Christening our new life in spain

Literally, a new life, our baby son Teo is being christened on Sunday the 27th, he will be 7 months old. It has been a vey eventfull 7 months as well. He was born with hydrocephalus which is fluid on the brain. It was found at a doctors appointment he had, 1 of the regular checkups they have here in Spain. It was found when they took measurements of his head. They measure around the circumference and his measurements were slightly over the limit they have for babies of his age. From our experience the doctors and nurses and in fact all the facilities are really first class. He had an operation whereby the install a shunt which is a tube with a valve that redistributes the fluid from around the brain to the rest of the body. Obviously this was very traumatic for Victoria, Jamie and I. He had the operation at the La Fe hospital in Valencia and he was back on the ward that day. The surgeon is highly respected and one of the top ones in Spain. He were told he should then enjoy a normal life.
However he has had 2 setbacks both coming on the dates of his 3 month innoculations and his 6 month ones. Each time he has had to have surgery back in Valencia, fortunately each time again a success. We have asked if there is any relation to the innoculations but the doctors have said it shouldn't have caused a problem but from our point it seems like too much of a coincidence.
We are of course going to look at other options for his next jabs but in the mean time he is doing well and being christened on Sunday.

The area I chose. Part 2. Calpe

Calpe, here on the Costa Blanca is just 10 minutes by car from Benidorm but although a holiday destination it is worlds away in terms of character. However you would be mistaken if you thought it was the sleepy fishing village of old. There are many villas, apartments and hotels and can be very busy in the summer months. There are as you would you expect many bars and restaurants and although quieter in the winter months a good night out can be had all year round.
If you start at the top of the town you will find a beautiful church and many narrow streets comprising of old houses, shops and little bars. This is an excellent place to walk around in the early evening and many places offer tapas to go along with your drinks. When you finish here head down the hill toward the beach and you are walking along the main road the " Gabriel Miro". At the bottom is one of two of Calpes' beaches the "Arenal" and again along the promenade is a plethora of bars, eateries and ice-cream parlours. This is a lovely walk and leads to the main port below the "Penon DeIfach" a rock formation similar to the much larger Gibralter Rock. You can take a footpath to the top of the rock and this is best tackled early in the morning before the midday heat. The walk should take a couple of hours to get to the top and the views are breathtaking!
In the port below are the many retaurants serving fresh fish, these can be seen in dislplay cabinets and you can make your choice while enjoying a complimentary glass of sangria. The fish on display will have come in directly to that port meaning it's as fresh as is possible.
To the other side of the rock is the "Levante" beach again with many bars etc. You will also find many hotel and apartment blocks so this area is very busy in summer and less so in winter. Most of the late bars are around this area and people can be seen out enjoying themselves until the early hours.
Around the rock itself there are many watersports including water skiing and diving as well as boat excursions along the coast and for those who like to stay dry there is a glass bottomed boat. All in all calpe is an excellent place for a holiday or an ideal place to start your New Life in Spain.

The area I chose and the areas around. Part 1

The area I chose( or should I say we), was Calpe in the north of the Costa Blanca. This is a holiday area, although more for people who book by themselves rather than people who look for a package tour. The Costa Blanca has a huge supply of holiday accomodation, and apart from the large hotels there are many privately owned villas and apartments. Calpe is particularly geared towards this sort of holiday maker and with the use of a car there are many further attractions near by.

One of these is the beautiful mountain village of Gaudalest which is about 40 minutes south and inland from Calpe. When you arrive by car you will have to park your car in the large car park as no cars are allowed in the village. It is a small town but all the buildings are open to the public and the square looks over the Guadalest reservoir and dam.This is a great photo oppertunity!
Close by when back in your car is a wildlife park for former mistreated animals called the Ark and back toward the N332 to Calpe is Terra Natura the wildlife sister park to the well known Terra Mitica theme park. Heading further back to Calpe are the Aqualandia water and slide park as well as Mundo Mar with it's Dolphin and Seal shows. Certainly don't try to do all these in one day!

