Thursday, October 30, 2008

Living in Malta – Nic and Lorna Ashby

Nic is no stranger to moving from one country to another. Born in Sweden, he left there in 1993 to move to the Isle of Man in the middle of the Irish Sea, where he worked within the Life Assurance industry. It was here that he met Lorna when working for the same company. They have traveled extensively over the years and one of the favorite destinations has been Malta, where they have always felt at home. “My father was originally from Malta which is one reason why I have always been attracted to the Island, but there are so many other reasons why we kept coming here on holiday. The Mediterranean climate is obviously wonderful when you come from the northern part of Europe, but more than anything, it is the open and warm welcome that you receive from the Maltese people that make it such a wonderful place to live,” says Lorna.

They started talking about making a permanent move to warmer climates three years ago when the winter showers were at their worst at home. Malta was very high on the agenda, but Nic had just started a new career within the real estate business and this took them to various countries such as Morocco, Portugal and Spain before they ended up moving to Malta on a permanent basis. “It was great to experience the other countries and their cultures for a while, but we never really put down any roots,” says Nic.

When they were on holiday in Malta in August last year, they started their property search in earnest. They found their dream property within a couple of days, a 300-year-old house of character. The decision to buy was made that same evening over a glass of wine in one of the local restaurants. Nic says that they had expert help all the way and the buying process was made very easy. The Maltese system is very straightforward and secure since a Notary will do all the searches on the property and is also present when the contract is signed to ensure that nothing has been excluded.

Nic and Lorna moved permanently to Malta in September this year to oversee the renovation of their house in Cospicua. The three-bedroom property enjoys very good views over a park area and distant see views towards the capital Valletta. “The hardest part was to come up with an internal design that we both agree on,” says Lorna. They have had very good help from a local designer so that the property retains the old charms and at the same time has a modern twist. Work is progressing and they look forward to moving in during next spring.

They have both joined a local Real Estate company and hope they will contribute to others finding their dream in beautiful Malta.

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