“They offer the kind of service you dream about but these days rarely get in the UK,” is how expat Trevor Spencer described Smart Currency Exchange, after using the company to transfer money to Spain from the UK recently.
Trevor, a DJ who teaches Rock ‘n’ Roll dancing, and his partner Sue Hudson moved into their new home in the Spanish province of Almeria in November, having rented in the area for two years before that. When the couple first arrived in Spain from Wakefield in 2009, Trevor used Smart Currency Exchange instead of a high street bank to transfer funds from the UK, having found the company on the Internet. Impressed with the service and exchange rate he received, he didn’t hesitate to use Smart again to transfer £65,000-worth of euros needed for the purchase of the couple’s new property last month.
“Smart did exactly as they said on the tin,” said Trevor. “We rang them and got an exchange rate to swap our pounds into euros we were happy with. There was no fuss and they were easy to talk to. I would use them again and I’ve already recommended them to friends out here in Spain.”
Trevor and Sue are still settling into their new four-bedroom home, an older style property that forms the end house in a row of four. Located in the village of Partaloa, near Albox and 45 minutes inland from the coast at Vera Playa, it comes with a 1,000-square-metre plot, where Trevor has plans to start a kitchen garden.
“The asking price was €98,000 but we got it down to a lot less than that,” says Trevor. “The property is habitable and just about keeps the rain out but still needs a lot of work doing to it.”
Almeria is a province in the eastern corner of Andalusia, in the south-east of Spain. It’s famous for being one of Europe’s driest places, resulting in its distinctive arid landscape – a number of Spaghetti westerns were shot in the province’s Tabernas desert, thanks to its resemblance to Arizona. Popular places to buy on the coast include Villaricos, Mojacar, Vera and, further south, Roquetas de Mar .
When Trevor and Sue first arrived in Spain they decided not to sell their UK home immediately and held off buying due to the deteriorating state of the property market there. Trevor felt that the majority of properties in Spain didn’t reflect the global situation and had retained their pre-crash prices.
It’s no secret that care should be taken when buying abroad and for anyone thinking of Spain, Trevor has this advice: “People should be aware that estate agents can be in league with local solicitors who also work together and therefore no one is looking after the welfare of the buyer. So buyers should use an independent solicitor and never allow themselves to be coerced into making a decision.”