newbie moving to Spain

[Lavenderfox]

Hi, Newbie here.
Retired.Thinking of moving to Spain if I can sell up here, but know nothing!
Im on medications, (can I still get family to collect and send them out?/ who supplies electricity/gas/telephone/intenet

[Pesky Wesky]

Originally Posted by Lavenderfox

Hi, Newbie here.
Retired.Thinking of moving to Spain if I can sell up here, but know nothing!
Im on medications, (can I still get family to collect and send them out?/ who supplies electricity/gas/telephone/intenet

Hi!
If you're retired and have some kind of savings or pension (and you don't think you're coming to the promised land where everything is perfect) you should be fine!
There's a a lot of info on the site although you need time and patience to go through it. In fact, my advice would be to take your time in general to sift through the information and let the idea "fatten out".
One of the most useful sites in the UK in Spain site, which gives info about healthcare and pensions
Living in Spain

Also on this forum, at the top of the main Spain page, there are some permanent threads called stickies. There is one called Forms, education, driving etc which you might want to take a look at.

Lastly I would say that you need lots of mini breaks in Spain to start thinking about where you'd really like to live, instead of taking a holiday.

[mrypg9]

It's hard to give advice without knowing more about your circumstances.

If you will need to find work, this is not a good time as you will know if you have read posts on this Forum.

But if you are retired then the 'problems' may be few or non-existent. My only advice -without knowing more - is not to sell your UK home until you are 100% sure that Spain is the place for you.

And if you are retired you are entitled to free health care...so medications won't be a problem for you.

[jojo]

You need to do a lot of research before you do anything. I would advise that before you sell up, you come over and rent and before that, you come and have a good look around and do some fact finding trips.

The one thing I can tell you is that it isnt legal or ethical for your friends to get repeat prescriptions from the UK. Once you are a resident in Spain your UK doctor will no longer be your doctor and therefore cannot take the responsibility of prescribing or providing medication. You will need a doctor where you live, so that he is able to see you and have your notes.

To live in Spain you will need to have an NIE number, a residencia and be registered on the padron.

Jo xxx

[Lavenderfox]

Originally Posted by mrypg9

It's hard to give advice without knowing more about your circumstances.

If you will need to find work, this is not a good time as you will know if you have read posts on this Forum.

But if you are retired then the 'problems' may be few or non-existent. My only advice -without knowing more - is not to sell your UK home until you are 100% sure that Spain is the place for you.

And if you are retired you are entitled to free health care...so medications won't be a problem for you.

Thanks for the reply. Im retired, have a pension, will sell my property. I will only be able to afford a small place, but it will be cash sale, until next year my son will finance a bigger place and he will use it as a holiday home, while I will be there permanent
I just need to know how to put it in motion. I have put my flat up for sale to see if there is any interest, and want to go to (around) Torrevieja

[snikpoh]

Originally Posted by Lavenderfox

Thanks for the reply. Im retired, have a pension, will sell my property. I will only be able to afford a small place, but it will be cash sale, until next year my son will finance a bigger place and he will use it as a holiday home, while I will be there permanent
I just need to know how to put it in motion. I have put my flat up for sale to see if there is any interest, and want to go to (around) Torrevieja

Please, please, please consider renting first.

If you commit to buying straight away, and things don't work out for you (wrong area, don't like it or whatever), you have a mill stone around your neck. Property is just not selling here - not much anyway so you could be stuck with a property in Spain and nowhere to go back to in UK


Rent for a while - simply test the water!

[mrypg9]

Originally Posted by Lavenderfox

Thanks for the reply. Im retired, have a pension, will sell my property. I will only be able to afford a small place, but it will be cash sale, until next year my son will finance a bigger place and he will use it as a holiday home, while I will be there permanent
I just need to know how to put it in motion. I have put my flat up for sale to see if there is any interest, and want to go to (around) Torrevieja

You are in the same situation as us. We sold everything in the UK and now rent a lovely house - we decided not to buy as our family already has properties in Spain and France and we are SKINs.

We are hoping that they will buy the house we are currently renting too.

But as Snikpoh says...it really is best to rent first. We made a huge mistake with our first rental property here....We hated the apartment and the agents were crooks.
If we had bought we would have been stuck and miserable!

It's really very easy to move to Spain. The few formalities you must complete aren't too difficult or complicated.

You'll have no money worries...so go for it and enjoy!

[Lavenderfox]

Thanks.....I thought about renting, I couldn't afford to without renting mine, and Im not keen to....even managed, Im very concious about taking shoes off, cleanliness, sleeping in MY bed etc
I could wait until next year until my family contributes the finance of a largee place, but Im not getting any younger!! (65 now)

[mrypg9]

Originally Posted by Lavenderfox

Thanks.....I thought about renting, I couldn't afford to without renting mine, and Im not keen to....even managed, Im very concious about taking shoes off, cleanliness, sleeping in MY bed etc
I could wait until next year until my family contributes the finance of a largee place, but Im not getting any younger!! (65 now)

I understand all that....We had a couple of properties we rented out in the UK and we did rent our own house until we sold it - thankfully within six months of it going on the market but the Polish tenant stole a credit card plus PIN which the bank helpfully sent to my old address although they knew I'd moved to Prague and she used it to steal £5000! She also sub-let every room in the house and caused much annoyance to the neighbours.

So I understand your concerns.

But could you not rent -after summer when rents fall dramatically - say for a month in your chosen location, just to test the water, as it were?

I really would hate anyone to make our mistake. It really spoiled our first few months in Spain. I only felt 'at home' once we'd found the house we live in now.

[jojo]

Originally Posted by Lavenderfox

Thanks.....I thought about renting, I couldn't afford to without renting mine, and Im not keen to....even managed, Im very concious about taking shoes off, cleanliness, sleeping in MY bed etc
I could wait until next year until my family contributes the finance of a largee place, but Im not getting any younger!! (65 now)

At least if you rent and it all goes wrong in Spain, all you'd have to worry about would be decorating. It would be total madness to sell up and buy in Spain when you have no idea what it will be like. Properties in Spain are not selling well and buying in Spain is nothing like buying in the UK. If you really dont want to rent your place out, then leave it empty, but rent in Spain. The way things are going, you wont lose any money cos house prices are dropping, so after renting for a few months, the same properties will still be available and cheaper.

Rent first!

Jo xxx