Friday, September 19, 2008

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Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Your First Steps to Relocation

If you have watched the news lately, you will see the increasing demand for relocation. The first destination being Australia, the second Spain. Relocation to Australia, is a mamouth task, flights are so long, and the possibility of family visits, far and few between. Thats fine if your looking for a good excuse to stay away from the mother in law. But if you have close family ties, its just not an option. Starting a new life so far from home can be a scary thought, but what about rethinking the second option, relocation to Spain.
The Canary Islands are only 4 hours from the UK, and offer eternal summers, with low cost living. Fuel is cheap, energy is cheap and rates are low, based on property size and location. The average wage maybe slightly lower, but the reduction in everyday living really does tip the scale. Income tax is lower than the UK at 15%, against the UK 40%, and your social security contributions are paid by your employer. This makes up for the lower wage, and leaves you with much more to spend on living. The Spanish, and Canarian motto's are simply "we work to live, not live to work".
With the location of the islands just off the coast of Morocco the islands are blessed with sunshine 356 days a year. Yes we do experience the rain, around Febuary, when for once in your life you can say your glad to see it. Then from around March to January, the climate stays around 24 degrees, a perfect living climate, according to the UK National Health Institute. Afternoons can be spent lazing around the pleasant beeches, or mixing with the locals experiencing the Canarian traditions. Fiestas are a must for Spanish culture, and living Spain means becoming involved with your village days of rest, streets fill themselves with decorations, and laughter is heard from the young and old. Children play happily, and are not wrapped in cotton wool or imprisoned from the rain.
Relocating is now a simple process, the Islands are part of the EU citizenship, making emigration here a breeze. A visit to the local town hall once your settled will provide you with a temporary residency, this is adequate for your first few months whilst you are building your new lifestyle. The main thing you will need is an NIE number, which is easily obtained from the local police stations. These numbers are your Spanish Identity, and you will need to produce it on many occasions when making purchases on property, cars, or anything that needs are registration certificate. You can get settled before worrying about tax, and treat your first few months as a trial and error situation. Its not so much making the right decisions, as finding the right people to help you. There are many people claiming they know the laws of the land, as they have been residing in the Canary islands for over 20years, problem is it was 20 years ago when they filled any paperwork in for themselves. The best advice is to find established companies, who can offer you the correct advice. If you are purchasing property, you should receive all the help you need from the estate agents. They will take your hand and make the experience of relocation a breeze.
Property in Tenerife, is very reasonable, and you will find you can get alot for your money, especially in the local villages, out of the main towns. We carry an extensive collection of properties for sale, and can also walk you through the whole process from your door in England, to your new life in the Canary islands. We will take all of your essential requirements into consideration when searching for properties in Tenerife, or the Canary islands. If you have family, we will find suitable properties and help enroll your children into local schools. We can recommend translators, banks, lawyers and also put you in direct contact with future employers.
If you have worked in the property industry, you could even explore the option of joining our team.
Relocation to the Canary Islands, is not such a huge move, its only 4 hours away from your family,leaving the options open for family visits every month. If you have close family ties, you may even find, like us, your family decide to make the move with you. Once you have experienced life in Spain, its hard to imagine ever moving back to the UK, and helping the government survive.