Lap1

Hello,

We are a family of 4 with two young children below the age of 6 currently looking for a lifestyle change. Gibraltar ticks every box for us except the price and size of the property you get for your money. It seems we would have to trade a house with 4 beds and a good garden for a tiny 2/3 property in somewhere like Ocean Village.

So, these are our options, it would be great to hear from other families who have been in the same situation, what did you do?

1) Live in Gibraltar, school in Gibraltar - high rent/mortgage for a small apartment - possibly the safest option!

2) Live in Sotogrande, kids go to international school (high fees) - but still a house or larger apartment than Gibraltar

3) Live in Sotogrande, kids go to Spanish state school - larger house with pool etc (possibly the most risky option)

4) Live in Sotogrande kids go to school in Gibraltar (high fees?) I do not know the true cost or if this is even possible or practical??

This is not all about the money, education is a big worry/factor.
Any help, thoughts would be greatly appreciated

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

Fredbargate

Options
1) Many people do.

2) Costs

3) The most sensible option, at least financially

4) Costly, but again it is done

However you do not say whether you will both be working? if so who will look after the children out of school hours in each scenario?

The traveling time from work to Sotogrande by car is about a half hour, but that depends on the frontier and many hours of queuing both by car or on foot is always a risk.

Lap1

Only one of us will be working, as long as I have a laptop and an internet connection I can work anywhere.

Everything works with the Gibraltar option except the property!

Fredbargate

The Gibraltar option will cost from around £1000/mnth for a 2 bed property and from £1250 upwards for a 3 bed.

However I always recommend that people take their first rental in Gib for at least 6 months whilst researching other options.

Lap1

After a couple of weeks deliberating the answer has been staring me in the face all along: Small property in Gibraltar (mainly for the school, Monday to Thursday) and a larger property in Spain (Friday to Sunday)

Best of both worlds, or am I missing something???

Fredbargate

Many use this solution

Lap1

Is it as easy as that? It would be great to hear from another family with experience using this solution!

Fredbargate

There are very few Gibraltar residents on this site.

However the number with holiday homes in Spain runs into thousands.

JulesD

These are the exact questions that we are facing, but we absolutely do not have the option of renting / buying 2 properties as we will be keeping the house in the UK at least in the short term.
we were looking at Sotogrande, but it was suggested that its VERY remote. I don't mind quiet, but I don't really want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere trying to build a new life.
Its the school aspect which worries me. I cant seem to find a commutable location from the Gib boarder with a state school. I'm going round in circles on Google and my Hubby is currently driving round in circles in Spain.
Apparently the boarder is currently grid-locked which is improving his mood none.


Did you make the move? Are you settled now / did it all work out?

Help.

Fredbargate

At this moment the frontier is pretty quiet, no gridlocked or even busy

Welcome to the delights of having a friendly EU neighbour called Spain

http://www.frontierqueue.gi/split-view-cam.aspx

Lap1

Firstly I must say last week we had no problem with the border, certainly not gridlocked. I must also add we have not made the move, yet.

Last week we went out to Gib and Soto for 5 days, viewed some property and had a good look around. Here are my findings, all based on personal circumstance.

As we all know property in Gib is expensive. We would need to spend £500-£600k on a suitable property - we do not a want a downgrade to what we have in the UK. If your budget is lower and you want 3 bedrooms I would say the minimum investment would be £400k if buying in Gib. I must also add if you need a mortgage the rates are higher than the UK and there are only 3 lenders currently offering mortgages in Gib.

We found Sotogrande quiet but certainly not in the middle of nowhere, Soto is a vast area and definitely a nice place to live. However I would not want to commute to Gib for school everyday and personally I think now is not a good time to put any capital in Spain. This rules Spain out for us.

What are you personal circumstances? Why are you moving?

Fredbargate

Last week a 2 hour queue was reported but unfortunately I cannot find the article.

Here is one from last year:-
Queues of over three hours at the Frontier
GBC - Gibraltar News - GBC TV and Radio Gibraltar

Also 21/8/2014
Just as you thought it couldn't get any worse ? Gibraltar's security and emergency services braced themselves for gridlock. Over the last year, we've seen seven hour vehicle tailbacks, three hour pedestrian queues, document checks, car searches, intimidation by special forces and media campaigns. Now a new development ? the most sustained, ongoing period of delays at the border since the whole thing began. For nearly twenty four hours, a continuous spate of checks by the Guardia Civil officers.
GBC - Gibraltar News - GBC TV and Radio Gibraltar

Whilst recently the queues have not been bad it will normally be the rush hour queues that are the worst and are unpredictable extending up to 12 or more hours in the past

Welcome to the EU and Freedom of Movement

Lap1

Finally we made the choice and went with Gibraltar! After a couple of visits it made sense in so many more ways than Spain. Our UK house is under offer and we have found a nice house in the south district. Fingers crossed we should move in August, it all depends on how long it takes for our UK house sale to go through.

However, this all depends on the referendum!

Fingers crossed we remain in the EU! If the outcome is to leave we will not be continuing with the purchase of the house in Gib and we will rent for 12 months. This clause is actually written in our pre contractual deposit.

teejaydee

Sorry to appear dense, but what immediate change(s) are you anticipating if the UK votes for a Brexit? Do you have a "Plan B" if there is a Brexit vote?