British buyers are flocking in their droves to Spain, continually lured by
sunshine from dawn till dusk, the lower cost of living and the slower pace
of life. In search of a better lifestyle – whether for the odd week or
full time – three British buyers share their aspirations and
experiences with us
THE HOLIDAY-MAKERS
Mio and Karen Blagojevic have the property bug. Developers and buy-to-let
investors by trade, they retreat to their Spanish bolthole in their spare
time: a £600,000 apartment on the Golden Mile at the luxury Mansion Club
Marbella development. Mio, 49, and Karen, 45, have an indoor pool, sauna,
steam room, gym and tropical gardens all on their doorstep, and six golf
courses within a 10-minute drive.
‘We were attracted to Spain because of the weather and lifestyle: tapas bars,
restaurants, climate, way of life, plus we both play golf,’ Mio says. ‘The
Golden Mile has all the amenities, beaches, banks and supermarkets. What I
love about it is the outdoor life – you can have breakfast and supper
outside.’
They couple grew familiar with the region after holidaying there and Mio,
whose language skills are confined mostly to English and Serbo-Croat, hasn’t
found his lack of Spanish a handicap. ‘We haven’t found not speaking Spanish
a problem – at Banco Halifax, where we arranged our mortgage, everyone
speaks English fluently and most Spanish nationals want to speak English.’
They have already christened their new home with a five-week stay in February
and they plan another three-week visit in May for their anniversary – in all
they plan to spend up to five months of the year there. Mio says, ‘It is
just nice to be able to use it when we want.’
Although the lifestyle was a big attraction for the couple, Mio adds, ‘the
summer months are extremely hot. People think, “give me the beach, give me
the sunshine” because when you are in the UK you pine for good weather, but
when you are there during peak tourist season it can be hard work.’
Because Mio and Karen’s house is part of a development, their holidays can be
carefree. ‘All we have to worry about is paying the mortgage and insurance –
the development has 24-hour security so we can just lock up and leave’, Mio
explains.
However, Mio would encourage would-be buyers to visit the region where they
are thinking of buying in summer as well as winter, as well as thinking
about when your property is likely to be under the full gaze of the sun and
when it is in the shade. “’t is important to familiarise yourself with
different times of the year. Maybe rent in the locality where you are
thinking of buying.’
On the practical side he recommends finding a good bilingual Spanish lawyer.
He also cautions that the relaxed lifestyle can have its downsides. ‘If you
need to get things done, they don’t rush around, but when you’ve spent some
time there you understand why.’
THE RETIREES
Ten months ago Tony and Margaret Burton took early retirement and relocated to
Spain. It was a decision brought about by their desire to continue living
well on their pension. ‘We couldn’t maintain the standard of living in the
UK.’ Tony explains. ‘We couldn’t afford the lifestyle we were used to on a
reduced income, so we weighed up our options: the UK versus Spain. If we
stayed in the UK, I would have had to find another job.’
The couple planned to look around and see what was on offer but they surprised
themselves when, on a visit to Benalmadena, near Malaga, a year ago, they
found their new home – a three-bedroom apartment about two kilometres inland
from the coast - within three days. It was a conscious decision for the
couple to buy in Benalmadena Pueblo, away from the hustle and bustle. Tony
says, “There are plenty of restaurants and cafes in the village, but it is a
bit off the tourist track – it is an unspoilt white-washed Andalucaian
village. About 25-per-cent of the people in the village are English – there
are also some Scandinavians and the odd German.’
Tony, 54, and Margaret, 56, are keen to integrate into the Spanish way of
life. ‘We are picking up Spanish at the moment – I can read the newspaper
and pick up the gist of the story. You get a lot of respect from the Spanish
for it,’ he says. He even has a season ticket for Malaga football club and
is going to see Barcelona play with his daughter. ‘I have Spanish friends
with whom we go to see the football – they are really happy that we support
their team. The Spanish are so welcoming. We have a Spanish taxi driver – he
practises his English on me and I practise my Spanish on him.’
The Burtons haven’t had too much difficulty in getting to know people. ‘We
already had friends here and that led to other friends. We joined the
British International Society,’ Tony says. ‘We play petanc, golf, ten-pin
bowling, I have started a creative writing class and my wife is teaching
crafts. Before we were on a treadmill.’
So are Tony and Margaret happy with their move? ‘The job I had was stressful,’
Tony says. ‘I was director of business development in the power industry and
I used to travel a lot. I bit my fingernails all my life, but now I have the
most beautiful nails and my hypertension is down to normal! However, the
things I miss are my family. We see a lot of our friends, though; they come
and visit. And when I was in the UK, I never saw my mother because I was so
busy.
‘The thought of being in the cold and wet in the North-east has no appeal.
This is now home – and what a place to call home it is.’
THE FAMILY RELOCATORS
Christina and Frank Gilmore are planning to relocate from Northern Ireland
with their twin two-year-old boys, Jack and Matthew, to build a new life in
Spain. Christina says, ‘We are moving because of the cost of living here –
heating, food, clothing. You can’t sit and have a coffee outside because
there isn’t the weather. And the Spanish speak a lot of English – it lends
itself to being easy to pick up.’
Christina, 34, and Frank, 36, are using the equity that they have built up in
their architect-designed home in County Antrim to fund the move and purchase
of a new home. ‘We had set ourselves the goal of being mortgage-free by the
time we were in our mid thirties, and we thought, why not sell our house and
be mortgage-free in another country? We worked very hard to achieve our
goals. The turning point was when we weighed everything up – I didn’t need a
job, and we thought – why do we have to stay here?’ Christina says.
Frank, an accountant, plans to return to Northern Ireland once a month for a
week to work. so it was important for the family to have easy access back to
airports.
They will be starting their property search towards the south of Spain. The
family don’t want to go somewhere too touristy, but they still want access
to the beach. ‘We will be looking at school and access to amenities - we
want to get the boys in now so that when Jack and Matthew are four to six
they’ll be fluent in Spanish. It should make a real difference to their
quality of life, and our own. It is more family-orientated there. Here you
are so much more confined to indoors – I want the boys outside,’ Christina
says.
The family had found it difficult to make their childcare work back at home.
‘We paid £800 for a month to put the boys in a nursery to give us a break.’
Christina says. ‘It wasn’t worth it – they were picking up colds and then we
were catching them too. Now it is important to get them involved with other
children. We don’t want them to be stuck in the house all the time.’
The family have high hopes of their move, but they are going into it with
their eyes open. Christina says, ‘I am willing to try new things – I want to
integrate and interact with the Spanish. My husband has set up pensions, and
we will take private health insurance. We are happy to move quickly and tour
around, and get to know different places and rent. We have plenty of time
because the children aren’t in school.
‘Can we do it? We still have to find out.’
