Buying Property on The Costa Blanca Written by Anthony Carter
Buying a property in your home country can be a daunting, and sometimes traumatic, experience so if you are contemplating buying in a foreign country this can only add to complexities and uncertainties. For any property purchase you will rely on information, advice and assistance provided by others ~ vendor, agent, lawyer, financial advisor, bank manager, family and friends for example. When buying abroad it is possible that you could misinterpret information you are given because you will probably not be familiar with laws, procedures and language of that particular country. For these same reasons you are also open to exploitation by some not so reputable people if you are not on your guard!The details and practicalities of finding a home in a foreign country are often underestimated. You first need to decide on your preferred location. On Costa Blanca you have a wide choice of coastal, rural, village, town or city locations. Access to shops, schools, working opportunities, social activities, transport, rental potential, etc., have to be considered. Then you need to choose type of property and facilities you want. Is there scope for expansion or a pool maybe, is price reasonable, is it in a good state of repair, etc.? This can take many trips to different areas and many days, or even weeks or months, to research yourself. Once you have found your dream home then you have to sign a contract of intent and arrange finance. You may need to arrange a Spanish mortgage and /or transfer some funds from your home country. You will need to register as a property owner in Spain and, if you are going to live there, apply for a residents permit. If you are of retirement age you will need to ensure that you have correct documentation to continue to receive your pension and to qualify for reciprocal health care arrangements. Other matters to consider include home insurance, registering and paying for electricity, gas and water services, having a telephone installed, buying a car and taxing and insuring it, which television system to have, enrolling children at school, etc. If you do not intend to live in your new home full time you may want to rent it out. Then you will need to arrange sales literature, advertising, a booking procedure, cleaning and laundry for your tenants and someone to look after your property when you are not there. To do all of this on your own is a major task and you could leave a lot to chance as, in addition to points mentioned above, you will also need to decide if people and businesses you are going to use and take advice from are legitimate and fair and will give you good service at right price. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a friend who knows all these things and can do all of these things for you, and with you? WELL YOU HAVE! An increasing number of people are finding that using services of a firm of Independent Property Consultants, such as Holidays and Homes on Costa Blanca, can take stress and risk out of purchasing a property in a foreign country. It is like having a friend who knows all answers and will do all research and leg work on your behalf, even before you visit country if you wish! They will complete formalities for you and will work with just your interests in mind as they are not tied to any particular agents, builders or developers. They will have been through buying process for themselves as well as guiding numerous other people through same procedure. They will know who provides best service at best price and who, and what, to avoid.
| | The Broken HeartWritten by Daniel Nzenwata
I once attended a party meant for broken hearts. It was a party that had so much sadness painted all over it. Such was color of sadness that even a blind person could see it from a distance. The atmosphere of day was filled with incomprehensible gaze and all I could hear was sound of silence.A silence so deafening. Everyone in party wanted to be left alone in solitude, they acted like their life was utterly intolerable, as if they had no hope of reprieve, like they did not want to anticipate for tomorrow to come. When I looked around me I saw pieces of hearts scattered here and there, hearts that I knew were whole before, and were used to conjure up thoughts of joy and gladness. Hearts that were used to feel beauty and wonders of our surroundings. It was so disheartening for me to discern that some people had cried their eyes out and their tears had formed a pool beside them. A pool that was threatening to drown them. Heartbreak is an event that is engraved on memory of a person whose heart has been broken in such a fashion that it keeps on hunting mind of that person. Day will follow day and days that will follow may become a nightmare. It is not strange that we feel hurts and pains that will accompany such days, if we delve into psychology, we will come up with an obvious answer; heart is a sensitive part of us. But we can overcome and forget if we change circumstance. We can do this by imagination of mind. We can use mind to harness joy we once felt and propensity to happiness we once shared with tenderness and concern.
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