Culture Spain – for all things Spanish

So, 2011 gradually ebbs away – a year that many people in Spain will be pleased to see disappear, hoping that 2012 will herald better times ahead.  Unfortunately, I fear that may not be the case and there are compelling arguments to suggest that 2012 may be more difficult and challenging for Spain than 2011. So, how does one round [...]

If you are living in Spain or thinking of doing so (or of buying a holiday home in Spain) then you should know that Spanish property is fundamentally different to that found in the UK and US – and many Nordic countries. You may think that I am referring to the build quality of properties in Spain or perhaps their [...]

Just occasionally, perhaps only once every four or five years, I come across a house in Spain that is truly extraordinary – somewhere that really does have the ‘Wow!’ factor.  Frankly, this is rare in Spain as many Spanish properties lack personality and this applies even to expensive villas on exclusive estates.  The latter can appear wonderful but often boast [...]

I saw an interesting article in the Euro Weekly News today, the contents of which deserve comment.  The article revolves around the Spanish property crash and the number of properties for sale in Spain. According to the Spanish economist Ricardo Verges, there are some 2,320,000 new houses for sale in Spain – a number that is nothing less than breathtaking.  [...]

The Spanish economy, Spanish debt, Spanish banks  and further potential austerity measures! Part 2 While public sector debt (not the deficit) in Spain is actually relatively low as a percentage of GDP versus other countries such as Italy, Ireland, Greece and Portugal, Spain’s public sector deficit for 2010 will be around 11.3%.  So, the Spanish government has announced several austerity [...]

Property in Spain, according to a recent article in The Economist, is currently over valued by 50.4%!  This shocking figure is enough to make anyone in Spain despair.  How, you have to ask, could a reputable magazine like The Economist be so wrong about the Spanish property market? The answer, unfortunately, is that The Economist ( I suspect rather lazily) [...]

  In my recent book ‘How to Move Safely to Spain’, I make the comment that if money was no object then the majority of us Britons would like to buy a property in Spain that was the Spanish equivalent of a rectory – a classy property overlooking the sea and just outside a pretty village.  Of course, this dream [...]

Probably like everyone else in Spain(!), I have just received, from a UK relative, a cutting from the Daily Telegraph entitled: ‘Expats threaten a villa “siege” as Spanish serve demolition orders’. This headline is enough to send shivers of fear down any Spanish property owner’s back. In fact, this story concerns some eight properties in Spain sitiuated in Almeria Province [...]

Of course, there is no denying that the Spanish property market is in deep trouble. Indeed, the problems caused by the Spanish property crash are, undeniably, central to the ‘crisis’ in Spain. Quite simply (as everyone now knows) far too many properties in Spain were built during the boom years. To compound this fact, promoters were lent absurd amounts of [...]

Last week, I noticed an article in a major UK daily paper commenting upon the fact that estate agent’s commissions in Spain are ‘much higher than in Britain’. Indeed, the article pointed out that an ‘agent selling a property in Spain could earn up to five per cent of the sale value’. I doubt that I was alone amongst expatriots [...]

First Occupation License It is absolutely essential that your new build property in Spain is granted a Licencia de Primera Ocupación (sometimes referred to as a ‘Certificado de Habitacion’ or ‘Cedula´) before you pay fully for it. This vital certificate is granted by the local town hall planning department upon completion of a Spanish new build and declares the legality [...]

Over the past few weeks a further controversy over the safety of buying property in Spain has erupted into the press. This time it revolves around the illegality of properties situated too close to the seashore. Earlier this year Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas was reportedly advised that part of his luxury villa in Marbella would be demolished. This has been [...]

Stressing the importance of ‘location’ has become an unwelcome cliché. However, it cannot be stressed often enough – as it will define your future life absolutely. If you make a mistake with your choice of location within Spain then it may terminally harm your dreams of a new life and lead to a rapid and embarrassing retreat to the UK. [...]