Costa Women Blogs

Ok so you have been thinking of buying a property in Spain either researching or holidaying there for a while and you are now trying to search for a property. The best way forward is to make a plan. The first thing that you must do is ask yourself questions to establish your personal criteria. So start by thinking about and writing down the answers to the following questions. You need to discover what is most important to you about buying a property in Spain, to make the very best of your valuable time when you come to view. What are your options when buying a property in Spain? Are you seeking to relocate permanently? Or will this be a dream holiday home? Are you looking for an unbeatable investment? It is best to know from the start. Although you may change your mind later. Which are your preferred areas when buying a property in Spain? Where do you want to be? Do you love the sea or the country? Do you want to be in a town or a city? Do you already have a preference? Are you not sure? We are happy to discuss with you the advantages and disadvantages of each area. Deciding where you want to be is probably the best place to start. We can provide you with detailed information on each area. We are happy to show you around different areas to help you decide on the best place to settle. Again when you arrive you may change your mind if you have not been here before this is normal procedure. What property type will suit you best when buying a property in Spain? What type of property do you envisage yourself living or staying in? Is it an apartment or contemporary new villa? A country finca or village townhouse? Or do you want to keep your options open? A B&B or an equestrian facility? We’re here to help with every request. We are happy to show a selection of each to discover which your preference is. Remember in reality the properties are normally slightly different to the pictures on the internet. Have you decided on a budget for your purchace? Have you established a budget? Is it flexible or set in stone? Do you require finance? We endeavor to provide you with properties that offer great value for money. We will negotiate the best price for you and arrange finance where necessary. What are your needs and wishes when buying a property in Spain? What do you expect and desire from your new home? What are your own individual requirements? Is a pool a must? A garage? Walking distance to bars and shops? Stables for horses? Do want to reform an old property? Or do you want a brand new home or off plan property? Or is livable for now and do up gradually a consideration for you? Do you require panoramic views? We will take all of these expectations into account and choose properties to view with these requirements in mind. Once you have a written guide to your personal criteria you are ready to start looking. You will need to find a knowledgeable real estate agent to work with …. Of course, we would love to hope that you give us a try first and we will do all of the searches on your behalf once we have your criteria. We have access to all of the live properties available as we work with the other 2000 agents on the Costa Del Sol through an MLS System. We can request paperwork to check the legalities and other important issues such as water and electric connections and check the registrations of the properties. Your lawyer will do all of these checks for you once you find a property that you would like to purchase but we can save you time and heartache by narrowing it down beforehand and providing you with suitable properties to view. Other options are searching portals and other agent’s websites. You will find that you keep seeing the same properties where ever you are looking as all agents share properties that are on the market. You will need to Source a reputable independent lawyer that is experienced in the type of property that you are purchasing. You can look online or we can provide you with lists of reputable local lawyers in the areas that you are searching. If you require a mortgage you will need to meet with a Spanish bank or finance company. We can recommend you brokers and bank details to apply to. Before you send any money to Spain you will need to sign up with a currency transfer company. There are many currency companies and it is best to look at which ones are giving the best rates at the time that you are about to purchase. Your viewing schedule If you live here in Spain we can normally arrange viewings for you with 24hours notice. If you are coming from abroad then you need to set a date for when you are coming to investigate the areas and properties. Are you all set and ready have you been researching and scouring the internet and now have a refined list of prospects to see? Or would you prefer us to tailor a range of options and appointments to view based on our experience of your preferred areas and property types? Get your flights booked and arrange accommodation. Let us know in advance so that we can set up all of the viewings for you on your favorite properties and introduce you to any service providers that you may need. We can help with flights and accommodation bookings in our area if need be. Call Victoria Monkhouse on 01268 941 086 Homecare Support Customer service is important to us, after sales advice and care, we are always available today, tomorrow and long after you have moved into your new home to provide you with help and support. Property Management and general services Seeking holiday rental income? Want help with your cleaning? Is it a gardener or pool maintenance you need? Wish to consult an Architect? Want to talk to a Builder? Need a Landscape Gardener or Interior Decorator? We know where to turn. We can recommend reputable local service professionals. By the end of your viewing trip ideally, we will have found your dream property. So if you are in a position to go ahead then the buying process begins.   