BLI MED I AMBERA

Spørsmål og svar

Ambera er et internasjonalt fellesskap. Vi ønsker å publisere mange spørsmål og svar på det språket som er mest naturlig for flertallet av våre framtidige beboere i Ambera. Siden vi er et internasjonalt selskap er det viktig for oss å etablere engelsk som førstespråk. Vi har derfor bestemt oss for å svare på et flertall av de essensielle spørsmålene på norsk, mens resten er formulert på engelsk. Vi håper dette møter ditt behov. Ta kontakt med oss om enkelte spørsmål er forvirrende eller uklare – uavhengig av språket det er formulert på!

Amberas

Ambera er et oppfunnet ord. Ordet beskriver den nye typen bofellesskap vi skaper i våre nåværende og fremtidige eiendomsprosjekt. “Ambera” er et internasjonalt navn og stammer fra det engelske ordet “amber” – en varm gullfarge som ofte brukes i smykkedesign og som noen mener ha en helbredende effekt. Dette synes vi reflekterer Ambera sin visjon. 

Vi har besøkt over hundre ulike bofellesskap for aktive voksne rundt i USA (det eksisterer 2000 i USA i dag). Vi har sett på hva som fungerer, hva som ikke fungerer og hva som kan forbedres. På grunn av grundig og langvarig forarbeid er vi selvsikre på at vi kan utvikle velfungerende, trygge og fantastiske bofelleskap. 

Vi ønsker ikke å utvikle enda en spøkelsesby for turister langt kysten av Spania. Vi skal skape et vibrerende samfunn med faste beboere. Dette øker verdien til Ambera, og bofellesskapet vil blomstre, utvikles deg, og bli et sted mange drømmer om. Et Ambera bofelleskap er en sikker investering – både økonomisk og helsemessig. 

Det er faktisk umulig for Ambera å beholde sin sjel og levende atmosfære om vi ikke bygger mange boligenheter! 

Hjerte av Ambera er Aktivitetssenteret, men sjelen er menneskene som bor der. Aktivitetssenteret vil gjøre det enkelt for boligeierne å engasjerer seg i fellesskapet, og det vil hjelpe dem å få ut ideer og skape aktiviteter. Om vi bare bygget hundre boliger ville samfunnet oppleves tomt, og Aktivitetssenteret ville i verste fall stå ubrukt. Jo færre beboere, jo færre muligheter, og jo færre aktiviteter og arrangementer vil vil kunne tilby. Vedlikehold og fritidstilbud blir også betraktelig billigere når vi er flere som ønsker det sammen. 

Nøkkelen er å bygge i stor skala, slik at kostnader for fellesområder og aktiviteter fordeles på mange boliger,  –  og prisen kan holdes lav per person. På den måten kan du kose deg med golf, skrivekurs, dansetimer og svømming så ofte, og så mye du vil uten å måtte bekymre deg for økonomien.

Ambera er basert på en intensjon om fellesskap og samhold, og en Ambera by skal være et samfunn hvor du kjenner dine naboer og hilser på dem du ser.  Vi ønsker et varmt og trivelig samfunn – og dette krever en tilstedeværelse. Det er et sted folk bor, enten hele året eller i store deler av året. Målet vårt er å kunne sikre at det alltid er nok mennesker i byen som driver, bidrar, og deltar i aktiviteter og i fellesskap – slik at samfunnet får muligheten til å  blomstre.

Taking advantage of people is the last thing we want to do. We think that most of the other current offerings on the market are taking advantage of people – giving them very little service for sky-high prices and expecting people to be grateful for it. What we’re trying to do is offer an opportunity for a new and better life for people who are approaching retirement, or who have already stopped working.

We’re talking about a very resourceful, experienced generation who are fully capable of making informed decisions about whether they want to buy a home in Ambera or not. All of our residents will be people who have made a very active, conscious decision about how they wish to spend their lives at the end or after their professional careers. What we want to do is give them the opportunity to live life to the fullest.

We have no interest in and no intention of isolating people. Quite the opposite, in fact. We are targeting people who are 55 or older mainly because they are the people who stand to benefit the most from this project, and those who can contribute the most. We want Ambera to be a wonderful, lively community year-round, and people have more time on their hands when they don’t work as much. Families with school-age children typically do not have the opportunity to spend the whole year or several months in this kind of community in Southern Spain.

That being said, we want to make our community a fantastic place for younger people to visit. If you visit one of the many second home communities in Spain today, you will meet very few young people. We think this is less because the residents have been isolated, and more because there’s nothing for people to do there, and no enticement to visit. This is what we want to change.

Ambera is going to be a dream destination for visiting children and grandchildren. We will make it easy to get to us, convenient to stay with us, and there will be tons of fun activities for people of all ages to choose from. Our goal is that, instead of having to entice people to come visit, you’ll actually have to encourage them to leave! With so many visitors, we think that Ambera will have the biggest variety in age of all second home communities in Spain.

