Meet SpainBuyingGuide.com reader Roy Jupp, who moved to Quesada in Spain seven years ago with his wife, Marion.

Here Roy tells us all about their life in Spain, how they found the moving process and what he would do differently if he were to do it all over again…

Why did you decide to move to Spain?

It was when I was about 58 or 59 that I started thinking about retiring. I had been self-employed all of my life so we didn’t really have a big pension to look forward to, only our state pension. Back then the cost of living was brilliant – it was that coupled with the weather that persuaded us to make the move.

What kind of property do you live in?

It’s a three bedroom, two bathroom property on what they call a “community”. There are 49 houses and the complex has a big swimming pool and nice gardens. We chose a community for security above anything else.

How was the buying process? Did you encounter any problems?

It was all very straightforward. We went to a couple of exhibitions in the UK and met a nice, small family-run company who flew us over to show us properties. Once we had found our home they put us in touch with a fantastic solicitor who was a great help. We came over to see it to make sure that we were happy with it before making the final payment. The whole process took a little over a year – maybe a year and half but we were in no rush.

What advice would you give to people who are looking to do the same as you?

Be very selective, you must visit the areas that you are considering and decide where you want to live and you’ve got to spend a few months to a year doing that because it is so different area to area. Houses are two a penny now, location is the number one thing! I would suggest not buying off-plan. If you are confident enough, buy resale and get better value for money.
Perhaps the most important thing of all is that you must integrate with the Spanish. You can’t come over here thinking “I’m only here for the sun”, that’s not the right attitude. You have to get in to their way of life, their culture, and their laws – no matter how strange!

If you could go back in time and give yourselves one piece of advice what would that be?

I would recommend renting before you buy. There are a lot of rental properties available so it’s a good idea to rent a property in that area for a while to make sure that it’s the right place for you. Have a good look round and then decide.

For details of property for sale all over Spain, visit the Spanish listings on Rightmove Overseas. One way to save money when buying in Spain is to use a currency specialist when transferring your pounds into euros to complete the purchase of your property. For more information on this, contact Smart Currency Exchange via our Currency Zone.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Spain, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Spain Property Buying Guide’