Moving to Costa Blanca: is there stamp duty? Is it easy to get medical prescriptions? - Page 2

Wow, so much to consider. We really want to do this though. Partly for health reasons but also for the lifestyle. We will check out the area probably early next year. We have been looking on the net and definitely like the look of Playa Flamenca. We would like to go now but I can't get my pension until 2018. Also we need to sell our house in UK. Hopefully we will stay in EU but should know for certain in June.

Once again many thanks for all the help and advice.

tim

Hi Tim

We are a married couple aged 52 and we moved to this area in July. Like you we were not familiar with the area so we rented a property in las ramblas villamartin so that we could be sure we liked the area before committing to buying a property. We have liked the area very much and have settled really well so we are currently in the process of buying a house in Campoamor golf villamartin. You can't go wrong if you stick to this area, Villamartin, Playa Flamenco, Cabo Roig etc. There is everything here that you need plus lots of really good bars/restaurants and the prices to eat out etc are very cheap. We also sold our house in the UK, we have then bought a smaller property there that we rent out and are buying a home here where we live permanently. If you want to get together for a drink and a chat about our experience send us a private message and we can arrange a get together. Do you play golf?

Les 

Which lawyer do you use please?

Our lawyer is Nicoleta at Amarat Trading in Los Dolses/Rioja. Her office is next door to Aset Spain. She is Spanish but speaks excellent English. She was recommended to us.

Thanks so much Les. Have sent you a Private Message.

regards

tim

Hi We are in the process of purchasing beach side in Cabo Roig, we were told the Spanish purchase tax was 10%, what we did not realize was that it is not 10% of the price you are paying. The taxable price is set by the Spanish Government and the closer to the beach the more highly taxed you are, we expected to pay circa 9500 euros and will have to pay over 17,000 euros as this is 10% of the Governments valuation of the property!!!

Would agree with getting your NIE first and a bank account.  To get NIE you need to go to the National Police in whichever area you live and the Town or City Council office - be aware that they only open from about 9-2 pm.  Then you can register with a doctor and get a social security number if you are going to be here permanently.  We also use Banco Sabadell and find them really helpful - would avoid BVA!  Getting your NIE card is not difficult but can be time consuming but there are agencies that will do it for you - your lawyer will do it as part of the house purchase package. We did ourNIE on our own.   Always get an independent lawyer as some estate agents take shortcuts with the legal processes and it is is worth bearing in mind that they are also working for the seller.  We have found everyone very helpful but it is best to have a translator as the number of English speakers vary depending on where you chose to live.  Translators are very cheap to hire and will go with you to doctors, council etc.  Your lawyer will provide English and Spanish versions of all legal papers.   The medical treat here is very good.  In our experience dentists, chiropodists etc are excellent and much cheaper - we use local Spanish ones rather than those advertised especially for British people. My husband and I  have been here six months and love being here.  Can recommend Gran Alacant (10 mins from Alicante). Bobbie

Thanks so much for all that advice John and Bobbie. It really is much appreciated. John, is it possible to know what the tax will be before you put in an offer for the property or did it come as a nasty shock after you had purchased it?

regards

tim

Your solicitor can check out the taxable value of the property before you purchase it. All property values are registered with the town hall. The taxable value of the property we are buying is lower than the agreed purchase price. This is not uncommon and in this instance we pay tax on the asking price and not the taxable price!! But at least we know there is not a big tax bill coming our way.

Les 

we used Sun Lawyers in Cabo Roig following a recommendation from a friend. They have a Scottish guy Mark who is a translator.

They took us to Banco Sabadell (next door) to open our accounts after a short trip to La Zenia to the notary to get our NIE. We there ther less than 30 mins but I understand it can take much longer.

They also arranged an architect as we needed something checked at our property. We gave them power of attorney and they did everything, including sorting the water, electric, suma and community charges. Very good service for around 3% of the purchase price.