Hi People,
I have been reading your articles on people & Spain and found them refreshing .

I am planning on a move to Spain in early 09 and looking to reside around Alhurian & will problem buy a business .

Some background info left UK at 18 arrived in Sydney 1974 with 63 pounds (purchased one way ticket)  survived quite well but, have earned & lost a fortune and enjoyed every minute I currently live in Brisbane after having spent some 20+ yrs in Perth WA.

So looking to be closer to my family & Europe having spent very little time there & hope to see more of it .

I am looking for information “hard & cold” as I believe the more information & research I can do will only benefit me in the long run .

The type of information iam looking for is on the purchase of business , house hunting & general life

All information will be greatly recv and look to having a vino with some of you one day SooN

let me welcome you to the fourm here , jurdy . Will you get to see what happen here and fill free to imput aswell , you got one year to fine out all about you move and buys off Spain so keep your eyes open and keep asking and you find out
jurdy

johnkf - 09 April 2008 07:01 AM

Hi People,
I have been reading your articles on people & Spain and found them refreshing .

I am planning on a move to Spain in early 09 and looking to reside around Alhurian & will problem buy a business .

Some background info left UK at 18 arrived in Sydney 1974 with 63 pounds (purchased one way ticket)  survived quite well but, have earned & lost a fortune and enjoyed every minute I currently live in Brisbane after having spent some 20+ yrs in Perth WA.

So looking to be closer to my family & Europe having spent very little time there & hope to see more of it .

I am looking for information “hard & cold” as I believe the more information & research I can do will only benefit me in the long run .

The type of information iam looking for is on the purchase of business , house hunting & general life

All information will be greatly recv and look to having a vino with some of you one day SooN

I’ve never heard of ‘Alhurian’.  Do you mean Alhaurin El Grande, in Malaga, not far from Mijas?  Wherever, my advice to anyone in your position is learn Spanish, travel around before you decide where to stay, and rent before you buy - property values are slowing and falling, so you’ve absolutely nothing to lose in taking your time.

My best advice on opening a business in Spain is 1. Do it legally, as an expat you are an easier target for the Guardia than the locals, and 2. Don’t open a bar as 9 out of 10 fail. Also stay well away from unproven franchises.

House hunting wise, be cautious with Estate agents as most of the staff are unqualified and are commission based only / no basic wage - so on most occasions information is not always impartial, if you get my drift. In the words of the Spanish minister for housing ‘It take more qualifications to sell a cabbage than a house in Spain’!

Use a good lawyer and double check everything. There is no substitute for a bit of self due diligence!

Spanish law is based on Roman law, the basic fact being if a lawyer misleads you and you sign any contract, its on your head. Use an independant translator to verify any paperwork you deem important.

Good luck

Paul

Hi,
I agree with the advice you got from Paul, and I will add just one.

Do not trust anyone, specially not your own compatriot’s. It is a fact that most of the frauds comes from people of your own nationality. If you are English, German or something else, that does not matter. You have your garde automatic up when you are dealing with a foreigner, but when you are dealing with a fellow expat ??? Most people intend to relax and automatic thrust on the expat in that situation. That is extremely dangerous, keep your garde up for all nationalities.

Best regards from Mijas Costa,
Jonny

Hi Johnkf,

We have just moved from Perth WA to Spain and are waiting on our personal belongings to arrive.  Will keep you posted on process (constantly changing), progress, customs (papers needed varies everytime you ask), etc.  Are you a UK (ie EU) or Aus citizen?  It will make a difference.