We Bought a Rural House in Spain… Then It All Went Wrong!

Comments · 1.3K

• DA

  @davidbeaver589 · 1 year ago · pinned

  At least your giving it a go , taking risks etc . Well Done.  Life is all about living your Dream and you are !

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• EV

  @EvnFred61 · 1 year ago (edited)

  We bought a rural villa with four acres of olives and almonds in the mountains of Malaga in 2000. When we bought it the house was just a shell with none of the internal walls rendered nor any floors laid. We spent 200k euros over 15 years to make it a beautiful home in a stunning location.<br>Then serious ill health struck and after surgeries and treatments we made the decision to return to the UK. All our money had been spent on the house so we just had our pensions no capital. The house has taken nine years to sell and what we eventually got we couldn&apos;t even buy a small terrace house. We have been in rented the whole nine years and still do as all our money went on the villa. <br>A village house is as it is because it is in a village I wouldn&apos;t spend the money it sounds as though it will cost to do what you have shared with us your viewers. I don&apos;t know what you have paid for it but I really don&apos;t think that you will recoup. I wish you and your wife all the very best. By the way hubby and I are 92 and 82

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• FI

  @Fikoel · 1 year ago

  As a Pole, I also had many shocks in England. I rented a ground-floor room – the walls drew damp from the floor (the quality of the houses was terrible), there were no cockroaches, but there were slugs. Some kids would set cars on fire in the street just for fun, public transport outside London is absolutely terrible, many bus stops have no shelters, the windows are strange… I could make a really long list.<br><br>The advice is simple – you accept things as they are, or you go back to your own place, because this isn&apos;t your country and it&apos;s not your reality.

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• TE

  @tessatiley2608 · 1 year ago

  Don&apos;t paint the beams dark brown! Just strip them, they&apos;ll be brown anyway, and look much more tasteful!

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• ST

  @stevecummings-z8t · 1 year ago

  Personally I don&apos;t understand why you are making big changes to a house that you intend to sell immediately. &nbsp;Cosmetic changes I can understand but not changes to the structure, &nbsp;walls, kitchen etc. &nbsp;The new owners will probably take your new kitchen out and replace it anyway. &nbsp;Same thing with doors.

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• AN

  @annewallace8837 · 1 year ago

  If you are going to flip it, don&apos;t spend too much time and money on it. Your taste won&apos;t be the same as locals or other nationalities. Dark rooms are a blessing in hot weather.

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• SI

  @simapark · 1 year ago

  Losing your job , divorce and health problems are very common . The divorce rate alone is 50% .

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• HO

  @hometruths9411 · 1 year ago

  Having lived in Spain since 89 I have seen many Brits fall in love with the country only to then move and then want to change all its style and culture. The problem is that if you don&apos;t accept the local way of doing things then you will ultimately suffer and won&apos;t really integrate. Sorry, but after so many years in Spain why do you need a builder who&apos;s fluent in English? What is wrong with that &apos;Spanish&apos; kitchen? In the UK we complain about immigrants not adapting to our way of life so surely we shouldn&apos;t do the same?

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• PA

  @PatrickFoley-vf3lr · 1 year ago

  More proof the grass is not greener elsewhere.

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• IA

  @ianworley8169 · 9 months ago (edited)

  For me, the secret was buying our rural house in Portugal in our 40s. We spent 3 adventure filled years renovating, then used it for holidays, with the intention of retiring there. &nbsp;All part of a long term plan. &nbsp;We moved back permanently in our mid 50s, to a fully renovated modern, warm, damp free and beautifully furnished home. &nbsp;We&apos;ve been here 13 years now. Our pensions finally kicked in before our savings ran out and life is beyond AMAZING. &nbsp;I couldn&apos;t imagine embarking on this journey in our late 60s, as some seem to do. &nbsp;I didn&apos;t come here to escape life in the UK or live in squalor, quite the opposite. &nbsp;I&apos;ve seen plenty come and go. Clueless, unprepared, permanently mono-lingual and woefully underfunded. More interested in drinking and pretending they&apos;re on holiday, than grafting and getting stuck in. They never last long. Personally, I&apos;ve nothing but positive things to say. &nbsp;I feel blessed to be accepted by my wonderful, kind hearted neighbours and friends. &nbsp;I&apos;m never going back and we&apos;ll happily end our lives here.

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• WI

  @wingnutter64 · 1 year ago

  Do not spend another Euro on it, you will not see any of your money back. &nbsp;Sell it, take a loss. Did the same inland Andalusia and lost 100K and 2 years of hard graft. &nbsp;It is a well trodden path. You are only improving local housing stock for free. &nbsp; Take the hit now!

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• MA

  @marrlena947 · 1 year ago

  Interesting. I bought a house in the Andalucían mountains near the coast 5 years ago. It&apos;s been a great experience so far. I actually expected bugs and roaches having lived in Barcelona and Florida. Not one bug in 5 years. No cockroaches. Not even a carcass. I hate roaches more than anything. I fled city life in Barcelona after 7 years. I love the tranquility and mountain views. I put in solar panels and renovated the 2 kitchens and added a third. Now my 4,000 sq ft house has 2 rental units completely separate from my living space. I could live from the rental income. <br>My advice is to always use local workers. Much more ethical, friendly and always come quickly for anything new. The cost of local workers has been incredibly cheap and they are grateful plus it builds goodwill. My Spanish isn&apos;t perfect but definitely improved! I love living in my village and would never move back to the city. I wish you lots of good luck!

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