Ambera is not aiming at the luxury market segment, which is traditionally very exclusive. True luxury, in our eyes, is having lots of options for things to do, and having a great social environment. This is dependent on the people in the community. No matter how much money you have, there is no such thing as an “exclusive community” – having a wide range of people is what makes communities work.

Consequently, Ambera is trying to offer affordable homes by building large scale projects, where the cost for the amenities will be distributed among many units. The homes will not be cheap, but considering all the facilities and corresponding possibilities, we believe that we really offer a lot of value for your money. 

For those who have a challenge raising the equity necessary to buy, or who for various reasons don’t want to buy, we will offer rental homes as an option.

The reason we can offer a wide variety of amenities and activities for reasonable prices is that we will build large scale, i.e. many homes in one project, reducing the cost per person. After completion, most of our groups and activities will be run by our homeowners as community members on a voluntary basis, which will enable Ambera to cover the operational cost with an affordable monthly fee which will grant access to everything – from tennis courts and ballet classes, to health centres and gardening services.

Whether you live in the smallest apartment or the largest villa, all members will have the same rights and opportunities at Ambera. Our hope is that it will become irrelevant how much money you have, because everybody can have a great life regardless of the size of their wallets.

There are two main principles that are important here: Scale, and community-run groups and activities.

By building large communities, we can split the costs for operations, shared facilities and activities, and other running expenses between many homes. This makes living in Ambera much cheaper per person than if we were to build smaller communities. We’ve visited over 100 such communities in America, where this principle works extremely well, and the community members love the lifestyle they can afford in such a setting.

In order to create an active and social community, we are going to employ what we call a ‘Lifestyle Director’. This person’s job is to make it fun and easy for our community members to join and create clubs and activities. We will help facilitate the activities, but our members will have the most control over how they are run. A retired journalist might start a writing class, a piano teacher might decide to lead the community orchestra, a hobby carpenter might teach a woodworking course, and so on. By making it easy to get started, we will create an encouraging culture where contributing your skills and talents makes life more fun for everyone.

Our goal is to make Ambera affordable for as many people as possible, not just the wealthiest. The price of buying a home and living in an Ambera community will depend on the land plots we purchase, and how large each project ends up being. Land close to the sea is more expensive than plots inland, and the more homes we can split the costs for the amenities between, the cheaper it becomes per household.

Ambera at Desert Springs as our first project is located close to the sea, because many of our followers and future residents have told us that this is important to them. As such, the price level of our first project might be a bit higher than some of our future projects. Please, refer to our home sales section here [link to sales] for concrete prices.

For those who prefer to rent a home, Ambera will also be offering long-term rental homes. Just like the house prices, the rent will be determined by the size and location of the community.

The monthly community fee – which covers activities, property maintenance, and common areas – can sometimes be as low as $150 per household in US projects. We are aiming for a similar price level in Ambera at Desert Springs and future projects. Please subscribe to our newsletter for more information and go to our Facebook page for frequent updates on our progress.

Ambera is a real estate development company. That means we buy land plots, hire architects, plan, design, and build homes, sell them to residents, and then operate them. Through this process, we make money. It is important to us that everyone involved in creating this value chain gets their fair share. At the same time, we are determined to make Ambera affordable for our residents. We are not building a luxury project for the rich and wealthy, but an affordable project for everybody.

Ambera is building homes where people live for longer periods of time, because residents and not visitors make a community. We believe this is necessary in order to establish an active and social community. Regular holiday homes are typically used or rented for only a few days or weeks throughout the year, and most owners/visitors are not interested in getting to know their neighbors or engage in the wider community during their stay. These types of communities transform into “ghost towns” in the off season – and we think there are enough of those already.

Ambera’s designs will reflect the fact that they are long-term homes. Typically, holiday homes have as many beds and bedrooms as possible, little (if any) storage space, and small, efficient living room areas. They’re little more than a place to sleep, and maybe have a guest over for a nightcap. Ambera’s homes are intended for year-round use, with plenty of storage options, spacious living areas, and functional spaces that will prove useful for longer stays. Our homes will be places to live.

Ambera’s first project will be built as an extension of Desert Springs Golf Resort and Spa – an already-existing 400-unit project in Almeria, Spain – with an award-winning golf course, a restaurant and varies sports and recreational facilitieslocated in the Almeria province in Spain.

