Yours for a fiver: How a Costa Del Sol seller is trying to shift his apartment in Spain. Could this be the start of a new selling trend or just another symptom of the stagnant Spanish property market? When a 3-bedroom property in Marbella, went on the market, its owner Neil Hudson, hoped it would fetch over £500,000.  Yet, despite many years of viewings, the 1,614sq ft property failed to sell due to the slow Spanish market, too much competition and lack of buyers. Raffling a home for £5 per ticket is not a new concept as several UK homeowners have tried similar competitions in recent years and many have failed. The promoters of prize draw competition have said that they will not make the mistakes other competitions have made. Speaking to Prize Draw Competition, Neil Hudson who is also the owner of the property said:                “Some other competitions have been run very amateurishly and what seems like an easy scheme to organise actually requires a huge amount of work. We have spent two years doing our market research and our planning. We have entered many property raffle competitions to win of course, but also to make sure we fully understand the positives and negatives from these. It is essential also that the general public has full confidence in the scheme. We have done everything to ensure that the correct legal framework is in place. It is fully compliant with the UK Gambling Commission’s guidelines and the draw will be streamed live online and overseen by independent adjudicators. The winners will be selected by a random generator and the source code for this has been published online to prove its legitimacy.. We have also made sure that we are using experienced marketing companies and have publicity campaigns being implemented, both off and online as ultimately it is a numbers game and needs to be seen by many millions of potential winners to sell enough tickets and most  other schemes have floundered from not putting enough resource into the marketing. We are not limiting ourselves to just UK entries, but are publicising this worldwide and give it the maximum exposure it deserves.” More information can be found at prizedrawcompetition.com   For more information about the prize draw competition please take a look at the Website, Facebook , Twitter, and Instagram Or please call Neil Hudson: +44 (0)7424776838 or email info@prizedrawcompetition.com

Spanish Minister Tells British Expats they are More than Welcome to Stay in Spain

No one fully knows yet, but Spain needs the brits

and will be allowed to stay in Spain

Spanish Minister Tells British Expats they are More than Welcome to Stay in Spain

It seems like the fearmongering headlines about Brexit and the potential fallout have all but vanished recently, but there are still many people who are left with unanswered questions and a lot of worrying “what if?” questions. 

While a complete 100% answer about what Brexit means for EUcitizens and Brits alike, the politicians who are going to be involved in those decisions are saying positive things at the very least.

This includes Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis, who told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC1 that even if the UK is unable to secure a deal on Brexit when leaving the EU, the British people in Spain would be allowed to remain where they are.

Brussels and the British government have been locked in an impasse that is a reflection of the political problems the two have been dealing with since the result of the referendum last summer. The “divorce” negotiations are so complex and complicated that there has yet to be a single cause that British PM Theresa May appears to be protecting above all others. Free trade appears to be important, but there are problems with that. This is also the case with free movement of people, which is only becoming a more heated discussion with immigration fears.

Prime Minister May has at least made some concessions for EU citizens living in the UK and says their situation won’t change, and these words were mirrored by Dastis when he said that he hopes there will be a deal and that – should no deal arise – the Spanish government will endeavour to ensure the lives of British people living there are not disrupted.

Dastis added that there is a very close social and economic relationship between Spain and Britain. Spain welcomes over 17 million Brits a year and a lot of them go to the country to live and retire, and Spain wants to continue this relationship as much as they can.

Spain has become the popular choice for Brits living in theEU. The official statistics from the UK show there are 308,805 Brits currently living in Spain, but the real number is estimated to be at least twice this. Around a third of the Brits living in Spain are over 65 years old according to this same source, and that the proportion of retirement-age expats is growing.

Spanish Expats in UK Contribute £802 million to British Economy

Expats continue to fund the economy 

Spanish Expats in UK Contribute £802 million to British Economy

The never-ending love affair between the UK and Spain – outside of the occasional spat over Gibraltar – should be a reminder to everyone who wants to spread the idea that Europe is divided that even countries that are as “different” as these two countries have a lot of respect, admiration and love for each other.

Brits are in love with the climate, beaches, hospitality, and traditional foods and wines of Spain. Spain, on the other hand, loves the culture, history, fairness, liberal economic and working conditions and the food and beer of the UK. 

