Hi everyone,

My wife and I are considering buying a home in Spain and whilst we have a good idea of the research required, I thought it would be really useful to engage with other who have, been there, seen it and done it.

We are realistically looking at a move in around 12 to 18 months time. If successful in buying a property, we will be living both there and in the uk. We would be in Spain as often as possible whilst living in the uk for work. This is doable for us as my wife works from home, so can arrange appointments to suit herself and I work 3 on 3 off, so can go back and forward (as often as finances allow ). Then eventually when we can afford it we will live there permanently.

We are looking for a coastal property ideally in or close to Nerja in the Costa del Sol. We have a budget upto about £200k.

That's the background, now what I'd like some help with is the best resources for research. Books, websites, people, Spanish government resources, it would also be really interesting to hear some of your experiences if you are comfortable telling them. Anything at all you feel will help allow us to make a considered judgement would be great fully received.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

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

Books can be out of date by the time they go to press
There are so many new rules and laws
Often newspapers are inaccurate, apart from the articles by legal bods
Get your information from the horses mouth
Lots of useful info on UK gov site re health, taxes etc when moving to Spain
Also tell HMRC
If you have investments, see a financial advisor before you move as they may be affected by Spain's tax rules, and possibly not to your advantage
Check inheritance tax in the region where you want to live .
They are all different, some are generous with their allowances, some have abolished them
Spouses are liable for inheritance tax on the deceased's assets, so think about wills.
Whereas it's useful to get people's opinions and experiences, and local advice, in the areas of health, tax, you need the experts. Blevins Franks specialises in ex pat tax and investment advice and their site has lots of useful information
The British Consuls website is very informative.
Beware the" the man in the pub" His experiences are for entertainment only!

Loads of websites for property search : tucasa.com, idealista.com,casa.trovit.es some offer english but am sure you will grasp basics from the Spanish sites.
Serious advice - whatever you see rent first. We spent several years , while working and living in Spain visiting new regions each year searching for the best area to retire. Opted for the Costa del Sol, great airport at Malaga, generally good communications, excellent local services - the Costa del Sol hospital is quite excellent, local health service OK etc etc. Bought our place and after one year realised we had made a wrong decision - the area is a huge holiday camp, over-crowded, noisy , uncomfortably hot for the summer and empty during the winter. Abandoned it all this year and could not be happier - came to Portugal.....

All other things being equal the wisest advice is DO NOT BUY until you have rented for a period in your preferred location. That way you can be sure that it is where you want to be, what it is really like out of season, what the neighbours are like etc etc before you commit. It gives you time to look around and choose a nice property. It is easy to buy at the moment - it is a buyer's market but, despite what one or two optimists have written, - it is much harder to sell and you could end up stuck somewhere that doesn't really suit.
The other advantage of renting is that you could move to a number of different regions and see how they compare.

Good site to introduce you to most things :
https://www.angloinfo.com/costa-del-sol

Nerja great place but as others have said - rent. We sold our place a couple of years ago and rent now. FWIW My advice would be to put your money into a buy to let in the UK or other investment and use the proceeds to rent. If you decide to buy then seek professional advice before you do anything. Lots of English speaking Gestors in Nerja.

You're asking questions so you are off to a good start. When it comes to parting with €200K your serious work should already have been done, but the work with some forethought will not be too difficult.

My Advice:- Rent in the off season for at least 6 weeks at a time in the area in which you want to buy. When you have nailed down that area rent in a road within that area for another 6 weeks again during the off season. Believe me in that short period you will learn if Spain is for you and if so, where to live.