We aim to help you buy with confidence and take you through the buying process step by step, explaining in detail as we go through the various stages and recommending professionals where necessary. With many years of experience in the property market in Spain we can offer a complete service to ensure that you not only find the right property for you but also are aware of all the stages of the buying process.
Buying a house in Spain is a well trodden path and although there can be pitfalls, working with professionals can help you avoid these and help you enjoy the process, from looking for your dream home to securing it with a minimum of fuss.
The first stage is the property search. We are inland property specialists so our area of expertise is the Coin, Alhaurin el Grande, Cartama areas and we have access to a large portfolio of properties of all types from luxurious country villas to rustic fincas and hope to be able to offer something to suit every taste.
While you are looking for the right property it is also a good idea to secure the other important part of your team and hire a good lawyer. You may already have some recommendations, and if not then we can suggest one of the trusted lawyers that we have worked with for many years. Generally a lawyer will ask for 1% of the purchase price as their fee. One of our main recommendations is that you work with a lawyer who is familiar with country properties if you plan to buy a finca, as you will get much clearer advice on the options that you might have to consider with regards to these properties.
Once you have found the right property and we have negotiated the asking price there is a fairly standard process involved in the purchase. Although there can be some flexibility, generally it works like this:
Stage 1: Reservation – once the offer is accepted a 6,000€ reservation fee is paid to your lawyer who will contact the vendor or their lawyer to formalise the offer and start their searches. This process usually takes 10 – 14 days and establishes that the property has all its paperwork in order or can be updated at the point of sale, whether there are any fines or embargos on the property and that the owner has the right to sell the property – the normal conveyancing process you would expect from a competent lawyer
Stage 2: Deposit – Once the searches are complete and you and your lawyer are happy that the property can be bought with confidence a more formal sales contract is drawn up and a 10% deposit is paid. The deposit is non refundable unless the vendor does not fulfil the details of the sale contract so this is a very important step and signifies a commitment from both parties – in the sales contract it will specify if the owner has to do any work to update the paperwork on the property, the completion date and any other aspects of the sale process.
Stage 3: Completion – depending on what needs doing this process can take a month or three months. Generally a minimum of six weeks is a good guide to the buying process but can be longer if the paperwork of the property needs to be updated.
Costs: apart from the lawyers fee mentioned earlier, the buyer also has to pay a 8% sales tax, notary costs, land registry and all other costs apart from the ‘plus valia’ tax which is paid for by the owner. We suggest allowing 11% on top of the purchase price to cover all these expenses.
