Talking to a work colleague last night whose retired father had decided to sell his house, uproot and move to Spain to live the rest of his life.
Last year when I was on holiday in Tenerife I came across a small bar which was run by an ex-pat and the bar was seemingly full of these chaps in their 60’s-70’s enjoying their lives in the sun. Apart from odd visits back to the UK, they said they had never looked back.
This got me thinking that maybe someday, if I was in the same position, I would probably love to join this kind of lifestyle. Has anyone done this? Is it expensive? What sort of property does one live in? And how do you manage financially?
We were much younger whenwe moved so we dont count but I know people who moved here later in life and bought a larger house and offered B&B in the Dutch countryside but with an English twist.
I also know of a couple of people who have opened 'English tea houses’serving earl grey and scones to people who lap it up at 20euro a pop!
I always wanted to live abroad in later life but don’t want to do it alone . I know couples who do and love it , I’m quite envious really . Warmer weather , nicer lifestyle . I have been told that since the Brexit vote the pensions are worth less though .
We lived in France for a trial period a few years back, yes we found it more
expensive but the houses are cheaper but often a bit run down and it’s not cheap to fix them up.
I have two friends who lived abroad for several years but they and their husbands are back in the UK now.
The other man’s grass and all that?!
We have relatives who retired to northern France and apart from food (most of which they grow or buy on their trips back to the UK), it is very cheap to live there. One example is council tax, they pay less than £200 per annum. Motor insurance is more expensive but they pay no road tax. Gas and electric similar to the UK. They get all our TV channels but pay no licence fee. They have a good life out there.
If you are retired and have an income you could buy a place and live cheaper and more healthily than in the uk .
At the moment the health care is free but with Brexit this may change .
I’m nowhere near retiring just yet, but it’s something to think about when I’m in that position. Though maybe in around 15 years’ time things may have changed.
Everyone I have ever known that went off to another country came back to the UK after things didn’t work out the way they planned. Greece, Canada, etc.
Spain’s economy is shot, another great EU victim along with Greece, Italy and so many others.
Years ago there was a boom of Brits going over to Spain to build properties and live there. Later on the Spanish authorities deemed that the planning permissions were not right and so many people lost everything.
The grass always looks greener, but very seldom is.
With BrExit and the inevitable eventual collapse of the EU, being abroad might not be the ideal situation. Things are very likely to change, businesses likely to go under, local populations likely to want to look after their own rather than incoming Brits or anyone else.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Spain, I visit it many times in many different parts and have some good friends there. I’ve learned to speak Spanish and I love their food and traditions. Moving there permanently though is a different matter. Many things would be fantastic, the endless supply of fresh market ingredients, warm weather, laid back lifestyle, but everything could easily change and getting back onto the UK property ladder once you’ve been out of it for a while can be difficult.
I must admit, I do envy those who decided to up sticks and head for the sunshine. but being the stick-in-the-mud that I am, If I could take all of my family, my house, the NHS and Sainsbury’s with me, then maybe, even now at the ripe old age of 68, I would do the same.
Unfortunately, in reality, I think the safest place in the world to be right now is right here, in the Shires, where crime is low, life is sedate, kind and comforting. Why would I want to leave? I would even miss the weather!
Yes, I remember at the time our thinking how that episode had completely put us off ever considering emigrating to Spain.
I found it disgusting what well-meaning emigrants were suffering, whether that was due to the authorities flexing their muscles or the incompetence of their legal advisors.
Many brought it upon themselves…not going down the right channels, not employing the right legal eagles etc…and the corruption that existed in local government.
Buying property in Spain is easy and very straightforward if you do it right.
Selling is just as straightforward and stress free.
I have just sold an apartment and currently awaiting completion.
I didn’t advertise it…informed my agent(one we’ve used a few times over the last 30 years) He phoned me just three days after I’d decided to sell…got an offer, signed contract with deposit 7 days later…the Notary will be completed either the 2nd or 3rd week in July.
5 weeks from start to finish and no worries as to whether it will fall through at the 11th hour…if the buyer does pull out he loses his 10k euro deposit.
I hope the situation continues after Brexit. I’m sure it will as far as we’re concerned, though some of the recent posturing by Spanish politicians is a little worrying. Despite that, I’m sure that when push comes to shove, they won’t be so obstreperous, as it wouldn’t be in their interests at all.