What is The Buying Process So let us start from the beginning … Just so you are aware of the buying process before you go any further. I will be helping you with your search for a property as explained above. Once you have found a property that you like and decided that you want to go ahead and make an offer on a property I will forward the offer on your behalf. You can offer whatever you feel is comfortable for you and your personal circumstances but I will advise you based on feedback that I already have from the vendors. Be aware that Spanish vendors are not normally as open to offers as other nationalities. Some vendors may have mortgages on the properties and will need to cover their costs. Due to the crisis from 2007 onwards, many vendors will have their prices reduced by up to 50% of the price that they may have paid. A general rule of consensus is to offer between 5-10% less than the asking price. Though every case is different. Some vendors will only accept the asking price. At this point, it is normal to state any requirements as to what is included in the purchase such as furniture etc. After negotiations and on the agreement of a figure for the purchase between yourselves and the vendor it is normal in Andalucia to sign a reservation and deposit contract that is first checked by your lawyer and then to place a reservation deposit of either € 3000 or € 6000 with your lawyer. It will then be held in an escrow account or passed on to the agent or developer when your lawyer is satisfied that the paperwork is correct. Once the vendor has signed this contract they are obliged to remove the property from the market. Some contracts have penalties in place others do not you will need to check with your lawyer. You can request that the contract is subject to certain conditions such as: subject to a mortgage approval, AFO or subject to a survey etc. Your lawyer will start all the searches and check the documents to make sure that the property is owned by the said vendor, is duly registered and legal. That there are no debts or charges on the property, the cadastral value and the services that are in place. It is often helpful for you to provide the lawyer with as much information about the property as possible such as information from the agent and photos. An inventory of what is included in the sale can be drawn up at this point and added to the contract. In many circumstances, little things come to light at this stage that can in most cases be rectified between the lawers. It is important to use a reputable lawyer that is experienced in the type of property that you are purchasing. This process takes about 2 weeks in general. If a mortgage offer is necessary it can take up to 6 weeks as a bank valuation will be required. Once the lawyer is satisfied with all the correct paperwork he will prepare a private purchase contract to be signed by both parties. This is the binding contract in which both parties agree to the sale/purchase of the property. Both parties agree on a date of completion – which can be anywhere between 1 to 4 months in general. At this point, the purchaser pays the vendor 10% of the agreed purchase price minus the reservation deposit. Finally, on the agreed date for completion, the new title deed is signed upon completion in front of the Public Notary and the keys are handed over. If you have applied for a mortgage the mortgage title deed will also be signed in front of the Public Notary upon completion. Your lawyer will then ensure all of the following: Register both title deeds with the Land Registry Pay the Public Notary fee Pay the Public Land Registry fee Pay the legal taxes at Malaga Tax Office Set up all necessary direct debits and standing orders from your new bank account in Spain Set up utility contracts, local taxes, rubbish in your name For an extra fee, you can request a Spanish will but discuss this with your lawyer. The above information is just a general idea of what happens from my experience. For full legal advice, you will be able to have a consultation free of charge in most cases with the lawyer of your choice before you make any commitments or sign anything. The type of contract for a new build or off plan property is slightly different: Once you choose the new home you want to buy, the first thing the developer will ask you for a deposit, usually € 6,000 – € 10,000 Send this deposit first to your lawyer so that he can check out the credentials of the developer first. The agreement should be subject to preliminary legal checks, mortgage loan available on the property and a building survey, the deposit should be returned if there are problems. Always Check with your lawyer before reserving a unit. New build payment schedules Reservation Deposit: € 6,000 – € 10,000 Down Payment: Usually 30% Balance in installments or upon building completion If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me Nikki Powles 00 34 654 091 051. You can check out our website at www.propertyinspaingroup.com  

  Each step I make IAM conscious of radiating my love down on Mother Earth, being grateful for her support and for nurturing me like a great wise mother does, receiving her love as I breathe to her harmonious rhythm pulsating through me and all life.   I’ve not always felt her heartbeat, it is a deep hum in the background of my life, similar to a mother singing to her child, keeping her well and safe. I became conscious of it during my journey into the depths of myself living in Mazarron in Spain, as my Human surrendered more to my fears and pains of duality and untruths of not being good enough, unworthy, poor me etc.   I’ve been writing for years about the Great Shift of Consciousness… sharing my own experience Awakening, Integrating and Embodied Ascension or Enlightenment of how massive amounts of light are pulsating down onto Mother Earth and Humanity from the cosmos and beyond… with only one thing in mind! To expand our consciousness and CHANGE our biology makeup… rebooting Humanity in a new way back to our natural state of being pure light consciousness. Ready for a second incarnation (without having to physical die… only dying to the Human game or ego) and experience a new adventure right here on the Earth plane.   