American residents Shorrol Pitt and Martin Payne are a step closer to ditching the US for a new life in Spain, thanks to HomeEspaña helping them find a new home in Valencia.
The married couple from Mid-Atlantic state Maryland were thrilled to get the keys to their villa in the Valencian countryside in January 2023. They viewed the property with HomeEspaña in October 2022, when they agreed a purchase price of €185,000. Attracted by the European lifestyle and cheaper cost of living, their plan is to move to Spain permanently once they have worked out the best options for work and visas.
“We viewed about ten properties when we came over last autumn,” said 64-year-old Martin, who is British but has lived in the US nearly 23 years. “We chose our villa due to its peaceful location amongst orange groves and vineyards, and the fact it had already been modernised and is ready to move into – unlike other properties we saw. The price was right too!”
Shorrol and Martin didn’t know the Valencia area previously and spent a year researching property in Spain remotely before crossing the Atlantic to do their viewing trip. They knew they wanted to be on or near the coast so started by looking at Barcelona.
“We realised that Barcelona was too big and expensive and moving south from there we didn’t fancy the coast with its holiday resorts,” continued Martin, a project manager at an engineering company. “Then we came across Valencia and the surrounding area, which is more affordable and feels really European. We love that you can walk easily through the historic old streets, especially as I’m a big history buff! Our new place is in the countryside, 10 minutes from the village of Godelleta, but we’re just 30 minutes’ drive from Valencia city-centre.”
From their home in Maryland, the couple browsed the HomeEspaña website and began communicating with James who helps with on-line enquiries. Working together they compiled a short-list of properties to view when they were ready to visit Spain.
“When we came out, Andy from the HomeEspaña team took over and showed us round,” continued 56-year-old American-born Shorrol, who works at the same engineering company as Martin. “He was really helpful, even after completion when he took the time to introduce us personally to a key-holding firm. HomeEspaña also connected us with a currency transfer specialist and an independent law firm, who we gave power of attorney to. There was nothing they couldn’t help with.”
The couple’s detached villa has three large bedrooms, with a possible fourth, a bathroom, kitchen and open-plan living area which, along with the master bedroom, opens onto a raised balcony with views across the orange groves. There is a large under-build that could be converted into extra living space. Accessed by a gated driveway, the property’s large plot includes a garden and pool with patio area.
The next step for Shorrol and Martin is to plan the timescale and practicalities of their move to Spain.
“I’m looking at the possibility of the new digital nomad visa, as I already work from home,” said Martin. “If that’s a non-starter, we could consider a non-lucrative retirement visa, as I’m only a year or so off retirement age. We have three adult children who will remain in the US, but we’d like to bring our two granddaughters, aged 10 and eight, who we look after a lot already. I don’t like where the US is politically anymore and I’m not keen on them growing up in the US – the next step is to visit Valencia with them sometime this year.”
The flight time from Maryland to Valencia is 7-8 hours. The couple usually fly out of Washington Dulles Airport and connect via London.
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