[Hardy Daytona]

   
This is precisely what I've been hunting for!
Property prices in London are fucking extortion - if you were looking for a minimalist bachelor pad, say 35 square metres, you'd be looking at over £100,000. But a small village for not even that? That's a steal is what it is.
Add together the fact that I speak Spanish (5 years in school plus practicing on the occasional tourist) makes it even more tempting.
I've also worked in construction, currently at a design firm, so I've got knowledge of the basics to get things up and running. Admittedly not so much in a rural capacity but there's got to be some overlap.

The only issue I foresee is money. I've got a few thousand saved up but I don't know if that would be enough for a deposit, let alone to secure finance for a project like this.

[samsamsam]

I think if you got a village then fixed up one unit.

Enough for a couple of separate rooms, you could probably make it a volunteer thing. Where people just show up to help fix stuff.

2 issues
1) Liability - they would need to sign waivers
2) You will probably have to feed them - can't make them travel to you, work for free and then make them get their own food.

I wonder if it is possible to turn it into a "Resort" - or at least a getaway spot for people to just want to disappear for a couple of weeks of pure chill.

[Spectrumwalker]

(08-14-2015 09:51 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  

you could probably make it a volunteer thing. Where people just show up to help fix stuff.

2 issues
1) Liability - they would need to sign waivers
2) You will probably have to feed them - can't make them travel to you, work for free and then make them get their own food.

I wonder if it is possible to turn it into a "Resort" - or at least a getaway spot for people to just want to disappear for a couple of weeks of pure chill.

Great find OP. Count me in. In reference to the quote above if you are a landowner and looking for a helping hand make an account with workaway.info. You can have travelers stay and help you in exchange for food and accommodation. There are no waivers but you must provide them with food that's part of the deal. I'm a workawayer in South America trying to learn as much as I can about farming and construction so I can own my little self sufficient Kingdom one day somewhere.

I will be in Spain in January to walk the El Camino and work on some more farms. Will scout out some of these opportunities and report.

[Saweeep]

(08-14-2015 09:42 AM)Hardy Daytona Wrote:  

This is precisely what I've been hunting for!
Property prices in London are fucking extortion - if you were looking for a minimalist bachelor pad, say 35 square metres, you'd be looking at over £100,000. But a small village for not even that? That's a steal is what it is.
Add together the fact that I speak Spanish (5 years in school plus practicing on the occasional tourist) makes it even more tempting.
I've also worked in construction, currently at a design firm, so I've got knowledge of the basics to get things up and running. Admittedly not so much in a rural capacity but there's got to be some overlap.

The only issue I foresee is money. I've got a few thousand saved up but I don't know if that would be enough for a deposit, let alone to secure finance for a project like this.

I reckon your chances of securing a mortgage are slim to none.

Firstly, it would surely be a form of buy to let...which depends on rental income above all else.

If not, a commercial mortgage isn't going to happen either. A bank manager would think you were mental if you went to them with this idea.

These ideas are for cash purchasers with a penchant for risk, only.


The other things (amongst loads of others) that you guys aren't considering are (and I don't know the answers):

Permits and taxes for development/redevelopment. I suspect lots of cash would need to grease local politicians' palms before anything got done.

How far are these places from infrastructure and even food etc.

Where are your building supplies coming from and how much will they cost to transport?

The fact that your properties will not be worth much more than the purchase price fully completed and redeveloped. Spain and even Portugal and Southern France are awash with unwanted countryside properties.


I hate to be a dream stealer (Sorry Sam), but this whole idea is insane.

[Sonsowey]

This whole thing makes me think of Colombian "fincas turisticas" basically farmhouses out in the mountainside where people go for a week to just relax in the Eje Cafetero - the coffee region.

http://www.fincahotelsolyluna.com/

I know nothing about establishing a hotel or anything like that but it seems like the same sort of thing could be done with these properties. Hell I actually have friends who stayed at a place like this in Italy, they grew their own wine and had other crops they grew there, they just stayed there out in the countryside for a week eating natural food and loving it.

[TonySandos]

(08-14-2015 12:33 PM)CrashBangWallop Wrote:  

These ideas are for cash purchasers with a penchant for risk, only.


I hate to be a dream stealer (Sorry Sam), but this whole idea is insane.

I completely agree and that's why it appeals to me.

