Wednesday 15 July 2009

The New Face of Advertising in Spain

A little known and even less advertised government project plans to do away with television advertising on state owned channels in Spain sometime next year.

How it will compensate them for the loss of revenue is not quite clear yet.

One thing I am absolutely confident of is that private television companies are opening bottles of champagne to celebrate the news as it will mean more revenue for them and less cost. They will be able to stretch 1 hour and 45 minutes of film to 3 hours with the obvious consequences that people will switch off whatever they are watching because they cannot remember what it was about in the first place.

So, all in all good news for viewers, publishers, gymnasiums and society’s health in general. Effective advertising in future will be channeled via the internet so why not start now by listing your company on www.servicesdirectspain.com for as little as 55€ per year.

Roadworks... Aaarggh!!

The road from Coín to Alhaurín el Grande via Barranco Blanco is closed for a year due to the improvement work being carried out.

The road from Alhaurín el Grande to Fuengirola is closed for the same length of time and for the same reasons.

Apparently there are plans to close the road from Alhaurín el Grande to Mijas for about a year to also improve it.

Can you believe it! I think it’s time to start advertising your business on this website and let clients know where you are and how they can get to you.
www.servicesdirectspain.com

Wednesday 24 June 2009

Frai, Comarex, Caja Rural de Granada VS Gabriel Clavijo

A few weeks ago I wrote about Los Llanos de Coin, a golf project approved by the regional government and the then administration of Coin.

This project was stopped by the incoming Mayor, Mr. Clavijo, and his administration, with the support of the citizens of the town on the grounds that it would jeopardize the supply of water to Coin and the surrounding area, as the project would tap into a very crucial water table.
Yesterday the judge decimated the court case brought by the promoters against the Mayor judging it premature and ordered that the case should be archived until further notice. Although the Mayor during a newspaper interview stated that he was happy with the judges decision I am not so sure, because it means that a simple appeal from the plaintiff will be enough to force the case out in the open again.

I am not a lover of politicians but in this particular case I feel sad that a man doing a difficult job, putting the interest of his fellow citizens before his own, should be left to fight this battle on his own.
Clavijo belongs to the Socialist Party which happens to be in power at a regional level as well as a national level.

My question is - Why not stand up and clearly state that the Seville government made a mistake when they approved the initial project?

Honestly admit that the environmental study of the land in question was flawed from the beginning and divert the court case towards them if there has to be one. I sympathize with the promoters who appear to have acted in good faith but the facts are clear.

Los Llanos sits on the main water table of Coin, Alhaurin el Grande and Mijas and should not be used and abused to the detriment of the population of these towns. A compensation agreement between the regional government and the promoters should be reached as soon as possible and the pressure taken off the Mr. Clavijo in order that he can focus on the towns problems rather than having to appear in court to defend other people’s blunders.

Friday 19 June 2009

Beware of dodgy printers / printing companies

Someone, who has since apologized, recommended an Argentinean printer called Fernando to me.

He had a shop near the vegetable market on the Cartama road in Alhaurin el Grande.

I ordered 2,000 for sale and for rent signs which he assured me were water resistant and once he had mounted them or whatever he planned to do they would be ready and I would be joining the growing list of his happy customers.

After many, in fact innumerable telephone calls and emails ( the shop had closed down) he finally delivered the signs which I paid for in full. Once subjected to the infrequent rain the aforementioned water proof signs bubbled up and got soaking wet. They looked awful and not something I could ever send to my customers. He had kept half of the signs to continue working on them but once I complained it took me three weeks of ringing to get him to come back with my merchandise.

I am writing to warn any business in the Alhaurin el grande/ Coin area who may come across a jolly Argentinean printer called Fernando driving a Veterinarian pick up truck to beware.

For reputable service providers go to www.servicesdirectspain.com

Wednesday 17 June 2009

Property.... A Calamity???

Some people see an opportunity in every calamity and others see a calamity in every opportunity!


At the moment the property market is experiencing one calamity after another…apart from those people who have a few bob put aside, and are able to grab this opportunity to purchase there very own villa on the Costa del Sol for half the normal price. Check out www.propertiesdirectspain.com for cheaper property direct from the owner with no commission or hidden charges.


This morning I heard a radio panelist calling the fee paid to Ronaldo by Real Madrid, a disgrace. He said that given the economic situation it was an insult to the unemployed fans. Another panelist argued that it was a sign of economic recovery that would start a chain reaction which would benefit every one in the football world and beyond. I just turned the radio off and am about to send an email to Ronaldo offering him a villa in Marbella where he can relax with Paris Hilton and friends after the matches.

To all Sellers a plea from a frustrated Agent

I had my first serious clients for quite some time a couple of weeks ago.

