Hot Property News Letter – May 2011

Welcome to this issue of the Hot Property news letter which we hope you find informative and helpful. If you have any suggestions, comments or questions, which we can address in future issues, you can contact us at info@hotpropertyspain.net 

1: THE BLOKE IN THE CORNER

We at Hot Property, thought it might be a nice idea to tell you a bit more about ourselves, the Hot Property team, and our own role within the company and I can see no better place to start than with yours truly, the bloke in the corner AKA, Desmond.

As well as being the most brilliant Bloke in the Corner, my role is to keep the Hot property Website up to date, entering all the resale details. I also have responsibility for all advertising and for updating the numerous other web portals that we list on, such as Rightmove, Kyero and many others, including translating property listings into Dutch for our Dutch website.

I have also written all the Newsletters and this is the 46th, so it was high time that I got around to this feature.

As well as working at Hot Property, I also have another string to my bow, which is Theatre lighting design and production, and have been involved backstage on productions for over twelve years.

Working with many groups, both professional and amateur, here on the Costa Blanca, I have illuminated, amongst others; Lynda Bellingham, Lionel Blair, Izzy Cooper, Careline of Alcalali,  Footlights of Calpe, Stage Door of Benitachell, Stage School of Javea and Valerie Jean Dance School of Javea.

My wife and I also have a number of Spanish Cats that have made our home their home and the current family consists of; Honey, Pip, Bonnie, Sue, Sutu and Sweep.

2: FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

It is now possible to follow Hot Property on both Facebook and Twitter, where we will be updating our followers on new listings, price reductions, and any other relevant information regarding Hot Property´s activities, as well as useful information on buying a property in Spain.

For those readers who are not sure what Twitter and Facebook are, here is a short explanation.

Facebook:

A PC based system, where registered members link up with chosen friends and post just about any information they wish, including photographs, videos, plain text or web links to other web sites.

Members do have the choice as to whether they want everyone or just certain friends to receive or have access to the information.

Facebook is very useful in helping family members that have flown the nest to stay in touch and share personal moments with their relations.

Facebook also played a very important role in the recent Middle East situation and was used by the protestors in Tunisia to organise their opposition to the regime, as all other media, such as Television and Radio, were under the control of the Government and suppressed the escalating situation. It is fair to say that, without Facebook, the uprising in Egypt and, subsequently, in Libya and other countries would not have occurred, or at least not in the same time scale.

Twitter:

Both accessible from mobile phone and PC, users of the twitter system register as members and the message system is very quick and easy to use.

Members can search out friends that might also be registered, as well as opting to follow other users, such as BBC news, a football club, political party, television personality or really helpful Estate Agents such as Hot Property.

Well known Twitterers include: Stephen Fry, Tom Hanks, Danny Devito.

It can be used to find old friends and colleagues that have lost touch over the years.

Limited to 140 characters of text, in which links to web-site information can be included, posting of information can be achieved in seconds.

As with Facebook,  the uprising in the Middle East was also aided by Twitter.

3: LOOKING AFTER THE FAMILY CAT & DOG IN THE SUMMER HEAT

As we leave the short days of winter behind and head in to the summer period, where we discard the extra layers of clothing needed to keep warm, we should give thought to helping our family pets through the summer, keeping them healthy and happy.

Dogs:

Unlike humans, dogs cannot sweat; they lower their temperature by panting and dissipating heat from their tongues. It is therefore important that they have adequate shade and, ideally, cool ground to lie on that is always shaded and never gains the heat of the sun in the first place.

Long haired dogs can also be shaved, so removing some of the insulation and by doing this in early summer; it will have grown back by the winter when it will again be needed.

Ensure that the dog has adequate supplies of fresh water.  It is possible to install in Spain a wall mounted water bowl, with an automatic water supply system.

Arrange to walk the dog early in the morning before it gets too hot and, if necessary, in the late evening after the sun has lost much of its effect.

Dogs with white, or even no, fur on ears & noses are much more susceptible to sun burn, so sun protection lotion can be applied to these areas when necessary.
It is obvious, we should not have to say "NEVER LEAVE YOU PET IN A CAR FOR EVEN A SHORT TIME" as you might get delayed or even forget, which has happened, and has subsequently lead to the death of the animal.

Causing unnecessary suffering to an animal in Spain is punishable by a 1,000€ fine.

Cats:

Similar to dogs, cats regulate their body temperatures through their mouths. Obviously, cats are not going to be shaved like dogs and are much more sensible than dogs in finding a cool place to sleep during the hottest part of the day, only emerging to eat and drink.

Cats are much more nocturnal in the summer, so the main importance is that there is access to fresh water, particularly if they are eating cat biscuit.

As with dogs, cats with white, or even no fur on ears & noses, are much more susceptible to sun burn, so sun protection lotion can be applied to these areas when necessary. We have known two feral cats that have turned up in our area with advanced cancer to the nose and ears, which our vet believes was initiated by sun burn.

PS. Cats do not like to have sun tan lotion applied but, if you see that the cat will lay in the sun for long periods, then either keep the cat indoors during the hottest part of the day, or apply the lotion gently with finger tips - may take some gentle persuasion on your part!

This newsletter is intended as a guide and to be informative and helpful in the process of searching for and purchasing a property in Spain. Total accuracy cannot be guaranteed and in all legal, fiscal and other matters a fully qualified professional should be consulted. Reproduction of any part of this newsletter is not permitted without written permission.