Seeking best place to live - Page 4

I'm sure others will know better, but San Miguel may not be the best place to base yourself if you are dependent on public transport. However, I'm sure San Miguel locals and regulars will be able to advise . 

Hi there, I suppose it took me a couple of years and several trips to Spain to finally decide on my house purchase. I contacted a couple of estate agents in the area I was interested in, asked if they had any inexpensive apartments I could rent while seeing their properties that they were advertising. I chose a few from their websites, set up a calendar of appointments to view and took it from there.

Some areas I realised were not for me, the reasons were varied. You may even change your mind about the type or location of your ideal property! 

Remember that if you choose an apartment which is frontline and has a great view of the beach or sea it may get really noisy in the evening/night. And it may not be your choice of music thumping out, lol. Also, some apartment blocks may be rented out entirely to holiday-makers who are hell-bent on enjoying themselves with no regard for others! If you choose a residential block you will get more permanent tenants or owners and you can go out to the noisy bars of your choice 😀.

I eventually chose inland, mainly to get a larger property and more privacy. The beaches in most of Spain aren’t what they used to be and after living on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia for 40 years, where the beaches compare only to paradise, I wasn’t ready for the compromise of not so pretty beaches. My budget wasn’t huge, either.

As for pensions, I get my pension regularly paid into my Spanish bank at a decent rate. In theory the DWP will not pay your pension into a British bank if you are resident elsewhere. This will not change, Brexit or not. You will also get Spanish Health cover, as a pensioner. It is all very easy to do over the phone. You apply for your S1 form, which they will send to you in duplicate copy and with this you get virtually the same Spanish service. 

As for the bank, when you eventually buy a property, the lawyer you choose (get an independent one and not one the agency push on you) will set up your NIE registration (like National Insurance number) and with this you can open a bank account into which your pension will be paid. 

It is simpler than you think. The hard part is deciding what you want 😀.

Good luck with your house-hunt and get back on here for further information or help.

Don’t forget Jim’s Guides are priceless! 

Janice

We're moving to Spain in June, I've been informed by a Spanish person that a pension of around 700 euros is sufficient per month prior to Dec 2020,and if you're already living there by then the amount will still stand. After december all rates shoot up and could well stop people making the move. It would me. Also if you're in receipt of retirement pension you can apply for form S1 which entitles you to Spanish healthcare and saves on health insurance. So it could pay you to get a rental property while you look around and decide before the Dec deadline, hope this is of some help. Monica. Good Luck.

Hello again Anita,

No matter where you choose, you will have the same beautiful blue sky almost every day.  Living on the coast is lovely but can cost most than in land 

Be aware that many homes in the area have been flooded and nobody is going to tell you this when you go house hunting. Few of us can cope with such a disaster so buy somewhere safe! Knowing your budget, perhaps an upper floor apartment with a lift would suit. Most people look for properties during the good weather so it is easy to see everything through rose coloured glasses

Ask the estate agent if there has been any water damage or flooding. 

Once you retire, please don’t rush into anything. You will have to come over and search.  Many areas are man made.  Built in the past few years and miles outside Torrevieja.  Yes, there are shops, restaurants, banks everything you need but generally in the middle of nowhere WITH NO CAR.

Calpe is beautiful but possibly more expensive to buy.

Altea is also perfect

All the resorts on the coast are lovely but Torrevieja is a working town so is always alive.   Because there has been far too many homes built and still being built, it isn’t easy to know where to consider.

Decide if you need/ want to live on the coast and if not, consider an inland town and stop dreaming. Begin considering a possible town possibly close to a big town eg Elche

You will find an apartment within your budget in the Torrevieja area but it may not be what you would want to spend the rest of your life in.  

Nothing is ever simple. You can buy a roomy apartment in a Spanish town for a fraction of the cost ... I checked. You are lucky that you can speak some Spanish as it wouldn’t take you long to become fluent and could integrate well with the locals.  

Check some of the other forums north of Alicante and inland 

Don’t despair.  If you want to live in Spain, you can. Widen your hoti

Hi Janice thank you so much for your response I appreciate it I have thought more inland is probably cheaper as long as its within walking distance to everything it will be fine I don't really want noisy neighbours I want to be able to have some peace and at the same time be able to get involved in the night life  within distance I'm not sure what would be a good base to stay so I'm not too far from everything I need to explore I was thinking San miguel de salinas but been told its a bit far out from where I need to look as I don't drive so any ideas or advice is appreciated 

Anita 

Hi Mónica thank you for your response I appreciate it and any information you have is so useful I'm going to have to make a list of things to do  I hope I find something even if it's to rent along as its not expensive as I'm on a tight budget. 

need to get settled asap but art the same time don't want to rush but the clock is ticking 

Anita 

Hello again Rose yes there is so much to consider and so many questions I am going to look more inland as I will get more for my money. Renting is an option but it will only be short term until I get a property and residence I just want to achieve that before December then I can relax a bit more in looking for where I feel I could settle

Hi Anita, I found the best site to househunt on was  idealista, a lot of property off private owners, which I prefer. No agency fees. You can enter preffered areas and maximum amount to spend. I looked at the whole Alicante region and then used google maps to find out what services were local. Then looked up buses and trains available. Great range of property, all kinds, houses, apartments, bungalows, etc. Give it a try, it's free. Monica. I was on a limited budget too and I got what I think is a belter although I wanted somewhere in land.Loads of property near the coast though. Happy hunting.

Have a look a bit inland from Torrevieja at Almoradí.   We have a lovely bus station (but not many buses), quite a large medical centre, and a large Saturday morning market that takes place in many of the streets around the main square, where you will find the main church and the town hall.   Shops include a Mercadona, Lidl, Dia and 2 Hiperber supermarkets as well as numerous other shops and estate agents.   There are also many bars and restaurants run by Spanish, British and other nationalities.

Anita, 

Don’t forget that if you rent first, you will need a proper rental contract to be able to go ahead with any other plans. Once you actually purchase a property, you only have to produce your deeds when getting your Padron, then Residencia.

If your pension is just over €740 per month you will have no trouble getting your Residencia permit. It is the amount the Spanish government consider sufficient for one person to live on. 

When buying, please keep in mind the actual sum you need to pay your lawyer, taxes and notary bills, the cost for your NIE and any direct debits they set up for you. In theory this could be from 11% to 15%  depending where you are. Also, steer clear of estate agents who charge the buyer a commission. Generally it is just the seller who pays so it isn’t necessary for you to pay up too! 

Janice