I’ve enjoyed reading and researching a wide range of scientific, philosophic and spiritual information… sensing what resonated with my knowing and I continue to enjoy how quantum physics and new information is now coming into mass conscious-ness… confirming what I have written before.   Back in 1952 a Professor Schumman recognised the Earth’s hum as a 7,83 hz electromagnetic pulse or sound wave and it’s been known as the Schumman Resondance ever since. I’ve enjoyed observing how the Earth’s harmonic beingness has slowly risen over the years, as she opens her heart wider and wider to receive the down pouring of light and feed the light through to all her creatures on Earth.   You can imagine a mothers electromagnetic pulse embracing her children, making sure her happiness transfers to her young, she makes sure their hearts are opened wide… to receive the love… ensuring their strength and dependance for their journey ahead as sovereign and self sustained beings of enormous power and magnificence.   During the Dec equinox of 2018 I felt Mothers heartbeat rise and go through the roof… my heart took a massive pulse, opening like never before, allowing me to perceive more of the big picture. My husband Tom began to feel unpleasant symptoms with his (old heart condition) that landed us in the emergency room in the New Year. We are still playing the waiting game to discover what they say has physically happened AND in the mean time we both practice a heart opening exercise and receive our highest light and potential to live a most loving and harmonious life.   You can subscribe to watch my weekly live videos on u-tube to join me for some Quiet Me-Time, relaxation with the conscious breathe and heart opening practices. Subscribe to Barbara’s U-Tube Channelling.   The Rising of the Schumman Resonance   2014 levels of 15-25 hz Jan 2017 levels of 36 hz Dec 2018 levels over 40 hz 2019 to levels over 60 hz AND April 5th 2019 reached 96hz!   Early May Earth’s heartbeat took another leap up through 60-70-80-90 to 96hz… and we, as electro-magnetic beings felt this too in some way as our hearts were opened wider to receive more extreme light and as Lisa Trancendence Brown says… we are going higher and higher… woo… expanding the love… take care of yourselves!   So now you know why you have and are feeling tired, out of control, having extreme mental, emotional and physical pain. You are going through a great Ascension process, naturally expanding consciousness, releasing all your yesterdays of conditioning and allowing Divinity, the light body to fully come into your physical body/mind and change your biology from a carbon based to one of crystalline.   Nobody is being left untouched and the more unconscious you are, the more darkness and fear you hold… the more unwell you will feel.   So when you read my writing about what on Earth is going on! You now have more proof, so to speak, about how we are naturally changing and preparing for a new adventure beyond everything known.   And listen more careful, understanding my message of how it’s time to love yourself first and fully, to take Quiet Me-Time and relax, step out of the Human Game and allow this natural process to take over and lead you into new pastures.   The only way to get through this time in all ease and grace is to surrender completely to the Divine part of you, to listen to your heart and intuition and step further in each moment trusting it is your way.   I copied below an old linear scheme of hertz sound waves, showing how the different waves help our body relax, live and evolve. You can notice the Gamma Waves go beyond 40 hz, to increase perception and learning new ways of being.   The Gamma Waves are now becoming our new relaxed way of being… as we continue to climb higher and higher as loving vibration… there is no going back, the celebration has truly begun and we are quite literally dancing lightly like the birds as our body consciousness, body, mind & spirit holds more and more light.   Delta Waves… 0-4 hz Deep Relaxation, Rejuvenation & Regulates unconscious body functions (heartbeat, digestion, etc) Theta Waves… 4-8 hzRestorative sleep, Intuitive, Natural, Creative, Emotional connection Alpha Waves… 8-12 hzCalming, Relaxation Beta Waves… 12-40 hzConscious thought, Logical thinking & Focus Gamma Waves… 40-100 hz Increases perception, learning new material & information processing   I have copied a couple of links I find interesting… for you to read more fully and follow the heartbeat too.   What does the spike in the Schumann resonance mean?   Barbara Franken… Creative Visionary & Master CreatorInspiring New Energy Consciousness & Multi-Dimensional Living A paperback and Digital Book is available from all Major online stores… Amazon and Apple   I share my own magical journey, exploring Who I AM with the help of nine Elemental Beings and expand from a world of fear, struggle and limitation into a New Energy Consciousness of love, grace and freedom. It is in this loving space that I discover my Divine and ALL LOVING self and allow myself to integrate together as one Body Consciousness… a DivineHumanBeing… and Magnificent Master Creator who expresses and creates heart and soul passion on the physical plane and beyond.   Join my MasterCreator Class and emerge yourself in the celebration of life through dance, song, art, relaxed inner journeys and beyond everything known… preparing yourself for your NEW role on New Earth.   There is no time like the present moment to Sign Up and give YOURSELF this magnificent gift… More Info: MasterCreator Class     All the money raised from my books and classes go to my non-profit association The Magnificent Consciousness that holds free local projects in Benalmadena, Spain.

