Dee_dee

Given your time over again, and with hindsight , would you still buy in Spain?

If yes, would you still buy/rent where you live now, would you buy new or resale?

What do you feel you've learned from your experiences here?

I live in the Southern Costa Blanca in a small spanish town, with more extranjeros than Spanish, so I wouldn't have moved here given the chance over again, although I am glad to have cut my teeth as it were on this area. Instead I would have chosen to live in the Andalucia area, and amongst a much larger indiginous population

As I bought a resale, I wouldn't change that, I'd still do the same again.

What about you guys?

spain

no in hindsight I wouldnt of moved to Spain - loooooong story but came over with parents, all lived together, went majorly tits up, they went back and our relationship is ruined for ever !!!

Bigbhudda69

Forever is a long time spain ?

spain

I know but thats how I feel - we were very close before and can not see how things will get back on track to be honest

Bigbhudda69

By trying very hard, biting ones tongue, lots of tears, anger, frustration...love, all sounds a bit corny but ...lifes to short to walk around with all that pain inside you all, we are constantly reminded we only get one shot at life and you never know what will happen in the next breath...what's the worse that can happen if you try ....?

I will shut up now.

crispy

Have to agree with you BB, life is too short to hold a grudge

montgomail

Yes I would do the same again. I bought in Denia on the Northern Costa Blanca, a working Spanish town. Just about every nationality and cuisine can be found here, although it does still feel Spanish even at the height of summer when tourists triple the population.

I bought a brand new apartment on a very small urbanisation. If I did it again, I would buy into a more established community as we have had problems with maintenance and cleaning of the communal areas. Fortunately I have a bit of the Spanish attitude to this type of thing - and can wait for things to sort themselves out. I have adapted well to the lifestyle on a part time basis. Full time though, I think I would have to have a penthouse in order to not be at the mercy of the neighbours above. So far we have been lucky and all our neighbours are courteous but I am aware that that could change and would be a nightmare on a permanent basis.

jackytoo

I would do the same, happy with location and villa etc. Only thing I would do different is to have sold up about 2 years ago instead of just thinking about it.

Dee_dee

#montgomail, for the same reasons as you stated above, the only thing I was sure about when I was buying was that I didn't want to live in an apartment. Not that there are no nice apartments, there are loads, but simply because of the possibility of noisy neighbours above or below. I couldn't bear it.

Having said that, if I did, then it would have to be a top floor apartment.

montgomail

It can be very peaceful where we are at times, especially in the winter when the Spanish are hibernating. But we have a school just yards away that seems to tannoy the kids every five minutes and the noisy little sods are in the playground what seems like all day. When do they do lessons? And then in the evenings the local kids use it for community football/sport so we get the ref's whistle and shouting.

And I have to say that I do enjoy apartment living even though it can be very communal! I am sure this is because it is for holidays only because, on the whole, I am a very private person and would never have envisaged enjoying this type of lifestyle.

Dee_dee

Oh I know what you mean about living on a community. I do, and for 6 months of the year it's blissfully quiet, but come summer, then the apartments on the community and the pool are filled with tourists, and it's like living in a noisy gold fish bowl.

That is the main thing I would change if I did it all over again. I would not live on a community again, where the visitors all seem to think they've come to Butlins, and act accordingly.

Where I live is a lovely little town but I'd rather be living in a more traditional type of town, in a detached villa, instead of the semi I live in now. Given the current financial climate then it's not possible for me to be able to afford to move at the moment, so I'll have to stick it out for a while longer

Having said that, I have a lot less to complain about than a lot of expats, so I don't want to come across as a moaning minnie

jaxdon

I think you would get noise anywhere. I live in the old town and have great spanish neighbours but they seem to have a thing for moving furniture at 3 in the morning and really enjoy a noisy chat at any time of the day. And the walls are paper thin the higher up you go in the house. But saying that it´s great to be in the spanish community although I have lots of english speaking friends too. Would I do it again, at a shot.

Rosemary

Definitely would do it again, would buy in the town we are in but possibly a smaller house. Wish the neighbours spoke Spanish to each other instead of Valenciano because our Spanish would have improved more.

Rosemary

Dee_dee

Blimey Rosemary that's not something I would have even considered. I know there are all sorts of Spanish dialects, but I would naively presumed that if you learn Spanish in the place where you live then you learn the local dialect sufficiently to be understood or understand. We were once told that the Spanish we have learned here in this little town is tantamount to useless anywhere else in Spain, as it is such a thick local accent that it's tantamount to the broadest brum, geordie or glaswegian accent!!


#Oddities, what do you mean the walls are thinner the higher you go? I have many friends who live in the Top floor, preferring that to having someone scrape furniture across their ceiling at ungodly hours, and also most of them have the added advantage of having a private solarium into the bargain. Are they really ''thinner'' as you go higher, how does that happen?

montgomail

Well my urb is very small and not really geared up for tourists as we are a kilometre from the beach although only a short walk from the main bit of town.

Most of the apartments are permanent residences, and mainly young Spanish families. So it's noisy when all the doors and windows are open in the summer and the Spanish and extended families come out to play. I would be put off buying a beach apartment for the reasons you stated. I prefer the reality of every day life which does mean putting up with dogs and mopeds etc., but if you can't stand yappy dogs and mopeds, then Spain is not the place to be.

What I do like is that my neighbours are courteous. They all use my parking space when I'm away, but as soon as I arrive they move their vehicles and leave my space free while I am there.