Thanks in advance
Moving From Spain to France
Moving From Spain to France
Can anyone personally recommend a removal company that ships from Spain to France?
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
moving to france
Why are you moving to France Poshtotti. I would be interested to know as I have considered the option myself, but I am told it is more expensive to live there!
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alaninspain
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RichardCoeurdeLion
- Andalucia Guru
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OK, well, here's some of the reasons.......
We are moving to France because we've have fallen out of love with Spain, because where we live there are too many Brits, there are increasing levels of crime & I miss the countryside. Yes, before you jump on this comment, I live on the coast & this has to be expected to a certain degree.
Many people drive me nuts, always bitching & complaining about this or that & what are they doing about it? - NOTHING - Put up & shut up or do something proactive & change what you don't like.
Sometimes I find it hard to believe that we are even in Spain, looking at the shops, the bars, the restaurants, hearing voices of British people everywhere. Yes, I appreciate that if I lived in a less tourist driven area & moved to Inland Spain that I wouldn't find this was the case so much. We looked, we spent days going to places & house hunting inland, the prices were crazy & because of the shear volume of property being built on the coast our apartment that has been for sale for a long time isn't budging, the price is way under value, but you can still buy a new build for less, even if it's a shoe box with paper thin walls.
We are on the coast, between Marbella & Estepona, 300 metres from the beach, amazing location, but I can't walk my dogs on the beach because of all the fishermen, who line up along the beach like land buoys.
We have 2 properties on the coast & rent the place we live in now - (other 2 are apartments & no good for 2 big dogs). Our landlord is the biggest t****r in the world, we have had no end of problems living here but are in a catch 22.
I'm fed up with being ripped off too! - In 3 years we've spent over €6000 putting our UK LHD cars on Spanish Plates - Respecting the legal system & doing things by the book. Putting your car onto French Plates - Total cost per car €280!!!!! - No matter what value.
CGT - Ouch!
IBI tax - Ouch
Car prices - Ouch - buying a diesel car - even bigger ouch
France has open space - I'm not saying Spain doesn't but I can be in open space 5 minutes out of the town over in France. We looked at property around Coin, 30,000 sqM of land - Perfect, house - was more of a shed that I wouldn't keep my dogs in, electricity connected - ha ha, nope, water - needs a well, ha ha, more money, planning permission - passed to build a house of 60sqM - WHAT?! - So much land, no neighbours & permissions to build a studio size property for a bargain price of €230k
Cost of living in Spain has become expensive, foods, taxes, household items. France isn't lots cheaper & fuel is more expensive than here but wow what a difference in price in the furniture shops, electrical shops & builders merchants.
Languages are not an issue, I'm a firm believer that if you want to live in a foreign country & be accepted by the natives that you make an effort with the language, so I did & I have, I am not 100% fluent in Spanish but there is little i can't do. My partner speaks better French than me, but I will do the same there that I have done here, learn!
What we have paid for our farmhouse in France won't buy you a 2 bedroom nice apartment here. Let alone the 6 acres of land & out buildings. All taxes & notary fees are 7% on the purchase, not over 10%. To buy a similar property where we live now would cost too much.
I like space, i like to have neighbours but not live too close to them. So much has changed on the coast in 4 years, the coastline has become a blur of developments & i don't love it here anymore.
I dont like it here anymore, 5 years & living in 4 different areas & I still don't feel happy. So, rather than bitching about it, we're doing something about it.
So, there you go, Spain isn't for everyone but the UK isn't either, nor is France. Please remember that this is obviously my personal outlook & everyone is different
We are moving to France because we've have fallen out of love with Spain, because where we live there are too many Brits, there are increasing levels of crime & I miss the countryside. Yes, before you jump on this comment, I live on the coast & this has to be expected to a certain degree.
Many people drive me nuts, always bitching & complaining about this or that & what are they doing about it? - NOTHING - Put up & shut up or do something proactive & change what you don't like.
