Would you do it again?
 

For those of you who have made your life in Spain, I would like to know if you would do it all again in the same way now you have the benefit of hindsight. Or would you do it differently.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

Been here for years now and don't want to have to go back, however I would seriously think twice about doing it again.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

All things being equal, I'd do it all again and hope and pray I was quite so fortunate next time around. :thumbup:

Only problem is, all things are NO LONGER EQUAL by a long chalk to what they were twenty plus years ago. :thumbdown:

Re: Would you do it again?
 

after 10 years here I wouldn't go back

however, if I were thinking of doing it NOW, with the state of the economy, even if everything else was the same as when we came - I probably wouldn't

Re: Would you do it again?
 

I would do it again, even with the state of the economy as it is today. But I wouldn't have done it 7 years ago if I'd needed to look for work here, let alone now.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

YES, I would definitely do it again for several reasons. One is that it fulfilled my husbands dream and that in the end proved to be very important, two is that I settled here immediately, three is that we chose the right town for us and four I am still happy here even though I am now alone.

If we had to earn a living it would have been a different story but as early retirees it was alright. With hindsight we would not have bought a house that needed renovating because we would not have wanted to waste so much of what was left of his life doing it up but that is not really relevant to the question. With hindsight regarding our choice of street, town and area, no regrets on any of them, best thing we ever did.

Rosemary

Re: Would you do it again?
 

NO-I regret getting involved with a particular developer who has caused much heartache on this urbanisation.
I probably would have felt different if I had chosen another area, but the tax system,( the implications of which are understood by few) would in itself put me off.
I also think few give any thought as to what will happen to them if they can't cope in Spain due to fragility, medical conditions etc.Had they done so they would never have moved here.
Conflicting advice from professionals, constant changing of the goalposts in rules, all contributed.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

Sure, I'd do it all again - but this time with the benefit of hindsight.

.. but that presumes that in the next life, we'd still not need to depend entirely on the Spanish system for our well-being. Otherwise, I'd have to consider elsewhere.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

I certainly have no regrets. I feel that moving here was one of the best decisions I´ve made ... maybe it doesn´t say much for previous decisions I´ve made :o
However, Spain makes me nervous. I feel as though I live the prospect of unforseen trouble sitting on my shoulder.
A good example of this was a visit we had from a guy at the town hall.
In order for us to have opened our business, we had to apply for various licenses, to the point of ridiculousness.
So with all of the paperwork in order, and delays of approx 4 months in opening (due to paperwork), we finally got trading.
So, back to the guy from the council. He turned up to advise us that one of the licenses had been declined. Bizzarley, it was a license we didn´t apply for as we don´t need it for the type of business we run, and the size of the premises we rent.
It was another person at the town hall who advised us of this but clearly, they have changed their minds. Now we´re in a very tricky situation.
It also happens that our local competitor, who has been here for some years has a very influencial family. I just wonder who might have whispered in someone elses ear?

Re: Would you do it again?
 

We bought 8 years ago. Yes we would still to come to live in Spain but at the time we seriously considered renting for 2 years. If we had taken that a step further we would have removed our only regret about moving here.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

My reply might be tempered by yet another invitation to a leaving party this morning. It's pointless going into too much detail, but some of the main reasons for leaving are the devaluation of the pound Sterling by some 30%; house prices falling by 40% over the past five years; the obvious unhappiness of our Spanish neighbours because of ridiculously high unemployment levels and their kids leaving to work abroad; and the endless corruption which has blighted all our lives.

Some are also going home for medical reasons, although I hasten to add that the Spanish Health Service is every bit as good as the English one. The trouble arises when you have insufficient language to understand in detail what is being said to you on life-threatening matters.

And you won't have your interpreter with you when the pre-op anaestithist asks you which hip and knee is to be replaced, all you will have is a just a small label on your ankle with just your name on it, often spelled wrongly.

I kept such a label from years ago. It said 'Xabi' on it, nothing like my real name.

But to answer the OP - would I do it again? Of course I would.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

Exactly. I would do it again if things were like they were in the 90's when it was really a laid back place and foreigners were actually welcome.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

So now you have the benefit of your experience, would you do it again the same or differently?

Re: Would you do it again?
 

Like I said, no regrets.
The benefit of hindsite would tell me not to trust anyone. Especially those in power!
Unfortunately, that´s all I could change because I would still have to deal with these people.
The frustrations are still worth the fight as life here is pretty damn good :)

Re: Would you do it again?
 

Why not?

Re: Would you do it again?
 

What a wonderful sentiment; to have helped someone´s dream come true; and to have enjoyed "the journey" also. Well said

Davexf

Re: Would you do it again?
 

Hi

To answer the OP´s Question

Yes - given that I came here before retirement - but not needing to work. Would I have chosen the same town, coast etc.? Who knows, the benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I think I got a lot right when I decided to come here; yes there were regrets, but I decided to give it a year (to see all the seasons), and then "go sit on a mountain top and contemplate my navel".

