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| Finding your dream home in the sun - a guide to effective house hunting |
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If you're reading this article then you have already decided to investigate the possibility of finding a new home in the sun, whether as a permanent move or just to secure a holiday retreat for yourself and your family.
What makes us do it? In the year from mid 2005 to mid 2006, 196,000 British citizens left the UK and Spain was the second favourite destination, beaten only by Australia . Is it the weather that makes more and more of us take this life changing decision? It wouldn't be surprising after the appalling summer the UK has experienced this year would it? Another major factor is often a concern about the quality of life at home, especially where children are concerned. But whatever your reasons and whatever your plans, our job is to make the search and the move as stress free as possible and to help you make the right decision in your own time. So here are out top tips when setting about your search…. |
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| Work out your timescale |
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| We recommend that you don't look seriously before you are ready to buy. Once you decide to buy a property in Spain you'll be paying a 10% non-refundable deposit and the completion process takes less time than in the UK . If you have a house to sell, whether here or in the UK and you need the proceeds to buy your new home then you're not ready to commit to a purchase. You could end up disappointed and several thousand euros poorer – though of course a responsible agent like Sunset Properties will not let this happen! On the other hand, having a look to see what you can get for your money is not a bad idea and is obviously all part of your research. A good agent will be happy to view properties with you even if you are not ready to buy just yet. |
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| Set your criteria and budget |
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| Let your agent know what you are looking for and how much you have to spend. We certainly won't show you properties over your budget or ones that don't meet your essential criteria, so be honest with us! |
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| Find the right estate agent |
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You will find estate agents in a number of ways but increasingly people start their research on the internet. Good presentation of properties and plenty of information and quality photographs will probably be the first thing to attract your attention. However once you start talking to the agents you will soon get a feel for who you are going to be able to work with and who you feel you can trust to give you a professional service.
Talk to as many people as you can locally to find out who has a good reputation. You don't want to be hurried or pushed into making a decision and you'll find that a comprehensive after sales service is essential to your sanity! |
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| Viewings |
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When you're setting up your appointments, try to ensure that you will not be viewing the same property with another agent. It is common practice here for sellers to have the property listed with more than one agent.
You'll find that it's best not to view too many houses in one day because it can be a tiring process. Take a check list, make notes and even take your own photos (with the owner's permission, of course). This sounds obvious, but often people don't and then at the end of the day when they are discussing the properties they can very easily make up a new house out of different parts of all of the houses they have seen. And of course this house does not exist! Use your imagination and work out what you can change and what can't – remember location, location, location! And don't forget that any purchase will be a compromise on something, unless you are building your own house and that's a different story altogether. |
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And finally…. |
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| If you need any more advice or would just like to chat through your hopes and dreams with someone who lives locally then give us a call – we are always happy to help. |
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