This is the book that I started over a year ago and that has finally been published! It started as a rant when I wrote an article regarding social security almost seizing my car over the fact I had not been de-registered as autonomo. Silly me, having changed to Freelance I "assumed" that I was no longer registered as autonomo. Ultimately no-one was to blame but me, however, the hoops I had to jump through to sort it out were unbelievable.
Not to mention two months of dreading the visit to the post office in case there was yet another fine or threatening letter.
And then I kept writing because I realised that the stress I went through as a bi-lingual person must have been at least half of that of someone with no Spanish at all.
It is a warts and all look at the hidden problems in coming to Spain. There is so much more you have to consider than you could ever imagine before arriving and being prepared will make it that much easier to enjoy the experience.
Available at www.bookshaker.com and www.amazon.co.uk
For those who are not familiar with the term snagging, it is a list of all the problems found with new build properties e.g. leaky roofs, faulty installations, bad workmanship etc.
Once you have signed the contract for your new property you must submit a snagging list within 15 days if you want the work seen to immediately (a relative term in Spain!). Ideally, you should visit the property before you complete and present the snagging list to the developer before handing over any money. The developer will be much more motivated to fix any problems in this case rather than after you have signed.
There are several companies that offer to do snagging reports and the average costs seems to be approximately €190 for a two bedroom flat. While you might see it as expensive, consider that most of the problems you are likely to find will cost more than this to repair, and if the problem is structural could run into thousands of euros. (While there is supposed to be a 10 year guarantee on new build property, how long it takes the developer to come and resolve your problems is quite another matter!)
There is the cheaper do it yourself option such as using the DIY Snag Report which has apparently been recommended by EyeonSpain.com. The DIY Snag Report gives you templates to use for a step-by-step formula to snag your property.
Whichever option you choose - choose one of them! Yet something else that could save you time and money.
An alternative source of income for expats is writing - be it articles or books. The experiences of other expats is an invaluable source of information for those looking for advice.
Expat Writer: Release The Book Within is written by an experienced author with over 20 years experience. A step-by-step guide teaching you how to turns your ideas into income.
Find out more...
Expat Entrepreneur by Jo Parfitt is for those expats looking to start a new business abroad.
When you arrive in a new country and realise that it will not be as easy as you thought to find work, the next option is to start your own business. But where do you start? It is always best to learn from those who have been there before you. Learn from their mistakes and find out what works.
The book includes success stories and resources for the budding expat entrepeneur.
Get The Book
