Moving to spain in february need some advice/help

Yes, 3 things.

Learn Spanish, learn Spanish and learn Spanish.

You might also have a lot of free time on your hands in a bar between Feb and June. My advice would be go out and check out the competition. What will you offer that they don't? Why not lease a bar rather than buy?, you might save yourself a fortune!
Spain is struggling BIG TIME at the moment, 5 million unemployed. Do your homework first before you sink a lot of money into it!

mymovetospain.com is a good site that has a lot of free info on how to make a successful move to Spain.

Good luck

Buenas, thanks for the reply. yes I am trying to learn spanish at the moment its hard to remember and to pronounce so i'm going to learn one group of words everyday for a week. was thinking about getting rosetta stone, is that any good? because I will need to communicate in spanish to open a bank account and to get social security, residence card/certificate or can the gestor do that?

Yes I think we are going to lease one as it will save us loads. wow! 5 million, thats alot hopefully we dont become unemployed. yes i've not stopped learning about it since we decided to move. this site has some good interesting things to read about!

Thanks for the link and the reply.

Rosetta Stone vastly overpriced and over-rated and not really relevant to mainland Spain much more Latin America biased.

Save your money!

Check out Rocket Spanish or Study Spanish, both are Latin_American biased but far more relevant.

I have no financial axe to grind in recommending these two programs, but have found them to be very useful.

Rocket Spanish http://www.rocketlanguages.com/spanish/premium/

Study Spanish http://www.studyspanish.com/

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much?simas gracias, I will check them out will it be best to use both? or is one enough?

Que tengas un buen d?as.

Of the two, probably Rocket Spanish would be the one to buy and use Study Spanish as an online addition. This is what we have done. As I said both are essentially Latin-American Spanish but as a basis for getting to grips with Spanish its as good as anything else.

You might also take a look at http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/

buena suerte!

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I seen you were looking for some advice and help to find yourself the right
property in Spain? Also every thing you need to live out there.

Are you still loooking for a Property?

If so we could help we are a company that sells properties overseas mainly
in Spain.

If not we could still help you finalise everything out there also help translate legal documents etc.
As a company we deal with all manner of things to do with property.

As I'm sure you're aware it can be a complete nightmare for some people and
it's our job to make sure things run as smoothly as possible!

Whether you're already stuck in the mud or just want to make sure that
things run smoothly you can ask me and i'll do my best.

Ok, so about us, I'm 30 (only just and it's still an adjustment leaving your
20s believe me!) I live in Durham and I'm married. I've got 2 gorgeous dogs,
I love my kindle and I love my job. So I'm pretty lucky!

We're only a small team here, Alice deals with our Website, Paul is our main
translator, and Sharna and Sam are like me and deal with the public! Our
boss is always out and about saving the day! Sometimes she's accompanying
people to court or even making frantic phone calls in Spanish!

We're a highly dedicated team of specialists who will work until every
aspect is resolved and you're satisfied and we never take a penny until you
know exactly what we're able to do for you.

We have a vast range of properties in Spain at different price ranges. We
take note of all the qualities you require in a property and find one that
suits you.

Please contact us if there's something we can help you with.
Check out our website to see if there's anything you could use?

Kate

steven.mclaren you going in to the bar trade here in spain . Alram bells are now sounding in my head and few more , you need to step back and look at the trade here in spain , its been on the way down are in profitable trading , the days having packed bar is not happen in spain , Life in Spain is very stressful for business owners as hight unemployment hight rents , rates , and repayments are killing business as there a down turn . think you need to com out and see befor you put your hand in your pocket . hospitality sector industry has been hardest hit in spain with Passengers numbers down throught out spain , including Magala airport for ;last 4 years , advice would be go out and check out the competition as pablosho has sayed here ,

If you see the bar, premises , Do you homework about the bar, premises , fine out its histroy , openning hours , have the police cloed it down befor , is thee money still outstand

BE REALISTIC, WORK LONG HOURS AND HAVE A SOUND PLAN!
The secret to success is to be realisitc about potential income from a small
business, especially bars and be realistic about your lifestyle costs and
expenditure. The Spanish way of life is all about living a happy life. However if want
a detached Villa with a pool or a luxury beach apartment and the best of everything
you will unlikey be able to finance this from a small bar. Be prepared to work very
long hours, buy on a sound plan and not just a dream of living in the Sun and you
should have a great life here. We wish you luck and success.

Make sure you see the premises opening licence - no excuses
Make sure you see all other official local licences - live music etc
Make sure your new business is free of debts - you may be liable
Make sure the services and safety equipment are all in order
Employ a good independent English speaking lawyer (Use an independent lawyer (not the one the agent recommends)
Employ the services of an English speaking Gestoria
Know what is included in the sale price of your bar , RENT Do not trust any agents, ever
What is a traspaso is it different form a lease or rental?
Know how long the contract is for and can you legally renew it
Talk to other business owners find out if they are trading well ., Holidays times , They may be busy in the summer but can be quiet in the winter. Back street bars are often the locals for residents, providing that you can give them what they want. The main thing is that you must have passing traffic to stand a chance
Meet the landlord of your premises (essential)
Never pay a deposit to anyone but your lawyer / Paying an "Aval"
Checking out the area do you really want to live here?
Consider the long hours - is this lifestyle for you? working in bar is from 8 am until late at night ..
Have enough operating cash for the first 6-9 months
Understand marketing - What services? Who are the customers?
Operating cost analysis - Fixed, variable and lifestyle costs.
Correct pricing not too high or low -
Employ an interpreter and translator - you will need one

http://www.spainexpat.com/spain/forum/viewthread/7088/ here some words from one outher persons aswell

any more and i can give you few numbers of bar people working in spain and how here finding it

Ha know a guy bought old disused premises and turn in two a bar , for just under 400,000 eurs but sold for 1.2 million euros , know of people that lost every think aswell , yes there nest egg most the set you a pm aswell
Jurdy

Thanks for the info :-) the bbc link is very good, liked how it explained the alphabet and gives loads of slang but I think I need some lessons to understand the language fully and to become fluent.


