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Permalink Reply by gary newton on May 13, 2012 at 7:16

its lovely up there but i think is a little more expensive across the board than the costa blanca

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Permalink Reply by David Grimes on May 13, 2012 at 9:47

Hi Gary

i agree withe some of the others ,i own a property on Quesada have done for 6 years,

most complexes have tiled fronts and rear ,with the odd orange and lemon tree

if i was living there i would try to do as much property work as possible , doing fixture and fittings

the complex were on have gardeners local spanish they do all the green and pool cleaning

beleive me there is work out there ,thing is there is a lot of cowboys,and people turn up at your property

dreesed as if they are going out,and not come to work ,lol

the biggest problem we find is getting someone trustworthy,because everything is cash

we hire a english cleaner to do our holiday let cleans good money in it ,

where abouts on Quesada will you be , i am about a 5min walk from the Hotel La Laguna

another thing is British are still trying to charge english rates ,eastern europeans are working for 40euros a day

causing a few problems with the local spanish builders

anyway hope things work out for you what ever you do ,may bump into you i'm over in sept

David

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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Phil Voice on May 13, 2012 at 10:55

There seem to be a lot of garden designers who have second homes in France, Spain, Italy etc. Not all actively work in those countries but because garden design isn't so prolific in Europe as it is in the UK there's potential for work.

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Permalink Reply by gary newton on May 13, 2012 at 12:09

renting just down the road from the waterpark

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Permalink Reply by Gabino Carballo on June 7, 2012 at 21:43

Southern Spain is a rather a mysterious place even to Spaniards. I am from the north and the South baffles me every time I have to go down there or work with/for Southerners.
Spain has lots of rules and you must appear to follow them whilst breaking them to gain respect.

B Money is rife, like tax avoidance. So are other workarounds and shortcuts. It is not a business friendly environment: most rules are made by people who kept the same cushy job for 30 years.

Social relations are important. Do not offend people unnecessarily. We tend to be a little bit indolent, but we are not stupid.

When it comes down to time keeping and certainty of outcomes, Flexibility, is important. You have to be there when whatever it is important to you is happening. Don't complaint if things go belly up because you trusted people.

Trust is a relationship that offers diminishing returns in warmer climates.

As a foreigner, you will pay over the odds (Guiri Tax).Take it easy and work your way to better prices.

It may be a good idea to go back again and again to people that do work for you and appear to be botchy or careless at first. If you work the long term, you may get results and inside contacts.

Your natural clients will be Expats, they mostly live in a bubble and re freaked out by the natives and their ways. Not to worry, if Gibraltar keeps the landfill job up, they will be reaching Alicante in no time. Home from home.

The trick in Spain is to manage uncertainty, take easy, work the social side of things, show people some respect and talk football at all times. Enjoy the sun and the cheap wine and save the whining about the country for other expats.

We already know this country is hopeless, but we didn't come here out of choice.

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