It's all the medias' fault

Spanish Home Seeker has found evidence that the U.K media is to blame for the lack of confidence in the property market. both here and back in England. I hear some of you saying "no sh*t sherlock!" but this is a trend particular to the english press. Other countries' papers do not rubbish their own country the same. Obviously there are concerns still over finance and access to it but many Brits still want purchase here in Spain. In fact figures from Primelocation.com support the fact that nearly 60% of U.K residents are searching an overseas holidays home.

However although there are people who want to buy they are holding off on there purchasing or reigning in on their choice of property ie. from a villa to an apartment but the interest is still there with google showing massive search figures for overseas property and related keywords. Of course one of the main stumbling blocks for people purchasing property abroad is the necessity for many to sell their U.K home and for others it is the strong Euro compared to the Pound. Certainly the exchange rate is nowhere near as favourable as it was 2 years ago but with prices down from 20%-50% in some areas this negates this somewhat.

Funding is another issue which people are clearly worried about, the Spanish lenders have severely limited their lending similar to their U.K counterparts but finance is still available and interest rates are still low. As I have said before, for those in a position to buy the bargains are there and in areas like Calpe prices haven't got much further to drop. Certainly when you can buy an apartment for €80,000 and rent it all year round for €120 a week your return on investment will be 4 times what you would get from a bank and you have the potential for capital growth. This is when investors will come back into the market.

Spain still has a lot to offer and if you are thinking of a home here then you be wise to start looking now. The boat waits for no man.
Spanish Home Seeker Director Ian Raistrick.

Life in the property market in Spain

Is there life in the property market in Spain? I think so yes, certainly in the area around Calpe property seems to be moving. Not on the scale of the 90s and early 2000s but it certainly is moving. The purchasers are in for a bargain and there are many available, however a bargain in this area of spain is probably 70-80% of it's previous high rather than the 50 or 60% seen further south.
The reasons for are many and varied, from the amount of infrastructure here too the limited building land available. This area of Spain has always been one of the more expensive coastal areas of Spain with it's dramatic mountains and beautiful long beaches as well as the many secluded coves.
Although the market is moving the purchasers are not so much Britains as German, Dutch and Russian. However I think for the U.K buyer who is in a position to buy this is a good time. Yes the euro is very strong against the pound but the reduction in the price of the property should more than compensate for this. Also although the British number of tourists was down this summer, Calpe was packed to the rafters, both with Germans and French and the Spanish themselves who go to the coast enmasse. With this in mind a property purchased now could provide a good return on investment if it was let out by a reputable agent. Indeed a 4 bedroom villa would command a figure of around €1700 a week in the high season.Moreover with good financial direction a significant saving in relation to tax can be made by the use of a Limited Company. So all in all this could be the time to start your New Life in Spain.

A new season in Spain-La Liga

With Barcelona looking to retain their league title from big spending Real Madrid, here is a list of spanish phrases and their english equivalent:
Champioship=Campeonato

Draw=Un empate

Equaliser=La igualada

Foul=Fata

Handball=Mano!

Home=En casa

Match=Partido

Own goal=Propia meta

Player=Jugador

Red card=Tarjeta roja

Referee=Arbitero

What's the score=como van?

No internet no blog!

So where have I been? Down the beach? Working hard (goes without saying!)? Well I haven't been down the beach that's for sure. It's mid September and the rain has arrived! Yes, it does rain in Spain and not just on the plane!
Spain is no longer the country of donkeys and goat herdsmen as I am sure you know. The cities of Barcelona and Madrid are as modern as any city in Europe. Everyone has a mobile and we can get internet broadband and satellite t.v. BUT this is still Spain and some things are not up to speed yet. In rural areas you may not have a phone line and therefore no internet connection. You can get service through a satellite link but I am not sure of the costs and I beleive the speed is slow. Surely in towns though there is no problem? Well yes and no. In Calpe for example, a reasonable sized town, I am told there is nowhere that can acheive speeds of 2mb although they quote up to 8mb. In reality I never acheive more than 1mb. Compare this to the U.K where sky advertize 50mb as do Virgin.
We also have the weather to contend with. Along with the rain we have had electrical storms and this means we have had virtually no internet access since Saturday. In fact the weather regularly knocks out the electricity which means we have to sip our wine by candle light!
Without circuit breakers there is often damage to small electrical devices, one of which is likely to be your wireless router. Telefonica will charge for a replacement and these are around €80. Thre are other service providers but your telephone line is provided by telefonica who will charge line rental. This is similar to B.T in england who ironically own Telefonica.

