2, 4, 6, 8 Do We Want To Integrate?

As I cheered Bradley Wiggins home to his win in the Tour de France I was struck by a thought. I haven’t lived in the UK for more than 16 years now and in that time I have probably not spent 2 months in total visiting. When I do go back to visit family I generally feel like a stranger in my own land; it feels foreign, alien to me and generally I can’t wait to leave. But, despite that, when they run the Union Jack up the flagpole, the anthem starts up and the team in white takes the field, or a Briton does something special I am at the front cheering! I don’t understand quite why but that’s the way it is. I also suspect that I am a pretty typical “expat” in that regard. We may leave our home country physically but there is always a part of us that can never leave.

This begs the question, if I am so programmed how do I relate to my new home when I move abroad and how do I fit in? I regularly hear people tell me that they are going to integrate in their new country, how they want to mix with the locals and keep away from expats in general and their countrymen in particular as they become part of the local community. The intention to “integrate” may sound admirable but when newcomers talk about it invariably older hands roll their eyes and look to heaven! Why? Well apart from the fact that it’s hard to integrate when you don’t speak the local language it also indicates that they have no idea of what it is like to be an immigrant. In some remote villages in Andalucia if you aren’t related or married to anyone in the village and don’t grow olives you won’t have much to talk about! One of my first business partners, a Chilean lady, told me that the neighbours in her village were very nice but all the ladies talked about was what they were cooking their family for dinner and the latest cleaning products. Flavia, after a career in real estate and property development, now lives near the beach on the Costa de la Luz and earns her living as an artist. Talk about different horizons!

The reality is that most arrivals come from a comparatively sophisticated, urban background. When they move abroad they want a better life but that should never mean leaving up the good things from “home”. So instead of thinking about giving anything up, you should move because you want more; wider horizons and new experiences. When I lived in Spain I ate raciones of calamares, pulpito and prawn pil-pil but that didn’t stop me enjoying an English breakfast on the sea front or even the occasional fish and chips! I enjoyed the Spanish way of life but didn’t have to give up being British or be ashamed of going back to my roots.

My best advice therefore to all new arrivals in any country is to see those who have gone before as a valuable resource. People who can tell you where to shop, where to eat, how to pay your bills or find a plumber and how to deal with bureaucracy. The locals don’t see the problem; they have grown up with the local way of doing things so everything is second nature and obvious. You however need to learn the ropes from scratch. As a result you will, as a new arrival, have more in common with German, Dutch and Scandinavian incomers than with the locals simply because you are sharing the experience of immigration. That doesn’t mean you should head immediately to an expat ghetto! On the contrary, I can’t imagine anything worse. Enjoy your new country but go into it with eyes open, take pleasure in the company of others journeying on the same pathand accept that you will find your place in your new community by being yourself rather than by denying your personal heritage.

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

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 Email: bill@tickle-international-property.com
+44 208 144 5525
+598 424 80 563
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Campo or Pueblo?

A lot of people plan to fund their new lives in Spain with some sort of rental business and I always encourage them to go a little further and offer activity holidays. There is an almost unlimited choice of places to rent but a much smaller selection of people offering specialist vacations and as a consequence the prices you can charge are much, much higher. Some of the ideas that have been successful include mountain biking, walking, horse trekking, motor bike touring, language classes, photography, bird watching and of course painting. There are more but you get the idea. The big question is where to establish the business! It’s a choice of Pueblo or Campo for you!

Most people’s dream of country holidays usually involves a big country house with lots of accommodation on site. The reality for most people is that if you don’t have a huge budget this is unlikely to be a viable option. Big houses are expensive and planning permission to create extra accommodation is increasingly difficult to get.

This however shouldn’t be seen in a negative way. The reality is that for most businesses you will be better of in a town or village! Why;

The almost unlimited availability of accommodation. In a country house your accommodation is all you have. In the village if demand is strong you rent extra property as the need arises. Keeping the profit but without the responsibility to maintain units that will only occasionally be needed, for example in peak season. And this also means you never have to turn anyone away!