Sometimes I find it hard to believe that we are even in Spain, looking at the shops, the bars, the restaurants, hearing voices of British people everywhere. Yes, I appreciate that if I lived in a less tourist driven area & moved to Inland Spain that I wouldn't find this was the case so much. We looked, we spent days going to places & house hunting inland, the prices were crazy & because of the shear volume of property being built on the coast our apartment that has been for sale for a long time isn't budging, the price is way under value, but you can still buy a new build for less, even if it's a shoe box with paper thin walls.
We are on the coast, between Marbella & Estepona, 300 metres from the beach, amazing location, but I can't walk my dogs on the beach because of all the fishermen, who line up along the beach like land buoys.
We have 2 properties on the coast & rent the place we live in now - (other 2 are apartments & no good for 2 big dogs). Our landlord is the biggest t****r in the world, we have had no end of problems living here but are in a catch 22.
I'm fed up with being ripped off too! - In 3 years we've spent over €6000 putting our UK LHD cars on Spanish Plates - Respecting the legal system & doing things by the book. Putting your car onto French Plates - Total cost per car €280!!!!! - No matter what value.
CGT - Ouch!
IBI tax - Ouch
Car prices - Ouch - buying a diesel car - even bigger ouch
France has open space - I'm not saying Spain doesn't but I can be in open space 5 minutes out of the town over in France. We looked at property around Coin, 30,000 sqM of land - Perfect, house - was more of a shed that I wouldn't keep my dogs in, electricity connected - ha ha, nope, water - needs a well, ha ha, more money, planning permission - passed to build a house of 60sqM - WHAT?! - So much land, no neighbours & permissions to build a studio size property for a bargain price of €230k
Cost of living in Spain has become expensive, foods, taxes, household items. France isn't lots cheaper & fuel is more expensive than here but wow what a difference in price in the furniture shops, electrical shops & builders merchants.
Languages are not an issue, I'm a firm believer that if you want to live in a foreign country & be accepted by the natives that you make an effort with the language, so I did & I have, I am not 100% fluent in Spanish but there is little i can't do. My partner speaks better French than me, but I will do the same there that I have done here, learn!
What we have paid for our farmhouse in France won't buy you a 2 bedroom nice apartment here. Let alone the 6 acres of land & out buildings. All taxes & notary fees are 7% on the purchase, not over 10%. To buy a similar property where we live now would cost too much.
I like space, i like to have neighbours but not live too close to them. So much has changed on the coast in 4 years, the coastline has become a blur of developments & i don't love it here anymore.
I dont like it here anymore, 5 years & living in 4 different areas & I still don't feel happy. So, rather than bitching about it, we're doing something about it.
So, there you go, Spain isn't for everyone but the UK isn't either, nor is France. Please remember that this is obviously my personal outlook & everyone is different
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daisylou
- Andalucia.com Amigo
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Well you give quite a few reasons for your move. We moved inland because of the increasing amounts of brits in the coastal regions. We don't like the english bars and greasy spoons serving up a full english breakfast and sausage and mash! Of which there are plenty on the coast but I guess they wouldn't be there if there was not a need for them!
We are in the country and have plenty of open space around usand we are only just over an hour from the coast.
I hope that you find happiness in your new home in France....when are you off?
We are in the country and have plenty of open space around usand we are only just over an hour from the coast.
I hope that you find happiness in your new home in France....when are you off?
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RichardCoeurdeLion
- Andalucia Guru
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- Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:53 pm
Hola Posh
We must be near neighbours. We are opposite Cancelada. Sorry if I'm one of the ones who's ****** you off. We're only there for a few weeks a year, so probably not. Re walking on the beach, many times we've walked miles along the beach at Playa de la Cancelada and hardly seen a soul. I've allways thought of Estepona and San Ped as still retaining their Spanishness. Yes of course we've seen it change over the last twenty years and I think the over building is pretty horrendous in places. The Watneys Red Barrel/all day breakfast syndrome is fairly well concentrated in localised areas. Just coming out for a few weeks at a time is completely different than living here all the time and allthough it is a holiday to us we have tried with the language and tried to get into the culture a bit.