A New Life in Spain - Fall in foreign students

Children all over Spain went back to school this week after the long summer holidays. And this term, a record number of pupils is on the class registers – but surprisingly, there has been a sharp fall in the foreign student headcount in the Comunidad Valenciana. For the first time in a decade, there are more native Spanish children in the classrooms than children from abroad.
The new term has started with 502 fewer immigrant pupils than last year. Historically, with Spain’s notoriously low birth-rate, it was immigration that kept the numbers up – but the regional ministry of education believes many families have returned to their countries of origin such as the UK as a result of the global recession.
Indeed, at the end of the summer term this year, foreign children started to leave schools in the region before breaking up for the holidays, as their parents had chosen to return home for financial reasons.
Overall, an increase of two per cent in the number of schoolchildren has been recorded – rising to 766,332 in total – whereas foreign pupils now account for 91,914 as opposed to last year’s 92,416.
Teacher numbers have also increased significantly, with over 51,000 new tutors, thus considerably reducing the teacher-pupil ratio and offering a much more individually tailored education.
The cost to parents, statistics released recently showed that the average parent was forced to shell out 913 euros per child simply to send them back to school – clothing, footwear, textbooks, stationery, plus transport and lunches that had to be paid upfront are among the main expenses.
Whilst each child who goes to a state school costs their parents around 540 euros, for those who go to private school this figure rockets to over 1,300 euros. Costs for kids in grant-maintained schools is roughly halfway between the two. Back-to-school expenses for parents in the Comunidad Valenciana are the third-highest in Spain, after Madrid and Catalunya.
Mothers and fathers still spent less this year, though, due to the recession, cutting corners where they could – such as re-using schoolbags, notebooks and pens where possible. Textbooks are the biggest expense faced by parents, often costing around 300 euros per year per child.
Those who are eligible for full or partial grants may receive between 100 and 180 euros per child. The Comunidad Valenciana’s ministry of education set aside 51 million euros this year to help parents fund their children’s textbooks.
This figure is higher than Madrid, where the regional government shelled out 30 million euros. But even then, most parents complain the textbook grants they receive are not enough to be of any real assistance.

The different times of year-now until the New Year

Well after a little rain today(which was quite enjoyable), I thought I would discuss the different times of the year. This summer has been very warm and beleive me it can be just too hot! I side with the people who believe if you come to live in a hot country then don't moan when it's hot. However there is a difference between being on holiday and being able to jump in the pool or have a cool clara(shandy) and working outside from early morning till late afternoon without being able to get out of the sun. As I live in a holiday resort the months of July and August having been very busy here but mainly with german, dutch and spanish holiday makers rather than brits.

Normally as these people head back to their own countries and work, the weather starts to cool and we can park our cars in the town centre again. Once we get to October, if it hasn't already, we get an outbreak of rain. This usually cools the swimming pools to a level where thay aren't comfortable unless you are fortunate to have yours heated.

In the run up to Christmas there are many fiesta days where the banks and many shops are closed. If there a couple in one week the spanish have a "puente" which means bridge and so they take the whole week off. I will go into depth about Christmas and New Year in a later post.

A New Life In Spain - Lets have a party with Sangria

When started our new life in Spain, one of the first things I wanted to do was have a party in our new Spanish home! A barbeque was arranged and a huge bowl of Sangria which is the Spanish equivalent to ‘punch’ was made!
Sangria is a party drink and just like punch it is cheap to make and quite potent! Basically you just put cheap red wine, cheap spirits (anything!) and cheap fruit (it can be mushy) all in a bowl, give it a stir, taste it, screw your face up (ooh needs sugar) add some sugar maybe a bit of cinnamon and taste again!
A quick and easy recipe is:

Equal amounts of: red wine and lemonade / orangeade or something else fizzy
A glass of brandy (whisky or any other spirit will do)
Fruit cut into small cubes, orange, apple, peach
Sugar

You need to taste it often as you make it, just a sip though as you may not be awake for the party if you drink too much!
As the Sangria is drunk, there is no need to make a brand new one, just add to it! Anything goes and you may find that you have some budding cocktail makers as friends! What a great way to start your new life in Spain!

