less common concept in Spain than in many other countries. And where you expect to find it, you are probably less likely to find it. Let me explain …

What do we class as Spanish fast food?

In many places around the world, the likes of KFC, Burger King and Mac Donald’s are some of the most popular fast food outlets. From our experience in Spain, the “fast food” concept has developed a bit of the Spanish “mañana” syndrome. Expect to stand in line and at the counter for a comparably long time. Do not be surprised if you are also sent to your table with parts of your order missing. They will usually arrive but maybe not a quick as you are used to.

SPANISH FAST FOOD At our local shopping centre, the biggest queues are to be seen outside Burger King.

Two of our most frequented Spanish fast food joints are 100 Montaditos and Lizarran. Each have their own particular way or ordering and paying for your food. We see many tourists and visitors totally confused in these places, where staff often only speak Spanish. So, we’ve decide to share the systems with you.

About 100 montaditos

The Montadito is a typical element of the Spanish culture and gastronomy.Is a unique tapa-sized roll filled with the best ingredients, a very Spanish way of tasting different recipes. They are widespread and known in Spain since the fifteenth century. The montadito traditon is long and even previous tothe sandwich culture.Mount Up...!

The root of the word montadito is in the Spanish verb montar (’to mount’), because small slices of bread are topped, or ‘mounted’, with a variety of quality ingredients. Montaditos are essentially charming bite-sized finger food.

Once you've made your decision, you take the order sheet to the counter where you will pay for your order (unusual in Spain!) and receive your drinks. You will be asked for your name. It's advisable to give an easy to pronounce name otherwise you will not recognise it when it is shouted over the tannoy!

SPANISH FAST FOOD Once your order is ready your name will be announced over the tannoy system and you collect your order from the hatch.

In all honesty, it is not gourmet food but it is pretty good value for money. And, where else can the children enjoy chocolate bread stuffed with orios?

About Lizarran

Our number one favourite Spanish fast food joint is definitely Lizarran.

Inspired by the Spanish tapas tradition, and combining it with the techniques and demands of the modern restaurant industry, in 1988 the first Lizarran tavern opened in Sitges (Barcelona). That was the start of a meteoric expansion which, by 2010, had taken the total number of establishments to 200, throughout Spain.

We have eaten in Lizarran's all over Spain and are yet to be disappointed.

The food ordering process ...

SPANISH FAST FOOD At Lizarran, you can enjoy all types of hot and cold tapas and wide variety of other dishes. Generally, the cold tapas are found on the counter in each restaurant and the hot tapas are brought round to the tables by waiting staff. You need to work out the best time to go to be there when they bring the best hot plates out if that's what you fancy.

Lizarran is also a great place to try traditional Spanish dishes. Depending on the day and on the location, you will find large clay bowls ladened with mouth watering food that you can order as a tapa (the smallest serving, ideal for tasting something new), media raci贸n (a larger serving) or raci贸n( a full plate).

At Lizarran, as in most Spanish restaurants, you sit at your table and a waiter comes to take your drinks order. You then go to the bar, collect a plate and help yourself to any of the cold tapas on display. If you want a hot tapa or raci贸n, that are on display at the bar, it is better to order this from the waiter as they will heat it up and bring it to your table. If you get your timing right, serving staff will offer various hot tapas at your table. If you are there at a busy time you may need to be quick as the good bits fly off the plates fast.

At the end of your meal, the waiters will count up the different sized cocktail sticks and different sized serving bowls on your table and calculate your bill.

TIP: If you have young children, make sure they are not collecting stray cocktail sticks from other tables or on the floor or you may end up paying for more than you have actually eaten.

What are your favourite Spanish fast food joints? Have you eaten in either of these two? Do you have any tips to share? Go to our Facebook page and share

WHERE DO YOU GO ON HOLIDAY IN SPAIN WHEN YOU ALREADY LIVE HERE? (BY THOSE THAT DO)

CAROL BYRNE !

I'm Carol and we stayed twice around Almería, our nearest neighbour. A long weekend with my husband in San José - part of the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, and a week with a friend at the resort of Roquetas de Mar on the coast. We always choose coast or city as an antidote to our rural home. Cabo de Gata offered stunning scenery.and a relaxing location, whilst Roquetas de Mar is much more of a popular holiday spot, with great value meals and drinks, as well as good beach-life and bird watching of the feathered variety. Both destinations are in the warmest and driest province of Spain, which is always a good thing!

STEVE HALL (LANZAROTE) ! Hi Steve from Fuengirola, Mรกlaga but currently in Lanzarote. I needed to catch up with clients and friends in Barcelona, Alicante and Mรกlaga so "tried" a one week season ticket with ALSA. Great value but appalling administration. Loved seeing so much of the country in such a short time. Everything I love about Spain - its colours. passion, sun, friendliness and VFM. Four days in Mรกlaga City reminded me why I am surprised that the city is so overlooked by international tourists. Two days in Barcelona reminded me why I miss the city so. Magic days.

STEVE EVANS !

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Steve from Galapagar near Madrid. Camping near Alicante at the moment. Cheap alternative to renting, which my kids wanted after camping in the UK. Four star site, clean etc but noisy, dusty and uncomfortable. Would probably choose rural setting for camping from now on, or an apartment nearer the beach.

CHRIS GAMBLE !

Hi, I’m Chris and I live in Spain very close to Gibraltar where I work helping people move to the area and sell or improve their properties.

The great thing about living in the Campo de Gibraltar is it's only a stone’s throw away from both the urban sophisticated holiday heartland of the Costa del Sol and the peaceful and beautiful unspoilt Costa de la Luz (which I like to refer as ‘the Pembrokeshire of Spain’ with its ancient culture, historical towns and architecture, magnificent beaches, sport and quaint little villages).

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

I take my kids on a very affordable camping holiday every early summer (when its quieter and gloriously sunny without being too hot) to Tarifa, La Zahara or El Palmar. All a short drive away and close to the wonderful towns of Cadiz, Jerez, Seville and Vejer de la Frontera.

We often rendezvous with friends and family from overseas on the camping sites. They are then able to venture out camping across Spain after I go back home to work. This is great because we see them without the need to accommodate them ourselves! Chris Gamble www.firstimpression.gi

CRAIG BRIGGS ! Greetings from Galicia - My name is Craig Every winter my wife and I drive south to take an extended break on the Costa del Sol. The weather is warm and sunny. The hoards of summer tourist have long since backed their bags and flown north. We treat ourselves to Chinese takeaways, Danish bacon and English sausage â&#x20AC;&#x201C; rare treats indeed. During the winter months, I doubt thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anywhere else in Europe that offers so much for so little. ! http://www.journeytoadream.co.uk/blog

KEITH NICOL !

My name is Keith and we live in Torrevieja, Alicante, an ideal spot on the Costa Blanca. My wife's family originate from a tiny little village in the north of Spain, called Cogeces of Iscar located just 30 minutes by car south of Valladolid, Castile and Le贸n, Spain. The municipality has a population of 155 inhabitants and is true step backwards in time, with just a corner shop, two bars/cafes, a town hall, a short paseo and a small recreation centre.

We visit each summer as it's pure family life as one can imagine Spain having back in the 1960's. Everyone is welcome, especially during August fiestas. no one is a stranger and it's the ultimate get away for those wishing pure anonymity, but still with free wifi from the town hall, if required. It's like the TV series Cheers except that it's a town where everyone knows your name, or certainly your face. A pleasure to visit and relax and step back in time and forget the worries of everyday living.

LISA SADLEIR (MIJAS) !

