Ruzafa is experiencing exactly the same history as the "Born" in Barcelona, 25 years ago. The neighbourhood starts being fashionable for locals because of a few bars and restaurants and then one day, a guy from Lonely planet appears there and describes the area as "..the Bohemian side of the city" which is like officially declaring a Hipster invasion. Everybody wants to move there just because it's fancy and that makes the prices go crazy for appartments that were built and designed 100 years ago. We also tend to forget that we are not gonna be 25 years old forever and weekend life is only 2 days per week, so out of the "aperitivo", "tardeo" "fancy dinners" and clubbing ,there's a daily life in which we need to have other basic needs like easy resting without noise which is really a "unicorn" in places like Ruzafa.

Hi Antoanetta, I agree completely with a couple of your comments regarding the rental process and agents (you were being very kind to them:)), and wanted to add some perspectives. As background, I just moved to Valencia from the US on a one-year NLV visa. My motivations were that I visited Valencia last October for one month and fell in love with it, and I was reminded how much more I enjoy the European lifestyle and cultural experience vs. the US. I'm very happy to be here. 
For three-months I searched for an apartment in Valencia from the US and found the process to be extremely frustrating for these reasons: 1) rental agents in Valencia do not provide the same basic services that I was accustomed to. I used one agent regularly and three others for several specific properties. Don't expect them to be searching for apartments and bringing you lists of possibilities. You need to find the apartments on your own, then see if you can get the agent to check them out for you. Don't expect fast responses. Don't be discouraged if you don't hear back at all or if they suggest other apartments that don't at all meet the requirements you gave them. Just keep searching. 2) Most of the apartments shown online on various sites are not actually available. (perhaps they exist solely to drive traffic and clicks to sell ads?). A lot of these might be available but only for very short term (i.e., airbnb-type), not for the 6-12 month term that you need if you're moving here. 
Eventually I discovered a company that specializes in helping expats with relocation, and they had an ideal apartment for me plus legal services which helped not only with the rental agreement but my patrón process once I arrived. I totally stumbled into them, so got very lucky.
Life in Valencia looks very attractive, but the relocation process is not for everyone. You need to be very determined, patient and thick-skinned. It helps too to know some Spanish. And speaking of luck, however hard you work at things, you need a lot of luck, especially when searching for an apartment in Valencia 🙂

best videos hands down. honest and believable. thanks

There's no point of moving there, if it's just as expensive as Madrid & Barcelona

You're saying the deals on Fotocasa are NOT for foreigners?

Thanks for the video, The exact same issues here in Mexico to find a rental, work ethic not good either.

As someone who has lived in several countries in different parts of the world, and as someone who now lives in Valencia, the amount of work and effort it took to finding an apartment here was not worth the effort to me. Valencia is definitely a pretty city, but it's really not as cheap as people made it out to be. Finding an apartment in Valencia was probably 5x more difficult than any place I've lived previously.

Your real estate agent experience is also 100% spot on. They were absolutely useless, in my experience. They didn't make any effort at all. As you said, my girlfriend and I would have to be the ones sending things to our agent..and even then, they were still unresponsive and lazy. The agent for the flat we eventually rented showed up an hour late and blamed US, saying we got the time wrong. We had the text to show her she had picked this time. No real apology. We had to pay this woman over $1000 for finding the flat ourself, having her show up late and being generally unresponsive. Total BS.

In the end, we ended up with a flat that was 200€ a month more than what we want. It's got no heating or AC, so it's freezing in the winter and unlivable in the summer.

I'm sure many peoples experience moving here was much better than my own, but for me, it was not worth all the hassle. We originally planned to buy here, but changed our mind after half a year. I know lots of people love it here, but it's not for me. 🙃

Your

Love your videos and passion for life! So glad to find your channel! If you can share good real estate agents that would be awesome and appreciated 🙂

Valencia has been on our early retirement radar for a couple of years now. Prices have definitely gone crazy.

Thanks for the content, Antoanetta!

Barcelona is more crazy with the prices of housing and lot's of scams! Buy a van or RV and mobile WiFi, rent a spot of land or camping, or rent outside the big cities and you will save money into your own pocket and not a greedy owner (even more after the pandemic) I've even heard from my coworkers now, that the owner can decide when you can have visitors in the contract! Don't do it! People are getting more greedy with the economic crisis. Cheers from Barcelona 🇪🇸♥️ mm

🇪🇸❌🇪🇸👑🪙🥇✌️

nice that you are part of the problem that the locals cant live in the city anymore because you americans think its fancy to live there and because of that prices are going up. And whats even worse is that as you said in one of your videos you live there since 2 years and cant even speak spanish so you cant even make that effort to show the culture some respect. think about it😘😘😘

We will move there next year. I understand the prices are going up. Good thing (hope same next year) that the euro and the dollar value are about the same. That will save me some $$$. Plus my house in USA is also going up every year in value. I will pay more to live somewhere I always wanted to go. Here I come Valencia (well, next year that is)

I think we should not be so obsessed with moving to central neighborhoods like Russafa. An old neighborhood like Russafa is not going to increase the supply, and on the other hand it has been in fashion for years with more and more people looking for housing. If no new housing can be built and demand continues to rise, prices will go up even if there is no inflation.

Can you do a video or give a reference on the upcoming law changes you mention about okupas? Thanks!

We just spent a week in Valencia based on your thoughts about the city. We would also love to move there. It’s a great city. And I agree with you about Gran Vía being a charming neighborhood to live in.

Maybe it's your fault, Antoanetta. You keep promoting and showing Valencia to americans. It should stay hidden so that it does not turn into Barcelona. It is nice that you love Valencia but if you bring in rich Americans, it will become harder for locals (and regular Europeans) to find non-expensive flats.

Same everywhere it seems! We started looking for a bigger apartment in Lisbon, but found buying to be a better option…Our mortgage on a house (ok, not Lisbon center) in Lisbon us less than renting a small apartment! I feel like it's just going to keep getting more expensive and uncertain so we locked in with a fixed rate!! For us, it was a great decision and I feel lucky!

We purchased our 3 Bedroom, 2 bathroom fully renovated 100 sq mt apartment 3 years ago in Monteolivete for $150k. We literally cross the street into Gran Via and Russafa without paying the astronomical prices in those neighborhoods. Our beautiful corner unit apartment with plenty of light, elevator and fully renovated was definitely a find. I recommend looking into Montolivet and En Corts for more affordable housing.

I sub, your explanation always so just hope I am achieving my laboral wok permi

This video is so timely! You are so right Antoanetta! We've had to downgrade from 2-bedroom apartments in Madrid to 1 bedroom. I heard inflation was only 10% in Spain, but not for housing because tourism has returned to 90% of pre pandemic levels. Those two factors combined made the housing prices soar! I am glad you quantified it! I agree that agents should do more. If you are the one finding all of the apartments, then agencies should waive the agency fee. If agents are not doing their jobs, it might be a sign of how tight the market is due to increased demand.

Spain is my favorite country! As a American man I'm looking at Spain as one of my favorite countries to live in when I leave the United States one day soon

I just checked Idealista and there are 2 apartments available in the price range that I'm wanting. There were about 10 a few months ago. Less than 9 years before I retire, but still looking ahead.

Great observation thank you always an insightful video!

In LA prices are way higher. Valencia still looks pretty attractive! Thank you