A New Life in Spain-Starting a business

Starting a new life in Spain means just that and if you are in a stable financial position wen you arrive, the next step in that new life could be starting your own business in Spain. A new start after all is just that and starting a business is one of many peoples dreams(like moving to Spain).
As I have mentioned earlier, the amount of redtape in Spain is unbeleivable, so much so that spaniards have a person who guides them through it all, the gestoria, he or she is worth their weight in gold and will save you time which in business is money.
The general image of expats buying bars is still a common one however the bar market is saturated in many areas of Spain and is very competative. If you move to an area with many expats then there will be a lot of english type bars. If you go to an area where there a fewer brits there will be less bars but make no mistake it is mainly only brits who patronize english bars and not the spanish.Restaurants are also very competative throughout Spain and there are many of them.
Setting up your own business is fairly straightforward but without a good level of spanish it is best left to a gestor. You will need an N.I.E(you also need this to buy a house or a car etc) this is easy to obtain and can be done in person or you can have someone do it for you. I will cover this more later on.
Take your time, look around is there anything missing in your town ie. Calpe is missing a kfc(which can be bought as a franchise). Do you have the skills for example are you a plumber? If so are your qualifications valid in Spain? Corgi gas qualifications mean nothing in Spain. Have you learnt or able to learn new skills? If your skills and qualifications are all up to standard will you get much custom without speaking spanish? If not maybe you could get work in your chosen field with another company while you learn the language. Don't forget many words and phrases could only be relevant to your work and will need to be learned seperately. If for example you are in the building trade, most products here have individual names and the brands are different to the U.K. In most areas even if the bar staff speak english it will be less likely that the staff at the builders merchant will.

A New Life in Spain-A New Diet?

Spanish cuisine brings many new flavours and is part of the famed mediterranean diet with a perfect combination of oils, vegatables and seafood or meats. When we think of Spain we think of the dish of paella. I am lucky to live in the Valencia region which is famous for it's paella. Anything can and often does go into a paella pan. These pans can be bought cheaply at most markets and really give the dish it's distinctive flavours. It's a large flat pan with a thick base which aids the caremelization of the bottom of the rice(the best bit). Of course the real key is the saffron which can again be bought at local markets or many stores. It may have to be asked for as it's often by the till or locked away as saffron is quite expensive. Many supermarkets also have a paella mix in the spices section. Here is a simple recipe, it can of course be amended.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion(sliced)
1 medium chorizo sausage
1 pinch of saffron
Half a red pepper
Half a green pepper
300g arborio rice(or use long grain)
1 litre of chicken stock(or fish stock)
200g frozen peas
350g of browned chicken(or fozen mixed seafood)

Heat the oil in the paella pan, then saute the onion and chicken. After about 5 mins add the chorizo until it releases oil then add the saffron and peppers.
When it's all coated in oil add the stock and increase the heat until it all boils. Then allow it to simmer for 15 mins, occasionally stiring the dish.
Then add the peas and stir(after 5 mins add the seafood if using). Serve when the rice is cooked.
Add seasoning to taste and enjoy!

A New Life in Spain-The Spanish

The Spanish are warm and generous with both a sense of personal and national pride. The older spaniards still "paseo" in the finest clothes of an evening. In towns they may sweep the pavement outside their own front door and have brightly painted houses with decorative flowers displayed outside.
The younger generation love football and going out, they love the latest mobile phones and facebook but they also observe many of the traditions which have been handed down. They will meet at least once a week for a family meal, either at home or at a local eatery and the meal will often include the whole family, from possibly great grand-parents to the great grand-children.The meal will be loud as it seems everyone speaks at once. In fact the spanish will readily strike up conversation anywhere even going as far as to stop a car in traffic to say hi to someone!The openess of the spanish is shown by how they greet people, with a kiss to each side of the face and a shake of the hand.
There are down sides to their relaxed nature however as nearly everyone is late for an appointment or doesn't bother to turn up at all (particularly trades people) and as has been mentioned earlier they are sticklers for formality of paperwork. This goes back to Francos' time and is something you must get used to. Always keep all paperwork it is impossible to resolve any matters without it.