While there are certainly more Brits living in Spain than the other way around, the gap started to close with thousands of young Spaniards moving to Britain to escape the recession and find work. 

Some of those Spaniards are moving back home now the economy in Spain is improving, but data from the HMRC in the UK has shown there are still many Spaniards living in Britain and they are proving to be great for the country. 

The data showed that Spaniards contributed £802 million in taxes in 2014 while claiming only £62 million in benefits. This gave the UK economy a major net benefit and puts the Spanish in sixth place in the list of the top ten countries contributing taxes to Britain. 

France comes top of the list, with French residents paying a whopping £2.3 billion in taxes during 2014, putting them ahead of the Polish, who contributed £2.2 billion. As close as these figures are the net benefit of French expats is much higher than the Poles with a ratio of 25.6 compared to 2.4 for the Poles. This shows that Polish immigrants are more likely to claim benefits compared to French immigrants. 

Spaniards provide a net benefit ratio of 12.9 which makes them one of the best contributors to the British economy according to the HMRC data.

Great News for the Spanish Economy; Unemployment Falls by 180,000

Great News for the Spanish Economy; Unemployment Falls by 180,000

Jobs continue to be created 

Over 182,000 jobs were created in Spain during the third quarter of last year between July 1^st and September 30^th, bringing down the percentage of unemployed people to 4.66% and bringing the total number of unemployed people to 3.73 million; the lowest figure since 2008.

The third quarter has always been the strongest time for job creation in the country as it includes the busy summer period where plenty of seasonal jobs are created. However, when viewed over a long period of time the trend becomes very encouraging; the third quarter has been a booster for Spanish employment figures for five years running now, and the performance last year follows a strong second quarter that saw Spanish total unemployment drop below four million for the first time since 2009.

The data comes from the Active Population Survey (EPA) published by the government. The EPA registers not just unemployed people that report to their local employment office, but also the jobless people that aren’t registered for whatever reason. This means that the figures in the EPA are higher than other sources.

Even so, the data shows that the unemployment rate for Spain has fallen to 16.38%, which is about 2.5% lower than last year and continues the positive trend of an increase in job security, growth and financial stability of households and businesses.

Three Reminders of What Makes the Costa del Sol so Special

Costadelsol continues to break ts own records

Three Reminders of What Makes the Costa del Sol so Special

It’s been shown by recent news events that the 17 autonomous regions of Spain are proud of their heritage and identity and rightly so, including their cuisine, language, culture, and history.

Despite all this, one of the most famous spots in all of Spain isn’t one of the autonomous regions. It’s the “Costa del Sol”, which is loosely defined as a slice of the eastern coastline of southern Spain. Most of the area comes under the jurisdiction of the province of Malaga, but if you asked someone in a region like Manilva if they consider themselves to be in Malaga and they would say no.

The entirety of the Costa del Sol does fall within the autonomous region of Andalucía, which does give the region some uniformity when it comes to their terrain, climate, and cuisine.

The unique strengths of the Costa del Sol are most apparent when you break it down even further and go to the regional level. Here are three reminders of what makes the Costa del Sol so special…

It’s Truly International

The Costa del Sol is home to the Malaga airport, which makes it easy for people all over the world to make their way to the region. This makes the area more international than anywhere else in Andalucía and puts it on a level even higher than that of Seville. The Costa del Sol is perhaps the most international region in all of Spain with the exception of Barcelona, Ibiza, and Madrid.

This means that the region is home to the finest bars, restaurants, fashions, and trends. Marbella is still the home of the international jet set; Fuengirola is still at the forefront of mass tourism, and Puerto Banus is still the destination of celebrities, movie stars, footballers, and multi-millionaires alike. 

There’s More Variety Than you Think

For all the he hotel complexes with pools, restaurants, and family entertainment options hugging the Costa del Sol coastline, there’s plenty of charming villages that provide visitors with a real taste for traditional Spanish life.

