Conversations about where to live in Spain, how to move to Spain, which car to take all seem to be on hold at the moment until we visit and make a choice on the property we want to rent. The aim is to secure a property from early in August with the intention of having a few weeks to acclimatise before starting work in September. There is a wealth of information trickling through about what might be expected from property rental in the area. There are some fantastic properties to be rented but many may be well out of our budget. In addition, there is a budget market that may not quite deliver on what we need for a comfortable life. I have been advised that viewing property at this time of the year sometimes leads to overlooking the apparant need for central heating. It seems strange to be viewing in sunshine and instead of asking about the air conditioning to ask about the central heating but nights in the winter months can be extremely cold and a fireplace is just not enough to stay comfortable.
On a positive note, here are the photographs of one property we intend to view when visiting in a couple of weeks time. They came through this week and certainly managed to give us a 'wow' factor.
This is the main bedroom. The property has three bedrooms and as will be seen in a further image this bedroom does have a great aspect, giving out onto a sun terrace.
The en suite for the master bedroom - kind of self-explanatory really.
This is bedroom 2. Although a little dark you can see that it is large enough to fit two single beds comfortably and also gives out onto a sun terrace. A pleasant enough aspect for breakfast on a sunny morning.
Often Spanish kitchens are quite small affairs and the Spanish certainly don't seem to be quite as obsessed with fitted kitchens with integrated appliances. This then is a good sized kitchen and certainly looks reasonably equipped.
And finally - the garden. This is the photo that wins the property for me and has it definitely on my hit list of properties we would like to view in a couple of weeks time.
The property itself has three bedrooms and is a new refurbishment that has not yet been lived in. It is available fully furnished for the price of 800 Euros per month. This makes it on the upper end of what we wanted to pay but with two double sofa beds in the lounge it would make a great holiday get away for friends and family as well as being a decent sized family home. Obviously when we have made our preliminary visit in a couple of weeks I will post more images.
Back home the gritty reality of trying to prepare this house for rental and prepare ourselves for moving is just beginning to take its toll. It really is tiring work and because of the upheaval involved a little stressful at times. We spent last weekend power washing the patio and pathways so that the property can be best presented. With the new carpets and clean decoration downstairs it really is beginning to look the part. There are however a host of minor tasks still to do int he next couple of weeks. Sally is part way through painting Emily's bedroom. As the 'box' room painting is a nightmare as all items need moving in to the centre of the room and even then there is hardly room to move around. Frustratingly it looks like the room will take three coats of magnolia before the lurid pink and purple walls of the disney princess themed room finally disappear. The kitchen floor is still waiting for my attention as are the changing of dripping taps and the painting of the kitchen.
Financially we are moving a step closer to being ready to go. Last night we had a visit from our financial advisor and have signed up for a life insurance policy that will cover both Sally and I for 20 years. There appears to be only one life insurance company comfortable with us taking out a policy in the United Kingdom and then living in Spain. The life insurance though became a necessity because when we move I will no longer be in the Teacher's Pension Scheme which currently provides our life insurance needs. We have also arranged a home insurance that can convert in three months time to landlords insurance so with a little luck we won't need to change companies.
And then, I watched the news last night about the inflation in this country being basically out of control in the coming months. I've often suggested to anyone interested enough to listen to my ramblings that inflation in this country is a fabrication and that the real figure is far higher than admitted. Now it seems as though the price of living in the United Kingdom is set to rise and the pay is not going to rise alongside. Maybe this is an international problem but it also seems one that the current government does little to alleviate. Of the 51 billion pounds that will be spent on fuel in the next 12 months, 31 billion pounds will be tax. Surely there's scope there for a little cutback in the taxation rate to help folks have a little more money left over at the end of the month.
I always know its time to leave a party when I hear myself speaking religion or politics so before I get embroiled in my 'why Britain stinks at the moment' rant I'll sign off.
