To Buy or Not To Buy
Hesitating about buying a property in Spain?
If you are this is understandable given the recent negative publicity
surrounding the property and financial markets.
However, you should think again ... !!
Property prices regularly fluctuate but historically the underlying
trend is always up.
Because of the recent negative publicity the demand for Spanish property
is currently lower and prices have fallen!
Although some property owners who would prefer to sell are choosing
instead to rent out their properties for the time being there are still
many people wanting to sell for various personal reasons so why wait
for the prices to go up again?
Most of the owners who need to sell are shrewd enough to acknowledge the
current market conditions and are pricing their properties
competitively.
At the moment the euro is very strong against the pound making it
more expensive to buy euros and the cost of buying a Spanish
property higher to someone from the UK with funds in sterling.
UK owners of Spanish properties will, in most cases, be bringing the
proceeds of their sale back to the UK so these owners can afford to
reduce the price of their property still further knowing that they will
have the same amount in sterling as they would have had at a higher
selling price but with a weaker euro.
Use the current situation to work to your advantage!
If you are using
sterling to pay either the deposit or the total cost then be sure to use
a specialist currency exchange company who will not only give you a
better exchange rate than the high street banks but, for a 10% deposit,
can fix your exchange rate. If you prefer, you can tell them to buy your
euros if they fall to a pre-arranged price thus protecting yourself
against changes in the rate.
So does it make sense not to buy now when the alternative is to
wait and buy when the prices have increased again?
By buying now you could own a property that has the best potential for
increasing in value.
Also, when interest rates fall again, the cost of ownership will become
much lower.
All you have to do now is to find the competitively priced property
that meets your criteria, buy your euros at the best rate and you
are on to a winner!
But ...
* how do you ensure you have the best selection of properties to
choose from?
* how do know which properties represent the best value?
* how do you learn about the all the legal and administrative
regulations to ensure your purchase is safe?
* how do you take advantage of the currency exchange services?
The answer is to employ the services of a Buying
Representative specialising in Spain.
A Buying Representative is independent of all agents and builders and
represents you, the buyer, in all aspects of finding and buying your
property.
Your Buying Representative will negotiate with the vendors, agents,
builders, solicitor, notary, etc. with you, and on your behalf, and it is also quite common for a Buying Representative to assist the buyer
in other incidental tasks such as buying a car or having a telephone
installed.
In the UK these companies are called "Buying Agents" and usually charge
a fee of hundreds, or even thousands, of pounds for advising and
assisting you through all the stages of finding and buying your
property.
If you are buying in Spain this service is available 'free of
charge'
from Holidays and Homes!
Holidays and Homes are only paid if you purchase a property through them
and this payment is made by the vendor as a share
of the agents fee.
This arrangement ensures that Holidays and Homes are
totally independent and have no vested interest in which vendor you buy from.
Holidays and Homes have access to thousands of new and resale properties
and will spend a considerable amount of time and effort searching and researching
on your behalf with the agents and builders. All they ask in return for
providing this free service is that you allow them to be your
representative for all you property purchasing negotiations and that you
do not approach any agents or builders directly yourself.
Contact Anthony in the UK or Leslie in Spain for more information
about
how Holidays and Homes can help you.
|
