Culture Spain – for all things Spanish

Of one thing you can be sure – there are untold numbers of Spanish bank repossession properties for sale! Indeed, the Spanish banks are the greatest property owners in the country, with huge portfolios of properties. Needless to say, the Spanish banks are desperate to rid themselves of their properties and have been dumping their repossessions onto the market for the past few years, selling them through agents and via dedicated bank property web sites. Trawl through these and you [...]

So – as of the 1st June 2013 Energy Efficiency Certificates in Spain will be obligatory for all properties for sale or rent. These Certificates provide an energy efficiency rating for properties, with the rating graded from A to G (with A being the top rating for a very energy efficient home and G for the least efficient property). Energy Efficiency Certificates in Spain can be obtained only though properly qualified and registered energy efficiency assessors. These are architects, engineers [...]

The past week has been quiet at Culture Spain because I have just returned from the A Place in the Sun exhibition in Olympia, where I was one of the three members of the expert’s panel on Spain – along with the British Consul for Alicante (Paul Rodwell) and a lawyer specializing in Spanish legal work (Alex Radford). The A Place in the Sun exhibition was certainly interesting and notably well run by the A Place in the Sun team [...]

In my last Post, I commented that I felt that the worst of the Spanish property crash was possibly ‘over’ and that certain types of properties are probably bumping along the bottom of their downward price range. This, obviously, begs the question as to whether the Spanish economy itself is actually stabalising? Well, any pronouncements about the Spanish economy have to be made with the very greatest care, most particularly if they concern anything to do with stabalisiation or recovery.  [...]

Welcome to Pure FX’s weekly update of the euro exchange rate. This week: The euro has rebounded, and reached a 2-week high against the pound of 0.856. The euro has also bounced back against the US dollar, to hit a 1-month high of 1.3116. However, the euro could soon fall again, as the Eurozone outlook is deteriorating fast. (Please bear in mind, these are the interbank rate at the time of writing. This means the exchange rates may have changed [...]

So, the first quarter of 2013 has passed and it is time, once again, to have a look at what is happening to the Spanish housing market. At the beginning of the year, I wrote that I thought, in general, the Spanish housing market would continue to have price declines this year, with those declines being around 10%.  At the same time, I provided the caveat that the housing market in Spain is a lot more complicated than it looks [...]

Welcome to Pure FX’s weekly update of the exchange rate. This week: Pound hits highest point against euro since 24th of January Sterling flies! The pound hit its highest point against the euro since the 24th of January this week, at 1.1886. To put this into context, sterling was as low as 1.1371 on the 12th of March. Hence, it’s since regained +4.53%, or more than 5 cents. A £250,000 transfer would hence be worth €12,875 more this week than [...]

If you have been wondering why we have been quiet at Culture Spain this week then this is because last weekend we expereinced the full force of when fires in Spain go out of control! Indeed, we were at the centre of a ferocious wildfire that swept through our mountain valley.  Almost everyone was evacuated from their homes, whilst the fire service battled huge flames that lit up a vast area.  These were eventually put out (after a nerve wracking [...]

Hell is a place where no wines get awarded prizes and no experts gives them points. Or at least this is what the people who give prizes and points would like us to believe. But why is wine singled out as one of the few consumables subject to such a barrage of rating agencies? What about potato crisps, dark chocolate, coffee beans, vodka, foie gras or bourbon? Agreed, there are scores awarded to cigars but no proper cigar contest is [...]

Welcome to Pure FX’s weekly account of the euro exchange rate. This week: Sterling has reached its highest point against the euro in 6 weeks, at 1.1831. The US dollar has hit a 16-week high against the common currency, of 0.779. Let’s take a closer look! Pound reaches highest point against euro in 6 weeks, but outlook mixed Go sterling! The pound reached its highest point against the euro in 6 weeks this week, or since the 11th February, at [...]

Welcome to Pure FX’s weekly update of the exchange rate. Sterling is back on top! The pound hit its highest point against the euro in 5 weeks this week, or since 11th February, at 1.1757. To put this into context, sterling was at just 1.1371 on the 12th March. Therefore, it’s since climbed +3.36%, or almost 4 cents. A £250,000 transfer would hence be worth €9,650 more today than 8 days ago. (Please bear in mind, these are the interbank [...]

If you are interested in Spanish property then the A Place in the Sun exhibition should be of real interest to you!  It is on at the London Olympia between the 12th to 14th April (Friday through to Sunday) starting every morning at 10.00hrs and finishing in the evenings at 17.00hrs.  As always, there will numerous exhibitors, celebrities from the TV programme and a good deal of useful information and advice about Spain, how to buy safely and how to [...]