Originally Posted by AL1492

Sorry, i wasnt being rude. Years ago, someone told me the only two industries that will always exist, are food and drinks, and undertakers, because people never stop eating and drinking, and they never stop dying.

I did say british undertakers kind of toung in cheek, but it is a recession proof business. I also think while a lot of people who re-located to spain, kept one foot in the UK, a lot of them didnt, and have nothing in the UK to return to.

I do know someone in the USA who came into money, first thing she did, was stop paying the mortgage, then the property went into forclosure. She said, the property had a mortgage of 89k, because she had re mortgaged to take money out, and she said it wasnt worth that much, so she just let the bank take it back, and bought another house for cash. I got told in the USA once the bank gets the house back, thats it all over. I saw a program on TV, which was about freeloaders, from people with "work for food" signs, to people who let their house go into forclousure after re mortgaging it several times, to various others.

The main reason I came on this forum, was to get views of ex pats who live in spain. I was though, more intersted in views from people who live away from the tourists traps, and away from the coast. Or from someone on the Atlantic coast.

Originally Posted by cricketman

This is either a wind-up or you have a really low IQ
LOL

Sorry guys, but sometimes...

Originally Posted by Mitzyboy

Yes ..... because that was 500 bloody years ago and he didnt get out much ... whereas these days we get to see the world and its different people and different cultures. And before you ask .... yes, I have travelled a lot

If you are relying on advice from 500 years ago, then frankly I'm now lost for any more words

Originally Posted by Mitzyboy

OK then, you got me

It's a great idea. You'll do very well and we all wish you the best of luck.

I have rented out property in Spain. I know what it's like
I bought my place here. I know what thats like, and the ramifications.
I know people that run a bar and what they go through, and of course I am here .... in Spain .... and I see what is happening to businesses. Like the 20 bars and restaurants that have closed in the last 12 months in one main street in Benidorm, the estimated one million properties that are for sale and empty, the huge unemployment etc etc. I'm an ex businessman myself, but thankfully not in Spain!

Its the thing about this forum. You get told it as it is. A lot of people dont like that because it dampens their hopes and aspirations. Personally I'd rather warn people than sit back and let them do it without the on the ground information they need. But some people just aren't interested.

Good luck. You have obviously decided it is the thing to do and I really look forward to hearing your story when you make a great success of it

Originally Posted by agoreira

I've been sitting here on the sidelines, laughing to myself throughout this thread, I could see where it was going. How many times have we seen it? People come on here with a brilliant idea, (usually involving a bar!) asking for advice from people like yourselves, just really wanting people to confirm it's the ideal business, it can't fail, it's the ideal time to make a killing. When they don't get the advice they want, it usually involves a bit of a rant, they know better than those that are there witnessing first hand how things are going down the plug hole. You don't need to have run a bar to see that thousands are closing in Spain, the signs are there for all to see. Like you, I wish him well, he can report back when he's made his fortune.

Originally Posted by Domino

It has crossed my mind a number of times before..........

why the hell do we bother responding to all these silly requests ??
a 7 year old can work out how to do a search and see all those threads talking about coming out here and how dire things are in the UK, how they have a certificate for this and a certificate for that, and wouldnt running a bar be the most natural thing in the world. It must be more than 1 a week at the moment. I bet no other national forum has the same number of would be publicans.

UK breweries used to be always looking for people to run their pubs, especially couples with little or no experience - but training given..

Originally Posted by AL1492

Well i have to clear out of the USA. I havent had a visa since 2005. The local (we dont give a ****) sheriff department, couldnt care less, as long as i am married. When she divorces me, it will be different, i will become an undesirable.

I have a lot of property, that i am about to put on the market, i guess it will take me about a year to sell it.

As soon as we are divorced, and she has her money, the good ol boys in the sheriff deparment (her relations) will make my life a missery until i leave. They wont run me off, they will just make life hard for me.

Thats why i need a new country, I have quite a lot of money, but not enough to retire on. I have to do something for a living.

Someone on this thread, said "so you need to get out of dodge fast" thats ironic, because i am in Kansas, but i have never been to dodge city. I live in Kansas, but my business is in missouri.

I cant really afford to go back to the UK, its too expensive. Which is why i want to know about spain. I speak spanish, its the only other language i know. Except a few words of Hindi, which impreses my american friends, when they go to an indian shop with me. (learned from my grandad who was out there for about twenty years) I will go into the shop, and shout "panee low, juldee" and they run around getting me a glass of water. Which really impreses the yanks.

So yes, i have to get out of dodge, before life becomes hard. As soon as she gets her money, i wont have many friends this side of the pond. I will have the friends that i had before i met her, but they are just normal people, that dont hold power, all the friends we had that are police, and politicians, are hers.

I should have applied for a visa, but i got told "why bother, we can get you sorted out, you can get a taxpayer ID number, and we can sort out everything else, and keep it local" Now maybe one of those people, still class themselves as my friend, and only because i did a huge amount of work for him for free.

I have some friends in Missouri, and some in Florida, but when i leave here, and immigration sees my passport, i will be on a ten year ban.

