MURCIA: Spain's Florida or a Land of Broken Dreams?

[@Spainunfiltered]

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[@ignaciorevertemarin8154]

I was born in Murcia 60 years ago. The video is absolutely accurate to the reality of our region. We have gone through difficult times but the current reality is that we are a region of enormous cultural and natural riches where the lifestyle and kindness of its inhabitants continue to make it a wonderful place to enjoy life. I hope it never becomes Florida. Wonderful vídeo.

[@Spainunfiltered]

Gracias Ignacio. Sus palabras significan mucho . 🙏

[@Sloarot]

Well done. I loved how you show both sides of the story, not only the real estate promo, and still make Murcia look good. You come off as a genuine person, I like that.

[@Spainunfiltered]

Thank you, I really appreciate that!

[@AndFrancis17]

Great video we went to Murcia for the 1st time last week mainly to go to ikea. But we got the tram into Murcia centre and had a wonderful afternoon waliking round and having Tapas. Will definitely visit again 👍👍👍

[@Spainunfiltered]

Thank you! Its a lovely city. Definitely worth a visit before christmas. There will be red carpets and decorations are down in the old town, christmas markets and El Corte Ingles will have pretty grand decorations. Its my favourite time to visit (Summer is exceptionally hot in the city!)

[@AndFrancis17]

@ Thanks for the information we do plan to visit again next year when we return back to Spain to our Casa on the Orihuela coast which we bought last year we do find your you tube videos very informative and very professional as we do plan to spend more time in Spain in the coming years and to visit all the Surrounding Areas around the costa blanca. Look forward to seeing more of your videos in the future 👍👍👍

[@whispie.]

I've been going every summer to La Manga since I was born, very interesting to watch your video!

[@Spainunfiltered]

@@whispie. glad you found it interesting 🙂

[@billb5625]

enjoying your video. I bought a property in La Manga strip in 2002 and although I've sold it, I return to Santiago de la ribera 2 or 3 times a year. I should add that I'm almost 80. but still think it's a wonderful place!! Bill

[@Spainunfiltered]

Thanks Bill, Santiago de la Ribera is a lovely spot especially the promenade. I very almost bought an apartment on La Manga strip not long after you. It was so close to the sea that you could see fish swimming in the water. The commute to San Pedro would have been a nightmare though (unless I’d bought a boat too!)

Great video on the Murcia region and it has had it's problems but still love living here with so much to explore - many thanks for sharing the info - well made video

[@Spainunfiltered]

Thank you! The last time I’d been to Santa Ana was when the builders had just opened the show house and it was your video that inspired me to drive up there, so thank you. I’ll hopefully be coming to Camposol in January so perhaps we could meet for a caña?

[@AndyG13GLA]

This is the second video I’ve watched in this series, the first being Pilar de la Horadada/Campoverde (which is where we ultimately settled). We moved to Spain in 2019 just as the Gota Frías hit. We bought our house & had all our legal documentation & residencia by one of the failed Brexit dates. Next came the Pandemic which curtailed any great exploration of Spain. These videos are an honest appraisal of our two local regions. I look forward to more in this series.

[@Spainunfiltered]

Thanks Andy I appreciate the feedback! You chose a really great place to settle...

[@edrumal]

Not a mention of Camposol, home to probably the largest ex pat population in Murcia and consistently ignored by Mazarron council. The derelict villas in your video are on this urbanization and are still the same. Having said that I have been here for over 20 years and such is the wonderful community spirit and determination to make Camposol a better place that life is not only tolerable but mostly enjoyable despite complete apathy from those who are supposed to support us

[@Spainunfiltered]

Don't worry, Camposol won't be ignored forever but what I want to talk about in that context didn't quite fit the flow of this video. I will be looking at it, and Masa International at some point in the new year and I would like to include some thoughts from residents (infact what you have just said is pretty much the gist of what I want to talk about) so if you would like to be involved please do drop me an email: [e-mail]

[@madgringo9263]

You should be supported in the Old Devil's Island (U.K) from where you disgusting Wet weather baboons stem from... There is where you should all reside ... NOT E.U./Spain... Where you don't belong... Nor you'll ever Will...!! So Chop,Chop... Spain never was a land of P. I. R. A. T. E. S. 😂😅😅😊

[@brett_flower]

Liked, subscribed 😀. Excellent information. I see the rebound is already happening with Murcia being rated as the 2nd best region in Spain for Real Estate Investment. You're on a winner there!