Ask for Angela is a safety campaign for anyone (male and female) who feels unsafe on a date or a night out. They can discreetly use a code word (Angela) and staff at the venue support that person by getting them to a safe space. The aim of this campaign is to reduce sexual violence and vulnerability.   How does it work?   It works by allowing customers to ask your staff for ‘Angela‘ if they feel uncomfortable with the company they came with, and the staff will call a taxi or help this person leave discreetly. That’s all.   What is involved?   You will receive posters advising the client go to the bar and ask for ‘Angela’, and that the bar staff will know you need help getting out of your situation, and call you a taxi or help you out discreetly – without too much fuss. These posters are to be placed inside the toilet cubicles for discretion. You will also receive a simple sticker to be displayed at your entrance indicating you are a ‘Angela’ friendly bar. You will be sent a further poster outlining what staff should do if approached for help which should be posted visibly in a staff only area.   It is vital that staff are aware of the campaign, and fully understand what they are required to do.   Who is taking part in this campaign?   This campaign was launched in 2016 in Lincolnshire, and has grown from strength to strength across pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants all over the UK as well as internationally in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. Further enquiries to use this campaign have been made from Canada, Argentina, Germany. And now South of Spain. This campaign is supported by the British Consulate in Malaga.   Why sign-up?   Hayley Child, Sexual Violence & Abuse Strategy Coordinator for Lincolnshire County Council, came up with the idea and is delighted with the response it has received. “We’d seen that a few individual pubs around the country had done similar messages at the bar saying that if people’s dates weren’t going well the bar staff would help and call them a cab,” she said. “We wanted to do this in a more organised way.” Some pubs have reported customers telling them that they feel more safe and relaxed in their establishment due to recognising the campaign. Hailey Child also said the popularity of dating apps like Tinder meant more people might find themselves in difficult situations, adding that “feedback suggests having the scheme in place makes people feel safer”.   How to sign-up?   You can sign-up to take part in this campaign simply by sending an email to kristiina.nimmo@fco.gov.uk or alberto.perez@fco.gov.uk.  Easy as that. We will supply you with posters and stickers for your establishment.