The moment someone said "abandoned villages" I knew there had to be a good inclination for entire neighborhoods to leave. The value is solely for those that want a modest retirement home that's not likely to attract strong envies for redevelopment.

Speaking for myself only, everything would be done rogue builder style; pickup to transport materials, skeleton crew, skeleton renovation plan, maximum amount of work done by myself, no fancy interior design, basic aesthetics, no complicated plans until a returning income is establishment at the property, be inventive as possible around securing materials, building idea and politicking the establishment.


This is still very much a dream idea.

[samsamsam]

(08-14-2015 12:33 PM)CrashBangWallop Wrote:  

I hate to be a dream stealer (Sorry Sam), but this whole idea is insane.

I agree

I wouldn't do it.

Your grounded/thoughtful input is always appreciated!

[Comte De St. Germain]

(08-13-2015 10:39 PM)TonySandos Wrote:  

You're in H? I may throw my plans into the RVF retirement package as well.

What could be better than a scenic neighborhood with a "romantic" atmosphere not far from the coast. Spain isn't that large of a country, so any village reasonably close to a larger township is sustainable.

Definitely in this for the long haul, but I'm a bit partial to mountains. Would like to brew my own wine in my late age as well as enjoy a mountainous view. Basque Country was my first choice as that's my favorite place in the world, but the mountains of Spain would be a close second.

[Belgrano]

(08-14-2015 09:30 AM)CrashBangWallop Wrote:  

I always feel Spain is one debt repayment away from going all Franco and seizing properties / burning foreigners etc.

Or one debt repayment way from your property being (even more) worthless.

Anyone here really thinks that of all the people in the world, the Spanish wouldn´t know how to make money from adapting those houses/villages for tourism if it was even remotely possible? People don´t sell real estate that has probably been in their family´s possession for generations if there would be any perspective or other alternative.
I just had a look at the site, a lot of the cheaper properties on offer are basically ruins somewhere in the woods. They remind me of the abandoned WW2 bunkers you will sometimes find here in the Austrian Alps.

Some of those properties could be nice if you want to retire in the countryside though, might be possible to renovate them on your own and live a self-sustaining life away from civilization there if you have nothing left to prove and enough money stowed away.

Having said all that, the site is interesting to browse, just to see what opportunities are out there. I´m sure there are some bargains to be found, and fellow forum members who are less risk-averse and/or more business savvy than me might just make something out of it.

It´s always amazing to see what a variety of information and knowledge can be found on RVF.

[Lime]

First thing that comes to mind is the climate. Galicia does not have a good/warm climate in summer. However, some of the abandoned villages/fincas are closely situated to premium surf spots.

Also, I have quite some experience in residential real estate and you can say that renovating these abandoned houses can cost you 1000 Euros per square meter and if you want to do it luxuriously for around 1500 Euros per square meter. Unless you do a lot yourself.

I've been learning Spanish and I was in a taxi in Valencia a few weeks ago. The real estate prices in Valencia are really low: you can have an apartment close to the beach for around 50.000 euros. The taxi driver told me that the prices are much lower than that they were.

Also, 'pisos compartidos' (big apartments, mostly shared by students) in a place such as Granada are cheap, and Granada is one of the cities in Spain that are best for game: Spanish girls there are open-minded, a lot of exchange students.

[RedPillUK]

No need to dream about an RVF community, people from here are already looking into it. If you're interested or think you could help, I would suggest you contact them.

One of RoK's writers, Simon Wolfe, has been looking into this and writing about it on his blog.

http://www.thisblogisdangerous.com/spanish-mission/
"We’ll fortify the whole village. What better way to signal that it is a deeply exclusionary community than to build a wall around it? Existing in the same space as the modern world but separate from it. No democracy, no divisive politics or politicians grubbing for votes but a community united in spirit, led and protected by a traditional military order.

If you think this sounds like feudalism you might be right. I recommend to you the essay Hope is in the Past by SFC Steven M Barry:

‘…the average serf in the 10th or 11th century had more personal liberty than the most rabid and anarchical “freeman,” who is a slave of “the law,” does today.’

Those who baulk at the idea of living in a feudal community are always free to stay in the corrosive modern world with its freedom of speech, only going as far as repeating the progressive dogma, and its meaningless voting and democracy which has only caused an inversion of moral values. You’re free to stay in the modern world with its high fructose corn syrup, corporate lobbying, acquiescence to radical Islam, its faithlessness, its childlessness, its devotion to money and the converging horrors of capitalism and communism. If you think your civilisation and culture can survive in that climate then you are welcome to stay there.

