Amarilla

€230 is really expensive! It only costs 7 euros each if you do it yourself and it is a very simple process.

BigD

We sold up and moved to Javea two years ago, and we were 56 & 58 when we moved .We do not need to work so it might be a lot different if you have to work.You don't need visas or anything to live here either.
Saying that we knew we wanted to live in this area, and so we rented for two months until we found a place to live.
My advice is to do that, and stay clear of agencies offering you inspection trips etc, they will only show you what they want , and you will not see what is on the market in that area, so rent and do your only looking around.
I wish we could have moved years ago I highly recommend it, the legal things can be a bit of a nightmare but once that is over it is wonderful.
Like eveywhere else there are good and bad areas the more expensive areas always seem to have less crime etc, but friend of ours have children in school here and they are ever so happy with things.
Go ahead , but rent in the area you decide on, and do some market research on the internet for statistics etc, and Best of Luck.
Regards.

Lynn R

Whilst I too am desperate to move out to Spain (have had my English house on the market for 6 months but no luck yet), I would urge you to think long and hard about making the move if you need to work when you get there.

We bought our house in Spain 3 years ago (by remortgaging our English house and also taking out a mortgage in Spain, plus money we had for a deposit and legal fees). Since then we have met a few English families who live in the same town and the ones of working age really struggle. One example - a couple, both of whom speak fluent Spanish. He has had jobs in a garage and on building sites but it seems very easy for employers not to issue proper work contracts and after a few months the job comes to an end and they have a few weeks or months without an income until he finds another one. As they have two school age children and can't afford to pay for after school childcare the wife can only do part time work - she found a job with a financial services firm for a time but had endless problems of not getting paid at the end of the month so had to give it up. Another couple we know get by by the wife keeping her job in England (she works on a job share basis for an airline) and spending two weeks at work followed by two weeks in Spain with her family whilst her husband looks after the children and gets work as and when he can as a painter and decorator. Neither of these seem like the ideal situation to me and I couldn't sleep at night without a secure income.

As much as I dislike my life in England now, I have not been in a position to contemplate moving until my partner received an inheritance last year which, together with the proceeds from the sale of our English house, will enable us to pay off our mortgages and have enough to live on (modestly) until our pensions become payable.

jennydor

Applying for your NIE is free and your residencia is 6-7€ per person, very simple to do too.

We moved to Spain 2 years ago and rented a place in Coin, a lovely little village.. we even felt settled enough to say we would probably stay there and eventually buy a place there, 1 year in I relocated 850k to the east coast of Spain for work reasons, so even though you come over it probably would be best to long term let for 6-12 months and see how you feel.
it will give you time to look at work prospects and get a feel of the local towns and villages, Spain is a big place with beautiful towns wherever you go.
Good luck and best wishes.