Knee Pain – it seems so simple but it can quickly become so confusing! Getting good advice based on the latest research can be tricky!  Still got questions – attend our FREE seminar on Knee Pain – Wednesday 19 June 11.30 The knee is the largest joint in the body. 4 bones more than 20 muscles each with a tendon 4 major ligaments as well as many little ones and at least 3 layers of cartilage. Here’s my A to Z of knee pain Arthroscopy An operation to “clean” inside the knee joint. Results of a 10 year study reports that arthroscopic surgery results are NO better than placebo surgery!! Sadly, despite this monumental finding, thousands have this operation every year. Bakers Cyst Swelling at the back of the knee which can make walking uncomfortable and compromises movement. Cortico-steroids Usually given via injection these are to temporarily reduce inflammation (and therefore pain). They are NOT a long term solution, just a short term emergency pain relief. There is increasing research suggesting they can damage joints if used long term. Diet Visceral fat (the fat around the tummy) increases joint inflammation. More weight also puts more load on joints like the knee.  Extension Getting the knee straight is of critical importance and is often the first movement to go.  This is what causes the limp. A bent knee can then cause hip and back problems as the whole lower body is out of alignment. Feet Your knee is the biggest shock absorber for every step you take, so if there is shock or twist from the feet, the knee is going to take the strain. Correcting the feet can relieve the strain on the knee, reduce pain and prevent the situation getting worse. Glucosamine With chondroitin was recommended to help “lubricate” joints. Recent research suggests it may not be that effective and movement is more effective (and often free!) Hips Pain from the hips is often referred to the knee and vice versa. Make sure both are checked before starting treatment! Ice Numbs the pain and reduces swelling. Wrap an ice pack or frozen peas in a damp cloth, to prevent ice burns, and apply for 10 minutes every half hour.   Joint Replacement When the knee is replaced with a titanium joint. People are often refused if they are “too young” as the replacements often only have a lifespan of 5 – 10 years. Consider this as a last resort! Knee Movement Full range of movement matters. Matters to how you walk and therefore the effect on all the other muscles and movements in your body. Get strong and straight and pain reduces Limping If not corrected, limping can cause problems in the back and hips. These problems can’t be resolved until the knee problem is fixed. Magnetic Resonance Therapy A German technology for the treatment of osteoarthritis and degenerative joint disease. This treatment strengthens and reinforces the cartilage, ligaments and tendons in the joint. It reduces inflammation and pain, allowing you to get your exercise regime going. We have over a 90% success rate for knees! Nothing Unfortunately waiting for it to “go away on its own” doesn’t always work, especially as you get older. It is always best to be proactive, the sooner you act the easier, quicker and more effective treatment is. Orthotics The dreaded “things in your shoe”. Fortunately technology has moved on and they are now slim and discreet enough to fit in the shoes you already own. Physical Therapy American research shows that exercise significantly improves movement and reduces pain in the knee.  The 1st muscle to lose strength in any knee problem is the quadriceps so focus these. Exercise is not easy at first but get advice and persevere! Stretch and strengthen! Q Angle Correction: The angle formed by your thighbone and shinbone through the knee cap when viewed from the front. If you are knock-kneed or bandy-legged this angle is wrong, putting extra pressure on the knee and increasing wear and tear Referred Pain Getting an accurate diagnosis is critically important! Pain in the knee can be referred from the hip or the feet and without an accurate assessment, treatment is a waste of time as you are not treating the true cause of the problem. Supports Are not all created equal! It is important to get the right one for your knee problem and the activity you want to do. New specialized techniques using tape are also effective. Elastic supports stifle the circulation and restrict movement. Tissue Engineering Or stem cell regeneration. This is a new surgery technique which implants cartilage from elsewhere aiming to stimulate cartilage re-growth but has mixed results to date. Ultrasound Used by physiotherapists, this therapy uses sound waves to reach deep tissues and increase blood flow, relax muscles and aid healing. Viscosupplementation Injections of hyaluronate into the joint to lubricate it but not cure it. The injection can be painful and only offers short term pain relief. Water Exercising in your swimming pool takes the weight off your knees. Over and over again research shows that exercise can reduce knee pain, and is a MUST! X-rays And other investigations can give you a clearer idea of how advanced the problem is. Always make sure you get the right investigation for your problem, this should follow a detailed clinical assessment. Youth Osgood-Schlatter Syndrome can affect teenagers and youngsters as they grow. Often misnamed “Growing Pains” it’s simple to reduce the pain and onward symptoms. Zig Zag Left knee and right hip? Left ankle and right knee? Pain that started in the left knee and moved to the right? Shooting or stabbing pains? All signs that a more thorough assessment is needed as the root cause might not be where you’re feeling your pain today. For more information on knee pain check out our website www.TheBodyworksClinic.com, our Facebook page “Bodyworks Health Clinic” or attend our FREE seminar on Wed 19 June at 11.30 – places are limited so please book to get a spot!

