P.TINKS

Hi all, please, please can some of the recent posters use new reply rather than just reply, it is taking one hell of a lot of space up. Use a quote if necessary.

Jon-Bxl

Thanks John for the very informative post(s) re banking...

Regards
Jon

juan carlos

Hello, my name is juan carlos and we are a family from Madrid. We have bought an apartment at Rago 2 - Costa Esuri.
Now we are yet living at our apartment, since a long way to get furniture, services ( gas, electricity..).
We visit costa esuri since october for our holidays an the last time we stay was the past week, we enjoyd 6 days living and sleeping in our new home.
I offer my experience for you about questions common for us if you want to ask me.
Thank you and sorry about my english ( not very good).

( I have done some photo shots, about the apartaments area, if anibody want to share please send me a post and I will send you by mail)

EsuriJohn

Hola Juan Carlos,

Welcome to the Costa Esuri forum. Do not be concerned about your English it is 1000 times better than my Spanish.

Do you really mean that you have signed your Escritura in front of the Notario. If you have, everybody on the thread will call round to buy you a drink since I do think you must be the first person we have heard of who has completed their purchase. If so this is tremendous news possibly the best news I have heard this year. You and your family are the start of something BIG.

Have you really slept on the Urbanisation Costa Esuri? In your own new home? It really seems so hard to believe it is really happening at last.

Our founder Sam Parky flies to Esuri today and will be thrilled to hear that someone has moved in. She has had to rent in Ayamonte because her home was not ready but this will mean that it cannot be long now for others.

Regards,

John.

PS You can post your photo shots on the thread as attachments if you want to.

Mike and Diane

John

There are now some 5 to 6 completions in the appartments. We saw people in their homes when we visited last week.

Mike &Di

EsuriJohn

Hi All,

Has anyone from the Forum completed and if so what was the process and where was it done? How much notice did Fadesa give? Anyone done it without a Solicitor or Estate Agent? How difficult was the Language difference? Did Fadesa produce the translated Escritura which Paula told me they were preparing?

So many questions, I would like to meet up with anyone who's done it, I'll buy the food and beer in exchange for the information.

Regards,

John.

Dantill

Hi All

If you look on property updates on luzliving I see it says blocks 1-9 have been released!

Hope somebody tells the owners about this forum so we can get some feedback on how it all went..

Regards

Lynn

EsuriJohn

Hi Dantil & Mike and Diane

Things are looking up. MichaelH slipped that through unnoticed no new photo's just a quiet text amendment..

It was yesterdays bombshell by Juan Carlos that made me sit up and take notice, he actually lived on CE for a week!! Now I've got to find the odd 100,000 euro by the end of January and I thought it was going to be a quiet Christmas.

Still better this kind of problem than worries about who was going to get there first Fadesa or the Grim Reaper

Regards,

John

Michaelh

Didn´t mean to slip it in unnoticed(As the forum now has so many good pictures). I just want to prepare the photos for this afternoon. A full update will be up by 7 this evening.
As regards completions on Rago, I don´t personally know anyone who has moved in but I know a few people who have completed and are cleaning their apartment to get ready for furniture delivery.

Regards
Michael

Val D

Hi John
We have not yet completed but we are due to do so on the 29th of this month. I will post with our experience when we get back - not due back until 8th Jan.
Regards Val

