International House Hunters

Summertime is PCS (Permanent Change of Station) season in the military which means there are lots of people coming and going. It affects everything from packing dates, travel arrangements, hotel availability, job procedures and most especially here in Rota it affects housing. Southern Spain is a vacation destination for many Spaniards and other Europeans looking for a respite from hot summer temps. So Rota, which is normally a smallish town of about 15,000, sees a surge of visitors that can take the population upwards of 75,000 during the summer months. Many homes that have or could potentially be rented are pulled out of the market and put up as vacation homes. The inventory is very low and the demand is very high. It’s like an international house hunting frenzy!

All rental homes for military personnel in the area must be inspected and approved by the housing office on base. Verbal agreements are binding in Spain and many (most) of the sailors who move here don’t speak Spanish. The process is supposed to help protect tenants like us from getting into contracts with landlords that may result in disputes or conflicts down the road. Additionally, the on-base housing in Rota is in a transition period. Many of the homes are undergoing or slated for remodels. Many families that may have opted to live on base are forced to look out in town because there just simply aren’t enough homes available. The housing allowance is significant (varies based on rank and time of service) and landlords love to rent to Americans because the leases are typically long-term and the rent is guaranteed. Unemployment in this area is greater than 50 percent. Landlords can often charge service members up to 2 or 3 times the rent a local would pay. Looking at listings and talking to other families who have been here a while, it is not uncommon for  homes to have beautiful yards and exquisite interiors, many with swimming pools and walking distance to a breathtaking beach. It’s really crazy.

Because of the unique market and the diversity of the neighborhoods around the Naval base, it’s pretty much impossible to look for a home before arriving in Spain. We searched online to get an idea of what might be available and what the typical home looks like, but had NO idea where to begin until we started driving around and looking. Also, because we arrived after the local school registration (we plan to send the kids to Spanish schools rather than the DOD school on the base), finding a home near a great school isn’t really a concern like we are used to in the USA. Our last home was chosen primarily based on its proximity to the school we wanted the kids to be at. This year our kids will attend any school in town that has space for them, which could be close by or several miles across the city. We won’t know until a few days before school starts where that might be. The process and the unknown are a bit unnerving but everyone assures us it’s normal and it will all work out so we are just trusting that for now.

    

It’s been super hot (35+ C) so we’ll take the shade where we can find it! Lots of time spent waiting for runners and landlords! Also, our internet is spotty so it’s great that restaurants have playgrounds – the kids can play while we look at house listings online.

House hunting is exhausting. The website that lists homes for rent is nothing like Zillow or Realtor.com. It’s not super user-friendly and the listings are outdated and incomplete. One day a house will appear available and then the next day it won’t even turn up in the search results. The process is like this: First, search the online database for homes that meet your criteria (# of beds/baths, city, rent, features, etc.). Then, take the listing numbers to the housing office where they look up each listing and let you know if it is really available or not. Then, if any of the ones you like are actually available, the housing counselor will call the contacts and set up an appointment for you to go see the home. Normally, they will take you out to see the properties with them just like a real estate agent might do. The great thing is that since Brandon is very comfortable speaking Spanish, they have been able to set up appointments and in some cases even just given us the contact information and we have been able to go see homes on our own rather than waiting for a housing counselor to be able to take us with them. Some people we’ve met who arrived the same time we did have only been to see 2-3 homes so far. In the 9 days we have been looking we have probably seen more than 20 houses already. That’s been a huge advantage. But, at the same time, we are getting pretty tired of house hunting!

The bread at local panarias makes for a great bribe after hours of non-stop house showings. And a quick stop at the beach reminds us that we are hunting for the perfect home – and this could be our backyard!