Q&A: Maxine and Polly, Perelló Properties Direct
We’re out and about meeting the people who run shops, bars and provide services in and around Terres de l’Ebre. Maxine Davis and her daughter Polly Knibbs run estate agency Perelló Properties Direct. They tell us how things have changed since they arrived in 1994 and consider the outlook for the housing market now.
When did you move to Catalunya and why?
Maxine: We moved here as a family (me, my husband and three children) from England in 1994 for a better quality of life – that’s it in a nutshell. However, we were sold a dream that – when we got here and did some homework – wasn’t actually true. But it didn’t matter because we still wanted to come. We decided we would come and build a house to live in and do plan B instead.
And how did you take the move as a teenager, Polly?
Maxine: Badly!
Polly: I was 16 then. I stayed for a year and then I went back to England. After a couple more moves, I decided to stay.
What are the best things about living here now?
Maxine: One of the nicest things is the mix of nationalities. I think that enriches any kind of community. In the morning, we go and have a cup of coffee before we come into the office and we say good morning to people. In England, you see people walking down the street with their brolly and not even looking at one another.
How did you get on without the internet when you first moved here?
Maxine: When we arrived, people were only just starting to get mobile phones. We had to go to one of the bars on a Friday night which was when people from England would phone on the public phone in there. We do have all this technology today, but we still have a nicer way of life here, it’s not taken over by it.
Polly: El Perelló has changed a lot. When we came here, there was one petrol pump on its own on the main street. Now we have a petrol station, a big Spar, the new Chinese supermarket… And the bridges coming in and out of the village were tiny little stone bridges.
What’s the state of the housing market now?
Maxine: For the first time in eight years, I’m cautiously optimistic, because a lot of other things are going in the right direction in Spain – there is a lot of confidence in Spain.
Last year we had a record number of tourists and this year they reckon it’s going to be even higher. So that brings money into the country. If Spanish people start to make money then they come back into the market too.
The other encouraging thing is that the banks are giving mortgages again. And we’ve found the banks very helpful recently.
Polly: The market is always changing. We’re getting a lot of interest from German people and French people at the moment.
How do you think Brexit will change things?
Maxine: Brexit – that’s an unknown thing. When we heard the UK had voted to come out of Europe, we thought that’s it, we won’t get British people buying here. But we actually got an increased number of inquiries. We sold a property recently to some British people who were absolutely livid about Brexit – they wanted to get away.
What advice do you have for people who want to move here?
Polly: So many people are wanting to come but they don’t have enough money, and local rules might mean that they can’t do some of the things that they wanted to, like glamping or bed and breakfasts.
Maxine: The biggest problem is misinformation. People can go on the internet and read up on stuff but it might not apply here and now. Rules are interpreted differently in different towns. You need to really do your homework, because if you come with kids and you want to send them to school you need to have your health cover.
What about getting involved in local life?
Polly: Foreigners are getting more involved now with the community and village life. Having the internet has enabled so many people – younger people – to come to live here and work, rather than only retired people. And if your kids are in the school you have to get involved.
Maxine: A lot of foreigners really care about supporting the village. They want to do their shopping here to support the local economy. The mosaic in El Perelló was done by a group of expats, and they’re doing another one now. They care and that shows how much they care. Everyone gets involved in doing the flowers on the streets for Corpus Christi in June. There’s plenty to get involved in.
Perello Properties Direct is at Carrer Francesc Maciá, 15, El Perelló. See www.ppdsl.com, telephone 977 490 605.
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