Cosas de España 

Thinking of buying a house in Spain? If so, you should read this comment from El Pais, cited by Lenox Napier of Business over Tapas: Why are we buying houses like crazy? The purchase and rental of homes in Spain soars, despite the fact that real estate prices are at historical highs’. For one reason, rents are up, ‘with people in Madrid having to make a firm decision even before they’ve finished inspecting the apartment’. Secondly, Spain is a country of home-owners, with almost 60,000 bought just in March. People are even buying without seeing the place first says one analyst. Furthermore, there aren’t that many new apartments being built and sold on the open market, bringing more attention to second-hand homes (80%). Some buyers see buying property as a hedge against inflation, while others, now with a proper work-contract are able to look for a mortgage.   

If you’re looking to buy in the countryside (el campo) Lenox has this advice from The Olive News: The issues to be concerned about include: possible paperwork irregularities, a lack of water, border disputes, access problems, hostile neighbours and the need for planning permissions. As ever when buying property here, you should use a lawyer, but never the one recommended by the estate agent. And you should never rely just on the notary, who’s a state employee and not someone dedicated to looking after your interests.

If you’ve been hit by a humungous fine levied under the infamous Modelo 720 law of 2012 – or even a (relatively) small one –  you’ll be interested to know that – after a wait of only 10 years – the European court has declared the level of fines illegal, meaning they must be re-assessed by Spain’s Supreme Court and paid back to you. In part, at least. In theory.

A reader has raised the issue on asthma levels in Galicia. Looking at this, and talking to a friend who suffers from it, I learnt that dust mites are a major factor and that: Natural climate patterns can favour the build-up of dust mites in houses, and some areas are more favourable for dust mites than others. The coastal regions with higher humidity and warmer temperatures have higher household dust mite levels than inland areas with a drier climate and more extreme temperatures.

As for the Mi & Mi shop in Pv, both my neighbour and reader Paideleo came up with ‘Miami’ and the latter suggested the initial of names such as Miriam & Micaela. But, as reader David pointed out, one thing’s for sure – the shop in Pv is closing down.

The UK 

The accident which was waiting to happen and which already has at least once here in Spain: An e-scooter collision has claimed the first pedestrian life. A grandmother died after being hit by a boy of 14 riding on the pavement. In 2021, 9 people were killed in collisions involving e-scooters but all these were riders, not pedestrians.

Quote of the Day

Epicurus again:- Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.

Spanish 

A new bit of Spanglish, kindly sent to me by Lenox: Un nocaut: A KO, knockout.

Finally . . .

To raise a smile. Maybe . . .

For new readers: If you’ve landed here looking for info on Galicia or Pontevedra, try here. If you’re passing through Pontevedra on the Camino, you’ll find a guide to the city there.