juan carlos

Hello, thank you about your reply.
Really I signed front notario past october ( I signed at Madrid, my residence town, where Fadesa has some people too ), and I complete all, complete furniture too and stay at my apartment for two days at october. The past week ( from 2 to 10 - december I have sleeping at my apartment and we had a lovely days ) with a wonderfull weather ( I was playing golf with my little son Carlos - 6 years olds - with a temperature of 20 degrees and very sunny ). I think we are the first family to live there but the first apartments are completed and there is more family cleaning the apartments and carring furniture.
Actually the situation at Costa Esuri is:
- Road access are working ( especially the access brigde).
- Gas Service: The mean instalation not working yet, but you can contract with spanish gas company - Gas Natural and they provide you of this services with gas bottles ( This bottles you need to change every 2/3 weeks and are very easy to find at Ayamonte- In the gasoline service ).
- All official documentation ( licencia de primera ocupación, fin de obra, boletines de instalacion) are ready for the Rago 2 apartments.
- I tink it must be no possible to sign the others, townhouses and " El pueblo andaluz", because I saw that the houses are no finished and then it needs some days to get the official documentation.
- The first golf course is begining to became green, with a few grass. I think it wont be able to play at less until june-july/2006.
- Security: There is a security patrol service working in Costa Esuri area. The workers are very friendly and watch you are ok.
- Furniture: Really I carrie part of my apartment from Madrid, but I have bought some furniture at Ayamonte - Muebles Mateos and dont forget visit the village of LEPE, the biggest population at the area, where you can find some shops. We have bought especialy at the shop Arrayan ( only for decoration objetcs, no beds, tables...), in the center of Lepe. I was visiting furniture shops at Portugal but prices was more expensive and furniture older than Huelva.
- Is possible too, buy furniture at IKEA. They have a big shop in Sevilla ( in the Sevilla-Huelva Roadway ) and the transport charge is over 90 euros only.
- There is too a big comercial center ( spanish: Hipermercado ) Carrefour at the nearest village of Cartaya ( over 30 km from Costa Esuri using the Roadway - A49- ). You can see the Carrefour Online shop at www.carrefour.es. Carrefour has many shops at Spain and prices are very goods, especialy for electronics and kitchen machines ( refrigerator, watching machines, microwaves...). I think they carries the goods to your home without charging or a very cheap one.
- If you want to buy home textil, the best option is Portugal - Vila Real do Santo Antonio, is the first town at Portugal.
- We have bought too some articles at Comforta, bath accesories, one table...
- About Gardens: We have an apartment with a 90 m2 garden. Fadesa says they will plant ( ?) grass in all the houses but not yet. I have ask for prices to 4 persons at Ayamonte about garden instalation. Setos, trees, stone walks.... Comforta offers me the expensive prices, but I have to see them again because is possible a new offer for them. Others offer prices since 1500 euros for initial garden complete instalation. Now I am talking with oder person who has done too an good offer about the common aeras gardens maintenance, through the comunity administrator. They do too individual gardens, and I have a good impression about them. Now I am looking about a good price monthly maintenance, but this little company that I said ( Soluciones en Verde ), with office at Isla Canela Golf urbanizacion, is going to do a global offer at the Rago 2 propietaries because if there is many people using their services the final price it wont be very expensive ( I have recived other offers about 70 euros monthly but is possible final montly price will be cheapest ).

Well, I think this information will be good for you. Please ask me about any question and if I will be abble i reply ( golf, places, hotels...).

Other question, I work in a Spanish Bank, my Bank not works at Huelva and bi the way, I can not offer to you ours services, but if you have some bank question or notaria, documentation.... question, sure I reply for you.

At last, really we have done a great investment. The apartment prices we bought the past year was about 120.000 / 150.000 euros. The actual prices and values for the apartment of 150.000 euros ( like our ) are over 240.000 euros.

best regards, Juan Carlos

TicktonTyke

Hola Juan Carlos
Thanks for all the info.
It is great to see that some of our Spanish neighbours are finding this British Expat site. I asked David at the shed how many Spanish people had bought on CE and he thought it was about 30%, this pleased me as I don't really want to have a holiday home in Little England (or Little Britain for that matter).
Glad your experience of CE is so positive so far as you are leading the way for the rest of us.

Thanks again
Ian

EsuriJohn

Mindful of P Tinks castigation but with ref to Juan Carlos's very interesting post.

Hola Juan Carlos,

Lo siento, no hablo Español muy bien, pero comprendo un poco, puede ayudarme

Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo

That's about it I'm afraid, the Christmas greeting was from last nights Spanish lesson. I'm sorry, but much as we love Madrid we really can't wine and dine you for information it's just too far. However I know there is much that you can pass along. For instance you signed in Madrid because that was your choice so I am definitely not going to accept signing Punta Umbria as Fadesa have suggested. We are buying a plot so we will have to revisit the Notario later to register the house and it makes sense for us to insist on Ayamonte.

You must be one of the very first to sign if you completed in October and you will be the founding member of the "Comunidad de Propietarios" and of the "Entidad Urbanistica Colaboradora de Gestión y Conservación", Have Fadesa produced the paperwork to set up these bodies correctly and who is the President and Administrator?

It is especially good to hear that the correct paperwork to allow occupation is all in good order, on other threads you read of people who have bought property with no paperwork and are now being dispossed or having their electricity cut off. As I understand it these are the ones we should get :-

1. "Certificado de fin de obra". This literally means the certificate of finished work. It is issued by the "arquitecto" and the "aparejador" (technical architect) and stamped by their respective colleges. This is the official confirmation that the apartment/house/villa has been built in accordance with the plans stipulations.

2. "Cedula de habitabiliad". Literally the the certificate of habitability. It is issued by the Ayuntamiento or Provincia declaring that the premises are fit for living in.

3. "Boletin de instalaciones electricas". A certificate for the electrical installation issued by the electrician who has done the wiring of the premises without which you are not able to get the electricity supplier to connect the mains supply.

is the "Licencia de primera occupatión" the same as 2. above or is it in addition to it?

Finally please forgive my rantings on this and other threads about the Spanish Banks, it is the institutions I take exception to (just as to my own bank back here) , the people behind the counter have by and large been delightful particularly your namesake Juan Carlos Castro Fernández at Banco Andalucia in Ayamonte.

There will be many questions from all of us back in UK but enough for now.

Regards,

John.

