Thinking of Buying a Bar?

Thinking of Buying a Bar? Then Think Carefully!!

One of the saddest memories I have of my life in Spain comes from a chance meeting with a happy couple and their lovely teenage daughter in Malaga airport. Their flight had delivered them to the wrong terminal and they needed directions to meet an estate agent. They showed me a piece of paper saying where their meeting place was and I gave them directions. It also said who they were meeting. Are you buying a bar I asked. Oh yes they replied, so excited they couldn’t stand still. Then be very, very, careful I said. They didn’t really care or take on board my warning and bounced off to their meeting and to their destiny.

To this day I feel guilt about not trying to put them off. The statistical reality is that their money would be gone, their lives ruined and the family shattered in months. The normal rule is that 70% of bar buyers are broke within 2 years but on the route this family were taking the odds were much worse and the timescale shorter.

Why didn’t I tell them? Well, as the agent in question always said “If I don’t sell them what they want (sic) someone else will”! Unfortunately in cases like this the people being helped invariably hate the helper and disbelieve what you say because you are sticking a  great big pin in the bubble of their dreams.

So why are bars so often such a bad deal?

There is no trade; when the punter visits they get rent a crowd in or you show the place on a busy day (Fuengirola port is busy on market day and out of sight the rest of the week for example). It’s not unknown for bars to be opened for the showing and closed when the punter goes home.

Hidden costs; you are told the rent for the bar but they omit to mention the equally large terrace rent payable to the town hall.

Competition; the bar down the road has been in the same ownership for donkey’s years. They own the freehold so there is no rent to pay and have great deals with suppliers. He can sell beer for less than you can buy it for from the wholesaler!

Inexperience; anyone entering a very competitive business with no training or experience has to be crazy and certainly has no future but that doesn’t stop people doing it all the time.

We rarely offer bars and when we do they tend to be freehold and away from the costa. Being away from the costa may seem counter intuitive but in reality a good village or shopping center location often works best. Less competition and regular all year round trade. In other words viable, realistic businesses offering a real chance to earn a living in the sun.

Finally we always sell business premises on a bricks and mortar basis; there is no element of good will in the price. Why? Because so much business in Spain is for cash that accounts are rarely worth the paper they are written on. If someone has accounts, particularly accounts that show lots of profit, treat them with great suspicion. In other words run a mile! You can get anything printed on the Costa del Sol.

This may sound like I am trying to put you off but not a bit of it. There are good bars and restaurants and there are plenty of alternative businesses. You just need to remember not be part of the crowds that leave their brains at the airport!  

To find out more about buying a business or to discuss your options, please get in touch!

+44 208 144 5525

+598 424 80 563

Skype; tickle.tip

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

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

Bargains, Sales and Repossessions!

Another week and more new and reduced offerings!

I am often asked why I include sold and withdrawn listings in my update and the answer is twofold. I know a lot of people have their eye on particular houses so I think it’s important that they know what happens to them. The other issue is that a lot of people think the market in Spain is totally dead and that no matter how cheap houses are they will get cheaper. My sold listings are evidence that this isn’t entirely true. If a property is obviously exceptional value then it will sell!

 

We are constantly looking to add bank repossession sales to our listings. It’s hard work even though you would expect the banks to be falling over themselves to sell! Somehow if there isn’t a big bonus in there for someone they don’t seem to be very enthusiastic! That said things are improving and we can’t wait to show you some of these apartments which are on offer at prices not seen on the Costa del Sol in many a long year.

My best advice to anyone looking for a bargain is to give us as much notice as possible and let us set up multiple viewings. We always have more properties than can be shown on line!

Finally with the repos we need to charge a finders fee over and above whatever you pay the bank. We have set this at 3,000 Euros for properties under 100,000 Euros and 5,000 for properties over that price. With this in mind we have every incentive to get you the best deal possible.

If you are looking for something specific, or you want to discuss your requirements and what is available in greater detail, get in touch. We are always pleased to hear from you.

+44 208 144 5525

+598 424 80 563

Skype; tickle.tip

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

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

The Spanish At Their Best

Many, many years ago, just after my love affair with Spain began, I visited Estepona with my family to view investment properties. One of kids slipped in the shower and cut his chin badly enough for it to need stitches. I hadn’t a clue where to go or what to do so I called my friendly estate agent! He came out immediately and drove us to the town’s medical center (every Spanish town has one). As a former rugby player I knew all about casualty departments so I thanked the agent for showing me where it was and said he didn’t need to wait, we could walk home. He gave me a very old fashioned look and I soon found out why. We went in, my stitched up son was seen immediately and within 10 minutes we were on our way home again! Incredible to anyone used to the usual 3 hours + wait in casualty in the UK.

