Showing posts with label moving abroad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moving abroad. Show all posts

Thursday, 30 August 2012

The 2 Year Itch


When I used to go on holiday I always felt that a week wasn’t long enough but at the end of  2 weeks I was ready to go home; check the mail (this was long ago in that fairy tale time before email had been thought of and when mobile phones that worked anywhere, let alone roamed, were a novelty), see the house was OK and find out what had changed in my world. We discovered however that if we stayed for 3 weeks we never wanted to go home and that the mail, just like the “real” world stopped being important. I made that discovery by the way because we owned our own holiday home so we could afford to stay longer than 2 weeks, even in the highest of high seasons!

We see a similar pattern with people who move to a new country. To begin with, it’s an adventure, everything is new and exciting and people enjoy themselves enormously. But then reality sinks in, the struggle of dealing with a new language, new laws, new bureaucracy new ways of doing things and so on seems never ending and a huge proportion of expats return home around the 2 year mark. And that’s a pity because, for those who stick it out, a miracle happens. Life starts getting easier, the difficulties disappear, the language somehow seems more manageable and you find your way around the systems. And then you remember why you moved in the first place; better weather, better lifestyle and less stress adding up to a better quality of life. And when that sinks in people never want to leave!

There are a few factors that make getting over the 2 year barrier easier. People who sell up and move lock stock and barrel rather than keeping a bolt hole “back home” manage better, as do people who buy rather than rent a home.  They have burned their boats and psychologically committed themselves and that makes a huge difference to how they settle in. People who don’t make that break often find them selves caught between two stools and find themselves like the Grand Old Duke of York; neither up nor down and very unhappily in the middle!


My best advice therefore is to commit to your new home, wherever it may be, don’t look back and be positive and you will reap the rewards of getting over the 2 year itch.

To make taking the plunge that little bit easier we will be listing a large number of repossessions in coming weeks. They come from the banks, prices can be negotiable and we have access to many more such properties than can be show on the net. So if you want to know more drop me a line, tell me what you want and when you want to view and we will make the appointments.


Saturday, 21 July 2012

Is the Grass Greener

A lot of people move to a new country thinking that the problems in their lives will simply disappear, that a change of scene and a fresh start will somehow make your life better. I’m sorry to say that this won’t necessarily happen. If you didn’t like your wife and husband in your own country, you aren’t going to like them better somewhere new!

 The reality is that whilst moving or even buying a holiday home is a wonderful experience and for most people a huge amount of fun it can be stressful. In a new country everything is different; that’s the appeal but also the stress. A new language, new laws, new ways of doing things. Even the most mundane tasks take much, much longer than “at home”. When I first moved to Spain every time I paid a bill, got a document from the town hall or even changed a gas bottle seemed like a major victory. Personally I got enormous pleasure from finding my way into this new life but there is no denying that at times when things had to be done urgently it was difficult!

 It also has to be said that not everything in your new home will be done better than in your old one. It’s best not to get hung up on this. Forget “better or worse” and think “different”! For my part I never understood the siesta in Spain. Sure in August the middle of the day is hot, but what about the rest of the year? I’m an Englishman born and raised and I will never be able to have a siesta BUT I support it’s continuance 100%! Why? Because it’s part of the Spanish way of life. I moved to Spain to enjoy that way of life. I loved how relaxed people are, how they have time to chat (even from their car window with a queue behind), how people and family matter and how generally unhurried the pace of life is. If that means I have to accept the siesta then so be it!  You can’t have it both ways; streamlined super efficiency, extended office and shop opening hours and a go getting entrepreneurial drive doesn’t go with a relaxed, laid back lifestyle! So next time your shopping trip is brought to a sudden halt when the shops stop for that extended lunch break and siesta, don’t get angry or frustrated – go for lunch!

 So the moral is that you should see any move abroad as a challenge and an adventure, not a panacea. It won’t make your problems go away but could give you a lot of pleasure, fun and satisfaction!

 One way you can however reduce stress and pressure is of course to buy your new home using our services! We will be pleased to see you over the hurdles and across the finish line (well the Olympics are starting soon) with all the support you need from our team.  

 Email: bill@tickle-international-property.com
+44 208 144 5525
+598 424 80 563
Skype; tickle.tip

Friday, 29 June 2012

Now Is The Hour

We all know the saying that "you should live every day as if it's your last"! BUT, how many of us do that? And how many of us say, as we grind out the routine days, that things will be different at the week end, on the summer holiday, at Christmas, in the New Year. Or that we will make that move abroad when the Pound goes up, prices come down or aunt Betty leaves you an inheritance. The fact is that most of us are hidebound by fear of the unknown and a fear of change.

Before I moved to Spain some 16 years ago I talked to anyone I could find who had lived there seeking an insight into living in the country. A lot of those people had obviously returned "home" so I was expecting some pretty damning comments. In some cases they had "lost their shirts" buying and running a bar (an all to common occurrence) and in another because a gentleman's daughter liked the place too much (imagine having plane loads of new boys arriving every week end right through the season!) but one thing they all had in common was that they loved the experience. This seemed a bit strange at the time but I came to understand that for their time in Spain they were living every day. And even though they had returned home, sometimes in difficult or disappointing circumstances, they never regretted taking the chance and living the experience.

So, if you are thinking of moving abroad, or just buying a holiday home, don't delay, come and see us now! The fact is that many distressed sale house prices are well below replacement cost or the prices being paid more than 10 years ago. For these properties there isn't scope to fall further! So don't delay, you haven't got time to waste. 

http://www.tickle-international-property.com/
Email: bill@tickle-international-property.com
+44 208 144 5525
+598 424 80 563
Skype; tickle.tip