HI, new to forum. Has anyone used propertyinspain.net? Are they reliable?

Hi, We are currently looking into buying a property in spain, mainly to use ourselves but also as a rental. I've searched many companies and there are bundles of companies to choose which is why I've joined this forum to ask people for advise before making such an expensive decision. Has anyone used propertyinspain.net and what do you think of the service they provide? Or has anyone used another reliable company? Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks

Hi DG68 and welcome to the forum.  I am sure that  you will get loads of good advice on here from many sources.  What area are you looking at and what are your main requirements e.g. inland, beach, urbanisation, rural?   I personaly would not bother with an agent although I did buy through one five years ago and am very happy with my lot!

I would consider going on holiday to an area and then looking round yourself both in the agents window and also the private Sevende signs many which have U.K. numbers on them  you would then get a feel of the area and be able to look at property on your own.  There are some good agents out there and some of these are members of this forum maybe they can advise you, and good luck with your search.

First of all you have to decide which is more important

Your own use or rental as this may affect the location you choose, the type of property and how you fit it out

First rentals

If you want to make a return on rentals then you have to work very hard at it yourself, just leaving it up to rental agents is no good [it’s a business!]
It is not easy but quite a lot of people with all types of properties do manage to get sufficient rentals to help towards the running costs and mortgage

But when buying do not rely on the projected rental

Any projections you are given are just that and guaranteed rentals in general just do not exist: just marketing and built in to the price

I suppose a general rule of thumb is that to have any chance of rentals you have to be close to a good beach for summer lets and close to good golf for winter ones [good walking also helps]

UK renters in the main want Sky and air con, Spanish close to beach

And you have to provide a good service and competitive rates

Renting to family and friends is of course a different matter

Buying for your own use then it is just a matter of deciding on the location area you like best, do a lot of research [lots of info on EOS[, having a conservative budget and then go to Spain to have a look

Some do it all on their own and others use an agent as it helps them through all the buying procedures

The days of going on a dedicated[pressure] Inspection Trip are perhaps over. Still exist and OK for some but today it is probably best to narrow down a few agents who you would like to deal with and see what they can show you in your chosen location

In the end it has to come down to a personal choice deciding who you will deal with and buy from

Good agents can be very useful and helpful just like in the UK

One thing you can be sure of just now and that is you will get very good value for your money in 2009 even allowing for the exchange rate [ expected to go up to circa 1.25 in 2009]

You can also look for properties at say 25% or so above your real budget as negotiation is the order of the day now

Not all discounted properties are good buys and not everyone has to sell, so you may just find your ideal home in Spain but find the seller is not flexible on the price……....then really you just have to walk away and start looking again

Not a comprehensive post of buying in Spain , just a starter and most importantly’ let your head rule your heart’ not the other way round!

And apply the same approach to buying in Spain as you would in UK

 I think the Costa Blanca South would suit. Plenty to do ,loads of good golf courses so rental possiblity there,and some superb beaches. You can live in a mainly Brit area and within a few  minutes be in a very Spanish area or vice verca, whatever grabs you.

We have chosen this area because of the flexibilty it offers us and the freindliness of the people we have met.

If you want a trustworthy estate agent I can recommend " Distant Shores". The owner posts on here under the name of Georgia.

You're right Acapulo, I would highly recommend Georgia. too.

  Yes have to agree with last two posts Georgia is a good honest agent and that is what you need when you are looking for property.

                        Pat 

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Thanks Pat for recommending Georgia to me when I first join the forum.

Hi Forhotspot,  You are welcome glad you have found somewhere, have you sold up in UK?

Welcome to the forum DG68 I do not know anyone that has used properyinspain so I cannot help you there, perhaps someone else can on the forum. Do you know which area of Spain, that would help us to be able to help you more.   Good luck anyway.

                  Pat

Hi Pat,

      I haven't sold my house in Canada but I got over a year to sell it  & will put it up on the market in early March. Georgia has found me a villa (off-plan) in Rojales.  It's because of  Georgia, I dare go for a custom-built villa which I've always wanted.

Thanks to you & Georgia.

Hi ForHotSpot,

                   Sorry thought it was UK you was trying  to sell in, is the current housing situation as bad in Canada as it is in UK, but saying that houses are selling round this area.

 Sorry DG68 hijacking your thread.

                         Pat

 Thank you for all your replies and helpful advice, I will definately take it all on board when making decisions.  

A question raised from your replies is where are we looking? We are looking to buy in the region of Costa Blanca. We have this idealic place in mind of 10mins to the beach, 20-30mins from the airport, pleasant surrounds, possibly in a town that has plenty of facilities but not too overcrowded like the larger towns, but near enough to somewhere like Torrevieja. On our budget we are looking for an apartment with shared pool, villa would be very nice :) 

I would be grateful if anyone can recommend areas which fit my description (sorry if it's a bit vague).

Thank you for recommending Georgia.

Sounds like you want our house mate. ,

Sent you a PM but I think that as a new poster you may not be able to get it

Georgia [ he is a male!]  will be able to give you more details if you contact him... as I can also..... and others who do post on EOS and try to help people who are interested in buying in Spain.

I think all of us want new buyers to feel that buying in Spain is now as safe as buying in UK if you do it properly

Hi All, I havn't posted on here before but after reading this thread, I just had to add my 10 pence worth.

I bought off Shaun (or Georgia as he is known on here) while I was still serving in the Army about 12 months ago. I have to say that his dedication to ensuring that we got exactly what we wanted was unsurpassed. Both He and his wife bent over backwards to help with our transition to Spain went as smoothly as possible. He sorted out everything from NIE to Residencia. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

Shaun always answered all my queries promptly and with answers to every question. If he couldnt answer the question there and then, I always got one the next day.

as I say I fully recommend Shaun and I already have done to all my friends.

Regards,

Karl

 Hi Karl, welcome to the forum.   Glad Shaun helped you that is what you need when in the buying process it can be a bit scary.  Especially so at the moment.   Glad everything went well.

                         Pat 

Hi Pat,

       The housing market in Canada was very hot for at least a couple of years till late last year when it started to slow down.  I hope it will pick up soon esp when the interest rate has gone down.  Buying process in Spain is scary esp off-plan when you don't know anyone. Luckily I got Georgia to help me. He is definitely very helpful in all ways from chosing of a location to negotiations with the builder. I'm sure anyone who has asked him for help will never regret.

Thanks Pat & Georgia.

Hi DG68 and welcome to eos. Almoradi will fit your criteria perfectly and Geogia knows the area well,Pat.

Hi

I would recommend Shaun (Georgia) too, very switched on about most developments in and around the area. He very kindly helped me with some info I needed on the one we had already bought by getting in touch with one of many of his contacts (how many agents would have taken time and trouble to do that?) If you want straight forward honest and unbiased advice then I would contact him

Hi,

Just letting you know I've contacted Shaun (Georgia) through his website and waiting to hear from him.

Thanks for the tip Pat, I've had my eye on Almoradi, also guardamar.

Sorry for not replying to PM's, I've requested for activation but no reply :(