27th Newsletter Edition - March 2008

Welcome... March is upon us again, and already Easter is looming. Easter celebrations are obviously different here, and we take a look at how to make the most of the week. We have also been carefully researching nice restaurants (!) and to add some fun to this newsletter, we´d like to have a monthly draw for subscribers, with a prize of a meal out. The property market in the UK has been in dire straits, and that seems to be the pattern all over the world. Tenerife, though is still holding its own, and we take a look at what is happening on the market today in our third article, "Spain´s Property Siesta". Many of you have given us some really encouraging feedback about these newsletters, and our series on moving to Tenerife has gone down particularly well. We continue this series with a look at how to get on to the electoral roll and cast your vote. Lastly, we take a look at some of this month´s news cuttings and the best properties on the market.

We hope you enjoy it.

Easter in Tenerife

Easter is an important celebration throughout the Spanish speaking world, and Tenerife is no exception. With roots in Catholicism, it is perhaps more of a religious celebration than the fluffy bunny choc-fest that we may be used to. Semana Santa, or holy week begins with Palm Sunday (el Domingo de Ramos), includes Good Friday (el Viernes Santo), and ends with Easter (la Pascua de Resurrección) 

The biggest and most important parade is in La Laguna, but smaller parades take place in other towns. Adeje celebrates this holy week with a re-enactment of the passion of Christ which is shown on TV and draws crowds from all over the Island. This is held on Good Friday (21st March) on the older town centre and over 300 amateur actors take part - if you´re on the island, its well worth taking a look. The costumes are magnificent, the singing is first class, and the acting is really impressive. Some of the whip cracking Roman soldiers may be a little enthusiastic with the ketchup, the crucifixion is possibly a bit too convincing, but the whole show really is not to be missed.

Here´s a great way to get a free evening out when you come to Tenerife! Every month we´ll be drawing names from a hat of newsletter subscribers who are visiting that month. The first one we pull out will get a free meal for two at one of the island´s nicer restaurants.

All you have to do is press reply to this email with the dates you are staying on the island and we´ll include you in that month´s draw!

The draw will take place during the month before you come out, so also include your phone number, so we can let you know if you have won, and tell you how to claim your prize!

Spain´s Property Siesta

A huge chunk of Spanish property is bought by foreigners, and that proportion is rising. Spain has experienced an unprecedented period of price growth, which has been levelling off in recent times.

It may come as a surprise to many of us, but the Spanish property market is relatively young and only really started in its modern form after the death of Franco and the new constitution in the 1980´s. Starting from a low base, meteoric price rises, fuelled by new found wealth and low interest rates created a market that could only go in one direction. Up.

Now that there is more sanity in the growth rates, interest rates are slightly higher and an investor cannot double his money by throwing it at any old thing made of concrete, the Spanish buyer is in shock. It is as if they are unaware of the cyclical nature of markets, and the normal economic ebbs and flows that the rest of us are accustomed to. Of course this shock will be short lived, but for the moment at least most Spanish are not buying. Or selling. They are sitting still, wondering what is happening.

The result of this is reduced activity on the market. Except in some of the horribly overdeveloped areas of the country, there has been no drop in prices. The Spanish are not selling in particularly large numbers, so there is no downward pressure on the market. Some developers have been caught by the credit crunch, but the government is already scurrying around with all sorts of initiatives that should cushion their problems. It is like siesta time on the property market - very quiet!

Of course not everyone respects the tranquillity of a siesta. The British and Germans certainly don´t, and it is the foreigners that are taking advantage of the market while the Spanish snooze. In some areas, a third of all property sold at the moment is being snapped up by British and German buyers. According to recent statistics published by Spanish newspaper El Mundo, 33.63% of people who take out a mortgage in order to buy property are not Spanish.

Of course, the clock will strike four soon, and Spanish buyers will realise that markets do not rise in a smooth near-vertical line. Many have been stung by the stock market and investor forums are starting to look at property again. In the meantime, there are bargains scattered around, and it is the canny foreigners who are snapping them up as quickly as they can. But time is short, and it won´t be long before the great Spanish public wake up.

Relocating...and voting

With election fever surrounding us, we thought we would continue our guide to relocating to Tenerife with a brief look at voting in elections and registering yourself on the Tenerife equivalent of the electoral roll. As in the UK or Ireland, there are two types of elections; local and national. Non Spanish European residents are only allowed to vote in Spanish local municipal elections.

