A brief look in a few estate agents’ windows and you will soon get an idea of how much a property to meet your needs might cost to buy. However, as in every country, this is not the only sum you will need in your bank to make the purchase. There are many hidden costs that you must build into your budget before deciding which property is the right one for you. In this article we look at what these additional costs are:

The cost of buying property in Spain: The complete guide

If you work from home for a business in your country then obtaining a digital nomad visa might be an option for you. It is targeted at non-EU citizens and applicants must have a stable source of income that comes from freelance work that doesn’t rely on clients or companies based in Spain. In other words, you won’t be competing in the Spanish job market.

You will need to have an income threshold of 2,400€ a month and proof that you have been in your current role for at least three months. David Ruiz provides more details of the background and the requirements to it here as well as the step-by-step process for applying:

Digital Nomad Visa Spain: The definitive guide

Benissa is a town in northern Costa Blanca that you may not be familiar with. It’s an attractive medieval location with cobbled streets and traditional buildings as well as a stunning coastline. There’s plenty to see and do here and David Ruiz provides more detail in this article about how it might feel to choose this place as your home:

Living in Benissa Spain: The Definitive Guide

Euro Weekly News have shared information on Facebook about the padrón. They explain the importance of registering, who needs one and how to obtain it:

Everything you need to know about the Padron

With the winter approaching we’ve seen a sudden drop in temperatures. Out come the gas bottles, up goes the central heating dial and the energy bills aren’t far behind. But are you paying more to keep your house warm than you should? In this article from Think Spain they provide information about why it’s important to be energy efficient. They take you through conducting an energy audit and what you can practically do to reduce your costs:

Essential tips to boost energy efficiency in your Spanish home

Would you consider buying a house in Spain with your brother or sister? That’s what Michael and Kate did after appearing on A Place in the Sun. In this article they explain how they manage their arrangement so that everyone gets a fair share of the property that matches their availability:

Shared benefits or double the pain: would you buy a home in Spain with your brother or sister?

In this article, the Guardian compares the practice in the UK with Spain and – Spain comes out on top! What do you think about how we should ensure the elderly continue to be fit to drive?

Concerns over the fitness of elderly drivers

You may have seen this ‘no parking’ sign on many streets in your Spanish neighbourhood or you may even have one yourself. Either way, this article from the N332 website explains what you can and can’t do if there is a “vado permanente” on show:

Finding the right person to do the job is crucial when it comes to implementing home improvements. You need a builder you can trust with the right expertise for the job in hand. For major work in particular, it shouldn’t be a case of asking the odd-job man. So, where do you start? In this article Think Spain provides a detailed breakdown of the steps involved and how you might ensure your renovations go to plan:

How to find a good builder for your home in Spain

It’s perhaps a diver’s dream to uncover a previously undiscovered shipwreck. This is what happened to La Manga scuba diver Isaac Guerrero as he spotted the remains of a boat on the Mediterranean seabed. It turns out the wreck was once a 19th-century steamer and will be added to the list of notable shipwrecks in the area:

It’s definitely not on the level of the Flintstones but there are opportunities to set up home in a Spanish cave if you’re looking for something very different. In this article A Place in the Sun explains how cave homes are very much still on the market and where you might find them:

Get ready to rock? Try a cave home in Spain!

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