Jen1985 you suggest that luckily you live in Wales. There are lots here who would disagree but again not for Spain this argument but for a Welsh forum.

I love Wales If we could move it to the middle of the med I wouldnt feel the desire to move lol, but we're an outdoors type family and it just aint happening these days with the weather, we've just had a camping trip in Spain and drove down and enjoyed the weather, mixed in with the locals (as best we could without knowing the language) - We just think it's the right move for a better lifestyle outdoors, its going to be difficult, but we're a happy bunch and at the end of the day life is what we make it

Why not have a look at the BBC languages courses? I did one a while back and found it pretty good

The med climate is something else but the heat in Javea in July and August had to be contended with. As I understand matters much hotter further south. Humidity was also a problem and for us a/c a must. We go back in September so it should be cooler.

But absolutely agree an outdoor life is to be commended.

Jen, as my roots are in Cymru I can understand that, even though I was born far to the east of England.
however, surely you understand the "holiday sickness" syndrome is similar to but not as long lasting as "home sickness" ??
many people come to Spain for holidays, get crazy ideas about life out here, how pleasant it all was sitting in the sun.
but reality has to come into it. Spain has in certain months much better weather than the UK which is about a third of the year. But in some months it is far worse than the UK. And the houses are not built for cold weather - hence they have tables with round holes in them to allow a paraffin heater to be lit for when you all sit round the table.

I am looking down on Granada at this moment, nothing but heavy black cloud as far as the eye can see, has rained twice so far. English coats and wooly jumpers are something you should ensure are packed when you move.

However, as to the language - well many UK colleges do foreign language courses both in the evening and during the day, just depends on whether Spanish is being funded - usually it is French and German. Just be prepared for sitting next to a load of oldies.
The biggest problem is once you reach a given point you will start to lose it if you don't keep practicing. So buy loads of post-it notes and go round the house marking everything with the Spanish name. Impose a Spanish day each week where the family can speak nothing but Spanish.
But even more so than in English, some words have more than one unrelated meaning.

hth

With the current situation of the construction sector in Spain, if you say you want to buy a house, you can even get the Spanish residence right away...literally. Since 2013, all those foreigners who buy a house of 500.000€ or more can get the Spanish permanent residence.

As for your credit profile and bank account, just open a bank account whenever you arrive Spain (you can do it with the passport and/or your national ID), and take with you a letter from your bank in your country stating that you have enough money to face a xxx€ mortgage and stating that you have an amazing credit rating.

I've started studying Spanish with duolingo.com and busuu.com. They donät teach much grammar, but you can easily find grammar pages with google to support your studies.

Thanks Domino, it's not just the weather pulling us there but in truth it's a major factor (when's it never for leaving the UK).
We moved to Wales 5 years ago, "home" is about an hour away so not too far, but we know what it is to not get invited to family events because just this one hour drive is considered too far away in some eyes, and not be able to see friends/family every week or even month, and when your only car breaks down and you have nobody to give the kids lifts to school, and babysitters arent free... we had to work everything out locally ourselves and find out way. I don't miss "home" and in truth I hate going back there whenever we have to visit anyone, in Wales I learnt what it is to be happy, and my home is where my husband and daughters are - wherever that is in the world
My hubby wants to play it safe and rent for 12 months over there to make sure we like it and get to know the area better, so the bank account isn't too important just yet I guess, but I think i'll go down to the consulate and get the NIE number sorted still, chances are we're opening a company up over there so I will need it sorting.
Thank you for those websites hatecold - i'll have a look at them

That only applies to non EU citizens who will get the "Golden Visa" as it is often called. EU citizens do not need a visa.

That's right. I just wanted to let people know that now is the least of the problems to buy a house (and a cheap house) in Spain. I know there is free transfer in the EU for EU citizenss and that you do not need a VISA. I guess, he is not going to buy a house of 500.000€ or more either...