Buying
Property in Spain - Things to Consider
By Allison Thompson
So you have now made the decision to buy a property in Spain,
whether as a permanent residence or as a holiday home. You will
find below a number of points that you will need to consider
and think about prior to buying a property in Spain.
Firstly,
I would suggest that you go on to the internet and see what
the various agents advertising property for sale in Spain have
to offer. You will find that many of these companies are run
by people who are already living in Spain and will know the
many problems and pitfalls that arise when buying a property
in Spain.
The
next point you will need to consider is where you want to live?
Are you someone who prefers to be in the heart of things, say
living in a town (urbanization), or are you someone who would
prefer privacy and tranquility, therefore you may decide to
buy a property in the country (campo) you may even wish to look
at property in the mountains, or by the lakes or on the Coast.
If you decide that you want everything close at hand to you,
then it may best be if you look at properties in a Town or on
the Coast especially if you require medical facilities close
at hand.
You
next step should be what sort of property you would like to
purchase? Do you want to buy an apartment, townhouse, villa,
finca (country house with land) or a property that needs some
work doing to it. However, what you must remember is your budget
(how much you are willing to spend on the property of your dreams
in Spain).
You
have now made the decision on where you want to live and what
sort of property you want to buy. So now you need to start contacting
the agents, both those on the internet and those who are located
in the town close to where you wish to live. These people will
not only provide you with the details of properties they feel
would be of interest to you, but they should be able to help
you with arranging contact with solicitors, banks (if you may
need a mortgage to purchase the property), schools, and medical
facilities in that area.
Please
note that if you should need to arrange a loan with a Spanish
bank you will need to hold an account with them prior to the
purchase of the property.
Another
important piece of documentation that you will require to enable
you to purchase a property in Spain is your NIE number (similar
to UK National Insurance Number). To obtain one of these you
will need to arrange a visit to the local police in the nearest
town to where you are purchasing your property (such as Malaga,
Marbella, Seville etc). However, if you are not able to do this
in person, a solicitor in Spain can arrange this for you (but
you will be charged for this approximately €50), but doing
it yourself will cost nothing. It should however be noted that
it can take between 1 to 6 weeks before you receive this number.
Now
you have found the property of your dreams and want to purchase
it, here are somethings you need to take into consideration:-
1.
Ask the agent who is selling the property if the person/owner
of the property you wish to purchase has the right to sell it
and if so can they produce the papers (escretera) confirming
this. If you find that no such document is available, then ask
if they will be drawn up before the sale. Should you be informed
that this will not happen then do not proceed with the sale.
2.
Next ask the agent to confirm that the property being sold has
been provided with all the correct planning permissions by the
Local Town Hall. If these cannot be provided then it may be
worth contacting the Town Hall direct to see if they can confirm
that the property has been built legally and if they cannot
then I would consider very seriously not proceeding with the
purchase. At present the Government in Spain is now starting
to enforce the laws regarding illegal builds and this has sometimes
resulted in properties being demolished and large fines incurred
by the developers.
However,
please note, that this sort of problem is only a minor one,
and as long as you find yourself a reputable agent to help you
in your task of finding the property of your dreams then these
above problems should be of no consequence to you.
I
hope that you have found the information to be of use to you
in your quest to find the property of your dreams in Spain,
but should you require any further information please contact
us at http://www.inlandpropertyservices.com.
Allison
Thompson, now lives in Spain and has 15 years experience in
the property field.
Article
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