A Place in the Sun

[BooseysMom]

Now, I hate the sun and I hate hot countries so this isn't about me wanting to move somewhere hot! The programme finds properties for people abroad in places like Greece & Spain. Today I actually found myself wanting one of them! I don't even like swimming but this place had a pool! What's wrong with me?! It must be something to do with the properties themselves.. they are all vastly bigger than our tiny 2-bed new-build and yet they are £120k less to buy! I mean why aren't we all just selling up and moving?!
I guess it's to do with employment opportunities but if your job is online there's nothing stopping you. The whole programme makes me think why are we paying so much for tiny houses in the UK? Everyone is squashed in and more and more are coming here. It's so messed up!

You can’t just work from home but abroad, there are tax implications.

Healthcare is another, you may need to pay for it living abroad!

They are all painted yellow with horrible tiling and ancient grubby kitchens.
Better now?

You need a 40% deposit if you need a mortgage the fees are around 20 grand. Most young Spanish people are in an even worse position getting on the housing ladder than they are in the U.K. obviously they don’t tell you all this on the programme. A lot of the time it’s completely set up showing people homes that have already sold or aren’t even for sale just for tv. The areas they say they want to buy and the areas they take them to are miles away to fall within the budget. If the government decides that you paid too little or got a bargain they can hit you with tax to pay on what they deem is the correct price. People are often faced with massive bills. You can hear everything from your neighbours because they are built pretty poorly. They never mention community fees on a place in the sun which can be up to anywhere between 100-500 a month depending on the property. They often do the viewings in winter months so it’s looks peaceful and idilic (spoiler alert it’s not 😂)

Now that I didn't realise! I will tell DH as he says he can work anywhere.

Feeling better now yes, thanks! 😆

In reality you can work anywhere, who is going to know?

The problem is with Brexit, I thought there was a minimum purchase price now in Spain, not sure on other locations. We really wanted to buy in Spain one day, and thought after Brexit thats not going to be possible

They do mention fees and service charges on the programme, they always set this out

The types of places they show on the programme are not the properties that young Spanish people would be buying, they're usually for retirees in the middle of nowhere or with limited work options anyway, Ive not seen many properties featured in big cities like Barcelona or such like.

Thanks for this. It just shows how these awful programmes cover the truth and promote it as idyllic life.

Anyway, the high temperatures would be like torture to me! I'm staying in blighty!

I remember a colleague I really liked years ago spent her whole time dreaming about buying a villa in Spain, finally the dream came true but she sadly passed away a year later. I don't know what the circumstances were as I never saw her again.

I have a house in Spain, it's fantastic. Most of this is complete and utter guff. Sorry OP!

You could look into a digital nomad visa and go over for a while, friends of mine spend part of the year doing this and rent. It makes them happy.

Which country is his passport from - does he have a visa?

@ZanzaraFair enough we may see things differently but that’s my perspective and I stand by it. The thread is about a place in the sun the tv program and I’m saying as someone who has done it they don’t tell anyone who is a participant in the program any of this on the show. Which in turn makes people think it’s easy which it isn’t.

Then I am sorry that your experience wasn't more positive @hexagongoldbox. As someone who has also done it and has many international friends who have done it, the experience has been overwhelmingly positive. I know a lot of genuinely happy people over there on the resort where we own. I wish you'd had a better time of it.

There are loads of other things to consider apart from getting a bigger house for less money. Moving abroad is a big upheaval - leaving friends and relatives behind, different climate, new language, all sorts of different lifestyles, customs, food, political systems, taxes etc etc. Much as I enjoy going on holiday abroad, I love the familiarity of 'home'.

How would the Greeks and Spaniards feel about a massive influx of Brits?

@ZanzaraThanks for the reply. I’m glad it’s been a positive experience for you, but my worries go beyond individual enjoyment. Over tourism and housing shortages are real issues in many parts of Spain. There are hundreds of homes left empty for most of the year or rented out as short term holiday lets for ridiculous prices. I was responding to the A Place in the Sun thread, which doesn’t mention these impacts and possibly contributes to them. Bureaucracy is just one part of living abroad, but it’s worth acknowledging. There are some great YouTube videos that look into both the housing crisis and what A Place in the Sun tends to leave out.

Most of them will be at risk from fires in the extreme heat. You will have to stay indoors most of the year and your A/C bill will be horrendous. Try to look at the negatives, not the positives, then it won’t be so bad. Don’t you find most of the people looking slightly irritating? And most of the decor is awful. Does anyone in these countries have any taste? lol.

@hexagongoldbox I agree that overtourism and housing are issues in some parts of Spain, but it's far from everywhere. On the contrary, after the crash of 2008, Spain was left with many golf and other resorts that had been designed and built specifically to attract international buyers, and draw wealth and jobs into the economy. Spain has been very glad to sell these off at modest prices through the "bad bank" Sareb ever since and get them off the books. These places are not where most Spaniards are looking to live, living costs such as water can be substantially higher, for example, though still acceptable to international purses.

Sanchez has lazily chosen to try and conflate the different issues to get an angry populace off his back, to deflect from the scandals he is currently dealing with, and cover up his failure to build new homes for Spaniards in recent years. As you will know Spain is a huge country with a much smaller population than the UK, and there is not the same scarcity and therefore cost of land in most parts.

We find the cost of living over there substantially cheaper than in the UK (we spend around half the year there).

I love watching APITS and fantasising about my own PITS.

I think community fees and resale are definitely a problem. I also don't want to visit the same place repeatedly, too much rest of the world to see but I may change my mind in future.

But I do know people with places in Spain who have adored their time there and also know (second hand) people who were on APITS about 8 years ago and actually bought one of the properties shown and are loving it.

Parker231
No, he doesn't. We don't really have any plans to leave this country. It was just a post to highlight the show and ask for opinions so thank you all as its been really interesting to hear everyone's experiences.

All horrible houses today! The presenter wasn’t happy but tbh the areas and properties looked grotty and run down.

For a permanent move there is the small matter of Brexit.

UK passport holders can stay, what, 90 days in any 180 day period?

I love that show but in reality, most of the properties are old and tired looking with knackered old kitchens.

They seem to mostly have a 1970s/80s vibe.

Does anyone know when a new series will air ?
I’m sick of all the repeats.

A friend of mine had a place in Spain and has sold it as there was a communal swimming pool and charges were around £1,000 a year. She is so happy to have sold it.

£1000 community charge isn't that bad, it usually cover outdoor painting, waste disposal as well as pool maintenance and plenty more. It has to be paid for somehow!
You make a good point though, that community maintenance and charges are a big factor in these properties and I wish they would state the amount along with the price.

They do regularly mention the service charges. In a recent repeat, the potential buyers were very conscious of the service charges which went from mid £50s iirc up to £120 pcm. It did influence their choice.