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO LISA’S HOLIDAYS

THE ENDURING ATTRACTION OF SPANISH BEACHES

Surprisingly Spain for a large country mostly surrounded by sea comes only 34th on the list of countries with the longest coastline. Measuring in at 7268km of coastline according to the World Resources Institute on Wikipedia, Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coastline includes the Canary Islands and the Balearics of course but in terms of perception Spain is either number one in World coastal resorts or very close. In July 2014 alone a new record of more than 8.3 million tourists visited Spain and the vast majority of those headed to the coastal regions.

Ranging from rocky coves with huge waves crashing over them off the Atlantic in North West Galicia to the more becalmed waters of the Mediterranean that stretches from the French border to the Portuguese border and encompassing some of the most evocative and well known areas of Spain such as the Costa Del Sol, the Costa Brava and the Costa Blanca, Spainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coastline is dotted with excellent coastal resorts, endless sandy beaches, great diving and snorkelling areas and more. However there is one constant that marks out why people come to Spain for the beaches, the sun. The United Kingdom for example has more than double the length of coastline in a much smaller country but it also has cold water, fewer blue flag beaches (A quarter of the number in Spain) and that orb in the sky cannot be relied on.

THE ENDURING ATTRACTION OF SPANISH BEACHES In 2013 there were 561 Blue Flag beaches in Spain and 103 Blue Flag Marinas. This is the most in the World easily beating off both Greece in second and France. The UK has just 99 blue flag beaches. Blue Flag beaches reach standards of cleanliness, hygiene and services that other beaches aspire to but cannot attain. They are considered to be the highest standard beaches in the World. It is telling that Spain has so many and indicates the importance that the beach plays in attracting tourists into the country. Municipalities spend a lot of time and money making their beaches as pristine as possible for the visiting masses of tourists.

The other good point about having so many beaches that reach these standards is that those millions of tourists can also find beaches that are more off the beaten track even in high summer. Of course the major tourist centres such as Benidorm have beaches that get swamped by the sheer number of tourists in high season but despite its reputation as cheap and tacky it has to be said that the two main beaches in Benidorm, the Levante and the Poniente are of an excellent quality. Even medium level holiday spots which you would expect to be crawling with sunbathers look like this on a typical summer day.

THE ENDURING ATTRACTION OF SPANISH BEACHES But why do people enjoy Spanish beaches so much? There are a multitude of reasons but among the favourites are the opportunity to practice watersports safely, getting an all over tan (Remember there are nudist beaches too), the feeling of having nothing to do and all day to do it, the opportunities for kids to spend all day jumping in and out of clean water while exploring rock pools and meeting other kids from a huge number of other countries and of course people watching.

There are other things that attract though, a large number of beaches have excellent beach bars and offer activities for families and groups. The nightlife of the towns and villages (And in some cases cities) that have beaches is unrivalled from the massively over the top, and in my humble opinion, awful Magaluf on Mallorca to the more sedate cider bars and restaurants around virtually every cove in Asturias, there is something for everyone. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t discount Mallorca of course because that is where the glitz and glamour can be found, if that is what you are looking for, along with Marbella and the like on the Costa Del Sol.

So the question is what type of beach do you like? Are you looking for hedonism, relaxed sunbathing, sporting activities or just to be able to sit with a few drinks and friends shooting the breeze? Spain offers all of that and more. And of course if you want a property near the beach then over at Valencia Property and the Spanish Property Network we can find you what you are looking for.

SPANISH PROPERTY MAGAZINE ISSUE 24

SPAIN *

SPANISH PROPERTY MAGAZINE (SPM) Issue 24

how is the spanish property market doing? full analysis valencia and malaga close up and wonderful

the top ten best cities to live in spain

which nationalities are buying property in spain?

finding your ideal spanish property. the resources you need

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN When this was written and published on the SPN page there was a lot of gnashing of teeth and quite a lot of hate directed our way. “Oh it’s just an article promoting places they have property for sale” (Erm we have property for sale in Alicante but we didn’t include it), “Huh how can you not include….?” (Insert name of city not featuring but mostly Madrid ;-)) “How can you include ….. when ….. (Place where writer lives) is so much better, bigger, more beautiful etc… And on it went, and on and on and on…

Guess what? We don’t care. This list comes from our personal experience here in Spain. We have a predilection for cities by the coast of course where a clean city beach is an absolute godsend and we also like places where you get more for your money. Remember in the last issue of the SPM we had a list of the ten most expensive places to live in Spain, (You can see the original article here) and most of those places are not in this list. Why not? Well this list can be considered as a guide, not a definitive guide but a guide all the same, to places where you get a lot for your lifestyle buck. So not exactly cheap and cheerful, more relatively cheap but offering a lot to do and see and located in a place that allows you to get out and about into even more wonderful places that surround the city itself.

And yes we know we haven’t included any cities on the islands and we know that many people think that Madrid is heaven on Earth (May we suggest psychological analysis for those who suggested that) But as we said, this is OUR list. Why don’t you send us yours to our mail address SpanishPropertyMagazine@gmail.com. In the next issue we are going to have an impassioned defence of Madrid so we look forward to that.

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN VALENCIA ! The hidden jewel of the Mediterranean has it all really, a stunning city beach, comparatively low property prices, a relatively low cost of living and plenty of attractions both within the city itself and in the surrounding areas with a countryside populated by orange, olive and almond groves to enjoy.

! Like anywhere it has its downsides, the low number of direct flights to the city for example, but the positives far outweigh the negatives and when you you weigh everything up Valencia offers an amazing amount of lifestyle for a pretty meagre price tag.

! See Our Valencia Properties Here

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN MALAGA Often overlooked and lumped in with the Costa Del Sol as a whole, the city of Malaga has a thriving arts scene, a lovely historical old town, a multitude of monuments and museums, great city beaches, an excellent marina and much more. Again price plays its part. Malaga city has affordable property prices on the whole and you are just a short hop away from the beaches and cosmopolitain lifestyle of the Costa del Sol and the hidden beauty of Inland Malaga. One huge advantage that Malaga has over Valencia is ease of access with many more direct flights from all over Europe all year round. Malaga is an ideal base for discovering the whole of Spain.

If you have any doubts about Malaga, have a read of this article by Lisa from SPN and Pedro from @boqueronviajero : Why Malaga is not one of the worst cities in Spain

See Our MALAGA Properties Here

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN SEGOVIA ! Segovia I hear you ask, where is that? Well Segovia is just north of Madrid and is as pretty as a picture with fantastic architecture including the amazing Aqueduct, the Alcazar and the huge number of churches. ! Segovia isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the cheapest place on the list but the lifestyle is great, you are just half an hour from skiing in the winter and the city often has a covering of snow itself and you are close to Madrid for those long weekend breaks and flights. Segovia is one of those places that often overlooked for the other places surrounding Madrid such as Toledo and Salamanca is a huge and pleasant surprise.

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN GIJÓN ! Our first Asturian entry is Gijón. Now Gijón is on the coast in the centre of Asturias and is known for being the centre of ship building, among its industrial heritage. However Gijón is not a tourist mecca and is relatively unknown to those outside Spain. Gijón is another place with a great city beach, a vibrant old town, amazingly friendly people and some of the best food in Spain (Asturias is known for its huge portions and of course its cider) Gijón will win no awards for its beauty but the countryside of Asturias wins plenty. Called a natural paradise, Asturias is phenomenal, but expect rain.