Thanks but i'm not buying straight away going to wait and see how the buisness goes and maybe buy a villa in a few years.

Muchas gracias

steven why not get a night class befor you head from scotland , beginers level , it kick start you off , your right to see what happen befor you buy out there , there some great Bargain on Spanish Property for sale in Spain ? Spanish bank repossessions is hight and bank are try to recoup there money back , Investing in spain is long term plan , i would say . just make sure there no Heiden Debt on what you buy .
Jurdy

wow jurdyr that is alot of valuable information there thank you so much. before we move over there we are going over for a month or 2 and will be viewing some bars and apartments. will we need a gestor?a or lawyer when viewing property, is it best to have a gestor?a or lawyer when viewing? found some nice apartments on sapphire real est?te, do you know anything about them?
Yes we know it wont be easy but we are prepared to work our asses off to make it work and that will be part of the fun and if it becomes successful it will be worth it :-). would it be best to employ someone who talks spanish so we can serve people who are spanish?
Gracias!

stevenno no problem and love to help as we seen successful and unsuccessful people pass through spain the forum , if the forum can help you out , ha manybe you can again do the same in time for outher here in the forum new and old menbers , i have work with some good people here in spain and wish i tock few chances my self , this people did and run very Successful Company , people , i learned alot form them and i am just pass it on .

gestor?a r lawyer

A Gestoria (Hestoria) is a firm qualified to recognised levels to obtain and apply for licences, permits, certificates and complete all manner of legally
required documents and paperwork requiring authorisation which Spain is so famous for . They are highly qualified and respected with years of training . Gestor is licensed by the government to perform the tasks that do not require the expensive legal skills .

A Gestoria is not a lawyer or a tax consultant and although will help work through accounts with their clients and prepare income tax declarations and tax forms, it is you that will sign the form and understand the declaration that is being made. You are liable for the paperwork prepared for you by a Gestoria and so it can be advisable in some situations to seek specialist advice from a qualified professional , Spanish Law and talk directly with a lawyer r tax consultant.

Spanish Solicitor and let an independent Spanish solicitor guide you through all necessary legal work required in Spain .

good day Steve ,

may I offer you some sound advice -
1. do not attempt to operate a business in spain without a good working knowledge of the language .
2.be aware that bar life in spain has much longer hours than similar operations in the u.k
3. it is imperative that you work with the local people and dont just rely on the tourist trade as in the area you have chosen the all inclusive holiday has somewhat dampened the market .
4.spend time in the bar you wish to buy and see the operation at different times
5.you dont need a lawyer whilst looking but you do need one before parting with a penny or a centimos !
6.dont pay a silly lease price the market is depressed so you could rent only without a massive upfront cost

Hi Steven,

Regards costs etc. You need to cost everything. Apart from the initial cost of obtaining a business, the more detailed your estimation of your outgoings, the easier it will be to work out if your plan is feasible. Cost absolutely everything: the rent for your bar, the rent for your apartment, gas, water, electricity, phones, security system, TV package, autonomos or company social security, business insurance, travel costs, gestor services, IT services if required, vehicle running costs, then your personal outgoings; food, leisure, smokes .. everything. Once you open the bar your social security payments will cover your healthcare. Being EU you need to register at the National Police, then with the council where you decide to live. As said, allow a capital reserve of at least 6 months because it's surprising what crops up. Other expenses related to a bar depend on what type of bar you are thinking of. Drinks bars aimed at under 30's generally need promotion, publicity etc so you could be looking at design and printing costs awell.

Things to remember are that in the Costas there is more or less a parallel economy with middlemen who can fix just about anything for a price. There are many, many conmen waiting out there waiting to fleece the unsuspecting. Be careful, not only of men in bars but with Gestors also. You could set up a business without speaking Spanish, but I'm quite sure that you'd pay through the nose doing so.

My two cents on the language (and moving process) front: do a month of intensive Spanish lessons ("www.spanishlearningsite.com") at an academy in whatever town/city you're looking to setup. Don Quijote has classes all over the country, as do International House (with whom I've done intensives and they're great!). Almost every touristy town will have a little Spanish or language academy where you can do intensives, so please do consider that an option. While you're doing the courses you'll meet other expats, immigrants and a few locals who will happily give you the lay of the land and a ton of insider info. Some will probably even become your friends eventually.

Additionally I REALLY endorse the Radio Lingua Network's podcasts for Spanish learning. Both Coffee Break Spanish and, now, Show Time Spanish, are truly excellent and free, with optional bonus paid materials. http://radiolingua.com/shows/spanish/