We are newbies

[sunseaandsangria]

Hola!
We will be buying abroad in the next 3years and starting to investigate potential areas.
We shall keep a foot in each camp and have a home in the UK and one in our chosen destination.
First things first! It would be very tempting to visit the Costa Blanca and snap up some fab property but I am resisting temptation and looking at various locations.
This is ,hopefully,where your expertise comes in!
We have friends who bought an apartment in Orihuela and loved it so much they have just upgraded to a villa.So far they have only visited for blocks of 2weeks,although they have made lots of pals and love the bars/beach/restaurants/climate they probably do not have the "feel" of what long stay living would be like.
One of my worries is the reports of crime and in particular muggings.
I know the UK has its fair share of crime and we do not leave our brains at home when we travel,we treat safety as we would at home.
Have any of you found crime a worry or problem?
Would you recommend Olihuela for a second home?
We shall be visiting next year but thought I might get some opinions first.
I have lots more questions but lets deal with one at a time!
Cheers1

[CavaCarol]

Hola
We also have a foot in both camps and if you can I think it is a good idea. We love our visits and have loads of new friends, some love it but a few now wish they could move back to the UK. Research the area you would like carefully, near a beach?, in the country?. We now know that we should have gone for Gran Alacant or the North, Many "permanent" people are upgrading to bigger homes and gardens, but we like having a small place that doesn't require much maintenance. so we can just holiday
We would now buy a resale as you see what you get. We had a tiny plot of land near us which now has large town houses on it so that some of our lovely view has gone!!
You have to be aware of what is going on around you, new builds particularly seem to be targeted by criminals, and I don't carry a handbag since a neighbour was robbed. If you buy in an area with permanent familys like ours you don't seem to get much trouble. Try to avoid area with loads of holiday lets, they may not be as nice as you Unless you like noise and drunks

[sunseaandsangria]

Thanks for the usefull advice.
You have put our minds at rest regards the crime issue,it sounds as if you just need to be sensible.
Hmm,think we would avoid the holiday let brigade,rather avoid that!
We thought resale would be a good idea as you see the final developement,my cousin bought an apartment which now has another block in front of it and his sea view dissapeared!
We shall certainly visit a few times and get the feel of the area before we buy.
Another question if I may!
We expect the first rush of excitement and the feeling of being on holiday wears off after a while and you need to find things to keep yourselves occupied.
We are both active outdoor types,walking,swimming an such like nothing too outragious!
Are there plenty of things to get involved in within the owners abroad community,you seem to have made pals out there and we are sociable people so I would think we would soon get to know people. .
Did you find it easy to settle in?
Regards,
Val

[CavaCarol]

Hi Val
We stay between 3-6 weeks at a time.
We moved into a new urb , so it was easy to make friends as we all helped each other
We do lots of walking, swimming and cycling, Our urb has petanque, a book swop, art and Spanish classes and the occasional street party in aid of charity
Many bars have activities in the evening, live music, bingo etc if you are in to that. Bigger ones like the Emerald Isle at La Florida have lots of activites eg.
http://www.costablanca-pubs.com/maps...a_florida.html
There is fishing, bowling, tennis, bird watching etc and the local papers are full of things to do
We have been lucky with most of our neighbours! We spend evenings on the terrace, or eating out as it is so cheap, but in the winter we play cards or watch DVD's and eat out!
We do a lot of sightseeing
Lo Pagan, Guadalest, Cartagena etc and more recently we have been going further Madrid, Cuenca and Granada.
Also once you have a home in Spain we see a lot of family and friends visiting
We have a great time but I don't think I could live in Spain all of the time
Carol

[sunseaandsangria]

Hi Carol,
Sounds like there is plenty to keep you occupied!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
We shall certainly start our search feeling that we are most definately doing the right thing,can hardly wait to get a place out there !
Sightseeing sounds excellent.
Cheers,
Val

[JustRetired]

resales are good. if you have a car visit the area at different times of the day to check for noise etc. watch for the school bus as this will give you an indication of local resident numbers. ask local bars etc about the local population. you will find that a lot of residents move back to north europe in the monthe of july and august cause they dont like the intense heat, but thay dont let out their house as they are perm. homes. amke sure you get a spanish lawer and that they check for any debt set against the property for eg utilities. it is not a problem if there is debt as you can legally ask the lawer to retain monies to cover any debt. if you dont then you become liable for the debt after purchase. ask spanish banks if they have any repossessed properties as these can be superb buys. they only want funds to cver the original outstanding loan etc. they dont auction as they do in the uk.

check out lighting at night if you see property you like.

never carry a handbag.

never walk alone at night, you would not do it in the uk. taxi services are brilliant especially in the playa flamenca areas.

make sure window bars are well bolted into concrete, fit mossy screens and noisy venetian blinds. keep shutters down at night if you must leave your windows open and fit window locks with magnet alarms or use pers. hanbag alarms on your windows, this means you can leave windows slightly open but if someone tries to open the window ever so slightly the alarm will go off. Walkeasy alarms are the best as they have one for this purpose and are not expensive.

i have lived in spain for 3 years and have not encountered any problems myself, as i remain street wise. i also live in a highly residential area and i think that i am learning more italian and german than spanish.

get to know your neighbours and you will find that they will look after you property. they will even water plants etc when you are away.

happy house hunting

ps i would never return to uk to live, i love the life and the people