INCREASE IN SPANISH PROPERTY SALES

According to the latest statistics it would appear that house prices in Spain have fallen more rapidly in recent months. They are down 4.6% over the last 12 months. There has been an increase from -4% in June, to 4.6% in August in price falls. Costal property prices have fallen by 22% since August 2007.
When the rise in VAT on new home sales was introduced in July it was feared that property sales in Spain would plummet. However, the National Institute of Statistics show there were 38,838 home sales in July, which is an increase of 15% on the same time last year and 16% on the previous month.
Year to date cumulative sales up to the end of July are 10.3% up from last year but still down 47% compared to 2007. Sales have increased every month this year on an annualized basis.
Will this trend continue, we will have to wait and see!

RURAL SPANISH PROPERTY

It is a well known fact that the coastal areas in Spain have always been popular with those looking to purchase property and the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca are still magnets for the majority of interest. However it is worth noting that many people are deciding to buy property in inland Spain, opting for rural homes instead of coastal homes.

There are various reasons why people opt to buy inland – getting more land and property for their money, cheaper cost of living compared to the coast, quieter rural lifestyle, getting involved in the local community.

There are lots of property options available in inland Spain, some people choose to live in the heart of the countryside in a finca or villa and others prefer to live close to or in the centre of a village, in a townhouse or an apartment.

Also for those looking for an investment, buying a rural property which needs renovation can result in a significant return on investment when it comes to re-selling the property.


If you have any comments or questions regarding living in rural Spain please get in touch.

A GREEK TRAGEDY

As long ago as 2,400 years approximately Plato refused to follow family political tradition, judging the then society and it’s ruling classes as weak, corrupt and decadent, he was also pissed off that his friend Socrates had been sentenced to death. He set himself the task of creating the perfect society (on paper at least) we know it as Utopia, but, like most ideologies do not take into consideration the essence of human nature, i.e., preservation and expansion of territory by force or cunningness in order to improve the quality of life of the few at the expense of the many.

Today the majority of Greek citizens are discovering once again the realities of what having a weak and corrupt government really means. They are staring at an uncertain future, full of hardship, misery and uncertainty some will actually die a violent death as they will try to ask questions of a government with no answers.

A Real Greek Tragedy with the only difference being that the script is written by men in grey suits operating from Wall Street.

Greece today is actually the Trojan horse of Europe; any attempt to bring it on line will cause disastrous economic consequences to the community as a whole.

CASSANDRA

The best golf experience at the Andalucian Open!

On Wednesday the 24th March I was lucky enough to be able to play in the Andalucian Open Pro-Am tournament. I was supposed to play with Miguel Angel Jimenez but when I arrived at the Parador, Miguel Angel told me that I would be playing with Darren Clarke instead. “Was I disappointed” he asked. You can imagine my answer! It turned out to be the best day’s golf of my life. Not so much because of how I played (I was so nervous my driver never came out of the bag until the 18th hole), but who I played with. Mr. Clarke is an absolute gentleman, gregarious, patient and inspirational.
The highlight of the course for me was sinking a 5 meter put on the eighteenth for a net birdie. This got our combined score down to 18 under par, but Darren’s caddie said it was not enough to win the competition. That evening I went to the prize presentation just to take a few photos and rub shoulders with my idols. When Darren Clarke saw me he beckoned me over to the bar and very seriously asked me if I remembered what I did on the eighteenth. A net birdie I replied nervously. He gave me a bear hug and told me that my put had won us the competition by one point. The rest of the evening I spent on cloud nine.

Requiem for Baltasar Garzón

Spanish Judiciary had been leading the way in years of prosecuting those who infringe human and civil rights anywhere. One magistrate (Juez) in particular Baltasar Garzón became world famous for pursuing and demanding extradition from great Britain of General Pinochet of Chile when he was visiting a private clinic in London.

