donnam

hi, i am 38yrs and me and my husband would love to move to southern spain(not sure what area yet). we would like a long term let to start with but have a dog so how does that work can anyone advise.
Also we are thinking of buying an exsisting buisness(not a bar) and wondered what peoples thoughts are, as there seems to be a lot of negativity surrounding buying a buisness, but this would be the only way we could afford to stay in spain as i have read that getting work is nigh on impossible if you don't speak spain. I feel i am getting put off by the idea of moving but want more to life than what i have now. Want to live in the nice sunshine, please help Donna x

HereKittyKitty

Hi Donna welcome.
Sorry can't help with buying a business, but hope you find all the info you need. I would think a LOT of research needed, plus the need to know which area you are going to look at.
We are going for it too, but Hubby will keep working in the UK and just go back and forth until such times he finds suitable employment in Spain (building trade).
Good luck.

donnam

hi, thanks for your reply. yes i have been doing alot of research but it seems to be mind boggling! We not sure what to do either, we only have a small amount of capitol so buying would be out of the question, we would have to rent. maybe my hubby could stay here and work too but seems a bit unfair. Not sure that icould get employment in spain either as i am a support worker. How have you gone about it? would love to talk to you and maybe exchange ideas, please pm me, thanks Donna xx

andyrich666

Im in a similar kind of position, however I plan to diversify and try and carry on my own business rather than buying one.

At first I found it hard to rent somewhere with a Dog but after a while I found it not too hard to convince most people it would be ok, some people are a definate No, so just move on, I have found really its a renters market at the moment, I have been offered so many beautiful places lately its unreal, compared to last year when I couldnt find anywhere.

I dont know what is holding me back, I think its worry if it goes pearshaped I dont want to start again in the UK, im into my 3rd start again and things now bar living/social life are better than ever.

But if I dont do it ill just carry on being depressed here, at least til I move somewhere. I think certainly if not for this group I would have moved a while back but comments I did not like from JDR and a few others opened my eyes up, I lived there a while back but I was just a kid then, had a load of dosh and didnt care, now its different.

The advice here is good, very good in fact - but I think most are retired so are not really well to advise about running a business.

jdr

I was a business man in the UK for over 30 years and also in Spain for a while.
You know how hard it is in UK, then multiply it by 10 to cover the extra paperwork, language, long working hours and low rates of pay etc, then you begin to understand why so many fail and go back to the UK.

donnam

hi, thanks all, i think maybe i might try buying a holiday home first, pay into that then have a base to start my life in spain, don't want to risk money on a buisness if the odds are aginst me Donna

andyrich666

I learn more about you every day

I think its hard enough in the UK, for me im very anti everything and dont do anything by the book, no health and safety no nothing, just get on iwth it til im put down or stopped and start again, lol

but yes its hard in the UK for sure, and I guess for the people who stick to the rules and reg's even harder.

You made some comments to me originally and I tell you I was quite upset and thought you just didnt like me, lol, but I took those rose tinted shades off and I reckon you at the time did me a massive favour, Its trues to say your comments was the main reason I did not just up and leave as I was going to, not matter how high my confidence was at the time.

I had some other issues aswell which was causing me to lose focus on my plans. So I certainly respect your posts now

twyntub

We experienced no problems with a dog and renting, at least with Spanish agents / landlords. Most Spaniards in the campo have dogs anyway, and when we told our local agent we had one she just said (in Spanish) "oh, you'll want a house with grounds then...".

jdr

I appreciate that post.
I like everybody, and just try to give my opinions and advice as I know it.
I would never say anything is easy when it`s not and would sooner err on the hard side, since i have been here I have seen so many people invest a lot of money into things that go tits up and they have lost everything and gone back to the UK.
I am glad you took the advice and had a rethink and checked things out a bit more, at least you can now approach your move knowing a bit more of what to expect.
For example, a lot of people think they can run a bar even though they have no experience, I can drive along Fuengirola seafront, there must be a thousand bars there but I can guarantee only the Spanish ones and a very few UK run ones will have many people in them, and tthe others must just be scratching a living working rediculas hours, I bet anyone living in the area can give you the names of the busy ones as they stand out like a sore thumb.
It is very hard, but it also depends on expectations and you will only take out what you put into it.
I hope everyone has success in their ventures, but the more homework you do the easier it will be.

andyrich666

Well I think Ive done a years more homework since coming here, and bit more to come. I think for sure i could come back to Spain tomorrow and survive for a long while, but now for me I dont want to survive I want more and that is the major worry, If I can adapt to just having a life and living then that is good, but at the moment I want to be there working hard and coining it, But the more I look into it the less I see that.

Before I had all these Ideas, Its a totally diff world though

HereKittyKitty

I agree that "doing everything by the book" makes it very hard to get on.
My Hubby has been self-employed for 5 years now with 1 employee in the building trade and really only makes at the end of the day, a decent salary. Better that though than working all hours to make somebody else rich as he did for 20 years.

Yes there is the potential to make great money in Britain...however it is impossible to hold on to it. Maybe things aren't that different in Spain though.

We aren't even considering he try to run a business in Spain. Hopefully through time, he will, meet other expats who do run successfully which may open doors for him either working for himself or for others. That was one of the conditions I agreed to move to Spain, that he keep working here (we have a Daughter to finance in her Course at the moment, and a Son to help with the purchase of a Flat). We are cutting our outgoings in half (mortgage, energy costs, council tax) taking everything into account in Spain which should allow him to work less hours here and be in Spain quite a bit anyway. Well that's the plan!
Donna I will pm you, yes.

donnam

hi, thanks for that,makes me feel a little better as i wouldn't want to leave my dog behind. do you know of any agents i can contact as i have been surfing the net but none say if they allow pets or not, Donna x

andyrich666

I used the www.holiday-rentals.co.uk site, looked for any that had no bookings, then once I found a few places snet some sneaky emails to the ones with bookings and many were very accomodating, I just wrote a message & copied and pasted it to evertone on there. Most ok with dog too after initial worries for me aswell.

What area of Spain are you looking to move to ??

ANDY

donnam

HiAndy, thanks for the help, will take a look. i feel a bit better knowing i can take them. what area! not sure yet as i have never been to that part of spain before, but hoping to come out in september but will be staying in murcia somewhere. where would you suggest? i.e nice areas with english around and not too pricey, p.m me if you like, thanks Donna

Twopints

Hi Donna,
I move people to spain weekly and am finding more people moving to costa blanca and almeria areas they are all hoping to get a job or start businesses but the competition with all these newcomers is fierce and a lot end up disapointed, i seem to move the more savvy to the costa del sol where property is more expensive but there is more opportunity, this is only my humble opinion


(SNIP)