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Permanent Spanish Residency

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might want to wait until reality catches up with housing prices. These laws apply to the zillions of crackerbox, cookie-cutter suburban developments thrown up during the boom, now standing empty and starting to leak -- still priced at 130-200K Euro each. Prices are still WAY inflated while the developers and the banks wait for someone to take the fall. Remember that spooky, empty development outside Sto. Domingo de la Calzada? Want to live there, for that price?
Didn´t think so. Nobody does.

Reb
 
Rebekah Scott said:
Remember that spooky, empty development outside Sto. Domingo de la Calzada? Want to live there, for that price?
Didn´t think so. Nobody does. Reb
Click to expand...
That place certainly was spooky. In 2008 it was spooky but still relatively small. In 2012, I found it hard to believe it had grown considerably in size, but still, most of the places sat empty. Hard to believe banks could have continued funding such a schemozzle.
Margaret
 
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I can vouch for schemozzle! Perfectly common!
 
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I was amazed by that ghost town. I passed through in winter. It was new, had everything...and was completely deserted, at least on that day. Build it and they will not come.
 
and did I imagine it or did CSJ just put out something about two albergues on the VdlP up for sale? opportunity for someone perhaps - just day dreams in front of the computer for me... :cry:
 
On opening an albergue:

1. There is lots of red tape. Established albergues will not welcome a new one. They know the local officials, and will use them against you.
2. Location, location, location. Guidebooks have established stopping points. If you are not in those places, pilgrims will walk right past for years if not permanently. We all have our favorite obscure albergue, but remember there is a reason they are obscure!
3. The day begins at about 6 a.m., and does not end until about 11 p.m. It is seven days a week, and perhaps twelve months a year if you live there.
4. Half the customers speak only Spanish. The rest speak a potpourri of other languages including Korean. It takes a lot of dedication to do it right. Many volunteers find two weeks of dedication is all they can muster. An honest personality assessment should be a prerequisite to starting an albergue. I detect a lot of enthusiastic Forum participants who do not appear to have that personality (including myself).
5. Business is seasonal. The business plan probably does not make much sense. Expect it to be a labor of love.
 
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...but I am here to tell you, you don´t have to run an albergue to enjoy the good life along the camino. For citizens of non-EU countries, gaining legal residency in Spain can be a real headache. This real-estate idea, if it becomes law, could be a nice opportunity for a properly clued-up person with a non-camino-related income.
 
I'm working on my Italian citizenship instead...EU passport is a good thing to have for staying longer than 90 days...(well, at least until the EU dissolves. )
 

Ah...I'm beginning to understand. I couldn't think why there would be advantages to having permanent Spanish residency - but of course I hold an EU passport from the UK. I'm registered to live here, I have a National Identify Certificate for Foreigners and I'm registered with the Spanish Health Service. So this government wheeze is really targeted at Non Eu residents - the American market perhaps?
 
Camino Preparation Guide
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Rebekah Scott said:
Chinese and Russians, I think. Maybe Turks? The up-and-coming Money people.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking...apparently no one knows how crappy the US Economy really is...I don't know too many people with income that would allow them to buy a place in Spain, much less want to deal with the red tape to do so....
 
I gotta say to Americans, even as one who came here during the Fat Years and is married to an EU citizen, it ain´t easy. And My Fellow Americans, accustomed as we are to living in a world of Everything Right Now convenience? JFC, the Spanish funcionarios will EAT YOUR HEART for BREAKFAST. :shock:

Sorry, but it is truly true.
The book will be out soon.
Reb.
 
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Definitely an interesting idea that the government has put forth, and kudos to them for trying out creative ways to find investors for the economy. We haven't bought a house yet here in Santiago, but we've been thinking about it. The thing is that it's taken us 5 years of living in Spain to even figure out what we'd want in a house - and by now we're already eligible for a "permanent" 5-year residency card! But I guess our case is a little different than the other investors the government is trying to attract.

If they vote this policy forward, I'd want to make sure there were laws in place to ensure that foreigners were protected in case they got a lemon house. Our friends in La Coruña had a new house built, and the builders cut corners everywhere. Our friends have spent years and close to 10,000€ of their own money to either fix the house themselves (because the builders wouldn't do some things) or to hire lawyers and go to court to force the builders to get other problems fixed. It's been very stressful, but t's a good thing our friends are Spanish citizens and could handle the system. I can't imagine how helpless and victimized a foreigner would feel if he/she bought a Spanish house for 160,000€ and then got the run-around if there were problems.

But. Back to your original point, Rebekah - it IS a great idea to buy a house and use it to host pilgrims!!
 
Oops! So sorry, grayland - I see now that you posted the original post, not Rebekah. Sorry about that! Great idea!
 
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