Living in Spain

Some of you will have recently watched Anne Robinson on the BBC Watchdog programme talking about the problems of buying Spanish property.
As an Englishman living in my own property in Almeria province, Spain, the programme was not without interest to me. Let me say at the outset, that the ultimate dream of living in the sun with a more relaxed lifestyle is still realistic, but there are precautions that must be taken. Twenty years ago, the upsurge in northern Europeans wanting to live in a warmer clime encouraged builders to meet this demand. Often this was on land contrary to the then laws. Remember that at that time, Spain was poor, almost a third world country trying to recover from a dreadful Civil War. Farmers were only too happy to sell their land for sums they could have only dreamt about. The bureaucracy was sorted with breathtaking corruption. Today, the situation is not so bad, but even as recently as five years ago, developers were building 'urbanisations' on land designated as 'rustic' or farmland.
Buying property in an isolated country estate is without doubt risky, because, as happened near to us recently, even with a solicitor preparing your documentation you can still fall foul of decisions from a higher authority. Until the Spanish government clarifies the entire building and construction industries across the whole of the country, it is safer to buy houses already built with full documentation and licences, as verified by a solicitor.
Look at developments where people, especially Spanish people are already living and have the benefit of both water and electricity.
The Spanish eambassador, speaking on the programme, was not particularly reassuring, but property in Spain does represent good value. However with talk of a collapse in the Euro in the future, it may be better to wait and see before taking the plunge.