Newbie considering move to Spain - probably Galicia.

I am so sorry to hear you were ill and congrats on the wedding.  I am really interested in the Pontevedra region and will be interested to hear how the rainfall and winter months compare for you. I have been comparing precipitation rates to cities in Ireland.  Overall, it looks lower than Ireland. I love the rain but would like a little less.    I am considering renting first and then buying.  If you have a good experience with brokers, gestors or attorneys, please let me know.  I am busy browsing Idealista!   Any recommendations you have re. banks would be much appreciated.  My Spanish is reasonable but very rusty.  Do you hear a lot of Gallego?  Very good luck with your move also!

@Cosmo Ambiente

Great news re. the high speed rail.  I have visited Andalusia and it is beautiful but hot!

Hello all,

I'm also trying to move to the Galicia region, Santiago de Compestela or A Coruna region. I've tried emailing a few places to rent on Idealista to try to arrange a flight over and viewing, but it seems when they hear I am foreign (British) they just don't reply. Is that common? For further information, I do have an EU passport too.

Also, I would be happy to connect with others when I go, make a few friends here.

Hello, Mike  Here is some personal experience. I just tried to rent for three months in Valencia, starting looking only two weeks ahead of my arrival, and it  did not go  that well.  I am going to move tomorrow to my forth apartment within one month.  It turns out that most aparts have no soundproofing, and you hear your neighbors when they flush or cough, talk, anything. There are many dogs, and leaving then alone crying at home is not that unfrequent.  If I were to do it again, I would look  for a chalet or house on Booking with high grades, a lot ahead of time (since  they are of course rarer).  To your question, I also wrote to tens of agents listed on Idealista, and only a few answered, for example Engelbert, who charge an extra 15%, I seem to remember. In the end, I went with Airbnb.  I understand that  the typical  Spanish rental  for more than three months is appropriate more  for locals, or for people who got  NIE (some tax identifier for foreigners), let's say for people who are already in Spain and know well how to deal with the probable noise nuisances.  Good luck PS: It maybe that my next attempt will be Porto (I hope for better soundproofing:)  In that case, we will be almost neighbors

@florinavram Thank you. This is very helpful, I was actually thinking along the air bnb route too. Thanks for the heads up on the neighbours and sounds!

@MikeNS Hi Mike, I saw your comment regarding moving to Galicia. I´m approaching my 7th year here and love it. What you mentioned about the estate agents not replying, it doesn´t have anything to do with you being British, but rather the lack of apartments / housing in the cities. The last couple of years have been bumper years for tourism, many landlords prefer shorter holiday lets as it´s more lucrative. This then has an affect on those looking for somewhere to rent long term (city workers). You would have better luck looking for a place outside of Santiago / Coruña / Vigo. I live in the countryside around 45 minutes from Santiago. It´s the best of both worlds, peace and quiet but not so far away from the city and with some big towns in between. Hope this helps. Anything else you´d like to know, just ask.