Ned kelly

For those who want to transfer cash to their Spanish accounts cannot re-iterate how good Currencies Direct were with me, was happy to get a cent below the business exchange rate- approx 1.46 to the £, 6 weeks ago.
The rate was much better as of yesterday, but I was content- 3 months ago 1.42 was nearer the mark.
To get even better rates sign up with 2 companies- I tried with Travelex, but the documentation went through too slowly to barter, they will, it may only be a few cents but those of you who plan on paying cash or a large amount towards your property, savings can be made by dealing with 2 companies.
It follows on from there, that I now have a large amount of cash waiting in an account in Spain, that I expected to have to pay out in December but is sitting idle, without interest, and anticipate will stay there till Feb/Mar.
I know comment has been made, that Fadesa seem as if they are taking the - you know what- out of their customers, who have made substancial financial committment. Since signing the initial papers, the only documents/info I have received were in August, asking me to go to Spain for a snagging trip.
Everything organised, attended in November having spoken to someone in the shed-should have noted who it was, -my fault- lack of concentration- actually blame Easy Jet, sure they got the dates wrong!!got there at my duly appointed time- 11am waited outside in the rain for 10 minutes and went in when the doors were opened.
Grabbed a cup of coffee -waited about for another 15 minutes and was approached by one of the staff to confirm my name and that I was there for an inspection trip.-actually saw the hand written note about our appointment. Was asked to wait for a short time and would be taken up to the site. Turned to my mate, who I am buying the property with, that this is what I had been waiting for, and we were about to see the property that we had already paid over £50000 for.-total excitment.
Downer, the girl came back over and said we had arrived too early, I apologised-being a nice person, and said no problem, what time shall we come back- thinking about 3pm
"February or March"
Was taken aback, did not seem to mean anything that we had taken time off work, obtained a flight, paid for a hotel and forgot to take a brollie.-blamed Easy jet again
Tried to remonstrate and was told that the author of the August letter was to blame- thought it was the author of the notes I had just seen, but may have been wrong, they would not accept that it was Easy Jet
Looked at the house next door and being a true Brit, apologised for being there and would compensate the staff who had to turn out that horrible morning.
In any event, as is quite apparent on this site, no one in Fadesa keeps in touch with their customers.
Tried sending a E mail to Fadesa's head office, wondering if they would compensate my previous trip or sponsor the next one, have heard nothing.
I again apologise for being a pain,
I have always thought Fadesa was a top class, well established company, not now, they are totally lacking in customer relations, they take your 40% and do not possess any form of after care service.
Have little doubt things will be OK, but think they need a good kick up the backside, any ideas on a joint venture?
Ned
PS belated happy birthday SP-won't pick on you again, and Easy Jet have denied any responsibility.

Jon-Bxl

Dear Juan Carlos.

Firstly congratulations on your property purchase - I am delighted to hear that you are so happy with your purchase.

THANK YOU for your VERY informative posts. I am delighted that we have a Spanish Friend 'on the scene' to give us the benefit of your advice! I look forward to meeting you and your family sometime in the near future.

I have a few questions for you - low priority - so when you have a little time free, I would appreciate your responses.

(1). Who did the delivery service from IKEA, and how did you arrange it please? I am worried about standing there with a big pile of boxes, and no way to get them home. If you have a contact telephone number please let us know. Also (2) how did you book this service in advance please?

(3) likewise for Carrefour - please can you explain how you arranged delivery. For example if they have only 1 delivery van, you could be waiting a long time for them to get back. Like IKEA above - I hope there is a way to arrange this in advance.

(4) Do they carry the items up the stairs to your appartment please?

(5) I think you will be the ideal person to advise us about Air conditioning. The prices we are seeing are VERY high (I think). I worry that the local companies are making a huge profit from the foreigners. I often see very good prices in Seville when I come from the airport on the roadside advertisements. You may be able to find a more affordable option from a company in the big city who have "normal prices"... that company would actually get a lot of business as well, so we have an opportunity to do a good deal with them. You probably are far too busy with all this - but if you have a bit of time and are shopping around for A/C for yourself - you may be able to get a better deal for you and for us! I suspect that if you can get a good make of A/C with quiet operation fully installed with heating/cooling/dehumidification, the company could get anywhere from 20 - 100 orders. This is a guess only but I dont think I am exaggerrating to say it could be even more. Hey if you ask for 1% commission you could end up getting yours for free

(6) I can understand your solution for the gas, can you tell us if you have a full electricity service please? There have been worries that there is not enough electricity supply for the whole project. I understand that Fadesa have to build a power sub-station, and this can delay the completions for many people. If you can enquire about this I think we would all find the information useful. Finally (7) do you think that the gas supply is big enough for the development - or is that an issue?

(8) International Bank charges. Please can you tell me what your bank charges to receive Euros into an account from abroad. (9). Please can you tell me what your bank charges to send euros internationally. Lets say its an amount of 100,000 Euros.

Juan Carlos, again I hope I am not bombarding you with questions here - and I look forward to your responses - when you have some time, no rush!

Welcome to the forum, to your new appartment and a very Merry Christmas to you and your family

Regards
Jon