That I duly did and decided that life here was as good as the alternative life I turned down to take this opportunity.

Life is what YOU make it; if you want to be happy here, then you can be. If you want to be unhappy and whinge at every opportunity, then once more, you can do so.

I´ve made a lot of good friends here that I wouldn´t have made if I had not come here - but I would have made friends if I had moved elsewhere.

So since I am happy here, yes I would do it again although given the benefit of hindsight, I would try to make life even better

Davexf

Re: Would you do it again?
 

I only remember Spain as it was 20-odd years ago from being here as a tourist on holiday, and it seems to me that as far as living here goes, some things have changed for the better since then. Greater variety of restaurants, more variety of food in supermarkets and shops, better public transport, better roads, better hospitals and health centres, new technology (which obviously doesn't apply only to Spain) has improved communication facilities enormously (cheap international calls and Skype make it so much easier to keep in touch with those back in the UK), local services have been modernised (going to our Ayuntamiento for anything even as recently as 7 years ago used to be a nightmare of having to navigate your way around a warren of small offices, now there is a smart new 'One Stop Shop' customer service office, postal deliveries are better and we can shop online to get stuff delivered that either isn't available here or we can source it cheaper somewhere else.

Most of the changes that have been introduced regarding tax, as far as I can see, are not changes at all really, just tightening things up to make it more difficult for people to get away with not paying what they should have been paying anyway, and I have no problem with that.

Lots of times I have had that nervous and apprehensive feeling about going into some official department or other to sort something out, especially when the Town Hall hand deliver me a letter or ring me up and say they have something for me to come and collect! I think that probably just stems from being a stranger in a strange land, because I've always found it has turned out to be nothing to worry about. Obviously, if I were trying to run a business here or worrying about finding or keeping a job things would be very different, but as I said earlier I would never have come here to do that. I don't think I would be happy living here if I hadn't learned the language, I did not like the initial feeling of helplessness when I first arrived and couldn't communicate easily with people.

The biggest negative effect on us since our arrival as permanent residents almost 7 years ago has been the fall in the value of sterling v the euro - anybody contemplating the move now or at some time in the future might or might not have to cope with something similar, the global recession has meant a myriad of nasty shocks and hardships for so many people everywhere.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

Great post Lynn.
I agree, most things are better than say 20 or 30 years ago. I know the prices are certainly not the same for expats, but if that means the average Spanish person in work can afford to buy smartphones, fly to Ibiza for the weekend or eat at Lizarran then who are we to grumble?
There certainly appears to be more Spanish companies competing and winning on the world stage than 30 years ago, even if unemployment levels at home have been back to the mid 90s high. Tax levels are certainly higher though, and it seems for some that it's become a shade more difficult to work "sin papeles" and on the black, but again is that necessarily bad?
As to falling house prices - it does have a bright side. Young workers, when lucky enough to find regular work, now perhaps feel they have a chance of buying their own home. Of course there are negative aspects to that fall, and it doesn't just affect expats with mortgages to pay.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

This is all very interesting but does not address the question.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

I think steviedeluxe's answer would be yes, given that he is trying to move out to Madrid again

For me, well, it would depend. If it was 2007 all over again then yes I would move to Spain again. If I was looking to move to Spain in 2013 then it would be a lot more difficult because I'm not sure that I would find a job.

It was part of our requirements in 2007 that we would only move to Spain if at least one of us had a good job to come to.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

I too think he would be in the Yes camp. And good on 'im.

Your answer is far more interesting.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

In spite of the financial hardships which have by pure accident of bad timing battered every part of our experience.. I would do it all again. Like a shot!

Re: Would you do it again?
 

That's a good way of describing how I often felt

From someone who has "been there, done that" and returned .........

No, I don't regret going there and the years we spent there. I would probably have done the same even with the benefit of hindsight. Maybe slightly differently, but the same.

Its difficult to say if I would do it today because circumstances have changed. What I will say is that before this adventure, I used to regard driving off into Europe from the UK as a tiny bit scary. Lots of planning needed. However now I wouldn't even think twice about jumping in the car with no forward planning at all, and just ..... going somewhere.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

We did it, we came back. Glad we did it, glad we came back.

Would I do it again? Maybe, but I would rent a house, not buy. And I would stay for six months, not eight years. Then come back agin in another two years.

We wouldn't mind doing that now actually, but having inherited our son's two cats when he moved into a top floor flat, we can't at the moment (unless we find a tenant for our house who will look after them!).

Re: Would you do it again?
 

Just like everybody seems to do at every roundabout in Andalucia :eek:

Re: Would you do it again?
 

I would go along with that feeling of nervousness as well.

At present there's such a great degree of uncertainty and lack of confidence about what lies over the horizon and who will pay the price.
Even if the country does slowly move out of recession, it's still deep in the mire for a long time to come.

