Rob

It's really really easy to make a small fortune here in Majorca - just come here with a large fortune!

Joking aside, there are dozens and dozens of people every year who ask us about moving over here to live, and unless you have a an exceptionally good business idea, and are fluent in Spanish, English, and maybe German then you will have great difficulty in competing with the local tradesmen.

On the matter of gas - presumably you know that there is very very little mains gas in Majorca.

I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but we see so many people who come over here with little or no planning, and then leave very much the poorer months later. If they'd done the home work, they probably wouldn't have come over in the first place.

Cheers

Adam

hi adam.. thanks for the quick reply.. i dont want to make a fortune.. just enough to stop me spending my redundacy money to fast.. i am going to santa ponsa in june so i will have look. it was just an idea.. hope to get to magaluff for the day, might come and see your bar /club see if you need any plumbing doing
thanks again ...rob

Well its on a completely different level but its my sons 3rd year in Majorca as a rep and he couldn't wait to get back out there as says he feels more at home there than here in the uk so somethings gotta be good! His pay is terrible but he loves the place!

Hi Candy

Majorca is a fantastic place to live, I didn't suggest for a moment that it wasn't, but there is a world of difference between the people who come out here in May and leave in September / October (which the majority of reps do) and some-one who is thinking of upping roots, and coming over here (maybe with a family) and setting up a new business.

The Majority of resorts on this Island close at the end of October (some even sooner) and although the weather can be beautiful during the winter (as it was this year) there is simply no money coming in from tourism, and unless you live in Palma, or maybe Palma Nova / Magalluf where there are a few places open, things are very very difficult even for established businesses, let alone someone starting from scratch.

This year has been the worst start to a season that most people can remember, and there are many bars which opened in March, but have now closed due to lack of business, and will re-open in May.

I have a bar, and although things are quiet, we are managing to get through, but we have not employed the staff that we had at this time last year, and we are delaying ordering new Kitchen / Oven / Car / etc which we had expected to buy by now, but are waiting till things pick up. This has a knock on effect to other businesses, and the outcome will probably be better deals for customers, as bars / Restaurants / Shops drop their prices to attract what few customers are here - certainly that's what we have done.

It's in this climate that I replied to Rob - I wouldn't want to put him off, but it's very very important to do your homework before embarking on such a massive decision, and certainly take no notice of the so called experts, whose only knowledge of the Island might be an annual holiday!

My advise to people is to take a 2 or 3 month break, and come over here for the months of, say January February and March and get a feel for the place when there are fewer tourists here, and the locals have all but hibernated, and I think you'd find most people would change their minds, and save themselves a lot of money and heartache.

Cheers

Adam

Hi, I agree with you, I think you need to think very carefully about upping completely. I've been told it's very different out of season, but surely gotta be better than England at the moment!

I agree entirely with Adam
people should take at least 3 months out here to get to know if it is what they want
we have been here over 7 years now and still find it difficult in the winter months. i can understand people saying it is better than the UK and in many ways it is but it is also very different, I am not trying to put the place down otherwise we would not still be here, but it is not "Paradise Island" that people see when on holiday

hi all thanks again for all the great information my situation is I don't have a job at the moment and have my redundancy money to put into a business or house or invest, I don't want to get to an age where I regret not doing it as I am not getting any younger <50> I am doing a plumbing and gas course till June them going to Santa ponsa for a couple of weeks,, I will think about it when I am there thanks again rob

Hi Rob

Hope you enjoy your trip to Santa Ponca, and Good Luck with whatever decision you decide to make.

If there's any specific information you need, please feel free to PM me any time.

Hi APT

It's a bit difficult for people to understand what it's like living out here, but as I always say - you swop one set of problems i(in UK) for another set over here. However we've seen so many people come over here with such high expectations, only to leave sometimes only months later with their dreams in tatters, and very much less money, often with none.

However we also know some people who have moved over here, and it's the best thing they ever did, but normally they either have a lot of money, or they are receiving another form of income from UK - maybe a Pension or Rental income to supplement what they also earn over here. It's just so different, and you need to learn to almost "hibernate" through the winter months (lovely though the weather mostly is) to get through to this time of year, when things start to pick up again. I hope you have a good season.

Cheers

Adam