Ambera is also in discussions with various landowners in Spain and other European countries about potential future communities. We hope to create some projects near larger cities all over Europe. For these projects we’d extend our concept to include both active adults (our current target group) and younger families with children. We feel these groups have different needs which complement each other. Families with children need to maintain work/life balance, get their kids to school/kindergarten, get them to their leisure activities (and enjoy a few of their own), and often find there aren’t enough hours in the day. Conversely, active adults without dependents usually have more time available, and gain satisfaction from being able to engage in the community and help each other out. Our eventual goal is to organise our communities in such a way that we can “match up” these two groups through a joint activity centre and organisation platform. If we can meet everyone’s needs, it’s a win-win scenario for everyone involved.

Absolutely. But nobody is saying that you have to. At Ambera, your freedom (and privacy) is always our top priority. No-one ever tells you to do anything, but there will always be plenty of interesting things you can choose to be a part of if you wish

We are trying to create an active, social community, that is true. But enforcing participation goes against the core principle of Ambera – choosing your future. Ambera facilitates socialisation by offering a wide range of interest groups and activities, and helping people create their own. Our residents will be the ones choosing whether or not to socialise, and where and when to do so – it will always be on your terms.

Ambera is for anyone and everyone who has the time and desire to engage in the community. This includes golfers, cyclists, scuba divers, bridge players, budding linguists, and enthusiasts about activities and topics of all kinds. Ambera is not an exclusive “luxury” project. “Luxury”, in our eyes, comes from having lots of options for things to do, and having a great social environment. All the money in the world can’t buy good neighbours – it’s dependent on the people in the community. Our goal is to provide homes at prices that should be affordable for the European Middle Class, starting at around €180,000 for our first project in Desert Springs.

Ambera is in discussions with various landowners in Spain and other European countries about potential future communities. Our eventual goal is to have a network of one or more Ambera communities close to every major European city. This network would enable co-operation, exchanges, and joint activities across national borders. As a homeowner in any one Ambera project, you will be a member of the family, and will be welcome in every Ambera community in the world, and it will be easy to find friends with common interests.

For projects which will be located close to larger cities, we’d be looking at an extended version of our existing concept, including both active adults (our current target group) and younger families with children. We feel these groups have different needs which complement each other. Families with children need to maintain work/life balance, get their kids to school/kindergarten, get them to their leisure activities (and enjoy a few of their own), and often find there aren’t enough hours in the day. Conversely, active adults without dependents usually have more time available, and gain satisfaction from being able to engage in the community and help each other out. Our eventual goal is to organise our communities in such a way that we can “match up” these two groups through a joint activity centre and organisation platform. If we can meet everyone’s needs, it’s a win-win scenario for everyone involved.

It is easier to build a project that is based on the Ambera concept from scratch, because we can develop a master plan and other elements to exactly match our specifications. Having said that, we are absolutely open to implementing the Ambera concept in existing projects, as long as they have clear borders and the space for an activity centre. 

We think that residents that live in an Ambera community most of the year won’t be considered as traditional tourists. They will engage in both the Ambera community and also in activities in the local area, i.e. neighbouring villages. Wehave heard from many of you that you are interested in learning Spanish (or the local language in future communities elsewhere), which will allow you to integrate and communicate with the local population.

Each Ambera community is of course also open to local buyers, who we expect to show just as much interest as international buyers. With Desert Springs, we have received several inquiries from Spanish people who are interested in buying a home.

As an owner

You get your own privately-owned house or apartment. It is yours (freehold) and can be sold, inherited, financed and used at your discretion. Terms and conditions for subletting, community-rules and snd so forth will be published in connection with sales start.

Through Ambera’s low monthly community fee, you are granted free access to and use of shared common areas: First and foremost, an Activity Centre with more than where several rooms are dedicated to activities.

The low monthly community fee covers external maintenance of all properties to maintain the high standard on the Ambera properties. Maintenance of all common infrastructure and gardening of all common areas are also included.

Benefits of owning in Ambera Desert Springs are detailed here

As a member of Ambera Community

You get access to all of our upcoming European projects.

You become a part of an active and social community.

A Lifestyle Director is responsible for helping organise activities and reserve amenities that you need for your activities, free of charge.

The Ambera team will broker benefit programs with relevant service providers such as airlines, health services, insurance companies, carpool services and other institutions for the mutual benefit of the Ambera Community.

Ambera Desert Springs – benefits

A reduced fee for use of sports facilities: Golf on the Desert Springs PGA-course, paddle tennis, tennis and exercise room.

Pools are available at no extra expense.

Access to the Club House. Desert Springs restaurants are open to all Ambera members.

Through Ambera’s low monthly community fee, you are granted free access to and use of shared common areas – first and foremost, an Activity Centre with more than 1,000 sqm, where several rooms are dedicated to activities such as:

  • All-purpose rooms for workshops, games, painting, classes, yoga, etc. – or anything you want to do

  • Common rooms for mingling and just meeting your friends

  • Community Kitchen where you can invite friends to a gourmet dinner or cooking class

  • Music room for dancing, theatre group, or watching movies together

  • Cafe

Desert Springs

Månedlig nedbørsgraf

Juli er den tørreste måneden, med kun 2 mm regn. Oktober er den våteste måneden, men kun 33 mm regn i gjennomsnitt.

