Never before have quality estate agencies been so pivotal in helping foreigners buy property in Spain, a consequence of the drastic reduction in the number of developers selling direct and a surge in distressed vendors needing to offload property.
Article written by The Overseas Guides Company
Five years after the property crash brought the Spanish market to its knees, causing thousands of developers and less robust estate agencies to shut up shop, quality agencies that have survived are seeing a resurgence in business, with the best ones realising the importance of an excellent all-round service.
“The way property in Spain is sold to foreigners has changed so much in recent years, mainly because there are far fewer mass inspection trips arranged by developers and marketing agencies, so estate agents are handling most of the sales, be it on behalf of banks,” said Kieran Byrne, managing director of Costa Blanca estate agency HomeEspaña. “Another consequence of the crash is that there are more distressed vendors trying to sell privately, to save on agency fees. For someone not completely at ease with the ways things are done here, not having a reputable agency to hold your hand throughout the purchase, especially in a market that’s been left with lots of toxic property, could be disastrous.”
Too often, British people buying in Spain, or anywhere abroad, don’t consider the sort of assistance they will need during the buying process. “A reputable estate agency should recognise that British and other foreign buyers need guidance,” added Kieran Byrne at HomeEspaña. “At our firm, matching clients with the right property is only half the service we offer – from the moment a client puts down a reservation fee, our dedicated after sales team is on hand to assist, to a level that suits the client, with every phase of purchasing and taking ownership.”
An example of some of the deals currently available in the southern Costa Blanca is this two-bedroom, two-bathroom ground-floor apartment, with its own terrace, on a gated development in Villamartin. Close to amenities and just a five-minute drive to the beach, it’s on the market for €98,000 through HomeEspaña.
For details of property for sale in Spain, visit the listings on Rightmove Overseas. One way to save money when buying in Spain is to use a currency specialist when transferring your pounds into euros or dollars to complete the purchase of your property. For more information on this, contact Smart Currency Exchange or visit the Currency Zone.
To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Spain, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Spain Property Buying Guide’
The views and comments herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Rightmove Overseas, Rightmove Group Ltd or Rightmove Plc