For all the expat enclaves complete with pubs, plumbers, football teams, electricians, cafes, and schools built for Brits, there are similar places that have a Scandinavian feel to them, not to mention the places with German flavours and the growing influence of Asia. Even so, the Costa del Sol as a whole remains strictly Spanish. There are cobbled streets with Andalusians that have been there for generations even in Marbella. It’s this variety that makes the area so fascinating. 

It’s Beautiful

Not much can prepare someone for the sights and sounds that will be waiting them on a Friday night on a Friday night in summer along the Puerto Banus second line. Stag and hen parties alike filling the air, stylish Swedes walking the streets, a mixture of American, British, Irish, German, and Spanish people mingling and enjoying themselves. The Costa del Sol is a place where anyone can come together and party the night away for a few weeks out of the year, which is what it is most known for.

There’s still so much more to the region though. Don’t forget the beaches which come in rural and packed. The resorts which can be as cheap or expensive as you need them to be. A wide choice of properties matching every taste and budget waiting for a buyer. Then there is the terrain, which can go from an urbanised beach to the wilderness of the mountains in a matter of miles.

The Costa del Sol really does offer something for everyone.

Spanish Mortgage Approval Rates hit Seven-Year High

Mortgages are on the up and banks start to lend more.

Spanish Mortgage Approval Rates hit Seven-Year High

Some 26,583 mortgages were approved in Spain during August, making it the highest monthly figure since 2010, not to mention a massive increase of 29.1% compared to the same month last year. 

The continued upward trajectory of Spanish real estate has been made clear by a range of data released over the year. Whether it’s the number of transactions, or prices, or regional growth and overall outlook, the Spanish real estate market is in good health and only growing.

This recent data, which comes from statistics released by the Spanish central statistics unit, is perhaps the most accurate reflection of how things are right now. The numbers tell us that the peak of summer is when the most homes are bought, and the economic data shows that more and more Spaniards feel financially secure enough to begin climbing the property ladder.

The figure is naturally topped up by buyers from Britain, Sweden, Ireland, Germany, and other countries. This is shown by the fact that Andalucía, home of the illustrious Costa del Sol, saw the highest annual increase in August mortgage approvals. 50.2% more mortgages were approved in Andalucía compared to August of last year.

The average mortgage amount is also increasing, albeit not as sharply as mortgage approvals. The average mortgage amount has increased a minor 0.7% to €111,488, which is still encouraging despite being lower than the average increase in property prices. It shows that banks are once again feeling confident enough to lend money.

When taken as year-to-date statistics, the first eight months of 2017 saw over 210,000 mortgages approved, which is an increase of 12.85% over the same period of 2016. When looked at in terms of the past 12 months, the increase becomes 12.1% with 306,000 mortgages approved in Spain between August 2016 and August 2017.

Market Analyst PwC Says Conditions for Investing in Spanish Property are “Perfect”

Market Analyst PwC Says Conditions for Investing in Spanish Property are “Perfect”

Spain continues to be a fantastic long

term investment

The financial analyst firm PwC recently published a positive assessment of the Spanish property market, saying that the sector was “perfect” for investment in 2018. The report, titled Tendencies in the European Property Market in 2018, looked at leading property markets in the continent, assessing past performance and potential futures.

PwC believe that 2018 will be as strong as 2017 for the Spanish property market, with both sales numbers and average prices expected to increase. An interesting part of the report is the correlation between the health of the European economy and Spanish property. As European countries get stronger financially and have better job security, the Spanish real estate sector improves.

These parallels may be obvious but they aren’t always clearly defined by historically cautious analysts. Because of how foreign homebuyers affect the Spanish property sector, the more confident and rich Europeans are the better it is for Spain. 

Conditions in the country itself also make investing in Spanish property attractive for both domestic and foreign investors. Prices are expected to increase between 4-6% during 2018 and this kind of growth is ideal. It balances out returns on investment without increasing so much that it scares financial markets and banks. 

When you consider that Spanish property prices are still around a third lower than they were at the peak of 2007 and it’s obvious that Spain guarantees value for money when it comes to property.

The report was also impressed by how Spain is able to maintain interest in the recovery of their property market. Values and sales have been growing steadily for the past three years now, and PwC were pleased by this stability. This is why they concluded that Spanish investment conditions are “perfect”, which is high praise.