hi
I have changed your thread title in the hope it will attract some help. Have an idea of where you want to go or happy to look anywhere?
I think you may have made a typo- 128 months is a long, long time away

I imagine that there isn't anyone here who would have the slightest idea on how much your community fees might be.
The charge is dependent on many things. The area, the size of the community, the facilities etc"¦. The range in community charges is enormous.

Even if you were to pin down a general area that would be of no help either. Communities vary.

Have you really thought this through? Do you know anything about Spain?

I don't mean that in a rude way, but your first post was about some static home which carried a ground rent that would be comparable to paying a sizeable mortgage (€300 - €400 a month). And the only benefit I can think of about living in a British community near to a beach would be being able to know all the words to the songs that the drunks would be singing at 4 o'clock in the morning.

Also, the budget that you informed us about earlier (€60,000), would not buy you much living space if you wanted to be near a golf course.

Give us some information about what areas you are looking at (and why you chose those areas), what facilities you realistically expect, and within what sort of distance you need to be from your desired golf course or beach (bearing in mind that your budget dictates that you would probably not be too close to either), and I am sure that others, as well as myself, will have a go at helping you.

thanks oly your advice is very much appreciated my financial position will be much improved when i sell my property in the uk fingers crossed the market is picking up but i would be able to bump my finances up by another 50k i have 19mths to go and im determined to move abroud but yes i will do some serious homework i would prefer the ex pat community because i dont think i could take on learning a new language and i probably feel that somewhere by the coast would be livelier i hope to get out to spain towards the end of our summer base myself in maybe costa brava hire a car and do some research probably have a look at the statics even if its only to cross them off my wanted list

many thanks again Yankie

It's good that you have a determination to move to Spain, but as far as your appreciation for my advice goes, well"¦..I haven't actually given you any.

If I were to, I would suggest that you use the following 19 months to learn the Spanish language. I understand that you want to live in a British community, but even so, do you really want to isolate yourself and leave yourself open to a load of hassle?

Without speaking Spanish you will wonder why nothing seems to get done when people say it will be done. You will think that the police are corrupt because they ‘dream up' traffic violations that you have committed and fine you accordingly. You will think that all Spanish people are rude because they push in front of you in queues. You will moan that you have been overcharged for goods and services. You will become frustrated by the bureaucracy and red tape.

Learn the language. If you still decide to live in a British community I can guarantee that by knowing how to communicate effectively, you will be one of the most popular people in your area.

One other thing. On the off chance that your screen name has anything to do with your nationality. American citizens are restricted as to where they can buy property. From memory, I think that you will have to be at least 20km from any military installation.

thanks oly
yes I need to get my but into gear and get myself some spanish language CDs


ps no the yankie was just thrown in, its peter and im scouse through and through
I,ll let you know how the spanish is progressing , my first sentence will probably be what ever the spanish for " CALM DOWN, CALM DOWN " is someone is bound to post it
yankie

¡tranquila, tranquila!

theres my first lesson Tranquila

Scouse to Spanish.......Lesson 2.

Dey do dat der don't dey doh"¦"¦.Hacen eso allí. ¿es verdad?

I agree about learning the language, but Oly, I will still never understand why the Spanish push in front of me in queues!!! (and I can speak fairly fluent Spanish!!!) Maybe it's like roundabouts, they know they have to use them but don't really know how!!!

I have considred the static caravan option compared to a small apartment. The advantage of the van is that it is often in easy reach of the beach and a resort that my budget would not allow me to buy an apartment in. However I found the site fees to be a false economy as someone else posted they can be high in Spain , 3600E a year. Also you need to be sure the site you buy on is a residential so you can live there 12 months a year and how old a caravan can be before it needs replacing according to site rules.

I love Spain but for me the answer is to buy in Perpignan in Languedoc, South France. The reasons being mainly its still on the Med coast, its a very short drive to Spain the site I am looking at is an hour and a half from Barcelona. The site fees are a lot cheaper in France and it is true that you don't get the yobby behaviour in the resorts. I lived in Benidorm and I did look at the sites on the outskirts there but too expensive. It depends what you want, you can get a studio apartment in Torrevieja for £35k but you can get a static by the beach in a good resort in S.France with more space for £10k that is half hour from lloret de mar.

Yankie, you gotta do a SWOT analysis on your situation and you have quite some time to think out the whole situation.

Strengths:- Desire to live abroad, Sunshine, Short flight to UK etc

Weaknesses:- Dont speak the language, Uncertainty, Family ties, Personal Financial situation , Where to purchase a home, etc

Opportunities:- Price of property in Spain is decreasing, Low Cost airfares nearly everywhere, rental opportunities etc

Threats:- Not knowing the language, Family pressures, Uncertainty, Little chance of gaining work, etc

Please not the above is only a guide - believe me when you fill in your SWOT sheet, there will be much more written. And . . . best of luck.

thanks guys your advice is much appreciated I will look into the site in france and do a swot sheet and ive got myself a course in spanish but still lots of homework to do , i dont want to get half way through my spanish course only to discover id like to give france a go ....
I dont know why but france has never appealed to me but then neither did golf oh well again keep the posts comming and thanks

yankie what are you planning to do for work over there?

My Partner got made redundant a few months back and where both struggling to find work even with qualifications behind us both, Being 21 we have never got into having a morgage we private rent and have a little boy who's 2, were seriously thinking of taking are chances and trying out a new life in spain but my main problem is finding work, i really dont know how to go about it and who to contact? do you know anything about it?

thanks

Stef, think very seriously before moving to Spain, the official figures project unemployment of 20,5% for 2010 - 1 in evey 5. Unofficially that'd be more likely be 25%. You'd be fighting against many very qualified Spaniards for jobs and there is no unemployment benefit for those who haven't paid into the system long enough, no child benefit either. Within the DSS there is the oportunity to look for work in Spain whilst receiving benefits - it lasts for about 3 months, after that, you'll lose benefits in Spain or will have to return to the UK.