This was my introduction to the Spanish approach to emergencies. Whilst day to day things can be left to “mañana”, when the chips are down all the stops are pulled out. If you have an accident on the road, everyone stops to help, calling for assistance, directing traffic and doing whatever has to be done, whilst hospital emergency departments are exactly that! They aim to treat you and get you on your way as quickly as safely possible, even if, as happened to me once, this means dropping your shorts in a busy room for a quick injection of anti biotics in the bum!

What made me think of this? Well my friends in Spain have been suffering greatly of late with natural disasters of one kind or another; a huge area just behind my old home in Alhaurin el Grande was destroyed by a wild fire whilst the recent rains have caused serious flooding. Summer fires and floods after rain are always going to happen but what matters is the response! The firefighters in particular are amazing. You can see hectares of burnt land but the houses in the middle some how survive because of their skill and expertise. At a time when all the news from Spain is of doom and gloom these natural problems and the reaction to them is a reminder that Spain and Spaniards are at their best in a crisis! They understand what a vecino really is and anyone in trouble can expect help. That's why, no matter how bad things may look, they will turn round.

Can I also add that there are some very nice and talented people in Spain and can I therefore show my appreciation to http://www.facebook.com/Sh7Solutions for allowing me to use some of their photos.

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

Email: bill.tickle@tickle-international-property.com
+44 208 144 5525

+598 424 80 563

Skype; tickle.tip

Property for sale in Andalucia

Properties for sale in Andalucia through Tickle International Property

It is always hard to get the message across to the great and the good and quite often the Internet is the best way to do it. With this in mind we have been spreading the Andalucia Property message around using a brand new website that has been around for two weeks now http://www.propertyforsaleandalucia.com

This new Andalucia Property for sale website hopes to highlight the best of the large amount of properties we have available for people who are desperate to come and live in beautiful, sunny, Andalucia and southern Spain. The website takes small samples of Andalucia properties from Malaga, Granada, Cordoba, Seville and other areas and highlights them in order to give the person searching for property a snapshot of the main Tickle International Website.

At present there are some excellent Andalucia properties and Bank repossessions, bargains that ordinary companies do not show to prospective clients, this includes a real darling of an apartment on the Costa del Sol in Fuengirola. Take a look and see what you think. Link

If you are selling your property then we are the people you should be in touch with, we aggressively advertise all of our Spanish properties individually, not just lump them on a website and hope for the best, no! We advertise all our andalucia properties all over the Internet, talk to us, what can you lose? Contact Bill Tickle

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

Why You Should Move to Spain NOW!

Morning Bill, hope all is well with you.

I thought I would drop you a quick line and spread some positive thoughts.

Sadly, my 94yr old Mother passed away on the 24th September, and I attended her funeral in the UK last week. However, during conversations with my only brother, who always said he stayed in England to be close to her, I suggested there was now nothing stopping him from moving to Spain. His response was that he probably won't in the foreseeable future as there is a major economic crisis in Spain, with unemployment running at 25% and the exchange rate has still not recovered sufficiently. Basically, all doom and gloom!

I thought for a moment and said "Hang on a minute, you are forgetting one important thing - Spain is still a fantastic place in which to live !" "A draft beer is still only one Euro, coffee one Euro, a nice bottle of wine is only 2 Euros, my car tax is 45 Euro a year, I have a 400 sqM house and pay only 98 Euro a year rates, we can get an excellent 3 course 'menu del dia' for 7 Euro, we have had sunshine and no rain since April, and we can plan a bbq a month ahead and know we will get great weather".

In addition, I explained that, like me, he draws his full State pension plus private pensions, and suggested he could live a very good life here on his current income, and be insulated from the so called 'crisis'.

Having lived here full time for 12 years, both my wife and I agree that the actual cost of living as a resident is about half of the cost in the UK. As a tourist on one week's holiday, you wouldn't see that as you pay everything at tourist rates, especially on the Costas.

As everyone focusses on the European wide crisis, I think that's a fundamental and important factor most people are forgetting - SPAIN IS A FANTASTIC PLACE TO LIVE. OK, so you need either a pension or a business you can run from here in order to have a sustained income. So . . . . . . .!. What's the problem?

Regards

Mervyn
Algarinejo 

Mervyn is selling "Finger In" on behalf of a family member.

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

Buying A Repossession (Foreclosure)

It is no secret that the Spanish banks face a huge problems in the current financial climate. They have huge portfolios of repossessed properties and very little experience in dealing with the problem.

Traditionally Spanish banks took repossessions into their ownership at full book value. If this was higher than market value they held the property, sometimes for years, until they could sell it for a profit or at least break even. In the process they didn’t need to declare losses and didn’t undermine the main property market with a flood of cheap homes.

Today the sheer number of repossessed properties means that the banks can’t follow traditional practice and desperately need to make sales.

 The other alternative was to auction the property. Unfortunately the process in Spain is convoluted and anything but transparent. It is very difficult for an outsider (ie the general public) to find out what is being auctioned and where. This meant it became a great way for the family, friends and business contacts of the local bank manager to make a profit because they are the only people who would ever know what was available and where and when it was being sold. As a result sales occurred at ridiculously low prices; a great perk for the insiders but a disaster for everyone else. In particular this process is totally unsuitable for getting rid of the current back log.