Gjennomsnittlig temperatur per måned

August er den varmeste måneden i året. Med en gjennomsnittstemperatur på 25,6 °C. Januar er den kaldeste måneden, men en gjennomsnittstemperatur på cirka 11,0 °C.

Temperaturstatistikk

Forskjellen i nedbør mellom den tørreste måneden, og den våteste måneden er 36 mm. Gjennom året ligger gjennomsnittstemperaturen på 14,6 °C.

Absolutt! Du er hjertelig velkommen til å besøke oss i Desert Springs!

Vi vil gi deg en omvisning av området, eiendommen og fasilitetene. Vi vil også gi deg innsikt i utviklingen av prosjektet og hvilke boliger vil vil kunne tilby. Et besøk garanterer også en smakebit av livet du vil leve i Ambera Desert Springs. Besøk oss gjerne – booking starter høsten 2020! 

Vi får mange forespørsler om utleieboliger og muligheten for ferieutleie – både langtidsleie og korttidsleie. 

Vi ønsker at Ambera skal være et aktivt fellesskap hele året, derfor kommer vi ikke til å tilby korttidsleie. Derimot vil det være mulig å leie på lang sikt, 3-6 år for eksempel. Det vil også være mulig å leie noen måneder av gangen for de som ønsker å prøve ut konseptet før de kjøper, eller for de som reiser ned for å besøke familie og venner. Leiepriser kommer an på boligstørrelse, størrelse på prosjektet totalt sett, og beliggenhet. Om du trenger mer informasjon ber vi deg kontakte oss via email.

Some of you have expressed interest in buying a home with a group of friends, in order to share the joy. However, Ambera is not a time-sharing project – it is important to us, to you, and the community as a whole that all “co-buyers”spend time in the home and engage in the community. Please bear this in mind when you form a group of buyers and plan your stays. Feel free to get in touch if you wish to get some guidance during this process.

This is perhaps our favourite question. We want to build a community that you, our future residents, want to live in. In order to do this, we need to ask for your opinion. We created a discussion group you can reach via our Facebook page. The purpose of this group is for people from different countries to come together (just like they will at every Ambera project) and talk about what we want to get out of our lives in Ambera. We also hope that – as a side-effect of helping create Ambera – our future residents will get to know each other before they even move in.

Are you also looking forward to moving into an Ambera home? Please join the group: “Ambera- discussion and inspiration” and share your thoughts and opinions with the rest of us!

The Almeria region – particularly the villages of Vera, Garrucha and Mojacar – offer a multitude of hotels, apartments, AirBnBs etc. for every taste and budget. We recommend that you gather information on suitable accommodation through an aggregator site, such as booking.com or trivago.com. Our staff are more than happy to help if you are in doubt, but because the availability of accommodation changes frequently, booking websites will always have more up-to-date information than we will.

Juridisk og økonomisk

Hvis du flytter til et EØS-land eller et annet land Norge har trygdeavtale med, kan du ta med deg alderspensjonen din. Hovedregelen er at dersom du har bodd i Norge i minst 20 år etter at du fylte 16 år, kan du ta med deg hele pensjonen din hvor enn i verden du måtte ønske.

EØS-avtalen sikrer deg også helserettigheter på lik linje med Spanias egne pensjonister. Om du ønsker mer informasjon kan se på NAV sine sider: “Det er din pensjon”

Vi har dessverre ikke lisens til å gi juridiske råd eller advokathjelp. Kontakt din advokat eller regnskapsfører om du trenger juridisk hjelp. 

Etter skatteavtalen mellom Norge og Spania artikkel 18 skal pensjon og uføreytelser bare skattlegges i det landet mottakeren er bosatt. Dette innebærer at pensjonen/uføreytelsen ikke skal skattlegges i Norge når du kan dokumentere at du er skattemessig bosatt i Spania etter skatteavtalen.

Spania er ikke et skatteparadis, til tross for at skattene er markant lavere enn i Norge. Som resident i Spania betaler man skatt etter en progressiv skala slik som vi kjenner det fra Norge. 

Den største forskjellen på Norge og Spania ligger i de lavere inntektene, hvor trekkprosenten i noen tilfeller kan komme ned mot null prosent. Selv for høyere inntekter er marginalskatten lavere.

Les mer på Skatteetaten her

Du kan som regel ta med deg uføretrygden til utlandet. Du har rett til utbetaling av uføretrygd fra Norge selv om du flytter til et annet EØS-land eller andre land Norge har trygdeavtale med.

Du kan lese mer på NAV sin nettside her

Finner du ikke svar på det du lurer på? Ta kontakt med oss!