[@Spainunfiltered]

Thanks for the Sub! Murcia took longer to recover after the crash than most areas but there's a really strong foundation for growth there now and property is still relatively cheap compared to other areas so I think the future's looking good for the region.

[@CuevasHelena]

Great video! we got caught up in the hype bought off plan in 2004 loved Murica now living in Andalucia . Knew every place in this video was a trip down memory lane for us .. Still waiting on Paramount 😂

[@barryonions9893]

Great video 👍😀😎

[@Spainunfiltered]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!!

[@sonia1963ish]

Great video we live in Sucina we love it ❤

[@Spainunfiltered]

Lovely little town. I stopped for a cold drink after climbing up the Sierra Escalona next to it (really briefly shown at 13:46!) 🙂

[@nanemoon9968]

Very informative video about a beautiful region. The south of Spain has had so many perilously hot summers with a high death toll and draught plus severe flooding in autumn that any potential new resident should look thoroughly into the climate data.

[@Spainunfiltered]

@@nanemoon9968 Thank you 🙏 You raise some really important points. I will be dedicating a video to flooding soon. In my book I also talk about different generations of building and how well the are prepared for heat.

[@johnharrison8089]

great video. I live in Villa Martin but would now consider this area

[@Spainunfiltered]

That's good to hear, there's a lot to offer in Murcia but I think the biggest difference compared to Villamartin and the Orihuela Costa area is just the pace of life. Not that those areas are frantic, just that Murcia does feel more laid back to me. I hit two traffic jams in 2000km one was where they are raising a Bridge over the motorway for the AVE to pass under and the other was a goatherd blocking the road.

[@samurai-capybara]

Great stuff.

[@Spainunfiltered]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ToRo-wm4bu]

Hi, what is connectivity (public transport) like from the airport to any of the resources mentioned and to both Mazarron and La Manga?

[@Spainunfiltered]

Hi, there are buses from the airport to Murcia and Cartagena although they are only available on a couple of days of the week in the winter. There is a bus network that connects up most of the major towns and also a light train that connects murcia and cartagena via balsicas. Of course the AVE is in its way. If you are used to the regularity of buses in urban areas of the UK you will find the frequency disappointing. To explore the golf resorts you will need to go by car.

[@kevinomalley1521]

He's back, wondered where you'd gone

[@Spainunfiltered]

Ha! If I had had any idea how long it would take me to write a book and to make this video I probably would never have started.... but I'm glad I did, it's good to be back!

[@andydunkerley8465]

Really intelligent video Ive now been a couple going back in February now Will have a hire car again.

[@Spainunfiltered]

Thanks Andy. Theres a lot to explore so definitely worth having a car. Feel free to drop me an email of you want and pointers!

[@kevinomalley1521]

A top 5 places to live in Murcia vid would be awesome, like the Alicante one

[@Spainunfiltered]

Okay, I've got a lot of footage to work with so I'll keep that in mind!

[@kevinomalley1521]

@@Spainunfiltered Excellent. Wife & daughter (5) & I moving permanently in 2 years ish. Your vid helped put Pilar de la Horadada ahead of Quesada/Rojales (bit too far from the sea for us)....we've never visited Pilar, but coming over in March/April for 9-10 days to have a real good drive around. Gran Alacant and Playa Flamenca/La Zenia area also on the shortlist. Murcia is lovely and interesting, but we're too invested in Alicante to widen our search even more!

[@Spainunfiltered]

@ thats good to hear! Pilar is right on the border of Murcia and a lot of murcianos (from the city) have weekend properties there. In many ways its more characteristic of The Murcia region than Alicante (or the Communidad Valenciano). So much so that I often see people misidentifying it as being on the Costa Calida rather than the Costa Blanca. When you’re heading over feel free to drop me an email and I’ll be happy to give you some pointers.