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN GRANADA ! Known all over the World for the Alhambra Palace and the Generalife Gardens, Granada is overlooked by the towering and usually snow covered peaks of the Sierra Nevada and again is a pretty city with everything required for modern living. Again the gastronomy is excellent and the old town a fine example of how to retain character and ambience in equal measure. To find out more about Granada read the blog by Molly Piccavey here.

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN CÓRDOBA ! A third entry for Andalucia, Córdoba is another huge tourist destination with the Mezquita being the main attraction. However the architecture of the old town with its interior courtyards and whitewashed houses are one of the big things in Córdoba. Traditionally Spanish in outlook, think of Flamenco dresses and music and summer heat and you get an idea of Córdoba.

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN OVIEDO ! The second Asturian entry is the capital of the Principality and is a party town due to the numbers of students and the huge popularity of the SidrerĂa that dot every street of the town. Surrounded by rolling green hills and mountains and backed by the awesome Picos de Europa, Oviedo has a great lifestyle and friendly people without having the tourist numbers of many other cities in Spain. Home to a World Heritage site on the Naranco mountain and in a brilliant position to explore the rest of Asturias and the Northern coast, Oviedo is another hidden jewel for your lifestyle buck.

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN SEVILLA ! Home to the Sevillana dresses, white horses and the Feria, Sevilla is the traditional image of Spain made live. If you want your preconceptions about Spain filled then Seville is one of those places that you can do it. However, our fourth Andalucian entry is so much more. Fiery hot in both temperature and character, Sevilla is a beautiful city with fantastic Tapas (Take a look at Sevilla Tapas blog here) and drop dead good looks. Well worth a visit or even more.

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN VIGO ! Set on the north west coast in Galicia, Vigo is another unknown to most apart from those raised on Laurie Lee’s “As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning” who know that it is where Lee first set foot in Spain to start his trek. Vigo is a great starting point for getting to know the wild and beautiful Galicia. Home to fjords and food, Galicia is everything that Seville isn’t, not the traditional view of Spain at all, but a natural weathered green due to the precipitation so common in both Galicia and Asturias. (Follow Craig’s journey in Galicia here.)

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN BARCELONA ! Ok we couldn’t leave Barcelona out of the list. Expensive it may be but Barcelona and the cool vibe that it emits mean that the city is an excellent place to live and visit with plenty going on all year round and ease of access due to its international airport and proximity to France and the rest of Europe. Don’t worry about the Catalan language, it’s not an issue for the majority of people there.

! Chocker block full of restaurants, museums entertainment and leisure activities and with a lovely city beach, Barcelona is what many other places aspire too but will never arrive at. (Whet your appetite here, with some mouth watering food from Barcelona on Steve’s blog!)

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN A BONUS TOWN GANDIA ! Not officially a city but we are including it because it’s our magazine and we are allowed to, Gandia is the second Valencian entry in the list. Home to the Borgias, the cruelest Papal family ever, Gandia is known as Madrid’s beach due to the sheer number of Madrileños that trek down to the long sandy beaches of the town every summer. Gandia has a great Marina, is home to the beautiful La Drova mountain range and again is extremely competitively priced. Just 45 minutes from Valencia and an hour from Alicante, Gandia is easily reached and has a relaxed nature that befits a large Mediterranean town.

! See our properties in Gandia here.

THE 10 BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN SPAIN BUT YOU DIDN’T INCLUDE MADRID!!!! ! No, we don’t include Madrid and that is mostly a personal preference by me, Graham, because I really don’t like the climate there when allied to the high price and despite being the capital it just doesn’t do it for me. Others will disagree, I certainly hope they do anyway. ! We don’t include Alicante, despite the fact that personally I really like it as a city, because the other places deserve their place more and there is no representative of the Spanish Canary Islands or Balearics. If you feel we should be including one of those places then write to us at info@spanish-property.net with your blog post on why your city should be included. We will feature it further down the line if we feel your argument could be persuasive to others. ! The big questions are: ! What do you think of our list? How does it compare to the Forbes list of the ten most expensive places in Spain? Where else should have been included? ! We look forward to your responses and are ready to fight our case if challenged … in an informed and educated fashion, of course.

• • •

WHICH NATIONALITIES ARE BUYING PROPERTY IN SPAIN?

With the latest figures out for the second quarter of 2014 showing the greatest number of sales of Spanish Property for 4 years and much better than expected trends in the Spanish Property Market, here at the Spanish Property Network we thought it was time to let you know who is buying property in Spain, people like you of course from all over the World.

! There is an 80/20 split in the market with 80% of all sales being to Spanish people. The foreign market only accounts for 20% of the market but that is OUR market at the SPN and in many of the areas that we concentrate on the figures are much higher (the Valencia region for example has 40% of all sales being to foreigners) So 80% of all sales are to the Spanish but who is buying apart from the Spanish and what are they buying?

! Firstly, suffice to say that the number of foreign buyers is not â&#x20AC;&#x153;Onlyâ&#x20AC;? 20%. That is the highest number of foreign buyers in any market in the EU. Spain is still seen as a huge attraction in Europe and beyond.

WHICH NATIONALITIES ARE BUYING PROPERTY IN SPAIN?

As there were just over 91000 sales of property reported in the quarter the 20% of sales to foreigners made up just over 18,000 sales, over 200 purchases made per day.

The largest buyers of Spanish property from abroad were not surprisingly the British. The British love affair with Spanish property continues and is growing month on month for the last couple of years now. The UK economy is recovering, helped by copious quantities of QE, and this has created a mini housing boom especially in the South East of England and London specifically. The large number of clients coming into the SPN recently from the south east have suggested anecdotally that people are cashing out of that market and buying into a market perceived to be at a low or perhaps even its lowest point. Many people are selling up in London and buying with cash here in Spain after paying off their mortgage in the UK. The amounts that British buyers are willing to pay are still well below the figures for 2007, when prices were around 40% higher, but there are a greater number of transactions now.

You also have to bear in mind too that the pound fell in 2008 from around 1.47 Euros to 1.06, effectively killing the market for British buyers, and it has recently climbed to levels around €1.25 making Spain much more attractive than in 2008-2010. Not only do your pounds buy many more Euros but also prices have fallen at the same time meaning you have a situation where effective “Real” prices for British buyers with pounds have fallen by over 50% in the last six years. That is a very attractive proposition when you factor in the lifestyle cost too. Many of the British buyers are retirees living on a fixed income, their pension pots, and any rise in the value of the pound against the Euro means they have more money arriving in Spain on a regular basis. They just need to remember to use the services of a currency company rather than their banks to make the transfers and then they get even more)

The French came in next at just over 10% of foreign property buyers. Obviously Spain is very attractive for the French due to its proximity, many French buyers get a place on the Costa Brava just across the border from France, but there are other factors driving the numbers of French buyers. Firstly, price. Prices in Spain are a lot lower than in France not only for property but also for the cost of living after purchase. Having spent time on the Costa Brava and just across the border in Argeles Sur Mer in the last couple of years I can vouch for that. I think the day to day costs differ by around 40% between France and Spain; Supermarkets, Petrol, Council Taxes, Local taxes and more are much much higher in France.

WHICH NATIONALITIES ARE BUYING PROPERTY IN SPAIN?

Even more influential though over the last couple of years has been the effect of the huge increases in property and inheritance taxes and capital gains tax on French property. Rates of up to 75% capital gains tax have discouraged the French from buying in their own country and many of those â&#x20AC;&#x153;Economic Refugeesâ&#x20AC;? have decided to buy in Spain because of the perception that tax rates on property are much lower. Currently they are of course.

