Why buy property in Spain?

I read a very interesting article recently. What it said was that Brits move mainly for cost of living reasons, plus for a better quality of life for themselves and their children. Potential first-time homeowners are finding the cost of buying a home in the UK prohibitive and cheap travel abroad reduces the perceived distances. It can take about the same travel time to get from London to the north of England as it takes to get from London to parts of Spain !

Over and above that, with technological advances, many people are able to work anywhere in the world and are no longer tied to an office, or even to a country.

Almost 4,000 Britons moved abroad EACH WEEK in early 2008 according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the UK ’s biggest exodus in nearly 50 years. By the year 2014, the number of Brits living abroad is expected to be in the region of 3.2 million. Spain now ranks among the top three European countries chosen by us Brits, along with France and Portugal .

Approximately a million British nationals now live for at least part of the year in Spain : many have moved permanently and others have chosen to buy a second home there. It would appear that relocation is most popular with Brits aged between 18 and 30 and also those in the 51 to 60 age bracket, perhaps seeking a better lifestyle for their retirement. An increase in tax for high wage earners, coupled with rising UK unemployment, is thought to be partly behind the mass exodus.

Geographically, Spain 's diversity is immense. Located at the crossroads of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Europe and Africa, Spain 's history and culture is a melting pot inherited from the many nations that invaded and conquered Spain in the past.

In 711 A.D. the Moorish General Tarik and his army crossed into Spain from Africa to the Iberian Peninsula thus beginning the Moorish domination of Spain , which only ended in 1492. The Moors built magnificent cities in Spain ; Cordoba for instance, built in the tenth century, was far in advance of its time and resembled a modern city. The streets were paved, and there were sidewalks for pedestrians that were lit at night. And all this several hundred years before there was a paved street in Paris or a street lamp in London !

The country has an abundance of magnificent buildings, ranging from Islamic palaces to Gothic cathedrals and Moroccan-influenced villages. Almost every second village has a medieval castle and Roman aqueducts abound – the breathtaking Ronda springs to mind here. This dramatic city is where both writer Ernest Hemmingway and film maker Orson Welles spent time, in the old quarter called La Ciudad. Both wrote about Ronda's beauty and famous bull-fighting traditions – indeed after Welles died in 1985, his ashes were scattered in a Ronda bull-ring. Hemmingway’s ‘The Sun also Rises’ is set in Spain and captures the flavour of the country beautifully.

Other Moorish towns include Toledo , Seville and Granada , with its spectacular Alhambra . The whitewashed villages of Andalucia are lovely too and their people still live according to age-old traditions, inherited from their Iberian, Roman and Moorish forefathers. This is especially true of the wonderful heritage of Moorish architecture and culture, with many of the buildings still retaining their Moorish architectural roots.

There are endless tracts of wild countryside as well as some spectacularly rugged stretches of coast between the beaches. While travelling to the north east of Granada I glimpsed what I thought to be a town – actually it turned out to be a film set! Our driver told us that many of the Spaghetti Western movies such as the old Clint Eastwood classic ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ as well as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ were filmed in this part of Spain .

Spain has been the home of some of the world's great artists - El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Dalí, Picasso - and has museums and galleries to show for it. The country pulsates with music of every kind, from the drama of flamenco to the melancholy lyricism of the Celtic music and gaitas (bagpipes) of the northwest. Cervantes' novel Don Quixote, subject of more than one film, is one of the most popular ever written and film directors such as Pedro Almodovar attract huge audience to their works.

The country has many enchanting religious festivals, pilgrimages, carnivals and fairs. In fact, given Spanish friendliness, you will find yourself part of these festivals as you are carried along by the warmth and enthusiasm of the crowds – sometimes literally!

Spain’s history has always been closely interwoven with the sea, both culturally, historically and, indeed, in its cuisine. Think of those early Spanish navigators who, with the Portuguese, led the way in the discovery of the New World . Indeed Christopher Colombus’ voyages were funded by the Spanish King and Queen, Isabel and Fernando.

Most importantly, Spain is the ideal family friendly environment. It has an exceptionally low crime rate; the latest crime figures indicate that the UK is far worse off than Spain when it comes to crime - particularly violent crime. Most people are also attracted by the relaxed and unstressed way of life in Spain and the culinary delights are legendary… and affordable.

Visit the Spain Buying Guide site for more information