Which Country would you live in ?

[ianp]

Hi, All

I am looking to buy a holiday home somewhere warm
and not more than a few hours flight away..

I would probably spend most time their in the winter
so would be able to let it out in the summer,,

I have been looking on the Spanish costas not to far from Sierra
Nevada (as I like to ski as well )

A couple of other options are Greek islands ,Cyprus or the south of France
(probably not that warm in winter)

I will be moving abroad permanently in 4 or 5 years as I am
fed up with the UK at the moment..

I would be interested in all your opinions ..


cheers
ian

 

[Skimbleshanks]

I'd go to somewhere with tax advantages, and worry about whether it's sunny enough when I got there. :cheesy:

 

[bonsai]

Ianp
just remember that Greece is slowly sinking into the sea.

not that slowly actually.

and its also an active earthquake zone.

lol

Marbella is worth a look.

 

[Henry]

Dont know what the winter weather is like there, but I remember seeing Romania on A Place In The Sun a while back and the property was unbelievably cheap, and not of unreasonable quality.

H.

 

[Newtron Bomb]

Try Andorra
Tax haven and only a couple hour drive to the sierra Nevada

 

[eddyjo]

I have just come back to the U.K. after spending nine and half
years in the M.E. and nearly twenty three on the Costa del sol,
and I have to say where I am now is my heaven, Mid Wales.
It is'nt perfection but as close to it as can be. Unfortunately I
am of an age, where each day, I count as a bonus, otherwise
life is just wonderful here.

Regards, Eddy.

 

[dsmodi]

hi ,

dubai in the middle-east may be advantagous tax-wise.. great weather and descent people ...
well worth thinking about - i did but then couldn't go ahead with it for various reasons...

 

[mmillar]

I'm moving to Tenerife in a couple of weeks. I believe it is the only place in 'Europe' that is consistently warm through the winter. Only 4 hours from the UK, flights to/from UK are around £100 one way, and it's easy to get to anywhere in Europe.

 

[bonsai]

QUAKE HITS GREEK ISLANDS ON ANNIVERSARY
An earthquake has struck islands off
Greece, injuring at least 24 people and
damaging buildings, 50 years after a
series of quakes killed 476 people.

The quake, measuring 6.4 on the Richter
scale, hit around Lefkas island in the
Ionian sea at about 6.15am BST.

Reports say locals and tourists ran
into the streets in panic, while rocks
blocked roads and electricity failed.

 

[oatman]

That should bring prices down a bit :cheesy:

 

[Andreas]

Several friends of mine live in Portugal, and they love it !

 

[iq200]

I have to agree with Skimbleshanks, if I was going to move I would move to a place that was a tax haven AND an eternal holiday home !!!!!

 

[alanb41252]

Ian. Don't go to Spain. I just inherited some real estate in Spain. All I can say is the sun is insufficent compensation for the horrendous tax laws. Inheritance tax starts almost from zero and capital gains tax is a nightmare too. The system is incredibly bureaucratic and designed to rip off foreigners.
Beware !

 

[neil]

South of France

I read in the Weekend FT that Americans and English accents are not welcome by Arab youths in certain southern french towns such as Arles etc.

Bottles thrown through car windscreens and motorbikes driven at English speakers.

Other areas in France further North may be ok.

 

[mark_m]

I live in the south of France and Americans get treated much better here than some of my french friends have been in USA recently.

Although I didn't read the FT article, it has to be said that there are nutters everywhere in the world - especially if you end up in the 'wrong' area.

However that said, i wouldn't recomend living here - it's too hot, forest fires every year, ridiculous burocracy, high taxes (income tax is OK but all the other taxes are extortionate) and everything is getting so expensive.

I'm planning to move to UK next summer after 11 years here and can't wait !

Good Pubs, Curry (most French food is over-rated IMO), British Football, and everyone speaks your language!

 

[seancass]

Ian,

Interesting thread.

Seriously:
I suppose one of the other considerations if you are a day trader is the availability of ADSL and reliability of power supply. I have heard that the French are terribly bureaucratic, although I have been in touch with traders who live in France and enjoy the experience. If you choose the south, beware of Marseilles unless you want to join the Foreign Legion. To get some mild winter weather you have to travel south of Lyon.

Portugal - I have heard good reports.

I would seriously consider the Canary Islands.

Not so seriously:
Greece? Sinking into the sea? I've not heard that one. You really don't want to go near any place where you may be in danger of sinking into the sea. I hear Venice is nice at this time of year?!!

Seancass

 

[FTSE Beater]

Hi Seancass

The point you make about ADSL is a very good one.
I'm looking to move to Cornwall next year, and the second biggest requirement is that it's in an ADSL area. The first being near a good golf course :cheesy:

I still reckon a tax-free country would be the best place to live in

 

[alanb41252]

I just came back from a tax-free country - Bahrain - spent 8 years there. That's why I can afford to trade full-time.

 

[dax]

Just returned from Los Angeles after 13 years. Joke from an American comedian -- Why is LA like a box of cereal? Because it's full of flakes and nuts.

Plenty of sun but not worth the wacko factor. Not recommended. My wife's American and she couldn't wait to get out. Rest of US is good, but for trading the East Coast is the best time zone.

Regarding tax-free countries -- don't worry about taxes until you make the big bucks trading.

 

[Halo]

Sorry to buck the trend, but I like it here.

Just have to right a few wrongs, ditch Bony Tair and declare an independent state of Essex then let global warming and King Halo's innovative tax regime take effect and this time next year we'll all be millyonairres basking in the 95c South-East sunshine and smoking large cigars (or whatever your preference)..

Vote me!