Thats why i need to go to spain, so if you cant give me some useful advice, dont bother advising me. I am not going to spain to seek my fortune, i have already made a lot of cash, i just want to be in a country, where i can make enough to support myself, so my money dosent just leak away to the point i have nothing. I didnt want to make money with a bar, just make enough to feed myself, and pay the bills, while i worked on a renovations, which would be a five year project.

Originally Posted by rugbymatt

I have kept away from this thread from the start because I just knew that some of the usual suspects would pop along and start on it. Hell we even have the usual accusations of double posting and multiple identities.

Yeah, I admit, the OP does seem to "know all there is to know" but you lot are forgetting something, while we have all been here for ages and have gleaned information from the site for the last few years todays poster has already spent a month reading all the information the inter web has to offer both good and bad and as I have always said and as Stevie demonstrates if you look hard enough you can find all the information you ever need to prove a point. People used to come on the site, make their introductions and slowly build relationships, that doesn't happen on the forum anymore because it doesn't happen in life any more. People think they know everything, they know they know everything and with mobile communications like they are they have access to a billion people who agree with them. Thats what is happening, we have an evolving forum, like it or not, thats the way life is going. Even in the face of life experience there is information out there to prove someone is wrong, you get it in real life, its just the way things are now, get rich or die trying.....

Originally Posted by AL1492

Its 6 and two 3s really. If i return to the UK, its much more expensive, I would have enough to buy a house, and that would be it. I am not entitled to any form of state help, until i have been there a year, and with the employement climate, its probably unlikely that i would find a job, well i may find one, i could be knocking on doors for six months before i do, and with zero income, that would not be easy.

The economy will go back up in europe, its just what we get, even the bible tells us, seven fat years, seven lean ones. When the economy does go back up, so will house prices, i dont know a huge amount about spanish property, i know they made the same mistakes as Ireland, and built houses that no one wants, and I know the population is in decline, those two factors are bad individually, together, they are disasterous.

Might look at the canary islands, nothing is yet off the table, might just have to stay here a bit longer, flipping a few houses in florida would bring in money, the prices there, are slowly going back up.

Originally Posted by angiescarr

I must admit I haven't read past the first few pages so my points may have already been made. With the £ rising again and Spanish prices going down as well, holidays in Spain are once again becoming attractive. The weather hasn't changed during the recession either!
Yes, I believe there are people moving inland. In fact I think it's the only area where there is a nett gain in expats. I noticed in our nearest town recently there has been a sharp increase in British accents. But you have to remember the Coastal Brits and the Inland Brits are generally different types. This is also true of the ones who rent summer apartments. The inland ones will be the adventure traveller, They'll probably be a bit more savvy and choose more carefully, at least the location if not the quality of the apartment. (or casa rural etc) so you'd have to look for somewhere with spectacular scenery and interesting history etc. Then you'd pay more money. The people who choose on the coast will be less picky because they generally just want blue skies and sea for their 2 weeks and an easy booking experience, and no need for any Spanish language. So, If you're wanting to make money short term and don't need or want a good reputation. By all means buy on the failing coastal estates. If you want a steady and ethical income. And actually care about your customer's experiences, inland is a good option.

Originally Posted by AL1492

Its 6 and two 3s really. If i return to the UK, its much more expensive, I would have enough to buy a house, and that would be it. I am not entitled to any form of state help, until i have been there a year, and with the employement climate, its probably unlikely that i would find a job, well i may find one, i could be knocking on doors for six months before i do, and with zero income, that would not be easy.

The economy will go back up in europe, its just what we get, even the bible tells us, seven fat years, seven lean ones. When the economy does go back up, so will house prices, i dont know a huge amount about spanish property, i know they made the same mistakes as Ireland, and built houses that no one wants, and I know the population is in decline, those two factors are bad individually, together, they are disasterous.

Might look at the canary islands, nothing is yet off the table, might just have to stay here a bit longer, flipping a few houses in florida would bring in money, the prices there, are slowly going back up.

Originally Posted by Domino

just a quickie, but as you "have to get out of Dodge" (your real name wouldnt be Schwarznegger would it ?) ....
if the money is a problem when buying a house, how much is the money?
you can buy a place in East Anglia, 3 bed, all mod cons, small garden for £120k - or - you can buy a similar property in Surrey for twice the price.

I would suggest renting - again big differences in rent between locations - until you have got things sorted financially and mentally. And you should be able to get NHS medical and dental during that time.
As to state help financially, well IMHO you have as much right as many who have never seen inside the UK before arriving - and they get all the help possible. Perhaps thats your problem, you are returning not just arriving

Originally Posted by tommy.irene

You can buy a place for £50,000 now in East Anglia.

Originally Posted by tommy.irene

You can buy a place for £50,000 now in East Anglia.

Originally Posted by steviedeluxe

If true, that is frightening!
I assume it's in a town a long way from London, not in somewhere like Suffolk.

Originally Posted by steviedeluxe

I think someone's been reading this forum! (well I know they have, and at least they credit the forum). Some good points in there.

http://www.thecv35.com/business/time...emen-por-favor

Originally Posted by painterhombre

Yeah ok, it was me!!!!!!

How are you all doing?

Yes i credited the OP, but did not want to ID them in case they didnt want me to.

I found the points halfway thru writing the article and i had to include it as it just summed it all up!