Catering. There are bars and restaurants in villages where your clients can feed themselves. In the country it will be down to you!

Entertainment. An obvious follow on from 2.

Even if you are happy to cater for and entertain guests the availability of back up is always welcome.

The cost of extending a successful business is cheaper. Village houses are comparatively cheap, especially in the present market, so picking up annexes and overflows as opportunities present themselves will be affordable. Selling them on should the need arise will also be easier as you can sell of individually whereas a country house requires one rich buyer.

Extending your business by buying extra houses means your growth won’t be blockd by planning restrictions.

OK, the village house option isn’t as romantic as rose cottage or even olive tree finca but if you are after making a good living it is often the way to go. Either way if you have some business plans then please get in touch to talk about them! 

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

Independent and Trustworthy?

I  was recently quoted in the British Daily Telegraph telling the world why I liked Uruguay. I have never spoken to the journalist in question and I don't think that she has ever visited the country she was writing about. Instead her "authoritative" piece was nothing more than a lift from an International Living magazine article.

This set me to thinking. We tend to look to the media for advice and unbiased information, but how often do we get it? I long ago gave up on UK buying property abroad magazines because they were full of gushing puff pieces proclaiming the virtues of whatever project their biggest advertisers put in front of them. In depth, independent, questioning? You have got to be kidding!

TV Programmes like a "Place in the Sun" were equally unreal (remember when property prices were always going up by 20% pa everywhere they went?) and whilst in the past you could at least look at the scenery in the background, these days the cameras rarely leave the presenters! The best story I heard was of a special in depth documentary in which a lady from Yorkshire was ferried around Marbella looking at reduced price flats and prattling on about how she was looking for a bargain. Apparently she now lives on a mobile home site near Antequera, never had the money for an apartment and was never looking for one. The TV people needed a face and who was she to say no to being accommodated and wined and dined around Marbella?

The internet seemed to offer a real alternative but even here you need to be careful. From the USA there are a number of supposedly "independent" advice magazines and news letters. Unfortunately those independent reviews are nothing of the sort and all too frequently the journal is on the seller's payroll. How do they get away with it? Well the company that owns the journal has a "separate" real estate company. One does the promo and the other receives the commissions. Neat, what!

So who can you use or trust? Well, apart from me (obviously), follow your own instincts! Don't rely on one source for information and always compare and contrast. Talk to agents, look at those messageboards and Facebook groups, go to exhibitions and hear what people have to say and then apply common sense. The more you learn about your chosen destination the more other people will respond to you.

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

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
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Andalucia Property Sales, Country House in Marchena, Spain

Country House in Marchena, Spain Ref:3167

Some people move to Andalucia from the UK and abroad with the sole purpose of setting themselves up in a small Bed and Breakfast (B&B) guesthouse or a boutique hotel and to be fair this is not a bad idea as the rural tourism in Andalucia is one of the top success stories in the Spanish economy with only the Canary Islands attracting more visitors, not only that but the rural tourism in Andalucia has increased year upon year for the last six years and shows no signs of slowing down.

For this very reason we are happy to offer you this amazing property for sale Ref: 3167, two near identical villas that are located in a country plot but not far from the main motorway, located within ten minutes of Marchena and La Puebla de Cazalla near to Seville.

You could live in one villa whilst renting out the other and reasonably expect to make 15,000€ per year in rental. Please visit our main website for full details and photographs of this fantastic Andalucia property and grab yourself a dream. Ref: 3167

International Telephone: 

+44 208 144 5525

+598 424 80563

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Email: bill.tickle@tickle-international-property.com

Mobile Homes for sale in Andalucia

Here is a great offer for someone that wants to buy a property in Andalucia at a very low Price. This great country property in Pizarra which is North West of Malaga city and not far from Estepa in the beautiful Andalucia countryside. This 3 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1 lounge, double unit mobile home is offered at 59,000€ and is set in 300M2 of its own beautiful Malaga countryside with great views but it is a short walk to all the communal facilities. Better still, you are 20 minutes from Malaga airport and the Costa del Sol so the rental potential as a holiday home is fantastic.

