VikkiK

Hi everyone,

I am just after some advice and info from any of you who live out there in Nerja and surrounding areas...

My partner and I are planning to move out there in the next few months. We are looking in Nerja and Frigiliana.

What is the property market like realistically? Speaking with agents they say all is ok but we all know what's happening with the Euro! We may rent first until things settle down?... However, there does look like there are some good bargains to be had?!

I'd love to hear from any of you who have children at the local school/s... We have a four year old who would be starting school in September... Any recommendations?

Any local clubs anyone can recommend to meet new people?

Any experiences (good and bad!) Id like to hear!

Its a huge step for us but we're of the opinion that if we don't do it we will never know :-) We are renting out our house in England and my partner works off shore around the world so income wouldn't be a problem as he'd continue to do what he does now.

I look forward to hearing from you!!

Rosemary

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

spainrico

Hi Vikki

My good experience is here

http://robinnis.files.wordpress.com/...ntain-life.pdf

agoreira

I think most would strongly advise you to rent first, if it doesn't work out for you, selling up is extremely difficult at the moment. You say there are some good bargains, yes there are, but they aren't suddenly going to go away, there are loads of them and the "experts" are predicting house prices to fall even further in Spain. The reason there are bargains about is because the bottom has dropped out of the market, people are desperate to sell, I wouldn't be rushing in just yet. Stand back and watch how things turn out in the next 12 months, then if you are convinced Spain is for you (might not be Nerja, you might fancy somewhere else in Spain) jump in and grab a bargain!

VikkiK

Thanks for your replies!

We have decided to definately rent first.... Market predicated to fall further and will give us chance to get to know the area better.

Very exciting! We will be over in July to find a suitable property and hopefully move soon after!

Just a little worried about the school situation but Im sure she'll settle in :-)

Thanks again.

pixieve

I wouldnt worry about the school situation at all! Myself and my daughter moved here last year and she started in the local public school aged 5. She went in without 1 word of spanish, and now 8 months later she is finishing up her first year of school, fully fluent in spanish! She loves school and has a tonne of friends, and has integrated very easily! Good luck!!

VikkiK

Thanks! That's good to know :-) Yes, I know that the children pick up the language really easily, me on the other hand............. Its taking a while!

What made you move out there? Im excited but a little nervous but its nice to hear the stories on here of people taking the plunge and loving it! :-)

pixieve

Yes they certainly do! She knows loves the fact that she can speak a language that I cant (well, I can...but not as good as her!) so she uses that to her advantage!

We moved here for health reasons actually. My daughter suffers from cystic fibrosis and the salt air and great weather do wonders for her breathing! In the year we've been here she hasn't been sick once, compared to spending 15 weeks in hospital and 20 weeks being ill the previous year!

Good luck on your move, it's very exciting!!

agoreira

And make sure you do! Neighbour and friend of mine did a recce in Portugal, last thing I said to him was make sure you don't buy anything, have a good look around (he'd never been to the area before), sort yourself out a rental. You know what's coming next, yep, came back bragging off having bought a property. Downside is, he loves it, his wife absolutely hates it, and they will move back to UK "when" they sell their property. It's been on the market 18 months, the only offer was €50K under the asking price, and they are only asking €145,000.

sa1983

Hi VikkiK,

I currently rent in Nerja so can't really give much advice on house buying, but as I transfer money over regularly I'd recommend checking out Smart Currency in the UK for transfers. I use them for monthly smaller amounts and rates are better than MoneyCorp, Banks, PostOffice etc... I'd imagine if you were going to transfer money to buy a house they could save you a lot.

And if I could selfishly hijack the thread for a second for the other guys here who live in Nerja, where is the best place to meet new people? I've gotten to know a few locals as my Spanish is not bad, but in general have found the local Spanish a hard nut to crack. Where do the local ex pats hang out? Will be useful for VikkiK too

Cheers,
Taylor