Property buying Spain Agents desperate to sell

Estate Agents in Spain desperate to sell Are you looking to buy a property in Spain then lets start with assessing the agent you will be using. The best way to check out and qualify an agent is to search on a property portal as opposed to an agent direct website. So lets say you Search for a villa in Sotogrande up to 1 million euros in zoopla overseas the same property may come up with several agents in the area. So now choose a property that interests you and then ask the same questions to each of the agents listed. Make sure they are questions that will lead the agent to qualify the property being offered.

1. I like this property is the value realistic

2. What is your opinion on the location

3. Can you comment on the finish and quality of construction

4. How long has it been on the market

5. You seem to have 10 times more property than anyone else are they all on the market

So now you are looking for well constructed sensible replies that an experienced agent will respond or pursue on your behalf. You maybe surprised at some of the variety of responses to the same questions and will be able to work out which agents are the blaggers and which offer a proper honest service. Why not ask the agent questions outside the property field. For a family you may ask if they have children at the school or maybe you are keen to get involved in sport so ask whether they are keen golfers. An agent that knows more about the interests you are pursuing could be useful toward guiding you toward your own goals for living in the area. Also be warned there are a number of local agents in Sotogrande that simply leave every property they have ever listed on their website. It makes them look bigger than they are. We had one client recently that asked to see 12 properties with a local agent all listed on the website of those 12 the client only managed to see two and both of those were out of date on prices. Another owner had sold a villa 7 years ago and spotted it still for sale

So often when people arrive in Spain they end up going home confused. The typical scenario is that prospective buyer arrange to meet several agents all desperate to make a sale all keen to take up as much of your time as possible. The normal trick for the first agent {call him/her agent A} is to keep you occupied for as long as possible to the point that you are fed up with looking at property beyond the many they have shown you, the same agent will do their best to find out what other property you have agreed to look at with other agents on the grounds that they are your best friend in Spain and will give you good honest advice as others are not to be trusted.

Often prospective buyers will have print outs of property from all the agents they have communicated with prior to flying out to Spain. Agent A will have a keen eye to see what others you are looking at. So do not be surprised that towards the end of the day agent "A" suddenly announces there are several others that you must see before ending the day and that those others just happen to be amongst the sheef of papers you have been shuffling round on your lap through out the day. What a coincidence

So by the end of the day you are exhausted after been shown only a couple of the properties you initially were interested in and loads that were never of interest in the first place. Of course you are told that showing a wider variety is all part of Agent "A" assessing your needs. The next day you meet up with the second agent only to find you are arriving at property you have already been shown. What a waste of every ones time.

My suggestion is that if you take the time to qualify the agent and build up a raport prior to flying out to Spain then ask that agent to become your finding agent .

In effect you have found an agent you like and checked out the property on the books and if those are not suitable the same agent can take you to see other property on offer with other agents. A good agent will have good links with reputable other local agents and know which are the unscrupulous agents to be avoided at all costs. Sotogrande has a good few estate agents to choose from and I am aware of a number of out and out blaggers, a few fruit cakes and some very good straight forward agencies.

Find a property in Southern Spain & what to look for in a community

Choose wisely and be happy - Property in Spain So its your turn to find the perfect place for a home abroad. Spain is the most popular for Brits because of its proximity and the choice of flights. However for those thinking about a home in the sun, Southern Spain offers a variety of scenes and landscapes. A barren desert land is much cheaper than green pastures or naturally forested locations. At the end of the day the rule of thumb means that living in the more attractive locations will always cost more but usually fare better in a rising market. So be very aware of the surrounding areas and how developers are able to promote and sell property where terrain is not very appealing. Architects developers and builders,take a parcel of desert land and create an oasis a holiday paradise in the sun. These lovely developments of villas and apartments surrounded by lawns pathways flowers and trees shielded from the harsh external terrain by walls and are great for holidays. However whilst a swimming pool, a community square with a fountain couple of shops and a bar are great for the odd holiday, ask yourself about living there full time. Some of these holiday paradises are simply not practical for full time living specially if the majority of people using them are holiday makers.

So maybe if your looking around Spain and your an expat who would like a social life with similar minded people consider looking for a community with a good International School. The fact there is a school in the area means that there is a community that live there.{insert picture Sotogrande School} Sporting facilities are another great draw for living in Spain Tennis Golf Horse riding and as such a community with good facilities will always be more attractive for those wanting to settle and provide a good base for meeting and socializing.

I have met many people in Spain who have had several enjoyable holidays and blindly bought a very nice home in the same area where they had a great relaxed vacation only to realise within 6 months that in winter months the area is virtually unpopulated. As an agent living and selling homes in Sotogrande I describe this area as a real community here you will find expats making a full time life for themselves and within the community a real diversity of groups and clubs. Sotogrande people organising Bridge clubs,Dining clubs, golf societies, coffee groups,Sunday morning social tennis,running clubs, social cycling groups and many other social activities. For those reading this article I am using Sotogrande as an example and indeed it may be a place outside your budget. However this article is simply saying choose a place where you want to live and scrutinise it very carefully before deciding to buy. After all why buy in a place where nothing much is going on, tranquility can become very boring. For most of us who have lived in Southern Spain for a long time part of the enjoyment is the friendliness of the community and the choice of interests around you. Even if you are looking to spend 6 months in Spain it makes sense to buy where you can integrate with the full time inhabitants of the area. Just from my own experience I look forward to holiday time when friends come here for the entire summer. These friends equally love catching up year after year. Its not only the children who need to be entertained when moving to sunny Spain.

Holiday Home insurance abroad

Do you have a holiday home abroad which is vacant much of the year ? Are you renting out your spanish villa to long term tenants or holiday tenants?

If the answer is YES! Then you need to make sure the insurance you took out when you bought the villa covers you for holiday or long term rental. If you are not renting you need to make sure it is covered when vacant.

We can provide just such insurance. Fully comprehensive, Lloyds underwritten policy,Insured when occupied or vacant and insured if it is rented Long or Short term.

Contact us for terms and conditions

For more information on insuring your home abroad in many different countries email Francis Payne sales@tailormadesotogrande.com or phone 0034 956790320