what is this site for?

We have just bought a place as well and should be moving in early November. I share your concern, as the amount of negative comment is sometimes less than encouraging.
There is supposed to be a lot of relevant information pre-posted in "stickies", but I must admit to not being familiar with the term, what they are or were to find them. In spite of this handicap, the information did eventually come through, so good luck and welcome to Malta.
We love it here. That is we came.
Some people seen to advise against buying, preferring to rent. This is not in line with my thinking, as I am committed to staying here. Others seem to want to keep a "bail out" policy in place and disagree with this policy.
Different lives have different strategy requirements, so stick to your guns and follow what is best for you. Hopefully you will get the best advice to help you do it.
There will be a few cultural adjustments to be made, but we all bought into this before coming, so enjoy the experience. We can not imagine ever going back to what we left behind; after all life only moves forward.

Vagrant wrote:

There is supposed to be a lot of relevant information pre-posted in "stickies", but I must admit to not being familiar with the term, what they are or were to find them.

They are the first six pinned topics ( in the case of Malta ) at the  top of the first page of the forum.

You should have been able to find them, as I for one told you where to find them, and provided a direct link to take you there!

Ray

I totally agree. Those who don't like living in Malta should just leave instead of moaning all the time. We came here because it is NOT the same as home! When in Rome....

Not being familiar with the site, I probably missed it. The yahoo forum for which I am the moderator is somewhat different in format, but with this information I shall have another look with my probably more basic IT skills.

Pointing out the negatives is sharing information. When I search for info about a country I'm looking for both good & bad.

This forum (Malta section in particular) has become a bit of a joke lately (sadly). I read some of the posts here and... oh boy. What.

I think it's time for me to move on.

The reason we and many expats rent is that the buildings are not built to a high standard, over priced and on Gozo very difficult to sell on, in fact the same properties have been up for sale since we moved here.
If you find out the area does not suit you it is easier to move to another rented property, some things you
do not find out until you moved in.   We are happy here and will carry on renting.

According to my reference books,

FORUM,  a medium in which the public may debate an issue or express opinions.

Which I think is what broadly happens on here, with the occasional hiccup. 
Ray

Normal for me, never retire before midnight but have to be careful as the Scotch starts to take effect.

Hi all,

in spite of the sometimes negative posts / comments, this forum has been an incredibly helpful and useful resource. I agree that negative experiences should definitely be shared, as well - as this might help some people in their decisions, and keep them from taking the wrong decisions or coming to Malta with false expectations.

Some people like to moan, others will refuse to accept any criticism... I always think live and let live - if you've spent some time on this site, you'll find out who's got the same attitudes and expectations as you, and who thinks differently. It's just like in real life, isn't it? 

Personally, I like Malta a lot (as can possibly read in other posts by me), but there are things that I don't like too much... Where's the problem with that?

As for the discussion rent vs. buy, I think that
1) people have different general attitudes to that (I've never owned a house/flat, my parents have never owned a house/flat, neither have my grandparents - and I never felt the need to own a house/flat...)
2) some people simply don't have the funds to buy (I currently have a bit more than last month's salary on my bank account, no savings whatsoever... I don't think there's a realistic chance I'd be able to buy, is there?)
3) There are pros and cons to both - in Malta and anywhere else in the world. And I'm convinced for every pro, I can find a con...

bernie_iris_fabian_david wrote:

Hi all,

in spite of the sometimes negative posts / comments, this forum has been an incredibly helpful and useful resource. I agree that negative experiences should definitely be shared, as well - as this might help some people in their decisions, and keep them from taking the wrong decisions or coming to Malta with false expectations.

Some people like to moan, others will refuse to accept any criticism... I always think live and let live - if you've spent some time on this site, you'll find out who's got the same attitudes and expectations as you, and who thinks differently. It's just like in real life, isn't it? 

Personally, I like Malta a lot (as can possibly read in other posts by me), but there are things that I don't like too much... Where's the problem with that?

As for the discussion rent vs. buy, I think that
1) people have different general attitudes to that (I've never owned a house/flat, my parents have never owned a house/flat, neither have my grandparents - and I never felt the need to own a house/flat...)
2) some people simply don't have the funds to buy (I currently have a bit more than last month's salary on my bank account, no savings whatsoever... I don't think there's a realistic chance I'd be able to buy, is there?)
3) There are pros and cons to both - in Malta and anywhere else in the world. And I'm convinced for every pro, I can find a con...

I watch this forum every evening, and take note of what is said, good or bad, it's not too difficult to filter the fact from the fiction. My wife is addicted to the Malta webcams, for me it's here.

I hope to  use the information and opinions obtained here to eventually dissuade her from wanting to move here in March next year, so far it's not working. We live in what could be considered the most peaceful environment possible ( Dartmoor National Park), it's silent here, no fireworks, not even on 5th Nov. 
It's not that I don't want to move but I think that we could never achieve what we have here anywhere else in the world, except the weather of course. 
Ray