Interested? You should be because this is a real bargain Andalucia property. See all the details from our main website. Property Reference: 2609

http://www.tickle-international-property.com/
Email: bill.tickle@tickle-international-property.com

Properties in Andalucia - Cave Houses for sale Andalucia

Cave house Galera near Bazza Granada

Ok, now you’ve heard the term ‘Have you been living in a cave?’ every time you are a bit behind the times with the latest gossip or you have missed an event such as the Luna landings or Jedward appearing on the Eurovision Song Contest, or whatever. The usual retort would be “No! I don’t live in a cave!” well now dear readers, thanks to that Bill Tickle bloke (best real estate agent in the whole of Andalucia, so we are told!) YOU CAN LIVE IN A CAVE!

Oh yes! Uncle William has a cave house for sale on his main Tickle International Website and before you start thinking ‘Troglodyte!”  And hairy neigbours with Freddie Flintstone clothes on, you need to take a look at this fantastic property.

For a brief time, that is midnight on the 30^th of June, this cave house will be for sale at 50K Euros, after that time the price will revert to 60K Euros. So, what does your average cave dwelling consist of? This great property has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a reception room, electric and water connected as are satellite Internet and phone and the property is fully legal and has all the correct documentation. Take a look on the main Tickle International Website for the full details, you’ll discover more than the wheel and fire.

If you like the look of this cave then take a look at some other 'Rock solid' bargains we have availabe. Rock stars houses

http://www.tickle-international-property.com/
Email: bill.tickle@tickle-international-property.com

Properties for sale in Loja, Granada, Andalucia

Sometimes I wonder what Bill Tickle puts in his Cocoa of a night because he has given some strange names to his properties before but here is one called ‘4 Musketeers’ in a place called Ventorros de Balerma which you will find near Loja in the Granada province of Andalucia. Why call a property ‘4 Musketeers?’ god knows but it’s just Bill’s way of taking the mundane out of looking at properties because people do tend get a little bored trawling through reference numbers, so, ‘4 Musketeers’ it is.

“Yes! But he must have had a bump on the head because the price looks very low!” that’s your next observation but you would be very wrong and although the price seems extremely low for such a great Andalucia property, it really is only 49,000 Euro!!!!

Bill, with his usual astuteness for sniffing out properties has really found you a bargain here go to the main Tickle International Property main website and see more photographs and full details, you’ll be glad you did. 4 Musketeers

PS While you’re there, take a look at Goa, Goa Going! (Yes, another stupid name but another fantastic bargain!

http://www.tickle-international-property.com/

Email: bill.tickle@tickle-international-property.com

Where the Red Flag Still Flies!

Marinaleda in Sevilla, Andalucia - Where Communism Works!

Thanks to the Olive Press for this

The twin villages of Marinaleda and Mataradonda are the last bastion of Communism in Europe. A community that has held out against the capitalists all around. And the funny thing is that it works! The local councillors actually reinvest their taxes in the village rather than their bank accounts and the result is a spotless, immaculately maintained village with the best possible pools, town hall, schools and facilities. Now if ever there was a free marketeer it was me but I have to say that if the communists could do this everywhere I'd be a party member. Unfortunately however it's the exception that proves the rule so this is a one off opportunity to live in the best run village in Spain.

 OK, so what facilities do they have? Banks, Shops, Bakers, Bars and Restaurants, Primary and Secondary schools, sports facilities and parks; the town has two outdoor swimming pools which operate for a nominal entry price in the summer. On Wednesday the general market is in the town offering extra choice in local products.

Situated about 20 km for Ecija and 10 from Estepa, Marinaleda has good motorway access to Seville, Malaga and Granada and the beaches of the Costa del Sol are now less than an hour away using the new AP45 motorway, and the airports of Malaga and Seville are both easily reached within an hour.

 Oh, and as well as having great facilities and looking good, it's also extremely friendly and welcoming - something to do with believing in community and international brotherhood I suppose.

Don't take my word for all of this come and see for yourself - Just don't let on who you vote for!

For Homes in Marinaleda please Click Here

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