I know many people who want to revolt against the modern world, but are trapped inside it. There are many that wish to escape it, but to where do they run? It is foolish escapism to just run off into the woods, no matter how attractive that daydream may be. Without a plan or a better place to go just makes one a refugee.

This isn’t to be a commune for Luddites, hippies and dropouts. We reject modernity but not the technological achievements of European ingenuity. We are ardently anti-democratic. We are patriarchal, reactionary and ethnocentric and believe in living in accordance with Natural law, hierarchy and beauty.

How many people work their whole lives dreaming of a pastoral retirement? Billions of humans are spending decades of their lives slaving away in offices and factories just for a glimpse of rural life at the end of it all. You could give up on working for the profit of corporations and government and have that rural life right now. It’s an adventure waiting to be seized. If it sounds unworkable, unwinnable, or just sheer madness, then you are not the person that we are looking for.

It’s ambitious, crazy and dangerous. Good. Why would someone do this? I ask why would you not? Life is supposed to be a dangerous struggle against adversity and ourselves. You can accept defeat or you can head out into the storm and make something of yourself. Make your life a story worth telling. This is still a time for adventurers and heroes and rebels, more than ever. We’re riding out the decline of one empire and planting the seeds for the next."

Two people from his group recently went to Galicia to meet with the Mayor of the one of these villages and gather information. However the more people we have involved in this the more likely it is to work.
Here is their report:

http://www.thisblogisdangerous.com/galicia-recon/

"Conclusion

In view of its demography, ecology, culture, climate and topography I am overwhelmingly convinced that this area of Galicia is ideally suited to our needs."

[SpanishDave]

I am Spanish and there are Spanish groups repopulating these villages especially in areas with good farm land. My cousin is doing this.

Facebook group in Spanish with large following. Lots of single women but most have kids.

[samsamsam]

(10-31-2015 10:20 AM)SpanishDave Wrote:  

I am Spanish and there are Spanish groups repopulating these villages especially in areas with good farm land. My cousin is doing this.

Facebook group in Spanish with large following. Lots of single women but most have kids.

Could post some links? I do think it is a very good idea to have access to good farm land.

[Sonsowey]

(10-31-2015 08:46 AM)RedPillUK Wrote:  

No need to dream about an RVF community, people from here are already looking into it. If you're interested or think you could help, I would suggest you contact them.

One of RoK's writers, Simon Wolfe, has been looking into this and writing about it on his blog.

http://www.thisblogisdangerous.com/spanish-mission/
"We’ll fortify the whole village. What better way to signal that it is a deeply exclusionary community than to build a wall around it? Existing in the same space as the modern world but separate from it. No democracy, no divisive politics or politicians grubbing for votes but a community united in spirit, led and protected by a traditional military order.

If you think this sounds like feudalism you might be right. I recommend to you the essay Hope is in the Past by SFC Steven M Barry:

‘…the average serf in the 10th or 11th century had more personal liberty than the most rabid and anarchical “freeman,” who is a slave of “the law,” does today.’

Those who baulk at the idea of living in a feudal community are always free to stay in the corrosive modern world with its freedom of speech, only going as far as repeating the progressive dogma, and its meaningless voting and democracy which has only caused an inversion of moral values. You’re free to stay in the modern world with its high fructose corn syrup, corporate lobbying, acquiescence to radical Islam, its faithlessness, its childlessness, its devotion to money and the converging horrors of capitalism and communism. If you think your civilisation and culture can survive in that climate then you are welcome to stay there.

I know many people who want to revolt against the modern world, but are trapped inside it. There are many that wish to escape it, but to where do they run? It is foolish escapism to just run off into the woods, no matter how attractive that daydream may be. Without a plan or a better place to go just makes one a refugee.

This isn’t to be a commune for Luddites, hippies and dropouts. We reject modernity but not the technological achievements of European ingenuity. We are ardently anti-democratic. We are patriarchal, reactionary and ethnocentric and believe in living in accordance with Natural law, hierarchy and beauty.