 Since the current crisis began we have seen the banks try all sorts of things to shift property; 100% mortgages (albeit for homes at old fashioned prices) being a prime example. Selling through agents hasn’t worked well either because of the unwillingness of many to co operate with each other. The bank wpould give the keys to agent A on the understanding that other agents could have access to them. Unfortunately it mever seemed to be convenient and even if an appointment could be made it was amazing how something always came up at the last minute to prevent the viewing!

 Long months of hard work have now resolved most of the problems and we are able to offer a large number of repossessed, bank owned homes. The important thing to note is that the asking prices are set by the bank and are EXTREMELY negotiable.  

 The banks are also difficult with regard to commissions, which is why in most cases we need to charge a buyer a “finders fee” of 2,000 Euros. This will be more than recovered in price negotiations and we would be equally be happy to work for a percentage of any discount we can negotiate!

Finally we have many, many, more repossessed properties for sale than we can show on the site. There has never been a time like this for buying bargain property in the very best locations on the Costa del Sol and in Inland Andalucia and all you have to do is let me know what you want and when you are coming. We will sort out the very best properties that meet your requirements and help you get the bargain(s) of a life time.  

For our Repossessed properties   Click Here

+44 208 144 5525

+598 424 80 563

Skype; tickle.tip

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

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

Rent To Buy

I got an irate call from a competitor and friend (yes that’s what I said, we enjoy friendly competition and co operate as well from time to time!) who got the wrong end of the stick in last week’s newsletter warning of the perils of “guaranteed rentals”. She thought I was criticizing “buy to rent” which is something she recommends. Nothing could have been further from my mind because in today’s market “buy to rent” is an excellent idea.

Everyone knows that Spain has for a long time been a popular destination for holiday makers and in my experience hard economic times are perversely good for Spanish rentals. Why? People still want their holidays, they still want guaranteed sun but they don’t want to break the bank. So good bye Maldives, hello Spain! I used to own apartments in Estepona and the best rental year I ever had was in the depths of Mrs Thatcher’s recession! No one booked ahead, everything seemed to be last minute but we were nevertheless packed for months on end. Many of my friends involved in holiday rentals in Andalucia are experiencing the same trend this year, making buying a home in the country a genuine investment opportunity.

There is also a very strong demand from people nervous of making a commitment to buying who are instead renting long term. If you are looking to invest this is a perfect situation; good, committed, tenants who should be buying but haven’t got the courage to invest themselves so instead pay you! It may seem a bit daunting to go against the trend but that is how you make a successful investment; the same herd (flock?) that is afraid to invest at the bottom of the market is the one that can’t pay enough at the top!

I have tried to include some good renters this month along with the usual new listings, price reductions and bargain deals but if you would like to discuss buy to rent in greater detail please get in touch any time.

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

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

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.

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

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

Properties for sale in Andalucia

View across the swimming pool

 

Patio areas

Kitchen and patio view

 

Here we have a superb apartment on the Spanish Costa del Sol at Torreblanca  this s the Costa del Sol at prices not seen in decades.

This delightful property has a living room with modern kitchen and with new appliances, there is a sunny terrace at the entrance ideal for al fresco dining or sunbathing, a good size bedroom with access to rthe ear garden areasand is also ideal for another table. There is a bathroom with shower.

This great property also has blinds and double glazing installed and you have access to the community pool and sun terraces, it really is a perfect holiday apartment at Torreblanca on the Costa del Sol the railway system goes from Malaga to Fuengirola and Torreblanca is one of their stops between Torremolinos and Fuengirola you can travel up and down the Costa del Sol and around Andalucia cheaply.

Please visit our main website for full details. Torreblaca bargain 3809



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

Property for sale in Andalucia - Townhouses in Jaen

Town House in Carchel -Jaen

Views from the roof terrace

If you are looking for a large family home in the Andalucia area of southern Spain then you really should take a look at this delightful property in the village of Carchel, Jaen close to the city of Granada, the mighty Alhambra Palace and the Sierra Nevada ski resorts.

This large townhouse has 5 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and 1 lounge; there is a great roof terrace with the most fantastic views of the Andalucian countryside, olive groves and clear blue skies. What makes this property unique is that it is in two adjacent buildings with 2 separate sets of deeds. The main part of the house has the bedrooms, kitchen and lounge whilst the adjacent building has a garage and an upper level; this part of the property has ample possibilities especially when you consider the amount of tourist that pass through Jaen on their way to the Alhambra, Granada and the Sierra Nevada.

Take a close look at this price reduced property and see what you could make of it, there really are some excellent possibilities and with a little work you could have two excellent Andalucian houses. Please visit the Tickle International property website for full details and more photographs. 

REF: 3104



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

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