For’s and Against - Page 2

John 52 wrote on Thu Sep 17, 2020 2:04pm:

No we are going to split our time between the 2 ,probably seems strange but we go back start November and return mid February, stop 3 months then back September for 2 or 2 and a half months 

John 52 wrote on Thu Sep 17, 2020 4:28pm:

We have not taken residency here 

John 52 wrote on Thu Sep 17, 2020 12:39pm:

We moved here last year end of June to La Marina, we bought the house the previous April ,we should have scouted the area better ,we find that the area is too quiet ,while we are surrounded by different nationalities we find very little in common with.them ,its true that the cost of living is che...

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...aper than UK ,but I think selection in supermarkets is much less than UK ,now it may be that I'm less adventurous when choosing products from sea .We found that the summer was too hot for us ,so this year returned to UK where climate was much more to our liking ,We had visited Spain many times on holiday but found living permanently totally different ,We have now decided to split our time 3months here and 3 months UK ,I think one should rent in different areas before buying circumstances permitting ,and also remember banks charge here ,while not a fortune 35 euros a quarter ,another downside is cost of second hand vehicles have not even looked as imagine very high ,the lack of public transport is another concern ,we had lived in a city in UK where access to buses trains was readily available  .You may think I'm giving more negatives than positives regarding Spain ,but as people are different ,peoples expectations are different ,hope this is not too long winded

Lancelot wrote on Thu Sep 17, 2020 9:58pm:

Me and Mrs Lancelot plus a dog and cat have been here since 22nd July we had been planning the move for a while but had dependencies as our daughter was still at home and it hasn't been the best climate  to sell a house in the UK.

Anyhow we sold up and moved out. The house we bought based on a video walk through because of Covid has exceeded our expectations - thankfully. Property is still very affordable here and at 51 and 54 we needed to minimise housing costs given we are retiring early....

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I've been a little stressed by the residency application process but we could have paid someone to do it for us. I've also been stressed by which bit's we haven't done yet and knowing whether you really know what you should and should not have done if that makes sense. For example we brought our UK car here but only recently realised we had to complete the Spanish registration before the MOT runs out. We are almost there on that and have paid someone to do it (I'll post a review when it's done but the company were recommended by Jim Taylor).

I'm also a bit miffed by the black economy - we've used a few companies here which proudly proclaim they are 100% legal only to find out the quoted price for something is for cash. Leaves you feeling a bit cheap.

On the plus side we love the supermarkets with their meat and fish sections - we like the markets too. We haven't eaten out much because of Covid but all of the elements of what we want are here. The beaches or at least our local one at Moncayo is just great. The people, Spanish and others all seem to have a happy hat on which is nice. Spain itself has moved forward since I was younger it's really come on and feels far more mature in terms of facilities including retail and leisure, far closer if not the equal of France.

Just miss not being able to have relatives over which is one of the main reasons we chose Spain - it's so accessible from the UK. I'm sure over time it will return to near normal.

Good luck on whatever you decide to do :)

Lancelot wrote on Thu Sep 17, 2020 9:58pm:

Me and Mrs Lancelot plus a dog and cat have been here since 22nd July we had been planning the move for a while but had dependencies as our daughter was still at home and it hasn't been the best climate  to sell a house in the UK.

Anyhow we sold up and moved out. The house we bought based on a video walk through because of Covid has exceeded our expectations - thankfully. Property is still very affordable here and at 51 and 54 we needed to minimise housing costs given we are retiring early....

Read more...

...

I've been a little stressed by the residency application process but we could have paid someone to do it for us. I've also been stressed by which bit's we haven't done yet and knowing whether you really know what you should and should not have done if that makes sense. For example we brought our UK car here but only recently realised we had to complete the Spanish registration before the MOT runs out. We are almost there on that and have paid someone to do it (I'll post a review when it's done but the company were recommended by Jim Taylor).

I'm also a bit miffed by the black economy - we've used a few companies here which proudly proclaim they are 100% legal only to find out the quoted price for something is for cash. Leaves you feeling a bit cheap.

On the plus side we love the supermarkets with their meat and fish sections - we like the markets too. We haven't eaten out much because of Covid but all of the elements of what we want are here. The beaches or at least our local one at Moncayo is just great. The people, Spanish and others all seem to have a happy hat on which is nice. Spain itself has moved forward since I was younger it's really come on and feels far more mature in terms of facilities including retail and leisure, far closer if not the equal of France.

Just miss not being able to have relatives over which is one of the main reasons we chose Spain - it's so accessible from the UK. I'm sure over time it will return to near normal.

Good luck on whatever you decide to do :)

GCfromVC wrote on Thu Sep 17, 2020 9:43am:

I'm also looking to get all the relevant paperwork sorted before 31/12 but am struggling due to breaking my ankle and can't travel at the moment due to recovery and hospital appointments.

I regularly think about your question including the advantages and disadvantages from a financial point of view as I am not of pensionable age. So my main concern is the healthcare but for the first 12 months I would just pay for PHI giving me the time to get myself sorted in this time although I...

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...'m not sure if it covers pre-existing conditions, but this I can live with for 12 months.

I've had a property out there since 2012 and just love it, and this is the reason why I'm applying for residency before the dreaded at the end of the year. It's fairly straightforward for me as I have nearly everything in place apart from PHI at the moment.

In my eyes the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and I base this on the lifestyle, weather, food, the country and of course the people. I find that people of all nationalities seem better to get on with and making friends appears to be easier, and with that comes a better social life. You dont have to go out all the time as it's nice to visit and have visitors round just for a chat and a drink etc. Go for lovely walks in different places without all the hussle and hussle. I appreciate that this is a little more awkward at the moment due to Covid but eventually we will all get back to some sort of normality.

So with careful financial planning and getting through the beaurocacy of it all I made up my mind to do it. 

Good luck with whatever you decide.

John 52 wrote on Thu Sep 17, 2020 12:39pm:

We moved here last year end of June to La Marina, we bought the house the previous April ,we should have scouted the area better ,we find that the area is too quiet ,while we are surrounded by different nationalities we find very little in common with.them ,its true that the cost of living is che...

Read more...

...aper than UK ,but I think selection in supermarkets is much less than UK ,now it may be that I'm less adventurous when choosing products from sea .We found that the summer was too hot for us ,so this year returned to UK where climate was much more to our liking ,We had visited Spain many times on holiday but found living permanently totally different ,We have now decided to split our time 3months here and 3 months UK ,I think one should rent in different areas before buying circumstances permitting ,and also remember banks charge here ,while not a fortune 35 euros a quarter ,another downside is cost of second hand vehicles have not even looked as imagine very high ,the lack of public transport is another concern ,we had lived in a city in UK where access to buses trains was readily available  .You may think I'm giving more negatives than positives regarding Spain ,but as people are different ,peoples expectations are different ,hope this is not too long winded