To vote, you will need to start by registering on the local padrón. The number of people registered locally defines the amount of money the municipality receives, so you should really consider this your civic duty. For each inhabitant, the central government gives about 200 Euros a year to the town council to cover services such as police and schools. This means that in a municipality where 50,000 people are registered on the padrón and 10,000 are not, local people are losing out on a whopping 1.93 million euros a year. That makes for quite a few more doctors, teachers or firefighters on the payroll.

The padrón is a record of your residing at a given address. Proof of residence means that your next of kin won´t pay inheritance tax under the new Canarian rules, and you will qualify for a bus pass if you are over 65. There are some transactions for which you will require your empadronamiento certificate, such as buying a car, getting a loan or registering with a doctor. Indeed, you will probably need to take a copy of the certificate along anywhere that you might need to provide proof of your address.

How do I register?
Go along to your local Town Hall and ask at the information desk where you have to go to `empadronarme´ (`register myself´). Take your passport and original NIE number, or a residence card if you have one; a copy of your escritura (deed to your house) or rental contract, and your last utility bill, eg. for water, electricity or IBI. There will be a nominal fee - no more than about five Euros.

Each certificate is valid for 3 months. This is because it is a certificate of residential identity - in other words, it is the council confirming that you live in a certain place. They will only commit themselves to confirming this for a three-month period. There will not be an expiry date on the certificate, but there will be a date of issue, and the three months counts from this date.

What do I do if I want to vote?
You have to put your name down on the censo electoral, but in most cases a sealed form will be sent to you by post for you to sign and return. If this is not the case, you can still put your name on the censo electoral by going along to your town hall with your passport and NIE number or residence card. This can be done at the same time as you register on the padrón, if you have not already done this. You will then be entitled to vote in the municipal elections.

On Election Day the voting takes place at "colegios electorales" or polling locations. You will have to bring your identification and voting papers with you to your polling location because you will not be allowed to vote if you forgot anything of them.

Prefer to live here... or Iceland?

Spain has climbed 6 places in the United Nations Human Development table, a ranking based on criteria such as life expectancy, health, GDP, education and disposable income in order to measure the standard of living in each country.

In 2005 Spain occupied the 21st position in the table and last year it was placed 19th. However, this year it has leaped 6 places to 13th ahead of countries such as Germany (22nd), the United Kingdom (16th), Italy (20th) or Denmark (15th).

The list does not take account of the weather.

Which explains why the clever people at the UN tell us that Iceland is the best place to live. Followed by the likes of Norway, Canada, Sweden...

Still, it is nice to know that in terms of life expectancy, health, education, retirement and disposable income we beat so many other places. And if you feel that cured seal blubber (honestly it´s an Icelandic speciality) and sub zero temperatures beat tapas and sun, then Reykjavik is the place for you... good luck!

Or góður heppni, as they say in Iceland.

Royal Marina Golf, Iceland A Fabulous family home with wonderful sea views (April to September when the ice melts) - watch the boats come in and out of the harbour from your terrace, so close you can actually smell the herring. Boasting a dual potty / fishing hole in the floor, this modern home has all modern conveniences, and is constructed from the highest quality local materials. Local amenities (Sven´s General Store and Bait Shop) and nightlife (Helga´s Herring Emporium) within a few short kilometres and close to local golf course - blue balls provided (they stand out in the snow).

Royal Marina Golf, Tenerife Little luxuries whisper quality in your ear and make all the difference. Marble floors, pre-installation for air conditioning, satellite TV, separate fully loaded kitchen including dishwasher and microwave. Very spaciously planned, with large sun terraces and generous room sizes throughout, the apartments are set around landscaped gardens with a beautifully designed pool. There are only 51 properties, each with two double bedrooms, enjoying a privileged position with glorious views of the ocean. Just a one minute stroll away is the new marina, ocean and, of course, the golf course!

Click here to find out more details

The Euribor went down for the second consecutive time in February, to 4.35%. Euro mortgages are now slightly cheaper, and increasingly competitive compared to UK lenders.

Elections in Spain

Never mind the US, Spain has its own general elections. The hotly contested race is between two runners: the Socialists (PSOE) and the Conservatives (PP). In the lead up and debates, socialist Zapatero, leader of the current government has edged ahead of his rival, Rajoy. Elections will be held on the 14th March.

Tenerife wins Miss España

You can´t accuse the Spanish of being politically incorrect, because there´s a Mister España, too! Tenerife may not do so well with the chaps, but Patricia from Granadilla, at the ripe old age of seventeen, has scooped the national title.

Santa Cruz Bullring to be demolished

Most of us didn´t even know there was a bull ring in Santa Cruz, bull fighting was banned many years ago in the Canaries. The 115 year old building will be replaced by a new "cutting edge" design, but it is yet to be announced what this new building will be used for, or what it will look like.