A New Life in Spain- which languages?

No I have not been drinking! What languages do you think you need to help your New Life in Spain?
Well of course spanish but which one, Castillian is what we recognize as spanish but there are many regional dialects. In Barcelona many speak Catalan and are quite rightly very proud of their language. Where we live in Calpe all school children learn Valeciano and it is widely spoken in the Valencia region. In fact to get a job for a local authority in the region of Valencia, ie. town hall,traffic warden etc it is mandatory to be able to read, write and speak Valenciano. Actually many regions have their own dialect.
However would you consider French or German? Again speaking from a personal point of view, you will find many french, germans,dutch,romanian and all manner of other nationalities now live in Spain. Now I am not suggesting you learn all these languages, and of course many other nationalities learn english from an early age but if you are looking to work in certain industries, being able to at least converse in some of these languages would help.
For example if you intend to be involved in the property or tourist industry German and French are a real advantage. Many purchasers of property through or comapanies Spanish Home Seeker and Calpe1stop are German and many holiday makers this year have been from France. Also the ability to speak a little of these languages will be desirable to employers and also come in handy as some of the finest restaurants, at least in Calpe, are French or German.

Calpe1stop and our New Life in Spain

We started the idea of Calpe1stop in the summer of 2008 but really it comes from an extension of all our years in property management & maintenance. We have taken our time, (to say the least) and we have used this time to research our niche. This has led us to define our working area to Calpe and the Moraira area. This is a big area and any further we wouldn't be able to give the quality of service we want. Also we found there were few companies dedicated to property management and maintenance in Calpe. There are plenty of people who look after the villa next door or a couple of apartments in town but not many who do it as a full time job.

This throws up a couple of qustions, what do they do full time and how much time can they spare for your home? Here's a further question, if they are not a dedicated management and maintenance company how safe is your home? I will explain, if they hold your keys and are unfortunate enough to be burgled, are you insured if the burglers then use those keys to burgle your home? ANSWER NO!

Incidently all our keys are kept in our safe and we inform our insurers we hold keys for 3rd partys.

So what else did we decide? Well we looked at what we would expect, can you contact your company by phone, skype, uk local rate number and e-mail, can you pay in cash or by card or uk bank account (at a preferential rate)?

If not why not?

We guarantee all our maintanace even if we have to get someone in, why? because we only use qualified trades people we trust. We can tailor our services to match your requirements exactly and if you don't see what you want just ask we truly beleive in offering a service which is second to none. Calpe1stop is your one stop shop!

Through our parent company we offer villas, apartments and all types of property for sale. Rather than conflicting with Calpe1stop we think Spanish Home Seeker perfectly compliments it. Again I will explain, as a Calpe1stop customer we know our clients and clients homes as well as they do, so if they then come to sell we have intimate knowledge of their homes and can put these details to our many clients also in the reverse when we sell a home to a client we can give them the benefit of our extensive knowledge of both the area and the rental market.

This makes our services second to non in the Calpe, Moraira and Javea area!

Calpe1stop and Spanish Home Seeker

It has been a hot summer!

It has been a hot summer in Spain! But it is not over yet!
Last month was the third hottest August for the past 50 years in Spain. August 1991 and 2003 are the only years to surpass the temperatures of this August. The last 2 weeks of the month were the hottest and had consecutive days with temperatures of 37, 38 and 39 degrees. There were zones of high humidity along the coasts of Spain.
Summer is not over yet however! Murcia recorded a temperature of 38.7 degrees on September 3rd which is a record!
The hot weather is to last well into September then giving way for the warm sunny days and cooler nights of the autumn and winter.

