Thread: Valencia for growing "old"

As I mentioned in my other posts, I'm looking at retiring to Spain. What do you think about retiring to Valencia? I've considered other options such as the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, even Barcelona but for several reasons my preference leans towards the city of Valencia..

What do you think?

They say "Valencia is the next Barcelona"...

Valencia is a nice city with plenty to do and see. However, being a big city, it is also very expensive to buy property in. If money isn´t a problem, then go for it but I would strongly advise anyone thinking of moving to Spain to rent for the first year and make sure you actually like what you are buying into.

Too many people are guilty of "leaving their brain on the plane" and rushing into it, thinking it´s going to be a bed of roses and then discovering it's all been a big mistake!!!

As regards living elsewhere in Valencia region, outside of the city, Valenciano is widely spoken and it can be a real pain. In the city itself, it´s mostly castellano (Spanish) that is spoken.

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't Valencia the area where the land grab has been hitting the news over recent years with a lot of expats having there homes bulldozed and land repossessed. If so, I would certainly think this needs to be kept in mind when purchasing here.

The land grab isn´t happening in towns and cities. It affects people in rural areas and has been blasted out of proportion in the UK press. Some of the people affected were knowingly in illegally built houses (you have to own 10,000 sq m of land to legally build a house in a rural area), many bought them unaware but others were warned, I think, 20 years ago that this could happen and still bought/built their houses (and probably sold them on to said unaware people!).

That doesn´t make it right - what has happened here is outrageous but the Valencian government is so utterly corrupt, it was allowed to happen so that they could line their own pockets with the backhanders from developers.

The question was about Valencia city.

The main problems have been in the "region" of Valencia which spreads down to Alicante and hippyshake has summed it up pretty well, the main problem being coastal and buying without due care or trying to pick up a bargain!.
I live in Valencia city, it is a beautiful city and the people are very welcoming. You will however need to speak Spanish! I can definately recommend the lifestyle. I have been out of work twice and once almost homeless and it never crossed my mind to go back to the uk!
Valencia is definatley the new Barcelona and although house prices are rising it is still cheaper than Madrid and Barcelona.

Hello everyone, I'm a new member, but have been living & working in Valencia province for the last 4 years. I think the most important thing to remember is that north of Valencia city not much English is spoken, so you really must learn Spanish - if only out of respect to the local people - and, that if you want to buy a property, get a good lawyer who speaks both languages well. And do your own research! There are plenty of books out there, and the authorities WILL help as much as possible if they can see you are attempting to learn the language & customs.

why do you compare valencia and barcelona??i'm valencian,i live in valencia,and i don't understand this,valencia is valencia and barcelona is barcelona,we are very diffrerents and this is a perfect place to live...

Originally Posted by begui

why do you compare valencia and barcelona??i'm valencian,i live in valencia,and i don't understand this,valencia is valencia and barcelona is barcelona,we are very diffrerents and this is a perfect place to live...

The Valencia - Barcelona comparison is often posed in the press. I guess using the "wave of growth and international recognition" Barcelona enjoyed over the past 20 years...

But hey you sound upset over this, why?