[@kevinomalley1521]

@@Spainunfiltered Thanks a million mate, I'll keep in touch. Do they teach Valenciano in schools as far south as Pilar? Im obviously keen for her to learn Spanish properly, but learning Valenciano too could be tricky along with having to settle into a whole new life. We currently live in Croydon South London lol

[@Spainunfiltered]

@ I’m not sure about the curriculum to be honest (I don’t think it’s compulsory and if it is none of the kids I know speak it) but its not spoken in the area.

[@chrisclarke7828]

I bought a brand new terraced house in Murcia in 2007, communal pool that never had water in it and it was completely furnished, l could have walked in with only a tooth bush it was on 4 floors, garage, first floor, bedrooms and then a terrace over the roof area. Good price, i was happy, but never got to use it so much. The price was 123.000 euros all in...........................i had a job to get 87,000 for it 3 years later. There is a video here of a new urbanisation near the pink late where new finished houses have been broken into and are left abandoned.

[@Spainunfiltered]

Sorry to hear that. I really hope that this video doesn’t make light of your experiences because it is absolutely not intended to. I really do believe that under current banking regulations the conditions that led to the crash can’t reoccur, but it doesn’t make much difference for those who had already lost.

[@chrisclarke7828]

@@Spainunfiltered I never watched.

[@theSSHITT]

Both! Florida is a land of broken dreams. I'm native Floridian, highly credentialed, and used to be hard working and the Florida labor market broke me. I could not find a decent paying job anywhere near my home. We had a housing boom and crash. Florida has a ton of enviornmental problems. It's a weird transient place with a ton of beauty and uglyness. I'm friends with a Murcian and visit her every summer. I love Murcia, but because I have seen it up close, I can tell you that it also has its pretty and ugly parts. The difference is that the Murcian people are much warmer and more welcoming than Florida Man.

[@pennybaxter4]

Argh san javier “ your so missed ✈️ .

[@Spainunfiltered]

It was very convenient!

[@JanetTrout-x7z]

Real estate 101. Deposits should be held in escrow, not held by the developer

[@Spainunfiltered]

Things are done slightly different in Spain, however nobody should deposit any money without specific guarantees in place that serve to independently protect the funds, all governed by legislation that was passed in 2015 following the crash. To be able to get those guarantees certain conditions need to be in place, so not only does the system protect the money, it also massively reduces the possibility that the funds are at risk in the first place. All the details are in my book - www.spainunfiltered.com/chasing-the-sun

[@billblunden1549]

Mojacar...! Maybe?

[@Spainunfiltered]

@@billblunden1549 all in good time Bill 👍

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Spain is different mate

[@Spainunfiltered]

@@benjamindejonge3624 as said the advertising campaigns… it most definitely is!

[@susanaescriba977]

All these areas are for real estate speculators of all nationalities. If you are looking in urbanizations, resorts, buildings by the sea, etc... you are a target for speculators. In the city and inland there is real life but foreigners who come to live here have no interest in it.

[@Spainunfiltered]

@@susanaescriba977 I agree that if you are looking in these areas you can be a target for agents and some of the less scrupulous players in the market. My book guides people on how to make sure they make informed decisions and aren’t just sold to. Also not all agents are unscrupulous, some can be very diligent and helpful. I don’t think it’s fair to say that people who buy in these resorts are not interested in ‘real life’ -some of them, sure - but not all of them.

[@susanaescriba977]

@Spainunfiltered I am Spanish and I know what I am talking about. The tourist ghettos flood the coast, the only interest is the sun, many live here for years and do not even speak Spanish. That is a reality. You will only know a society if you enter to live there, work in a Spanish company and take your children to a Spanish school. The rest are just long-stay tourists.

[@Spainunfiltered]

Y con todo respeto sé de lo que hablo. Como muchos de mis contemporáneos hablo español, tengo un profundo amor por su país, tengo muchos amigos españoles. He trabajado para empresas españolas. He explorado mucho más allá de la costa y leí mucho sobre la historia de España. Simplemente digo que no toda la gente que viene a España es como usted describe y no todos los centros turísticos costeros son "guetos". Por favor, mira el vídeo hasta el final y verás el mensaje completo que intento transmitir sobre la región de Murcia.

