Hi. Newbie looking to buy.

As you are still in the planning stage you need to get expert advice in relation to Residency and Tax.

If you are planning to buy then your lawyer can advise you about what is required and suggest tax specialists you can consult with out here personally or online. This aspect needs your attention sooner rather than later so that you can plan how to organise funds that you have which will then affect how you purchase property and plan Residency.

Make sure your lawyer speaks English and they recommend an English speaking advisor as you do not want any misunderstandings.

Place in the Sun have seminars online but also start next week with shows at locations in the UK which are extremely useful to attend. As I understand it the Manchester show is early next month.

Please do not rely on anecdotal advice for these most important aspects - it is however useful for all sorts of other matters once the basics are in place!

You do need to visit the area as one mans heaven is another man’s hell .. we love the area but you do need a car so factor that into your plans. In simple terms you will pay more tax in Spain.. personal allowance is around half of uk. Worldwide assets must be declared but tax only on income ..pension and interest (some pensions remain taxed at source)

It’s swings and roundabouts …many things are cheaper and a few more expensive than UK… still know where I’d rather be!!

If you have never been to the area and are still working full-time, then I would certainly recommend spending a few weeks holiday staying in each of the areas you are considering. Also bear in mind that what may make a great holiday destination may not be a great place to live permanently. 

If you're not retiring for 4 years, you can buy and use as a holiday home, but you can only stay in the EU for 90 days in every 180 days (assuming you're a UK citizen). When you want to retire here permanently, you will then need a Visa - which requires proof of income, private health cover, etc. (research 'Non Lucrative Visas - Spain')'.

Tax - always get professional advice - but as a guide, my understanding is that the tax rates in Spain are similar to the UK, but the issue is that the personal allowance is much lower, so you pay tax on more of your pension and any other income. Often people forget that you have to pay tax on your pension in the UK, if you exceed the personal allowance limits.

If you are initially living off savings, you are not taxed on your savings, just on the interest they generate, so that's unlikely to be an issue.

If you have already bought a property in Spain and then sell up in the UK to move over, you definitely need advice, as if you get the timing wrong, you could be hit for capital gains tax on your UK property.

Hope this helps and happy to answer any other questions...

Many thanks for all your replies. We are flying out on the 25th Feb for a couple of days. 

The Villa we love we thought was in La Torres but is actually in El Valle. We still want to view it, but I am not sure the area will suit us. 

We have also just seen some lovely Villas in Roda that appears to be an area we would be more suited for. 

We would probably always keep out home in the Uk although to finance the Villa I am going to see if I can get an interest only mortgage on my currently mortgage free home. 

I've rented villas at El Valle for previous holidays, before moving to Spain and have played golf there as recently as October 2021. I've also played golf at La Torre, but not stayed there.

El Valle golf course is arguably the best course in the area (apart from La Manga) and was part of the Polaris World 'Golden Bear Trail' of courses designed by Jack Nicklaus (as was La Torre). I like El Valle and it feels 'quite classy'.

El Valle, as with many resorts in the area, suffered in the 2008 property crash, so people will tell you that a villa for sale at £XXX was originally £YYY, but that's probably because they were over-priced in the first place! There are still some villas that have never been occupied, but otherwise last time I was there it was fairly busy - which is a benefit. There is 24 hour security, a nice bar & restaurant and a small shop on site; but you would definitely need a car while there, as it's about a 20 min drive to the Mar Menor and any other shops, etc.

Check how much the maintenance fees are, as I think these can be quite high on some resorts.

La Torre is close to El Valle, so there is little difference in location pluses & minuses, however there are more bars & restaurants at La Torre. The golf course is not as good, in my opinion.

I've never been to Roda, but, obviously, it's much closer to the Mar Menor, shoops, etc.