2007 to 2022
The world we live in!
I guess we have all been questioning ourselves about the World we live in and the effects of events over the last 15 years. After working in the international property market for over 20 years, I have had the pleasure in meeting with people from all walks of life looking for property for sale and enjoyed working hard to help our clients fulfill their wishes, either to retire to Spain, have a holiday home or move to Spain permanently and become a Spanish resident. For the past 14 years I have lived and worked in Javea Spain and consider myself very fortunate to experience life in the Idyllic area of the Costa Blanca North. Over the years I met people from many different backgrounds with a variety of circumstances that reflect on their choice of property, whether it be Villas, apartments, townhouses, plots or commercial property investments and regardless of the final choice, it is always an interesting journey which can cover many months and gives me an opportunity to really get to know people, virtually all keep in touch and are still very good friends. This enables me to enjoy many hours of conversation covering all aspects of buying property in Spain, life and current world situations, and I have come to the conclusion that deep down we all have very similar ideas on life and are each effected by World affairs, especially the current situation which seems to be sharpening everyone´s outlook on life. I guess we are all wondering what the future holds for us all over the next few years and I´m sure like me, many of you will discuss with friends and family the merits of the world and come to the decision that we are not only at the mercy of governments, but also over the last few years a greater threat to all mankind is the risk of viral infections such as corona virus, which rocked the whole world and I´m sure, got many of us thinking deeply about our own lives and futures. Lets remind ourselves briefly of the events over the last 15 years which has resulted in the World we live in today.
2007 The financial crash
There is one glaring factor which contributed towards the financial crash in 2007, the Deregulation of financial derivatives was a key underlying cause of the financial crisis. This basically allowed banks to invest into housing, and these products were so profitable that banks were encouraged to lend to high risk borrowers with credit approved for mortgage loans some for more than 100% of the property value, and here in Spain it was common to see banks offering 110% mortgages. When house prices began to fall literally over night, many found themselves massively in negative equity and those who had placed deposits on new build property were pulling out of the deal leaving developers with no chance of completing projects which left thousands of investors with either no property or lost deposits. This was undoubtedly a major cause of the financial crash and highlighted how little the average man can control his life when left to the mercy of banks seeking such ridiculously high profits.
2016 Brexit
Obviously there are two sides to the Brexit debate, some will say it was the best move for the UK and this may prove to be correct in the
years to come, but once again this major upheaval in the way Europe had been structured over the last 40 years had nothing but a disruptive effect on economies and the way UK citizens could move freely within Europe. Gone are the days when you could travel to any country, buy property, open bank accounts, set up in business, use the public medical facilities as you would in the UK, school your children in local state schools, obtaining residency and
driving licences, these were all things we took for granted, that have now been been made more difficult to obtain. More than that, this one single act has caused instability not just in the UK but throughout Europe.
2020 Corona Virus
Who could ever have imagined the impact of a flu virus found in China that put the World into immediate panic. I don`t think any of us thought we would see a time when the modern World stopped, it made people scared and frightened to go outside, airlines grounded, empty roads, no sports events and desolate city streets made for a spine chilling scene around the World which we could never have imagined , yet alone thought we would have to live through. I suppose in some ways a viral epidemic that spreads so quickly around the World is more frightening and devastating than any of the events from the 2007 financial crash, we paid dearly in human terms, and financially it is something that generations to come will have to pay for. Once again, an event that shook the World and smashed any kind of confidence and stability that was showing signs after Brexit, but more than that, I think we all had time to reflect on our own lives and where our future was going, or in some cases where we decided to make it go.
2022 Russian Ukranian War
Here we are in 2022, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine we find ourselves once again at the mercy of governments and leaders who control our World. Once again our beautiful planet is under siege as we sit helpless while leaders and military decide the future for the average man or woman, who strive to give the best for their children and families through hard work and determination, pay their taxes. abide by the law of the land and crave for a peaceful stable world in which all can survive no matter what nationality or religion. As many of you will probably think, I find it hard to understand why after all these war torn centuries that there is anyone in the world that still needs to gain more power, I´m sure there is enough for all on this idyllic planet that we call home but seem hell bent on destroying. We can only hope that the outcome is peaceful and that somewhere there is the determination for peace to stop this incredibly dangerous situation.
My Conclusion
So now I suppose you are asking what is the point in writing this article about the World we live in, well, I was talking with a group of friends from different walks of
life, some professionals, others had made their way in life through hard graft in the building or service sector, and one or two had just opted out of the system, choosing to spend life on the road taking work where they can find it and
leading a simple life. As we spoke it became apparent that deep down we are all the same and want a relatively easy healthy life with no worries, but also I
noticed that some of the professional people were incredibly envious of the freedom that our traveler friends had, and although money has its place, the
way you live your life is by far the more important. Almost all the events from 2007 has kept the average man pegged back, we keep on going to survive and I like many, have plans for the future in my mind. But what future? When we look back over the last 15 years every time we have one or two years stability and our plans look achievable, then another negative world event occurs and back we go to start. My conclusion is that I feel the World may be like this forever, so making plans for 3 or 4 years in the future is futile, I have seen many times people desperately craving a new start or way of life but understandably nervous and in many cases opting for the safe option of staying put but still having the dream thinking one day! In many cases that day never comes or it comes too late and either through illness or family circumstances the dream does not materialise.
When we look back at events over the last 15 years, even the best made plans are hard to achieve when we live in such an unstable World, so maybe
the day has come that if you really want something, and you are in a position to have it, be brave, enjoy your life and do it now!!