[@susanaescriba977]

@@Spainunfiltered Gracias por sus palabras y por contestar en español.

[@Kevin-zz9nc]

Plenty of broken dreams in Florida....long before the current crisis and plenty of poverty too.

[@Spainunfiltered]

Very true, there were many parallels between the building boom, and the 'sub-prime' mortgage industry in both areas. Greedy developers and too much money lent to too many people who couldn't afford to pay it and back fixed against properties with over inflated values. But, as I say in the video, in Murcia at least, things are a lot healthier now and it's time to start looking forwards.

[@Spainunfiltered]

Hi Dicky, really sorry for the slow response, for some reason (no idea why) youtube flagged your message as "potentially inappropriate" and filtered it into a list that I only just came across! On the grand scheme of it Orihuela costa is relatively cheap compared to the Costa del Sol (in terms of property prices and green fees). But you get even better value in Murcia at the moment. You can see more in my latest video kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4O8eIyke8uFiqs How about Scotland in the summer when Spain is too hot to play in the middle of the day, and Spain in the winter when Scotlands' to wet and windy?

[@Stuart.Branson.]

Unfortunately it's a bit of a dump and wont be changing any time soon. Geographically beautiful as is most of Spain but people ruined it as always.

[@Spainunfiltered]

Its a huge region and has its good parts and bad. I guess its nothing like the super villa Ibiza or Marbella lifestyle but as I say in the video, beyond the beaches and golf courses there is so much more on offer. I certainly wouldn’t call it a dump.

[@barryoneill-ec9zz]

Great to hear this, But The EU is shakey, Next year will be very uncertain for europe, Things are about to change for the worse

[@Spainunfiltered]

@@barryoneill-ec9zz you may be right, globally we live in uncertain times, but people have been saying the same thing about the EU for years (especially in the UK). This isn’t an investment channel, its about lifestyle, however most forecasts I see predict between 1-2% growth in the EU with above 2% in Spain and Murcia specifically is predicted to have the second highest growth of the Spanish Communities. About 0.5% growth is expected in the UK. I’m not an economist and so I can’t say with any certainty who is right and who is wrong. What I can say with certainty is that the conditions that led to the crash in the spanish property market in the late 2000’s are not apparent now, and with the regulatory changes that came about after the crash I don’t think its possible that those conditions could every be seen again.

[@wethinkweknowitall]

That's why I am moving to Spain as Oz is becoming a worry. The whole UN nations will go through negative changes. 😪 Still, at least there are other places to explore as long as it's possible.

[@barryoneill-ec9zz]

@@Spainunfiltered Thanks for that post, I did really like Spain it's got the best climate, and your right lifestyle, sun, fun, I guess once your financially secure Spain is a perfect place, If you didn't watch the news you would be fine.

[@dennishaggerty463]

I found the recent history and overview of Murcia region very informative. You have explained why I have seen abandoned buildings and half built tower blocks around the marina near Guardamar further up the coast from the Mar Menor. It was a half abandoned development and the marina a bit run down compared to nearby Santa Pola, that is far smarter and up market. It would be great to think the region is now getting back on its feet and some of the investment in Murcia spreads a little further north. Arguably a fantastic opportunity to invest now and take advantage of a potentially massive uplift in real estate values around Guardamar too.

[@ruthruth7782]

It looks hideous and sterile, presumably the fish haven’t come back

[@Spainunfiltered]

I don't think it will ever return to its original natural state, but it is alive and I don't think many people would agree that it looks "hideous and sterile". The test will come if and when there is a DANA in the area and if the resulting runoff results in a spike in nitrites. Hopefully that won't happen before the planned flood water protection works in Los Alcazares are put in place. The government could be working faster and if the state of the Mar Menor concerns you I am sure that pressure groups like SOS Mar Menor would be grateful for your support.

[@lolitarouge]

Spains florida would be Marbella surely..although *Marbella is more beautiful.

[@Spainunfiltered]

Spain’s Beverly Hill’s maybe? Of course beauty is in the eye of the beholder 🙂