Thirdly the Russians are still buying large quantities of Spanish Property. However the numbers of Russians have actually fallen year on year due largely to the huge depreciation of the Rouble over the last year. Also the difficulty in getting visas due to the ongoing instability (Or maybe even war) in the Ukraine and economic sanctions imposed on the Russians by the EU is having an effect especially at the top end of the market.

Many Russians were supporting the high end of the market in Marbella, Mallorca, Barcelona and Madrid and those markets have cooled slightly due to the slow down in Russian demand over the last year. However many Russians are also buying in order to get their money out of the country and protect its value from the falling Rouble and many of those are at the lower end of the property spectrum. If they buy

Germans continue to buy in the Spanish Property Market of course and they continue to be strong in their traditional areas of Mallorca, The Costa Brava and the Costa Blanca. However there are not as many German buyers as would be expected at this stage of the economic cycle. There are far fewer German property investors, typically Germans invest in things other than property, they are more a nation of renters and tenants. It is surprising that there are almost as many Swedish and Belgian buyers as Germans. The large number of Belgians buying is particularly gratifying for the Spanish market as it is such a small country comparatively.

WHICH NATIONALITIES ARE BUYING PROPERTY IN SPAIN? Surprisingly the Italians and Norwegians also appear in the list before we get to the Chinese. Italians often buy for similar reasons to the French, location, proximity and huge taxes in their own country and Norwegians for similar reasons to the Swedes, the climate and light when compared to the three months of semi darkness they have in their own country.

The Chinese are the great white hope for all property markets but they are more underrepresented than expected. There are various reasons for this. The setting of the Golden Visa figure at 500k priced many of them out of the market for automatic residency and there is a great difficulty in getting money out of the country. An individual in China can only transfer $50,000 out of the country in any given year. This puts a brake on capital flight from the country but also affects how they can buy property outside. Usually they get various members of the family to transfer 50k each out for them to a single account abroad to make the payment for property purchase but obviously this is a disincentive to greater numbers of Chinese buying.

Other nations make up to 33% of the market and of course this includes Americans, Canadians, people from the Middle East, Australians, South Americans and people from all over the rest of the World. Effectively where there is a problem in the World there are potential buyers of Spanish property as Spain is seen as a safe place to live with a benign climate and possibilities of the property not only being a place to live but also a long term investment as prices are perceived to be low. Therefore we see buyers from Egypt, Syria, Israel, Mexico, The Balkans and many other â&#x20AC;&#x153;unstableâ&#x20AC;? areas.

Why do they choose Spain? Well many people strongly believe in the typical images of Spanish life and want to enjoy and become a part of them; siestas, fiestas and long hot sunny days spent overlooking the beach with a low cost of living and a relaxed pace of life.

In fact we could say that the majority of Spanish Property Buyers from abroad see what you see and want what you want because in our surveys of our clients this is what we see from them and this is what we find for people. When can we find it for you? Tell us more by contacting us and let us help you to find it.

HOW IS THE SPANISH PROPERTY MARKET DOING?

Figures for the second quarter of the year show that there were a total of 91,338 Spanish Property sales in total, beating last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s total by 12.1% and being the second best quarter registered in sales of Spanish Property since 2010. The rise in sales of second hand Spanish properties was actually higher at 15% and there was a reduction in the sales of new property as to be expected due to the numbers of new properties actually coming onto the market as building slowed massively after the start of the crisis.

One of the interesting stats to note is that the rise in Madrid was over 9% year on year, a place where tax was reduced from 8% to 6% at the start of the year whereas a community where tax was increased to 10%, Valencia, actually registered reductions in the number of sales. Andalucia as a whole saw reduced sales by just over 2% but the Malaga province went up by over 12% which is an excellent result and proves how attractive that area now is and how the Costa Del Sol and Inland Malaga are coming back well after the crisis.

The yearly figures of Spanish Property sales also saw an increase of 12.2% year on year which again is a good piece of news for the Spanish property sector.

Regarding sales of Spanish Property to foreigners, the tendency is also on the rise. Funnily enough sales to foreigners also grew by a similar 12% over the period and now they represent 20% of the whole Spanish market.

THAT IS HUGE

HOW IS THE SPANISH PROPERTY MARKET DOING? The figures grew for EU nationals buying in Spain and also both the sector of residents from foreign countries and also non residents meaning of course that not only are people living here now looking to invest in Spanish Property but also new buyers are continually coming into the market.

This demand for Spanish Property by foreigners is no longer that of the economic migrants that came into Spain during the boom, typically construction workers from Ecuador, Peru, North Africa and Eastern Europe, but is much more driven now by the lifestyle migrants looking for a better climate and different yet recognisable culture which Spain is perceived as providing. They now come mostly from Northern Europe, North America and to a certain extent from Russia and China (Although the Russian market is drying up a bit due to the crash of the Rouble and restrictions on visas since the problems in Ukraine brought sanctions in place, see below).

The following chart shows that Spanish Property sales to non residents reported by the Notaries are now at a record high even compared with the highs of 2007. (The spike at the end of 2012 was when lots of purchasers brought forward their purchase to prior to the end of the year as tax on new build property was due to rise from 4% to 10% at the start of 2013 (Again we see how a ridiculous tax rate negatively influences peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s purchasing)

HOW IS THE SPANISH PROPERTY MARKET DOING? By region we can see that the attraction of Spain as a destination for foreigners is almost totally due to its reputation for beaches and sun. The majority of the demand is in just two areas, the Valencian Community and Andalucia and of course those areas account for the Costa Blanca and the Costa Del Sol amongst other places. These areas see a huge proportion of properties being sold to foreigners within the market as a whole with almost 40% in the Valencian Community for example.

! However demand is also high in Catalunya and Madrid at 21.6% and 10.1% of total sales due to the effect of Barcelona, the Costa Brava and Dorada and of course Madrid being the capital. The islands also have huge demand from abroad with 43.2% of all sales on the Canary Islands and 42% of sales on the Balearics coming from foreign buyers.

HOW IS THE SPANISH PROPERTY MARKET DOING?

British buyers are still the greatest part of the market but they do not dominate like they did back in the boom days where up to 50% of sales and more were to British buyers in certain regions. These days British buyers make up 16.7% of the total market from foreign buyers showing that Spain remains a huge attraction for British buyers looking to buy the place in the sun. Demand has increased from the UK in the last two years by 75% and has been constant year on year. This is also true of the United States where demand has increased by over 100% in the last two years, from an admittedly low base, whereas Russian demand has increased by just 20% over a two year period but this hides the fact that in the last year it has actually fallen by 3% due to the Ukraine issues and the collapse of the Rouble as mentioned above.

! So what can we take out from all of these figures?

! Spain is in vogue again certainly but foreign demand is not the panacea to cure all of the woes of the Spanish property market and until the Spanish government starts to encourage foreign investment by â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rolling out the red carpet to foreign investorsâ&#x20AC;? (As stated by Mark Stucklin on the Spanish Property Insight Blog) and fixing the major issues with the Spanish Golden Visa for investors that have emerged then there is a slight brake on growth in the sector.

! It is mostly good news. It is much better year on year than expected and confidence is returning in many sectors of the Spanish property sector. There is still unsellable, overpriced and badly located property which will not sell at any price but there is a suggestion of much more than just the first green shoots of recovery. The market in many areas os going in the right direction now.

! If you want to get in on the Spanish Property market now get in touch. Fill in the form on our website and we will get back to you and help you to find your ideal property in Spain.

THE SOUNDS OF SPAIN (WHAT SOUNDS REMIND YOU THAT YOU ARE IN SPAIN?)