Lynn mentions the improved facilities, but I never came to Spain looking for another typical Western country and I never had a great problem with things as they used to be anyway, instead very much enjoying the easy going carefree atmosphere that was so much more prevalent back then.

I would take the country as it was twenty years back, even though still in recession, anytime, as against what it is now.

Even when things weren't so good, there was still confidence and optimism back then, which I shared myself, that everything would eventually come good and work out fine, which to a certain extent it did..........for a while anyway.

Sadly the whole atmosphere is so totally different now to then, with a certain feeling of foreboding, commonly shared by Spanish and Expats alike, as has also been so obviously displayed on this forum itself in recent times.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

Not sure why the question was asked:confused: Realistically is anyone going to come on and say it was the biggest mistake they ever made:blink: I know if I was left with a worthless illegal house that is how I would feel.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

when I first came here 34 years ago on holiday (daughter conceived here), yes many things were different, but from the limited and blinkered and starry eyed experience I have been back several times as a tourist and seen different parts. But never had an interest in owning a bar, even though I have seen many up for sale, especially end of season.

The currency change makes things vastly different, and we are no longer the "rich" people who will become an answer to a Spaniards dream, willing to pay a huge sum for a property only worth a quarter of what is being asked.
Those who, 10 years ago, got themselves into property which has now turned out to be illegal and not really worth the paper they cling on to that says it may be if the law of the land should change,only have themselves to blame. They seemed to know it wasn't quite right, but still didn't take the precautions they would have back home.

As you say Lynn, things have changed drastically for the better in the past 7-10 years, mostly for the better. some things still have to change, but even in the short time I have been here I can feel the mountain moving
The only problem I have come across is the illegal property still being punted, by the English estate agents who know the situation, by desperate owners who also know the situation - but must sell to buy a two up two down back home, and solicitors who know the situation and still keep on accepting dodgy documents.

Come back - Yes, and why not!

Re: Would you do it again?
 

Yes I would do it all again, I'd even move to the same small community that we have lived in for the last six years.
When we made our move I was an early retiree with no need to work, had I needed to work I'd not have made the move at that time.
Life here for pensioners is what you choose to make of it, and it is very often wonderful, but life for those needing to earn a living is a completely different ball game!

Re: Would you do it again?
 

I agree.
Generally people make excuses for their mistakes, although I do think the posters on this thread are being honest.
I just do not believe it is necessarily representative.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

And of course for those that the dream didn't materialise, of which there are a lot, they are probably back home wherever that might be and don't read these forums.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

how can a dozen active posters out of 1million expats ever be "representative"
:)

Re: Would you do it again?
 

So why did you go home Jacky? And would you ever decide to come back?

Re: Would you do it again?
 

But was the "confidence" and optimism twenty years ago not due to the fact that so many people had jobs, and were making good money, because of the kind of grandiose projects and EU money being spent that you are such a harsh critic of now? Construction work on Valencia's City of Arts & Sciences, for example, began in 1994 and the planning and approval must have begun much earlier. The first AVE line opened in 1992, so again planning and construction must have started well before that. The building boom was well under way too.

Same with the corruption and nepotism that you and other posters constantly refer to (and I don't like it either). But the 1990s was the decade when Jesus Gil was Mayor of Marbella - the corruption and the nepotism was flourishing then, and had been for much longer. The difference is that in more recent times people have begun to be investigated and are finding themselves in the dock, although proceedings seem to be excruciatingly slow and the penalties not harsh enough.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

In part yes.

Although the fundamental reason is that 20 years ago Spain had almost zero public and personal debt. The 15 years that followed, everyone - people and politicians were busy spending money that they never had

Then in 2008 the money tap was switched off and Spain was brought back to reality, and people suddenly found themselves lumbered with massive amounts of debt which they could never hope of getting back through selling their assets

By the way, most Spaniards I speak to say that the crisis is just a temporary thing and the economy will be back on track in the next year and two. I guess people need that hope, but I dont see it turning around in the next 10 years, and possibly not in the next 20 years. I am very careful who I share that view with though because nobody likes a killjoy

Re: Would you do it again?
 

Good question! Probably a combination of things which I may list when I have more time. I was whinging about various things even before I joined this forum but I didn't want to leave:lol: I think mainly seeing what was happening to a lot of expats and not feeling secure as some have touched on as "nervousness".

Would I go back, no plans right now but I never say never about anything:D We did visit my old house in June, just for a drink. The garden has been completely transformed with expensive sofas all around, lots of Buddha statues too:eek: and what I called my orchard all bulldozed..I hated it:frown:

Re: Would you do it again?
 

It's always horrible when someone undoes all your hard work. especially when what they put in it's place is 'tacky'. :-(.

Re: Would you do it again?
 

Maybe it's because I've lived in too many places, but I never harbour feelings about previous abodes in that way. :unsure:

Re: Would you do it again?
 

Came here in 2005.....still here.....and we'll always be here!

Not sure I would have done anything differently because things have worked out well for us!