Hope things work out for you in France
We must be near neighbours. We are opposite Cancelada. Sorry if I'm one of the ones who's ****** you off. We're only there for a few weeks a year, so probably not. Re walking on the beach, many times we've walked miles along the beach at Playa de la Cancelada and hardly seen a soul. I've allways thought of Estepona and San Ped as still retaining their Spanishness. Yes of course we've seen it change over the last twenty years and I think the over building is pretty horrendous in places. The Watneys Red Barrel/all day breakfast syndrome is fairly well concentrated in localised areas. Just coming out for a few weeks at a time is completely different than living here all the time and allthough it is a holiday to us we have tried with the language and tried to get into the culture a bit.
Hope things work out for you in France
Ha ha ha, yes, sounds like we're neighbours Rick! - You've probably seen me - I'm that blur seen being towed along by 2 labradors at record speed! - Do you walk on the beach at 3am in order not to see anyone? Just got back from the beach, gave up & walked around the roads instead, too many fishermen again to let the dogs off to play.
I'd never been here on holiday before I moved over, just helped a friend move, stayed for a long weekend, fell in love with the area & then decided to quit the rat race & move lock stock.
I am partial to the occasional Full English - can't beat Tricky Ricky's in Guadalmina, but it's not something I can say that I crave, maybe it's because it's there, I don't have to miss it
Thanks for the well wishes, I can't wait now, 95 days to go! - DaisyLou, we sign for the new house on the 12th July (maybe without furniture!!) - Quotes for shipping have been €2200 + - I feel (again) as if I'm being ripped off, all the companies I have contacted ship from the UK to Spain & go back via France - Passing within 30min of our new house!! - The companies have admitted this & said that they often go back with an empty lorry! - Ha - So do me a deal (yeah right)!
Live life for today
I'd never been here on holiday before I moved over, just helped a friend move, stayed for a long weekend, fell in love with the area & then decided to quit the rat race & move lock stock.
I am partial to the occasional Full English - can't beat Tricky Ricky's in Guadalmina, but it's not something I can say that I crave, maybe it's because it's there, I don't have to miss it
Thanks for the well wishes, I can't wait now, 95 days to go! - DaisyLou, we sign for the new house on the 12th July (maybe without furniture!!) - Quotes for shipping have been €2200 + - I feel (again) as if I'm being ripped off, all the companies I have contacted ship from the UK to Spain & go back via France - Passing within 30min of our new house!! - The companies have admitted this & said that they often go back with an empty lorry! - Ha - So do me a deal (yeah right)!
Live life for today
poshtotti, I can understand your feelings completely. Twice a year I spend three weeks on the CDS and love it. But when my friends ask me when I'm moving over for good... ummm. I don't think I could handle it full time with the Brit bars, the crowding and especially the high costs of dealing with things like autos and property. 
In small doses, southern Spain is wonderful, but full time is another matter altogether.
Bonne chance en France!
In small doses, southern Spain is wonderful, but full time is another matter altogether.
Bonne chance en France!
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RichardCoeurdeLion
- Andalucia Guru
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- Joined: Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:53 pm
Posh
We must be talking about different beaches.
Mine is the one that goes from Rio Guadalmansa, which is the western end, 2 or 3 miles to the Atalaya Park Hotel (which is the busier end)
At our (western) end on the new path, there is a sign stating that as dogs haven't learnt to pick up their own **** would the owner please do it.
It's not having much effect
We must be talking about different beaches.
Mine is the one that goes from Rio Guadalmansa, which is the western end, 2 or 3 miles to the Atalaya Park Hotel (which is the busier end)
At our (western) end on the new path, there is a sign stating that as dogs haven't learnt to pick up their own **** would the owner please do it.
It's not having much effect
A long time Ronda resident and friend of Andalucia.com moved to France a couple of years ago and set up www.burgundytoday.com If you are in those parts say hello and join their forum.
We're going to be about an hour North of Bordeaux. In the Charente area -the lake district of France, very beautiful.
New house has more outbuildings than required really, so we're going to be doing some conversions into dwellings.........
I'll give 10% discount to all Andalucia.com members who book our cottage (give me until 2008 to get it sorted though).
And, if anyone has a removals company?!?!...........
New house has more outbuildings than required really, so we're going to be doing some conversions into dwellings.........
I'll give 10% discount to all Andalucia.com members who book our cottage (give me until 2008 to get it sorted though).
And, if anyone has a removals company?!?!...........
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