They had emailed me with specific requirements and had bothered to come to Spain twice in 3 weeks to see the properties that I had chosen for them. They were looking to buy around the Alhaurin el Grande, de la Torre and Mijas area.

In order to have the best properties available I recruited the help of other reputable agents in the area and I feel we did a professional job. Unfortunately to no avail. The clients have not even made an offer although there were lots of favourable noises towards at least three of the twenty four properties they had seen.

On talking to my colleagues, we came to the conclusion that the way properties are priced at the moment and the behaviour of some of the owners is not very conducive to happy sales.

To show someone a property priced at 800,000 € and to be told by the potential buyers that the same property is on someone else’s web page for 600,000 € is a high hurdle to jump over. This practice of giving different prices to different agents is detrimental to the seller as well as the handicapped agents because the buyers will start to doubt everything. Even if the lower price is actually genuine in the end they will very likely change agent and start the whole process again.


To all would be sellers a plea from a frustrated agent. Please make a list of all the agents to whom you have given your property and when you decide to change the selling price please let everybody know without exception. You will benefit in the end I promise you. Piero Repetto www.propertysearchspain.com

Monday 8 June 2009

Direct from Owner Properties: Why direct advertising makes sense for homeowners

Direct from Owner Properties: Why direct advertising makes sense for homeowners

Shared via AddThis

WHY ADVERTISE ON THE INTERNET?

If a man can write a better book . . . or make a better mousetrap, than his neighbour, though he build his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door.
[Emerson]

That was true at the time of Emerson, now if you do not advertise on the internet no-one will beat a path to your door.

It is a must for everyone to be ‘out there’ where google bots roam the invisible space. There are clear signs that the property market is picking up especially in inland Andalucia. We have had a couple of enquiries with people looking for 2/3 bedroom fincas with pool for around 325,000 euro. So if anyone on the Costa del Sol wants to sell upload your property on www.propertiesdirectspain.com . Niki Taylor

Thursday 4 June 2009

Poetry & property go hand in hand

A time to smile, time to cry,

Time to sell, time to buy.

Now is the time to invest,

Property market sure is the best.

Prices are low but will soon rise,

Is it the middle men you despise,

Contact the owners avoid a con,

http://www.propertiesdirectspain.com

COURT RULING FOR LOS LLANOS DEVELOPMENT, COIN

The court case brought by Caja Granada and a promoter against Coín Council for impeding a fully approved development to go ahead, opposite Las Delicias in a place called Los Llanos, was heard on Tuesday….


The judges ruled that the council was acting in good faith and to the benefit of Coin’s residents because the development would take place on top of Coin’s main water table, thus threatening the main supply to the town itself. Of course, the judge left the door open for the bank and promoter to appeal to Andalusia’s Supreme Court of Justice, ‘whatever that means’ so watch this space sometime next year.


Personally I think the present council should not even be in court. To use a metaphor, it is equivalent to putting a person who stops another from abusing a child in prison. The court case should be against the very clever architect who bought the land in the first place. And who then with his generous and all persuading purse convinced the not so bright but all powerful mayor at the time to push the project forward to the regional government as an emblematic and necessary one.


If there was ever a perfect example of “In the world of the blind a one eyed man is King”, this was Coin at the time. At regional level at the time things were not faring much better. The Socialists needed the Andalusian nationalists to run the region so they were prepared to throw a few crumbs at the right time and in the right places. It took an association of ecologists and the then socialist candidate for mayor to stop the whole thing and ask for further environmental studies. These subsequently confirmed the need to stop the folly of building on Los llanos. The then candidate is now the mayor of Coin who was brave enough to go against his own party for a cause he believes is just.


I don’t know who will win in the end but one thing I am absolutely sure of is, the people who devised and approved this dodgy project are not sitting in the docks, the people who bought it are guilty of naivety and the mayor who stand to loose his own house should the Supreme court rule against him should be given a medal for fighting this battle on behalf of his fellow citizens. Piero Repetto

http:// www.propertysearchspain.com

Thursday 21 May 2009

Italian Ministers expense claims

At a meeting of the European finance ministers all present agreed that they could see green shoots ahead.... It was also agreed that they saw pink elephants and pigs fly !!

The meeting ended with a collection instigated by the the Italian minister in aid of Berlosconi's favourite charity. The charity is hoping to purchase luxury penthouses for willing eighteen year old virgins near the Quirinale.

The chancellor wrote a cheque for five thousand pounds and asked for an official receipt in order to claim it back on his expenses!.

Wednesday 20 May 2009

Why direct advertising makes sense for homeowners

Henry Ford credited his success to the heavy advertising he embarked upon. Coca Cola and McDonalds invest billions of dollars every year in publicity. It is about time that you let people know who you are and what you do. For only 55 euro per year your advert will be seen by thousands of people who need your services. Check it out at http://www.servicesdirectspain.com