(WHAT SOUNDS REMIND YOU THAT YOU ARE IN SPAIN?) Spain is an assault on the senses. The colours, the views, the smells and above all the sounds once sensed never seem to go away. If you are no longer living in Spain then you can be transported back in time to a certain place and event just by seeing, smelling or hearing something that was common in your time in Spain. Living here we get a bit blasé about those little things that remind us that we are in Spain so I thought it was time to mention ten of the sounds that make us realise that we are in Spain, good, bad or indifferent, and also make us realise that we could not really be anywhere else.

! Number 1 A coffee machine in the bar. One of my favourites this because it means I am never far away from the soothing grip of a caffeine rush if needed or the simple pleasure of a decaf when not. Forget Starbucks people there is nothing quite like Spanish coffee and if you want to know more take a look at this guide on how to order your coffee in Spain.

! Number 2 The slot machines in every bar. Can you tell I spend a lot of time in bars? Fruit machines, bandits or whatever you want to call them, these things only have one volume setting and that is 11 on a scale of one to ten, (the special Spinal Tap setting). At least these days not every single one of them plays the bloody Birdie Song when paying out.

! Number 3 Gypsies clapping and wailing flamenco. Not everywhere in Spain but in a hell of a lot of places there are wannabe Paco de Lucia’s and Camaron de la Isla’s with their mullet haircuts, overhanging bellies and questionable dress sense making sure you know which country you find yourself in, even at three o clock in the morning in otherwise tranquil neighborhoods, in fact especially at three o clock in the morning. Expect guitars, stamping and wailing that makes a cat fight seem tame and melodic. Listen to some real Paco de Lucia Flamenco guitar here

(WHAT SOUNDS REMIND YOU THAT YOU ARE IN SPAIN?) Number 4 Car horns. About half a second after the red light has changed to green and you haven’t moved a cacophony of car horns will greet you, oh actually wait… that’s not always the case now because the reason you generally haven’t moved is that you are checking your smartphone, well guess what? The person behind you is also at it these days so sometimes, just sometimes, they don’t do it either now.

Number 5 Crickets (Grillos) at nighttime. The essential sound of the summer and nighttime are the crickets at nighttime blaring out their own particular version of Peggy Sue and lamenting the loss of their leader Buddy.

Video

(WHAT SOUNDS REMIND YOU THAT YOU ARE IN SPAIN?)

Number 6 The tertulia. An essentially Spanish thing, the Tertulia involves a minimum of eight people sat around a table designed to comfortably take four, all shouting at and over each other at the same time while discussing the merits, or usually demerits, of some footballer, bullfighter, politician, person living nearby or minor celebrity who has just had a boob job. The Tertulia formula has been replicated onto Spanish TV now and there are certain stations that are basically 24 hour argufests about different subjects with moderators that are chosen for their looks, and usually their cleavage, rather than any control they may exert over the idiots shouting at each other.

! You can hear the background noise of a Spanish bar here

! Number 7 The sound of water whether it be from the fountain in almost every Spanish square or the waves lapping or crashing against the sand or the rocks on the shore. In a country where it never rains, ok hardly ever rains, the sound of water is appreciated greatly. If at night you can hear the pitter patter of tiny rain feet on your roof you are strangely content and even made to be happy rather than annoyed that is is raining…. again. Water in much of the country has become an art with fountains springing up in the parched hinterland to remind us of man’s control over nature and the fact that water actually sounds quite nice. And those waves from the Mediterranean gently lapping up to our feet on the beach in the evening… Argh bliss!

! Listen to the fountain in Ulloa here

! Number 8 Crap music blaring out of the windows of cars. The rule of car stereo music is simple, if the windows are open then the music is crap. Usually we hark back to the wailing gypsies or the repetitive techno beat of a boy racer but you will never hear a decent song blaring out of a car as the mullet haired or shaven headed dude behind the wheel drives past with one tanned arm hanging out of the window. “Look at me I have a cool set of wheels and I crave attention“. No you don’t, you have really bad taste, an iffy haircut and your wheels are going to fail the next MOT/ITV test.

(WHAT SOUNDS REMIND YOU THAT YOU ARE IN SPAIN?) Number 9 The whirr of fans and air conditioning units long into the night making the houses habitable and bringing the inside temperature down from an unbearable 30 degrees to a more manageable 29 so you can sleep. Houses were not generally built with any sort of insulation so they get hot when it’s hot, cold when it’s cold and, as in number ten, heated when there is noise.

! Number 10 The neighbour’s television. As in number 9 the building standards are relatively low and the walls are paper thin. As the majority of the Spanish population live in apartments you therefore have an assault on your hearing oftentimes from many sides. Also, luckily for you, all of your neighbours seem to love the aforementioned channels with the 24 hour argufests so you get to hear Z list celebs shouting at each other about V list celebs from the comfort of your own living room like it or not.

! That’s our list, conveniently whittled down to a round ten. What would you add?

HOW TO FIND YOUR IDEAL SPANISH PROPERTY THE RESOURCES YOU NEED

HOW TO FIND YOUR IDEAL SPANISH PROPERTY When looking for your Ideal Spanish Property, there are several options available to you:

• You can do all the spadework yourself. • You can contact estate agents to find out more about their offerings. • You can use a property finder, like the SPN, to get you the best selection and whittle that selection down to what suits you best suits your requirements.

! In this post, we take a look at Option 1: You do all the spadework yourself.

! If you decide to take the first option we thought here at the Spanish Property Network that it would be nice to set you off on the search for your ideal Spanish Property by recommending the best places to look for properties that you can find online.

! Enjoy but don’t get caught too far down the rabbit hole, there is so much to look at.

! There are many other smaller portals than those given here and every bank has their own site where they try to sell their own portfolio of properties too but the following are the major players in the market that we feel you should be looking at if going it alone.

! Remember though, as Property Finders, we at the Spanish Property Network will use these places and a whole lot more (Including the absolute best method of personal contacts and networking) to find you your ideal place. If you want to get somebody else to do the spadework then just let us know what you want in the form by contacting us and we will endeavour to find you your ideal Spanish property.

HOW TO FIND YOUR IDEAL SPANISH PROPERTY Idealista

! Idealista is the largest property portal in Spain and also has an English language version for searching for properties. It is largely populated by listings from estate agents (with a huge glut of bank owned properties clogging the site up a bit recently) but you can also find excellent deals from private sellers. Response times when requesting information vary from agent to agent and some private sellers are really slow but the great advantage if you speak Spanish is that phone numbers are given and you can immediately phone to find out more information. ! There is an Idealista app for tablets too and the search function is quite good within the app but better on the main site.

HOW TO FIND YOUR IDEAL SPANISH PROPERTY !

Fotocasa

Similar to Idealista, Fotocasa is more focussed on estate agents and there are fewer private sales advertised on their pages. As a result, private sales are more difficult to find. Fotocasa has an excellent feature, the comparative price calculator, which allows you to see the average price per square metre in the local area against the price for the property you are currently looking at.

! Again there is an app for tablets but it is a bit more buggy and not as user friendly as the Idealista app. The presentation of photos on the Fotocasa app is cleaner and smarter than on Idealista, in our opinion, but Idealistaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s app is better. One drawback is that you cannot see the phone number of the private sellers until you contact by mail. (There is a workaround for this by the way if you are a tad tech savvy ;-))

HOW TO FIND YOUR IDEAL SPANISH PROPERTY MilAnuncios

! The ugly duckling in terms of looks, MilAnuncios is a basic listings page whose look and feel has not changed in around ten years. The listings are basic and lots of details are missing on properties listed but you can find some absolute gems of properties on here from people, mostly private sales, who havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t got the first clue about marketing their house or apartment, oftentimes they do not even upload photos, and usually harbour a visceral hate for estate agents (When you phone their first question will almost invariably be, are you an agent?) Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be put off by the look, MilAnuncios is quite a good resource.