Kathryn Eade is an expert in mindset and resilience, and helps to inspire a different way of thinking.  She is the founder of Up+thrive and is motivated by seeing people thrive out of their comfort zone, and knowing that she played a part in their journey to success. Kathryn supports female entrepreneurs and aspiring leaders with the mindset (self belief, courage and resilience) to embrace change and thrive.  Kathryn, tell us about you? I’m motivated by seeing people thrive out of their comfort zone, and knowing that I’ve played a part in their journey to success. I support female entrepreneurs and aspiring leaders with the mindset (self belief, courage and resilience) to embrace change and thrive. I work as a consultant and coach, collaborating with organisations to develop and deliver mindset programmes and create positive and inclusive working cultures.  I’m British and currently living back in the UK, after three years in Montreal.  However as we (my family and I – I have two children) plan to go away again one day it’s important for me that Up+thrive is portable, so whilst I do some ‘family to family’ work with clients locally, I also work online, continue to collaborate within a global network and build my ideas through thought leadership.    When I’m not supporting my clients to push the boundaries, I’m trying push my own either through running, open water swimming or planning our next family bike or backpacking adventure.   When did your business journey start? My business journey started in 2003, when I left my job in the International NGO sector and set up my own learning consultancy – thinkingpeople. In my job I supported expats to prepare for the change of working overseas and how to work as part of a diverse team alongside local staff in some of the poorest communities in the world. I loved that job, but the travel left me a little jaded– so I looked for ways that I could apply skills in supporting people through transition and insights in how to build an effective global team in organisations closer to home. I was lucky enough to work with clients including the Premier League, the NHS, MTV and many UK universities.   My audience are in the large part foreigners living in a foreign land. At Up+thrive you empower  women entrepreneurs  and aspiring leaders with the mindset and resilience to embrace  change  and thrive’ – what in your experience is the biggest threat we feel as women expats to change and how can we be overcomers? I think the biggest obstacles to women expats to taking the leap and doing something different isn’t their lack of vision or desire to change, but it’s having the self belief that they can do it. Women expats are highly resilient. They have so many strategies to deal with change and uncertainty that they’ve used to support themselves and others to transition and settle on to a new country, but often they don’t recognize them, or give themselves credit for what they’ve achieved. We need to find ways to be kinder to ourselves, reduce the inner critic that gives us a hard time and holds us back, to support and celebrate each other (collaboration, not competition). By doing that we also inspire other women to do the same. Wouldn’t that be amazing?       What has been the biggest change in your life and how did you cope with it? Any special tips? There’s been a number of big changes in my life, as there often is with women of a certain age – getting married, taking the leap to run my run my first business, having children, but my most recent influential change was in 2015 when I moved with my family to Montreal, Canada. It was something I’d aspired to do for a long time – a family overseas experience,  – I wanted my children to experience something beyond where they had been born and grown up. However, even though I was an aspiring expat it was still a challenge. In particular was the challenge to my sense of identity – previously I was a mum of two and a small business owner (which I closed when I moved to Montreal), now I was defined partly by my children, but mainly by my husbands job. I knew quite early on that wasn’t going to work for me – and set on a journey to find my new sense of purpose. I went from being an expat partner to creating a global career using experience of cultural transition and entrepreneurship to support expat partners to redefine and reinvent their success. In terms of tips – my big one would be work out what’s important to you and discuss and share that with your partner so that you both buy in to it from the outset. Knowing your purpose and creating a vision based on that is what will keep you going when you hit obstacles down the road. Want more tips – there a blog on my site here   Who, or what is your main source of inspiration for change and why? My main inspiration for change is my children. I want to show them that whilst you cant do everything, you can do anything – and that by engaging with someone or something different – pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, is how we learn about others and ourselves – and grow as people. We become self aware, more self reliant, self confident and that’s the type of people I believe our future world needs  “You can’t do everything but can do anything!” – Kathryn Eade   Are you a serial expat, or are you now creating roots? A little bit of both. I’ve lived and worked in different parts of the world across three continents. I’m now currently living back in the UK which is where I’m from, in part to enable my children to create roots and reconnect with extended family. Our aspiration though is to move and work overseas again, so a key part of my business vision is portability, and connecting with my global network – people like you and your followers/audience.   