Some people are never happy unless everyone else is miserable. Take this guy who emailed me yesterday for example. He said I was being “ridiculous” and “misrepresenting” myself because my situation is different from his. I won’t give Mark’s* real name as he sent an email to my personal email address, but let’s call him “Mr Chicken-licken**” although he’d probably prefer “Property Professional”. I will discuss some of his points and the thoughts they raised here on this blog.
Mr Chicken-licken’s main argument is that I’m a liar (or at best “misrepresenting” myself) and that I don’t know my own finances, financial position, or it would seem, my own mind.
Why did he have such a problem with me? Well, because I said that the current problems in the Spanish property market haven’t affected me, YET. Now, because he and his friends are “property professionals”, and are understandably having a hard time – he just couldn’t allow me to be unaffected! How dare I?
Here’s the thing that wound him up…
I tried being polite with the guy, answered his attack with an explanation of why I wasn’t personally affected, and asked him to share his views on the site; he is claiming after all to be “a property professional” and was clear that he knew his stuff when he said “I think I know what I am talking about”. So his factual, well-thought out view – that was obviously different to mine – would have been interesting for us all. Did he share his views and back them up on the site – of course not!
Instead he responded to my email by saying that my arguments for why I’m not affected are “ridiculous” because “I say I haven’t been affected by the recession.” What recession? I never mentioned a recession! More on that point later.
Well here are my reasons why the “Spanish Property Crisis” (remember I didn’t mention recession) isn’t affecting me right now – I’ll let you be the judge of whether Mr Chicken-licken (convinced – by his own experience and the media frenzy perhaps – that the sky really is falling) is right to say my reasons for being unaffected are ridiculous:
- I don’t need to sell a property right now
- I’ve got an income and lifestyle that doesn’t rely on property or refinancing of property
- I haven’t bought an off-plan property that is likely to remain incomplete due to developer’s financial problems
- None of my properties are on urbanisations or golf resorts where buyers can choose from loads of others just like mine
- I bought my homes in Spain as places to live first and investments (with long term rather than short term prospects) second
Now, I’d defend anyone’s right to have their own opinion and to share it, but to personally attack me, without adding any substance other than to misquote me to myself, is quite frankly sad! His only goal seemed to be to make me “be affected” and I expect, miserable, by what has obviously affected him.
Now back to Mr Chicken-licken and to answer a few of his accusations in a constructive manner and to demystify a few words, here’s my thoughts.
Recession – now the technical definition of a recession is two successive quarters when the economy shrinks. As far as I know we’re not in a recession in the UK nor Spain. Q2 2008 for the UK showed 0.0% growth and for Spain 1.8% growth. Now, this doesn’t mean we won’t go into recession, some of the greatest financial minds can’t agree on when or if this could happen, so I wouldn’t dream of making a prediction myself! But, an acorn (or even a whole tree-load of them – please?) falling on Mr Chicke-licken’s head isn’t the same as the sky falling down.
I have never claimed to not be affected the phantom recession. I claim, and hold to my opinion that: “We’re enjoying ourself, have enough money and don’t listen to the doom and gloom on the news. Whilst we’re not unconcerned for those people who are having a difficult time, it’s just not affecting us right now.”
Would a recession affect me? Probably. But I wasn’t talking about glum predictions of the economy as a whole or the sky falling for that matter – I was talking about the Spanish property market and what’s really happening NOW.
[Just for "fun" google something like: "uk recession" and you'll see people have been talking about the "impending recession" for at least 2 years.]
Property Professional – I’m sure that if this guy is making his living from property he’s probably having a hard time right now – which I sympathise with – but he shouldn’t go taking it out on me because I’m not. However, if he were a “professional” in property then he wouldn’t be wasting his time trying to win an argument with somebody he never met because he’d be doing something more constructive – get the pun?
I ignored his final rant and have decided to delete any further emails from him as he’s quite frankly a timewaster who is only satisfied when people agree with him and are miserable. Which I do not and am not.
I think that when people throw around words like “recession”, “credit crunch” and “property crisis” as weapons in an attempt to make, otherwise happy, people miserable it’s because they read too many tabloids and believe everything they read and see on TV. In fact, some would argue, that the tabloid’s and TV’s current insistence in only reporting and sensationalising an over-simplified negative view is causing a lot of the “problems” in the first place. And if Mr Chicken-licken is struggling now I really hope a recession doesn’t happen – for his sake!
Finally, I’m not claiming to know everything and I’m certain some people are affected more than others, so if you have an opinion that is opposite to mine, please enjoy the freedom of airing that opinion here by commenting on my posts. That’s what this site is for – but do not attack me or other people personally nor try to tell us we don’t know our own circumstances.
* They say that the easiest way to hide a person’s identity is to call them by their real name!
** For more on Chicken-liken have a look here on this lovely fairytale site
Let me know what you think in the comments section below…
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Tags: miserable, spanish property myths
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Whatever situation the Spanish property market finds itself in the simple fact of the matter is that it deserves it. Over the past ten years foreigners looking to buy property in Spain have been divested of their money (sometimes the only money they have) by every means possible. Lies, deceit, fraud, theft – you name it, it was tried. Backing them up were the honourable legal profession who in representing the best interest of the clients who appointed them did little other than to demand their fees in advance. During the ten years of the boom the market was constantly hit by a barrage of bad news concerning dishonesty, both by individuals and local authority alike. Mayors encouraged building on land where building was not permitted and when asked why by the media, shrug their shoulders and say the area needed the money foreigners would bring. As for the Mayors jailed for fraud bear in mind that these were the only ones caught.
And while all the wheeling and dealing and stealing was going on what were the government doing? Very little. The fact that foreigners were having their money stolen left them agog with indifference and today the situation is unchanged.
For any foreigner contemplating buying property in Spain – a little advice. Don’t. Don’t do anything until the government has passed the necessary legislation providing buyers of Spanish property with full protection. Further, 2009 is likely to see property prices much lower than currently is the case. For a long time foreign buyers of Spanish property have been dealt poor cards. Today, as is the way with life, the boot is on the other foot and the buyer really does hold the cards.
It is to be hoped that his hand isn’t bluffed.
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Debbie, I am surprised you replied to Chicken-licken at all. How dare HE be annoyed with YOU for not being miserable. When you don´t buy into mass hysteria you are slated for being ignorant. They do say that misery likes company.
Also, as ever, no-one is placing the blame on property owners themselves. Absolutely there are problems with the property industry here and corruption, but what of the high percentage of people who bought property to make a quick buck, overstretched their budget or/and failed to build in any safety net (count me in this group)?
The ´blame´ falls on all sides, buyers, agents, developers, banks and the government.
So Debbie, congratulations for doing well despite the ´crisis´ – I am quite sure it has just a little to do with your forward planning and working your butt off.
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