HOW TO FIND YOUR IDEAL SPANISH PROPERTY Loquo

! Think Craigslist for Spain (Craigslist exists in Spain but it is hardly worth looking at) Loquo is very limited in scope, maximum of four photos in the listing usually, and many of the advertisers miss off things that seem obvious such as putting in contact details of any type. ! However again at the lower end of the marketing ability scale you can find interesting deals on Loquo that other sites may not have especially if searching in cities for off the radar properties. (Especially useful for Barcelona)

HOW TO FIND YOUR IDEAL SPANISH PROPERTY SegundaMano

! SegundaMano is a repository for scams and cons, especially in car and electronics sales. However, the property sales page is extremely good and is populated by a mix of estate agents, private sales and estate agents â&#x20AC;&#x153;pretendingâ&#x20AC;? to be private sales :-). ! Extremely good for content but with limited search functionality. Segunda Mano also has an app which allows many filters to guide you towards the property type you may want. Whatever you do though keep away from the iPads and cars for sale. Ask us if you want to know more about why.

HOW TO FIND YOUR IDEAL SPANISH PROPERTY Kyero

! Occupying a slightly different market, Kyero is aimed squarely at the international English speaking market and is a portal for estate agents wanting to target foreign buyers. Having learnt a lot from portals such as Right Move and Prime Location, Kyero keeps things simple. ! It has good listings pages and it is easy to contact agents who usually speak English. One caveat is that when you enquire about a property you may get various responses from different agents as they send out enquiries to agents for similar properties to that which you actually requested.

Coming in April 2015

A great friend of the SPM, Caroline Angus Baker has set a trilogy of books against the background of Valencia. Take a look at all three and get hold of them at Amazon. Oftentimes there are excellent offers on them as part of Caroline’s continuing promotion ! Check out Caroline’s Author Page on Amazon where you can find all of her books so far and will be able to get the final part of the Valencian trilogy “Death in the Valencian Dust” in April 2015

SPANISH PROPERTY MAGAZINE ISSUE 25

SPAIN *

SPANISH PROPERTY MAGAZINE (SPM) Issue 25

WHY WOULD YOU BUY A SPANISH PROPERTY? WHEN YOU BUY A PROPERTY IN SPAIN TO MODERNISE

A CLOSER LOOK AT MIJAS IN MALAGA

UPDATE ON SPANISH TAX LAW AND THE PROPERTY MARKET IN SPAIN

PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT IN SPAIN - FINDING THE GEMS

WHY WOULD YOU BUY A PROPERTY IN SPAIN?

WHY WOULD YOU BUY A PROPERTY IN SPAIN? Just look at the figuresâ&#x20AC;Ś

According to the latest figures, foreign buyers of property in Spain are returning in droves. Scandinavian buyers are up by 450% compared with 2006, for example. That is the outlier but all other countries, that matter in numbers for the Spanish Property Market have increased, some greatly, except one country, the UK.

The British are back into the Spanish Property Market now but not in the same numbers as in the period before the great crash of 2006-2008. There are various reasons for this and one of them makes the UK a special case. However the tendency is up and with the UK economy and unemployment figures showing positive signs we can expect the latent demand to increase even further over the next few years.

British buyers are still down by 76% against the numbers before the crash but there are certain factors that suggest the UK is a special case.

The question is: Why are the figures not as high for the British?

WHY WOULD YOU BUY A PROPERTY IN SPAIN? Firstly, there can be no denying that the buying power of the pound is key. The pound fluctuated mostly between 1.45 and 1.50 euros to the pound for almost the whole of the early 2000’s. When prices on Spain became unsustainably high in 2006 British buyers started falling in numbers but then they fell off a cliff in 2008 when the British government effectively devalued the pound in two months due to the collapse of Lehman Brothers to avoid the worst of the Great Recession.

When you buying power goes down from 1.50 to 1.06 euros to the pound in a couple of months demand is crushed on large purchases such as homes abroad. Pensioners living in Spain, on a fixed income ,suffered greatly leading others to worry about how they would manage in a newly perceived more expensive country. Secondly, Spanish developers targeted British buyers above all others prior to 2006. It was an easy market to target. British buyers had no problems getting credit to purchase, compared to German buyers for example who needed much greater levels of their own money to invest, and developments were marketed as “Blackpool in the sun”, giving the cultural reference that British buyers appreciated but was alien to buyers from Scandinavia, Germany, the Low Countries etc…

WHY WOULD YOU BUY A PROPERTY IN SPAIN?

So why are the British coming back in numbers now but not in the same way as pre 2008?

! Firstly, the pound has been creeping up in value against the euro reaching around the 1.27 mark against the euro recently. This allied to the price drops averaging between 40-50% from peak mean that property in Spain now is perceived as very cheap compared with prices in very recent memory. The UK is different in this respect as other countries that use the Euro only see the actual ticket price changing not what their currency can buy them.

! Secondly, the huge property price crash didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen to the same extent in the UK so many people have good equity in their property and when they sell up they have more money to spend in a lower price market. Equally the huge price increases in some areas, especially London where prices rose last year by around 26%, mean that a lot of buyers are cashing out and buying into a market where they require no mortgage and can live on a lot lower budget as a result. Anecdotally we have seen huge increases in the numbers of buyers from just London in the last nine months after the figures for price rises in London were announced at the start of this year. When viewed through the prism of London house prices, property in Spain is an absolute bargain even in the more exclusive and expensive areas.

WHY WOULD YOU BUY A PROPERTY IN SPAIN?

Thirdly, the climate continues to aid Spain. The UK weather patterns are not changing greatly but people are more aware these days of the bad weather they are surrounded with and have much more easily accessible data from other countries to view. They see their friends and contacts every day with lovely sunny views over the Mediterranean and temperatures that the UK can only aspire to rarely and they get the itch, an itch they need to scratch. When allied to the price drops in Spain that itch is seen as easy to solve.

Fourthly, other countries are making it much more onerous to have a property there. Italy put a wealth tax in place for all property held in other countries for residents, making becoming a resident hazardous in the sense of it could become very expensive. France increased its capital gains and wealth taxes massively too meaning that even though prices in France are relatively low now they will continue to be that way for a long time and even if you manage to make a capital gain, over 75% of it will be taken away from you on sale. Germany continues to encourage low growth in house prices by always increasing the supply and encouraging rental above ownership, which may be eminently sensible for an economy as it is more dynamic, but is not great from an Anglo Saxon viewpoint as the house is seen as a piggy bank and way to make money through investing.

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Further afield it had become hazardous to invest in many countries. The Arab Spring caused uncertainty in many North African countries and buyers are shying away, there are problems in Egypt, the Balkans are always a bit up in the air, Turkey has the issue of Syria on its doorstep and the problems in the Ukraine mean that the Black Sea was off the menu. Spain, Portugal and other countries are seen as more safe havens.

WHY WOULD YOU BUY A PROPERTY IN SPAIN?

