Star268

Hi everyone
I'm new to the site. Having visited a couple of regions in Southern Spain, we really liked Costa de la Luz. We are thinking of purchasing a holiday home as a first step to moving over to Spain in retirement. It would be great to find out from anyone already living out in the Chiclana de la Frontera area what it is like to be there permanently. Any information about how easy it is to buy, settle in etc would be gratefully received. Thanks

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Dave n Dee

Try this Cadiz forum- General Board | MyCadiz.biz FORUM

Dxf

Hola

There is ChiFRA the Chiclana Foreign Residents Association www.chifra.org - Home

Davexf

Dxf

Hola,

Approximately half of Chiclana are illegal houses; the new PGOU town plan is seeking to start to rectify the situation. Living in Chiclana and it's surrounds full time can be very enjoyable; but it is not a "corner of Spain that will be forever English" - it is very Spanish and still has ventas for your local.

The beaches are superb, among the best in Spain, and where a vast number of Spanish people holiday. There are sufficient shops to be able to buy everything you need; the town has 84,000 inhabitants.

The summers are hot, the winters feel colder than they should due to humidity. I used eight gas bottles (about 100€) this year.

Ask specific questions and you will get the answers you seek

Davexf

Arco-Iris

As Dave says, it's very Spanish here and you will need to speak it, if you don't already.

We have a hot Levante wind here from May-September at intermittent times and it is ferocious sometimes, like being under a hair dryer. Always good to rent for a few months and see how you like it. It's a buyer's market here, and plenty of properties to rent.

Star268

Hi, thanks for the helpful replies! Not been on the forum for a while. We are looking for somewhere more Spanish than English so that's good. If it's a buyers market, how much below the asking price would you recommend to offer?

Rosemary

Spanish people rarely accept a lower price than that advertised because they have a tendency to set a price and stick to it even if that means that a house is on the market for a long time.

Rosemary

bxpuser24710519

OR put the price up ! :-)

Arco-Iris

Yes, this is common on the Costa de la Luz when Spanish people are selling. However, there are a number of houses for sale by Northern Europeans, mainly British, and many have gone for well below the desired price and include white goods, furniture etc. It's sad to get a bargain on someone else's misery but I guess that's business for you.

Star268

Thanks for all the helpful messages. Can anyone give me some advice urgently re estate agents? We are here in La Barrosa for the weekend. I made arrangements with an estate agent last week to view properties today which he said was ok. I was contacted by email just prior to boarding our flight to be told he now couldn't show us any of the properties as they had all been rented out - this sounds very odd to me. I am hugely disappointed and angry as we will have wasted money on a trip. Two other estate agents didn't bother coming back to me including CadizCasa. I wonder if we are making a mistake thinking of buying in this area even if it is so beautiful. Is this lack of interest in a cash buyer normal?

Dxf

Hola

No it is not usual but..... Most sellers that don't live here do get offers they can't refuse to rent their properties out if they have permanently moved back to the UK.

Property rentals here can be up to 2,000€ a week in July / August and even a three bed property with a pool miles from the beach is nearly 1,000€ a week.

If you are here in Chiclana then walk into any of the estate agents in the town and they should be able to show you properties

Ps. If you make your way to the Venta Florentina in Pago del Humo tonight (Saturday), there is an event in aid of Age Concern so there will be many expats there - ask for "Dave" and I'll happily chat about my fourteen years here in Chiclana


Davexf

Star268

Thanks Dave we will see if we have any luck

Dxf

Hi

Have sent a pm - personal message

Davexf