Getting children into Spanish school

State schools in Spain are very good and even if your child speaks no Spanish at all they will be accepted and sat in a class with someone who speaks English. Within a matter of months they will be fluent so no need to worry there!
There are a lot of forms to fill in to get your child into school, it all seems rather daunting at first but as you go through them it is not too bad. We were fortunate to have very good friends that pointed us in the right directions with the paperwork. Also speaking a little bit of Spanish helps too, the Spaniards appreciate it when you try! Your first stop should be your local town hall, they will tell you the forms you need and where to get them from. From then on there is a bit of running about but it is straight forward. I would leave yourself at least 2 mornings to do it all.
You also need an up-to-date medical certificate for the child. This is easily obtainable from your local Centro de Salud (free certificate) or a private doctor (fee payable). A valuable piece of advice with regards to any kind of paperwork in this country is to always take your passport, NIE number and your empadron certificate with you and have at least 3 photocopies of each one too. Passport photographs are needed with most forms so keep them stocked up!
If you want anymore information or any help with the paperwork needed for schools please email me at victoria@spanishhomeseeker.co.uk

As the kids go back to school

With tempers fraid after 11 weeks off school parents across Calpe are breathing a sigh of relief as preparations are made for the children to return to school, well the younger ones anyway as the secondary school here goes back the week after.
This is something you have to get used to so if you move here and take a job you could find you have nearly 3 months of childcare to find! In reality many businesses here close for the whole of August which is great if you have a months holiday but not so great if you need to see a solicitor. Yours maybe available if you need legal aid but purchasing a property is highly unlikely, I have always found this strange as the summer is when most people would be here on holiday and many people would like I am sure to purchase in the summer.
As the kids head back you probably won't have to purchase a uniform as few spanish schools have one. You will, unlike the U.K probably have to get a list of books from the school and list in hand, queue at one of the local bookshops for this years books.
Many schools as well operate a half day scheme until the 1st of October to help the kids settle back into school life. An other aspect of the spanish school system are the many fiesta days when the school will be closed but this probably evens itself out as the only other holidays are Christmas and Easter, they don't have half-term.
This isn't the same if your child goes to an International school they operate similar to the english system. Even this has it's downside from your childs point of view as his or her friends at local schools will be in school and you will hear those terrible words " I'm bored"

Victoria's point of view

Ian and I had decided that we wanted to move abroad but had different ideas of where to move to. European countries were always at the top of the list and Spain was my first choice. We had many holidays in Spain and Ian was quick to agree with me that Spain was the place for us!
I have always loved Spain and my Dad always wanted to live here so I am now living his dream!
Finding Calpe was fantastic for us, a great little town which we loved from the first day we visited it. During our holidays here we met some lovely people who have since become very good friends. These friends helped us with the move, not only with valuable advice on schooling, Spanish ways and property details but also emotionally helping us with settling into our new life!
My main worry about moving was that of the happiness of our eldest son in Spanish school, I was the one with a tear in my eye the day he started school, he loved it and couldn't wait to get back the next day! A big relief for me and we have never looked back!

Victoria

The beginnings of our New Life in Spain

For many years Victoria and I had wanted to move abroad, not neccesarily Spain at first but as we thought more about it Spain really stood out for us. Maybe our reasons will strike a chord with you.

We had holidayed in Spain on many occasions, my wife particularly had fond memories as she had been to Spain virtually every year for 20 years with her parents. This created a close affinity for her with the country. I on the other hand had not been to Spain in my youth and so it was all new to me. Fortunately I did take a great liking to the country, especially the Costa Blanca with it's greenery and mountains, it's not just a "white coast". We first visited the playground of Benidorm which coming from Blackpool, many people describe as a home from home! Although we enjoyed, and indeed still do enjoy Benidorm we drifted further along the coast toward Valencia to a little town called Calpe. My wife searched via the internet, the coastal areas of Spain and liked the sound of the resort not realizing that ironically some family friends had taken early retirement there.

Over the next couple of years we returned several times and decided this would be a good place for us to start our New Life in Spain. The more times we visited the more people started to remember us and we gradually built some good frienships. It was because of these friends and their advice we found our eventual move a lot less stressfull.

After listening to this advice on schools, property,jobs etc we decided to take the plunge and look for a home. We also thought of what we could do for a job and so Spanish Home Seeker was born.
Soon I will describe our experiences of finding a home and how we have incorported them into Spanish Home Seeker even as the business has expanded to what it is today.