So as a British buyer why would you now be considering Spain more than in previous years? Why would YOU buy property in Spain:

• It looks as if the price drops are now levelling out because of the demand from other countries as well as the UK and the stirrings of internal demand in Spain itself. • The pound buys you more euros than it did previously. • Spain is a safe haven compared with many other countries. • There is a possibility of capital gain in the future as basement prices mean that the only way is up (or at worst flatlining) • The quality of life in Spain remains excellent for those who have money to spend. • The cost of living in spain has actually dropped in many aspects over the last few years, deflation in the market has meant that day to day expenses are now cheaper adjusted for inflation, than a few years ago. When will you be joining the growing demand?

THE LATEST SPANISH PROPERTY TAX NEWS AND REPORTS

A few weeks ago we wrote an article about how certain sellers of Spanish property will have to pay more tax next year if they do not manage to sell their property quickly. The general view of course is that this was a stupid move on behalf of the Spanish government and it meant that certain sellers were desperate to get rid of their properties before the property market in Spain moved into 2015.

Well, guess what? In a fit of “oh my God we are going to lose some middle class votes” realization, the Spanish government has now said that this new law will only apply to properties priced over €400,000. Therefore, if you are in the market for a property that has been held in the family for a long time and priced between €400-500,000 expect the actual declared price to be €399,995 when you buy it, however much you actually pay for it.

Another sign of panic by the Spanish government.

However what they haven’t changed, at least in certain areas, is that if you are buying a property and the tax bill is potentially higher than what it would be when you apply a fixed percentage then you may have to pay more in many parts of Spain. Take a look at our previous blog post about this and be aware that it may happen if you are not fully informed of the consequences of the Valor Catastral.

THE LATEST SPANISH PROPERTY TAX NEWS AND REPORTS I am pretty sure that eventually this new law will disappear too. However until it does we have made steps to contract somebody experienced in the market, recognized by the Spanish courts and able to write full reports on properties giving them a real market value if you find yourself with a need to appeal. If you need more information about this just send us an email to info@Spanishâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Property.net.

! Meanwhile in general the market keeps on moving nicely with foreign buyers moving into the more popular areas of Spain and the national market is also starting to move at certain price points, usually around the 100k and below area. Banks have been instructed to give mortgages a bit more freely by the central government and they are starting to do that although the percentages they give are still a lot lower than they were in the past.

! There are many foreign investment funds buying into the Spanish market too and this means that Spain is still seen as a very attractive country to make profits for these funds. Therefore you should also consider Spain as a good place to buy a decently priced property before prices start to go up eventually as where vulture funds go individual buyers follow.

! Here at the Spanish Property Network we continue to keep an eye on the market for you and will inform you when there are major changes afoot. If you have any questions donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate to ask us at info@spanish-property.net

A CLOSER LOOK AT MIJAS IN MALAGA BY OUR LOCAL EXPERT

Today we take a look at Mijas in Malaga, overlooking the heart of the Costa Del Sol on Spain’s southern coast. However Mijas has much more to it than just the golden beaches of the Costa del Sol. Read on…

The municipality of Mijas is in the province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalucía, in southern Spain. It is situated on the southwestern coast of Spain.

Mijas belongs to the municipality of Costa del Sol Occidental. Its core is a typically Andalusian white-washed village located on a mountainside, at about 450 metres above sea level, in the heart of the Costa del Sol region.

Despite often being referred to as simply “Mijas”, it can be divided into several different areas that offer completely different lifestyles.

A CLOSER LOOK AT MIJAS IN MALAGA BY OUR LOCAL EXPERT The municipality of Mijas is best divided into the following areas: – Mijas Pueblo (the original whitewashed hillside village) – Mijas Campo (the more rural area, inland and countryside locations) – Mijas Costa (the main commercial and residential area including areas such as El Chaparral, Torrenueva, Calahonda and Riviera del Sol) – La Cala de Mijas (originally a small fishing village and now a popular, small village by the sea), also sometimes referred to as Mijas Costa – Las Lagunas (largely suburban and mixed commercial area located south of Mijas campo and north of Fuengirola).

Each of these areas of Mijas offer their own lifestyles.

If you like breathtaking views and country living, you should consider the areas just outside Mijas Pueblo and Mijas Campo.

A CLOSER LOOK AT MIJAS IN MALAGA BY OUR LOCAL EXPERT If you prefer to be walking distance from amenities such as shops, schools, bars and restaurante then La Cala de Mijas, Las Lagunas and Mijas Pueblo are where you should be looking.

For sun seekers and leisurely golf lovers, Mijas Costa may be the place to start your search.

If you are looking to move to Mijas, whether renting or a purchasing a property, you have come to the right place. We have lots of information about Mijas to share with you.

Mijas has something for everybody, it is simply a matter of looking in the right place. We are waiting to help you â&#x20AC;Ś

WORK LIFE BALANCE IN SPAIN SPAIN’S LITTLE SECRET FOR LIVING THE GOOD LIFE

There is a great lie about the Spanish people that they only have leisure time, that they don’t work and that they are always on siesta. Work Life Balance in Spain is thought to actually not include “Work“. In many places the image of the Spaniard is having a siesta underneath a cactus (But then again Mexico and Spain are easy to confuse aren’t they? ;-))

! A little known fact is that the Spanish work the longest hours of any country in Europe, whether that is productive time is questionable, but the basic fact is correct. Therefore the average Spanish person needs to think carefully about what they do with their spare time because when you start work at 9 or 10 in the morning and don’t finish until 8 in the evening there aren’t that many hours in the day left.

! Leisure in Spain can be divided into various areas; family time, friends’ time and activities. Unfortunately like the rest of the world Spain has a bad addiction and that is to bad television. Apparently people in Spain are known to watch an average of 4 hours per day of TV. That is an extraordinary amount of time to be watching total rubbish, because, let’s face it, that’s what it is. However, luckily for us that time is reducing in the last few years, other types of screen are taking over, and the Spanish are giving over more time to other activities. Let’s look at them in turn.

WORK LIFE BALANCE IN SPAIN SPAIN’S LITTLE SECRET FOR LIVING THE GOOD LIFE !

Family and Meal Time

Spanish families tend to be very close. The family meal is still pretty sacrosanct in the Spanish family and everyone will gather for the midday or evening meal and rather than just stuffing the food down, they will sit and discuss life, the Universe and everything and come up with the answer of 42.

One of the activities that the Spanish enjoy most is the “Sobremesa” which is the period spent around the table after a meal shooting the breeze. They do it with family at home but even more so with friends while out. This is where the Spanish reputation for long mealtimes comes from. Not for them a ten minute sandwich at their desk, Spanish lunches can easily run to two or even three hours. That period in work after lunch between 5 and 8 doesn't tend to be quite as productive as a result.

An extension of this is the weekend family picnic, barbecue or paella (In the Valencia region) If you are invited to one expect it to start at around 1pm and finish sometime after dusk (Even on the longest day of the year).

Remember that Spanish families often stay very close geographically too so huge family gatherings involving all generations of the family are not only common but also the essential glue that binds the family together.

WORK LIFE BALANCE IN SPAIN SPAINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LITTLE SECRET FOR LIVING THE GOOD LIFE !

Friends

Time with friends usually revolves around cafes, bars and sports, often combined into one. The bars always have the digital TV subscription to the sports channels and whenever there is a big football match, basketball game, cycling tour, handball or any other event that the bars will fill with groups of friends to watch the game and harangue the referee while questioning his parentage. The weird thing is that the bars often empty totally as soon as the match finishes with no post match discussion (Tertulia) unlike other countries.

