Fireby50, that was an awesome post. Spain is very affordable it would appear. Almost at SE Asia levels. Seems like a good deal: low price, low crime, scenery, politically stable. Maybe I will spend a winter there when we retire.
What do people do in spain for fun?
When you own the apartment, things can be very affordable.
What to do in Spain is as diverse at the cost of living, but one thing is for sure, it is a country that has something for everyone.
Since I could not find much of this information on this or other blogs for that matter, here are some thoughts regarding the process of buying a property in Spain and information about Valencia.
Since I am frugal by nature, I try to figure out what's going on that is free.
Valencia is a great city to walk and bike, Valencia City won a price for one of the best cities in the world for biking - And for Mustachians that probably is a plus? No need for a car, public transport is good. Valencia is somewhat forgotten by the crowd, so it is not (yet) packed with tourists. The New York Times had a nice article this year about (among others) Valencia.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/06/12/travel/traveling-europe-summer-crowds.htmlSundays and at various other times most of the museums have free entrance. Since it is a "large city" (population in the city is around 800.000 people - metropolitan area around 2.000.000) there is almost always something going on, and lot of stuff is free.
To figure out what is going on that is free in Spanish cities you should know the language, not many web pages cater to the English speaking person, so use the web browser Crome (so you can use the translation option) Some of the web pages that I use when I am in Valencia is:
https://www.lovevalencia.com/agenda/eventos-gratuitos https://www.valenciabonita.es/category/eventos-y-actividades/ https://cultural.valencia.es/agenda/ https://www.lamarinadevalencia.com/agenda/41/agenda.html https://www.visitvalencia.com/ http://en.comunitatvalenciana.com/happening-now/calendar Other cities and regions have different websites, do some research - a lot is going on.
Spain is very diverse country and the price of housing can be very cheap in the small cities and the countryside, in the larger cities you will have to look long and hard to be able to find something that is priced right for the frugal person. For most of us the Spanish property market and the realtors would be characterized as the wild west - it is probably not as regulated and streamlined process as you are used to.
I would recommend the following web pages:
www.idealista.es and
www.pisos.com Books I read before I bought my apartment - that I can recommend. - After reading them you might be more knowledgeable than many of the Realtors that you will encounter (you should probably not trust a blog or a discussion page on the web, when making a decision on how to by property in another country):
How to Buy Spanish Property and Move to Spain ... Safely by Nick Snelling
The Complete Guide to Buying a Property in Spain : 10th Edition, by Antony Foster
Borrow them if possible, or a secondhand bookshop?
Very good books, they have all the information you need to do this yourself - Both books recommend you using a lawyer (most Spanish people does not use one, and if you by in an apartment building in a large city you probably do not neither - but be very careful, (for most people it is probably worth spending money on legal advice so you are sure everything is done properly)
The only thing I can't recollect the books wrote anything about was the Plusvalia tax - this is a tax that the seller has to pay (again, be carefully - it is not illegal to make an agreement that you - the buyer - is responsible to pay this tax, google it)
I would recommend you to visit different places, stay there for period of time - and feel the vibe of the place. Then - when you have figured out where you feel most at home and is right for you make a plan. Rent an airbnb for a month and start looking for a place. Buying a property in Spain can be very quick if you do not need financing (probably less than a week - but don't count on it) - what takes time is making appointments with the realtors, visiting all the properties that you have found during your research. Also, you will need time and patience to get your NIE number, opening an bank account and getting things in order after the purchase.
I stayed for longer periods in Madrid, Barcelona, Mallaga, Grandada, and Valencia City - before I pulled the trigger and choose what city that fit my criteria. The transaction cost (taxes and fees) both for buying and selling a property is huge - so it is probably safe to say, if you are not sure this is a long term plan - rent first. If money was not an option, I would probably have chosen Barcelona. But both the weather and the prices in Valencia is better. :)
Good luck with the road to financial independence folks - The road is just as important as the end goal :) I am having a blast buying my freedom through a perpetual money making machine, so I can free up more of my time and be able to choose how to use my time.