Breathtaking Galicia

You live there. You work there. You see some of those places every day. Yet sometimes it's only when those sites are photographed or shot  in such a spectacular way that you realize just how beautiful your country, region, city or village really is. Enjoy Televisión de Galicia's (TVG) promotional video, which you can also view on the website of CIRCOM (European Association of Regional Television).

Foreign investment in Spain's struggling economy

The Galician government has just announced that the Chinese company Beijing 3E is contemplating a €270 m. investment in an oil recycling facility in A Coruña's outer harbour "Punta Langosteira" (located near Caión). The company has agreed to conduct studies on the feasibility of building the plant in Punta Langosteira, the provincial capital's outer harbor. Reactions were not long in coming. As soon as the news was out the provincial capital’s mayor, Carlos Negreira, said the agreement was “…the white hope for the Galician job market.”

Read more: http://technorati.com/business/article/hope-for-spains-struggling-economy/#ixzz1w8xtai5U

This news follows yet another optimistic announcement regarding a contract that was signed earlier this week between the Galician government and Pemex —the world’s 4th largest oil company —for the building of 14 tug boats. 

Read more: http://technorati.com/business/article/hope-for-spains-struggling-economy/#ixzz1w8tt79Qc

As the Spanish press shows, not everyone is in such happy spirits:

El País

Feijóo pide perdón a Pemex por las dudas de la oposición

europapress
Unha empresa china estuda invertir 270 millóns en Punta Langosteira

With the prospect of these major companies investing in the area, I see the land we're selling--and the apartment--as an even better real estate investment. Think about it. Should you let these opportunities slip you by?

Nice news for Spanish real estate. It seems that Spain still tops the list for British citizens wanting to invest in a second home. Let's hope it stays that way.Click here to read more on PropertyWire.com

Simiocracia (de Aleix Saló)

Book-trailer for "Simiocracia, Crónica de la Gran Resaca Económica", published by DeBolsillo. This is part of a series of videos and comics that explore the causes of the current financial crisis in Spain. More information at http://www.aleixsalo.com

Finding a home with no mortgage or monthly rent.

According to an article published in the Spanish newspaper El País, experts are searching for an alternative to private debt, so that we can have access to a home without being tied to either a mortgage or a monthly rent. It seems that even in times of crisis such as these, there's still room for optimism and innovation in the real estate market.

For our most skeptical readers, below we've included a link to the full article published in El País and a short summary in English translated by the author of this blog. In addition, you can find further information on the U.K. government's Rent to HomeBuy scheme here and to A2Dominion and their guide to low cost home ownership.

"Estable como la compra y accesible como el alquiler" (artículo de El País)

http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2012/04/03/actualidad/1333471421_074947.html

"As stable as a purchase and as affordable as a rent

No, this is not a riddle. In London, for those searching for a home there is an alternative to buying—too demanding financially— and to renting, often considered unstable. This is why the Research Group on Access to Housing has just returned from the U.K.

This multidisciplinary and multinational group of experts lead by Dr. Sergio Nasarre, Professor of Civil Law at the State University of Tarragona Rovira i Virgili, addressed the Spanish General Council of Law this week regarding a third scheme.

Few family incomes are able to face housing payments in Madrid, much less in London. There we find two possibilities. The first is the gradual acquisition of a home that is either on the open market or state-subsidized. Buyers start by purchasing a 25% share in the equity on the property and then progressively demonstrate their capacity to pay. The second possibility: Why make a permanent purchase of a home that you will only use, let's say, during your professional life? The answer to this question is temporary ownership. After a certain period, the property is returned to the seller; until then, the temporary buyer is the owner: it is considered an investment and may be freely sold or mortgaged in much the same way as a partial purchase.

…/"

As Fragas do Eume

A bird's eye view of As Fragas do Eume.
Simply stunning!

The video was filmed a few years ago, before the April 7 wildfire partially destroyed this natural woodland.

Our natural resources are the backbone of our economic prosperity, our health and our wellbeing. We can all do something to help preserve them.

A near-zero energy house in Spain

Villa Ana, a sustainable private residence, was designed by architects Iván López Veiga and Juan R. Iglesias Babío in cooperation with Annabella Ortiz, José Álvarez and the engineering studio Indugal. The goal of this group of experts is to become the first Breeam Es certified sustainable building in Spain. This green construction project is located in Santiago de Compostela.

I’ve always imagined a project like Villa Ana on the landlot we offer on this blog and the idea of a near-zero energy house sounds very tempting, especially now that the electric bill has gone up again.

Are any of my readers ready and willing to take the plunge and create something like this green construction project in Caión? It would be adding to the already high environmental and landscape value of the village’s natural surroundings.