Other activities with friends of course include meeting up for sports, whether that be tennis, padel, cycling, football, gym or whatever. Sport plays a large part in Spanish life as can be seen through the exceptional facilities that even most small towns have. Also you can view huge numbers of Spanish people keeping fit, jogging, doing Pilates or just generally showing off their new sports gear, they love lycra even if their bodies donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, in any city park on any night of the year. The benign climate helps of course but sport is seen as a way to get out, enjoy yourself and meet others.

WORK LIFE BALANCE IN SPAIN SPAINâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LITTLE SECRET FOR LIVING THE GOOD LIFE !

Activities

The Spanish are not as great culture vultures as they used to be, piracy of films is rife due to the high cost of cinema for example (21% VAT on ticket sales anyone?) and many, many cinemas are closing down all around Spain. Theatre is suffering in the same way with honourable exceptions and concerts are becoming fewer and fewer by the big artists as the local councilsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; budgets for the fiestas have been slashed and therefore there is a different, more community emphasis within the fiestas themselves.

Fiestas still rank high on the activity front and nobody would dream of missing the fiestas in their own town which of course are always the best in Spain. Most fiestas are organised well in advance, oftentimes during the whole year in advance and that organization starts the day after the previous ones have finished.

WORK LIFE BALANCE IN SPAIN SPAIN’S LITTLE SECRET FOR LIVING THE GOOD LIFE !

What’s the Point?

Well, Spain has just been named as the second best place in the World to live for Work Life balance, just losing out to Denmark in first place, those pesky Danes (See the table below) So despite the long working day the Spanish in general do know how to enjoy themselves and make the most use of their time when they are not working. And again Spain comes second in the life expectancy stakes just behind Japan’s Okinyawa province. The Valencia Region is considered by the World Health organisation to have the second best climate in the World.

So, the question is “When will you be joining them, and us, in living a better lifestyle?”

DEVELOPING PROPERTY IN SPAIN WHAT YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR

DEVELOPING PROPERTY IN SPAIN WHAT YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR Everything is cheap! You can pick up anything by offering 50% less than asking price, people will accept. Just turn up with some cash in your hand and you can buy anything! Property development in Spain is easy!

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All are wrong. All are rather stupid perceptions of the Spanish property market.

Finding the undervalued gem in Spanish real estate is not easy but it is possible.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face it there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a Spanish Property Market. (I have written about segmentation in the Spanish Property market many times before) There is nothing so homogenous as a Spanish Property Market as such. Every region is different, every town has its own local factors and every property has a story. Every person or entity (read banks) selling a property sells for their own reasons. Sometimes it is because they want or need to move on, sometimes there are money problems (especially for the banks ;-)), sometimes they are upgrading to their dream home and sometimes the seven year itch hits them and they just fancy a change.

DEVELOPING PROPERTY IN SPAIN WHAT YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR The question however is how do you find the undervalued gem in Spanish Property? It is especially pertinent if you are looking for an investment property to flip or rent out with maybe the potential for capital gain in the future. So here are our tips for those people looking to find the below market value property in Spain that stands out like a sore thumb. There are various things to look for.

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Location

As always in real estate, location is king. If a property is in the right place then it will be good for renting out and also good for eventual sale or flipping. However location is not exclusive. If a property is in a good location then it is unusual for it to be well below market values unless you find one or more of the other reasons below in conjunction with it.

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Laziness

Presentation of property for sale is key these days and many people are too lazy to do anything to make the place look presentable, I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even mention the word impressive. If the owner is too lazy to even clean up, or even better has a diamond in the rough that they are either too lazy to modernize or cannot afford to modernize, then you have a good chance of picking it up for a below market value price.

DEVELOPING PROPERTY IN SPAIN WHAT YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR Development ! You need to know what is going to be happening in the local area regarding planning and development. Is there a plan to put a new park opposite on the waste ground currently there? Is there a new sports centre going to be built? Will a huge tourist attraction or new shopping centre be opening soon? If so these are all things that can affect the future price and also the desirability of the property for rental and future sales.

Lifts ! If you pick up a fourth or fifth floor flat without a lift (elevator to our American friends) is there the potential or plan to put one in? A lift in a building can double the value of a flat on the fifth floor very easily, however the effect on price of an apartment on the first floor is relatively negligible. Therefore if you notice that there is space to put in a lift and, even better, the community has discussed it and are asking for price quotations from installation companies then it might well be worth jumping on that fifth or even higher floor apartment as it has a huge price jump once the lift is put in.

Modernization of the building ! If the facade of the building is looking tired and it needs work or painting then check out if the community have any plans to do anything about it before buying. If they have already started asking for quotes from companies to paint and make it look better then buying before the job is done and selling once finished may mean a much easier sale. Some facades are really beautiful but need a good clean up and painting. The clean look of a classical facade or a simple paint job can change the initial perception of the property for future buyers and tenants.

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Style

Is the place you are looking at tired, old, with 1950â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dark wood furnishings, an avocado coloured bathroom that cockroaches would shun, and even a kitchen that would shame the Young Ones? If so you may be able to make it a lot better for a small price.

DEVELOPING PROPERTY IN SPAIN WHAT YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR Decoration costs little in Spain, bathrooms and kitchens are not expensive and all other modernization tasks can maybe get done for a lot less than you think. In many cases the apartment will just require freshening up if some of the other reasons given here are in place too then you can do a quick flip for profit.

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Walls

We are lucky that in Spain properties are built as they are. What does that mean? Well walls do not bear weight in a property in general. Pillars and beams bear weight so you can generally knock out a wall without putting the structural integrity of the building at risk (always get this checked out by an architect or buildings inspector but it is usually the case) This is important because traditionally Spanish apartments have lots of small bedrooms because Spanish families tended to be large in the past. This means oftentimes the apartments seem dark and airless. Opening out spaces and using the light that flows into apartments can give them a totally different feeling and put a lot of value into a property. A four bedroom property converted into a two bedroom one with large bedrooms and light will sell much better usually and that is totally counter intuitive.

DEVELOPING PROPERTY IN SPAIN WHAT YOU NEED TO LOOK OUT FOR Land ! If you are looking to buy a house as opposed to an apartment then the classification of the land can mean you are buying something that is undervalued. There are generally three types of land, rustic, urbanizable and urban. If you buy a house on urban land it will generally cost a lot more than a house on rustic land for the same type of house but sometimes you can find a house on rustic land that may have a lot of land and it is due to be converted into urban land in the local plans. If this is the case then you might be sitting on a potential future goldmine.

However bear in mind there could also be an urbanization plan in place and the supply of tarmac roads, mains drainage, street lights, pavements and more will inevitably have a cost. The more land you have the greater this cost. When you have a large plot that cost could well be huge. However the land value on changing from rustic to urban classification is a huge difference and more often than not will massively overcompensate any cost. This is one to be really careful with though and you will need the money to pay for any infrastructure costs that may occur.

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The Four Horsemen of the Spanish Property Apocalypse

I have written a previous post about the four horsemen that you can see here. Take a good look. All of the above methods are opportunities but the best opportunities always come from othersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; problems unfortunately. You can help people out going through death, disease, divorce or debt even if it seems from outside that you are just taking advantage of their misfortune. You are not. Read the other post well and then come back here for our conclusion.

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One More Thing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A Caveat

Remember though it is not as simple as finding a place and selling it a few weeks later for ten per cent more. If you did that you would lose money. The buying costs in Spain are high so you really need to find well below market value properties to even contemplate this. Once you do it though there are plenty of opportunities on the market. There is a system though and if you employ the tactics and look for the conditions detailed above then you will have a much greater chance of finding that diamond in the rough wherever you are.

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