Unfortunately for Mr. Garzón and international justice in general he is now finding out that whilst it was acceptable to chase cases of genocide abroad it was not kosher to investigate Franco’s period in office. During this time hundreds of thousands of citizens were executed just for being Republicans, gays or intellectuals…like the poet Lorca, who epitomized all three things at the one time.
Mr. Garzón is about to be tried by his peers for acting outside his allocated duties and very likely will lose his job and privileges. Someone once said that it takes 100 years to forget a civil war. How right he or she was! As soon as someone started to scratch the surface of this 30 year old Spanish democracy it reveals only hatred and animosity.
I feel sorry for you Baltasar but you should have left this matter alone for another seventy years at least.

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltasar_Garz%C3%B3n

Juan Martin Seron-Mayor of Alhaurin el Grande.

I have lived, worked and done business in Alhaurin el Grande for over twenty years. During this time I have witnessed firsthand many cases of corruption amongst local politicians and civil servants. Needless to say none of these cases were ever brought in front of a judge. Eight years ago Don Juan Martin Seron came to power by ousting the then socialist mayor, via a vote of no confidence, and he went on to win two further elections. He was never forgiven by the socialists for having taken over a town which was traditionally theirs since democracy was restored to Spain.
Juan Martin Seron is a very difficult and complex person to describe. He is well educated, intelligent, pragmatic and very authoritarian. He does not suffer fools and is implacable against his enemy. He is convinced that he alone knows what is best for Alhaurin el Grande, modesty is definitely not his strong point and the word diplomacy does not appear in his dictionary.

Since coming into power he has worked incessantly to improve the infrastructure of the town which had been totally neglected by his predecessors. In order to do this badly needed work he devised a plan for raising money. The plan was simple and quasi legal. A building company would donate an amount of money to the council in exchange for increased edificablity. (Usually extra attics, on top of the ground plus two, allowed in most urban areas). Another fund raising activity was the ‘certificate of antiquity’ for a building more than four years old that originally had not been properly inscribed in the property registry, which present laws permit and admits. The problem as I see it is not whether these ‘donations’ to the council were legal or not. If we go down this road it will take lawyers and judges a hundred years to come to a decision, if ever.
The crux of the matter is whether the money paid to the council was employed in its totality to improve the town’s infrastructure or not (here one only has to look at what has been done in Alhaurin in the last eight years to realize that it has), or if the Mayor and Councilors actually pocketed these donations in part or all of it. I cannot put my hand on the fire for every member of the Council but I am convinced that Juan Martin Seron is not a crook. What he sees as his reward for having improved the infrastructure of his town beyond expectations comes in the form of street names, squares and public buildings being named after him and the thought of a nice monument at the entrance to the town is what motivates him. If he wanted money he would have stayed managing a bank and doing land deals on the side. Everyone knows he has got the brain and capabilities and ruthlessness to become the best business man this town has ever had, but instead he opted for immortality of a different kind.
For more information (in Spanish) check out these links and please don’t forget to comment and let me know your opinion too.

http://www.cope.es/hemeroteca/2010/03/29/malaga/22-03-10--martin-seron-estoy-seguro-absolutamente-mi-inocencia-porque-nunca-he-birlado-nada-151475-2
http://www.larazon.es/noticia/7796-la-fiscalia-pide-cuatro-anos-de-carcel-para-el-alcalde-de-alhaurin-el-grande
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/espana/red/alcalde/Alhaurin/recibio/642000/euros/sobornos/elpepiesp/20090115elpepinac_16/Tes/

Fruit flies Dream and much about nothing!!

I read an article in a Spanish magazine about the power of the mind. I think it was an interview with Eduardo Punset—but I cannot be sure because the paper has been recycled. In the article there was a reference about scientists being able to determine conclusively that fruit flies dream. When I told my wife about this important discovery she started laughing and has not stopped since. Can someone out there help me corroborate this and wipe the smile of her face! In the same article there was also an anecdote about a neurologist’s conference where one speaker affirmed to the audience that if ears of baby rabbits were cut off at birth in x generations all rabbits would be born with no ears. A Russian scientist in the audience queried this statement by asking the speaker to explain why in Russia all baby girls were born virgins.