How many people work their whole lives dreaming of a pastoral retirement? Billions of humans are spending decades of their lives slaving away in offices and factories just for a glimpse of rural life at the end of it all. You could give up on working for the profit of corporations and government and have that rural life right now. It’s an adventure waiting to be seized. If it sounds unworkable, unwinnable, or just sheer madness, then you are not the person that we are looking for.

It’s ambitious, crazy and dangerous. Good. Why would someone do this? I ask why would you not? Life is supposed to be a dangerous struggle against adversity and ourselves. You can accept defeat or you can head out into the storm and make something of yourself. Make your life a story worth telling. This is still a time for adventurers and heroes and rebels, more than ever. We’re riding out the decline of one empire and planting the seeds for the next."

Two people from his group recently went to Galicia to meet with the Mayor of the one of these villages and gather information. However the more people we have involved in this the more likely it is to work.
Here is their report:

http://www.thisblogisdangerous.com/galicia-recon/

"Conclusion

In view of its demography, ecology, culture, climate and topography I am overwhelmingly convinced that this area of Galicia is ideally suited to our needs."

This is amazing.

[Saweeep]

(10-31-2015 02:57 PM)Sonsowey Wrote:  

(10-31-2015 08:46 AM)RedPillUK Wrote:  

No need to dream about an RVF community, people from here are already looking into it. If you're interested or think you could help, I would suggest you contact them.

One of RoK's writers, Simon Wolfe, has been looking into this and writing about it on his blog.

http://www.thisblogisdangerous.com/spanish-mission/
"We’ll fortify the whole village. What better way to signal that it is a deeply exclusionary community than to build a wall around it? Existing in the same space as the modern world but separate from it. No democracy, no divisive politics or politicians grubbing for votes but a community united in spirit, led and protected by a traditional military order.

If you think this sounds like feudalism you might be right. I recommend to you the essay Hope is in the Past by SFC Steven M Barry:

‘…the average serf in the 10th or 11th century had more personal liberty than the most rabid and anarchical “freeman,” who is a slave of “the law,” does today.’

Those who baulk at the idea of living in a feudal community are always free to stay in the corrosive modern world with its freedom of speech, only going as far as repeating the progressive dogma, and its meaningless voting and democracy which has only caused an inversion of moral values. You’re free to stay in the modern world with its high fructose corn syrup, corporate lobbying, acquiescence to radical Islam, its faithlessness, its childlessness, its devotion to money and the converging horrors of capitalism and communism. If you think your civilisation and culture can survive in that climate then you are welcome to stay there.

I know many people who want to revolt against the modern world, but are trapped inside it. There are many that wish to escape it, but to where do they run? It is foolish escapism to just run off into the woods, no matter how attractive that daydream may be. Without a plan or a better place to go just makes one a refugee.

This isn’t to be a commune for Luddites, hippies and dropouts. We reject modernity but not the technological achievements of European ingenuity. We are ardently anti-democratic. We are patriarchal, reactionary and ethnocentric and believe in living in accordance with Natural law, hierarchy and beauty.

How many people work their whole lives dreaming of a pastoral retirement? Billions of humans are spending decades of their lives slaving away in offices and factories just for a glimpse of rural life at the end of it all. You could give up on working for the profit of corporations and government and have that rural life right now. It’s an adventure waiting to be seized. If it sounds unworkable, unwinnable, or just sheer madness, then you are not the person that we are looking for.

It’s ambitious, crazy and dangerous. Good. Why would someone do this? I ask why would you not? Life is supposed to be a dangerous struggle against adversity and ourselves. You can accept defeat or you can head out into the storm and make something of yourself. Make your life a story worth telling. This is still a time for adventurers and heroes and rebels, more than ever. We’re riding out the decline of one empire and planting the seeds for the next."

Two people from his group recently went to Galicia to meet with the Mayor of the one of these villages and gather information. However the more people we have involved in this the more likely it is to work.
Here is their report:

http://www.thisblogisdangerous.com/galicia-recon/

"Conclusion

In view of its demography, ecology, culture, climate and topography I am overwhelmingly convinced that this area of Galicia is ideally suited to our needs."

This is amazing.

Yeah, till people get ill or start killing one another.

[Porfirio Rubirosa]

(08-14-2015 09:30 AM)CrashBangWallop Wrote:  

I always feel Spain is one debt repayment away from going all Franco and seizing properties / burning foreigners etc.

Franco wasn't the one seizing property...

Unless you were a Republican, of course.