What item do you always travel with when you move around the world to make it feel more like ‘home? If I’m not taking my family with me, then its photographs of them that help me to make a place feel like home   One thing you will achieve in 2019 to inspire, evolve or transform? I’ve just been nominated an award for the work I’ve done this year to inspire female entrepreneurs, which I’m really proud of. I’m not normally one to shout about my achievements, but I’m learning that celebrating our success is important because it reflects an overall attitude of gratitude – enjoying what we have rather than on what we don’t or only hope to have in the future. I also hope that by talking about what I do, I can inspire other women to see that’s its more than possible for them to do the same.   What books have you read this year because they inspired you? Storybrand, SUMO, The Beauty of Discomfort by Amanda Lang, Atomic Habits by James Clear, & Daniel Preistly’s The Entrepreneuarial Revolution are some of the books I’ve read in the last year. There’s no one that stands out for me, but there are bits in all of them that have been useful for me as I’ve worked to move on from my old story to creating a new one – and establish my business – Up+thrive   What would be your advice to the younger you? Cultivate patience, manage expectations, enjoy the journey – and not just advice to a younger me, I’m still working on those now!   I am waving my magic make it happen wand – what dream are you daydreaming about? Ha, just the summer arriving! It’s been so cold here in the UK for May. I’m dreaming of sitting out in my garden, working, chatting to friends and family, enjoying the long summer evenings   What’s your preferred method of connecting with you? website – www.upandthrive.com – sign up for my newsletter – or connect with me on linkedin

If you’re looking to rent long term in Spain, it can be difficult to know where to start. From finding a house to all the paperwork in between, it’s useful to know the ins and outs. Looking for a home that is available to rent in Spain can be an easy process – if you know where to look! Dotted across the cities and towns of Spain are a whole load of estate agents, especially in the South. These agents will help you find your dream home and will most likely guide you through the legal processes too! Spain’s beautiful landscape is most definitely complimented by the intricately designed architecture seen on homes across the country, ranging from traditional townhouses to flashy modern villas – they really do cater for everyone! Whether you decide to use an online portal or a personal estate agent, the home that you wish to view will be advertised with the monthly fee and the square-metre living space. You’ll find that most Spanish homes are fully furnished, cutlery and all, however it’s best to double check and ask your agent. Usually, furnished homes will have a storage space available, whether that’s a garage or a key to an external unit. In addition to this, all homes are required to have an energy efficiency certificate which will help you differentiate the expensive houses from the cheaper ones. This is because older houses are typically more expensive to heat and cool down due to outdated supplies. An insider’s tip would be that while you’re addressing all of these issues, that you and your landlord confirm everything in writing – and we mean everything! It’s better to be safe than sorry! To confirm your rental, you will need to apply to an agency. When you do so, you will most likely need to put down one to two month’s rent as a deposit and present the following documentation, so make sure that you have them all ready! Evidence of employment or ability to pay the rent Tax identification number (if you are working) Passport or ID Personal References Generally, tenants in Spain seem to lack in reliability, making the landlords push a little further to ensure that you’re a trustworthy client. You can expect your landlord to ask you for: One or more additional payments of rent A bank guarantee – an alternative deposit that the bank pays on behalf of the tenant in the case of non-payment A written guarantee from the employer – a certificate in which the payment of rent to the landlord is ensured if the tenant stops paying. If you happen to fail the rental payment by the seventh day of the month, the landlord is allowed to take legal action. If the total money owed is less than €2,000, then the landlord can go to court and claim it without needing a lawyer. These short trials take 2-3 weeks and after a legal deed is obtained, the landlord is then able to claim for the overdue payments. Also, it should be made clear in the contract that you will be expected to pay for utilities and minor repairs due to wear and tear. Typically, utilities for a two-bedroom apartment in Spain is circulating at around €50 – €150 per month, varying depending on energy efficiency, utility usage, etc. Luckily, with the hot Spanish summers, most accommodation has access to a pool, so communal maintenance fees may be included in your final fees. Sunny Spain has thousands of beautiful properties, with bliss countryside surroundings or a striking sea-view. Now you’re all ready with the facts, you can head to the estate agents with confidence! ExP can provide rental policies specifically to protect landlords and tenants in Spain. Speak to one of our advisors to find out more about the policies that we can provide, we’d be happy to help!