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Preparation for viewing properties in Spain
Viewing properties in Spain is an exciting part of your home-buying journey, but it can also be overwhelming. Below we share some tips to try and make it a little easier for you!
If you’ve made the decision to buy a property in Spain, you may be wondering what steps to take. You’ve probably been toying with the idea for months (maybe years) already, making several trips and getting a lot of information on the internet.
At this point, you really want to take the next step and buy a property in Spain, but what next?
Set your search criteria
The most important thing is that you know what you’re looking for. But just as importantly, where in Spain do you want to live?
Spain is a large country with many different regions, each with its own characteristics and even its own climate. The coastline of Spain covers many hundreds of kilometers, so check carefully what your preference is. Explore the region first to see if it fits your expectations. Nothing is more important than the right location. We can find the perfect dream home for you anyway, but the location simply cannot be changed.
With regard to your wishes, our property finder service form is very useful for looking at your options. What is the reason why you want to buy a property in Spain? Adjust your criteria accordingly. Is the distance from the coast important, who will use the property and when? Do you realize that, for example, an old house or large garden may also require a lot of time and maintenance, is that the intention?
Check your available budget
There is nothing more frustrating than finding your dream home, which ultimately turns out to be financially unattainable. So check your budget well in advance. What may your ideal dream home cost and also check whether you actually have it available. Do not forget to include the buyer’s costs, which in Spain amount to approximately 10 to 15% of the purchase price, depending on the region.
If you need financing, keep in mind that this works differently in Spain. Banks in the Netherlands or Belgium do not provide mortgages on real estate abroad. So for financing you may be able to use the equity of your home or you may be dependent on a mortgage from Spain. Do not forget that you can finance a maximum of 70% of the sales/appraisal value here, so that you should always be able to contribute a significant amount yourself.
Read about the buying process in Spain
It is useful if you want to buy a property to delve a bit into the buying process of a property in Spain. Even though you certainly don’t have to be an expert yourself, if you roughly know what to expect, you will not be faced with unexpected surprises. Here you can read more about the purchase process, but of course we are also there to guide you in every phase of this process.
Create a list of your favourite properties
After this preparation, you will know what you are looking for and also what your financial options are.
Now the fun work begins: selecting properties. Make a list and look very critically whether this is really the type of property you are looking for. Also look carefully at the place/region. There’s no point in looking at “nice properties” in a region that you don’t like or don’t meet your other needs or budget. If necessary, check the distance from the place to the coast, airport, etc. via the route planner if this is important to you. If you have completed our search service, we will of course send you a good selection. But also share your favorites with us, so that we get a better idea of what you like. This way we may be able to send you other suggestions.
Ultimately it is nice if you come to a favorites list of 5 to 8 properties. It is better not to stare blindly at 1 favorite, because it may have been sold before you are in Spain or it turns out not to be as beautiful in practice as you thought.
If you have some good properties, now what? What do you have to do to schedule a viewing in Spain? How do I make sure I see the best offer? If you are ready to view specific properties, it is important to plan a trip.
How do I plan a viewing trip?
Let us know what your wishes are, which homes you like and when you come to Spain and we will get to work for you. When planning a viewing trip, it is useful to coordinate this with us immediately as soon as you have dates in mind. It would be a pity if there are (local) holidays, so that it is not possible to view all the houses you would like. In any case, our advice is to plan at least 1 or 2 ‘weekday’ days. Many Spanish estate agents are closed on weekends and owners are not always at home. Furthermore, public holidays in Spain are sacred and in August (the hottest period of the year) and around Christmas until Epiphany, real estate offices are not open or have limited opening in some regions.
Many homes are also rented out in the summer in the high season and cannot be visited then. In any case, plan to avoid weekends and holidays as much as possible. Furthermore, some extra time is of course always nice, even if you have found the house, to further explore the immediate area to make sure that it suits you and becomes your place.
What can a (purchase) broker arrange for you?
When planning a viewing trip, you can choose to make appointments with many different brokers or you can contact a purchase broker. The choice is of course entirely yours. We can tell you that in practice it is often difficult to schedule many appointments efficiently. Since you want to spend your time in Spain as best as possible, we will plan the viewings in Spain in succession in consultation as optimally as possible. This way you avoid duplication (seeing the same house with different brokers) and that you are driven to houses that you have not asked for. The big advantage is also that you build up advancing insight together. Often after seeing the first home(s), it appears that certain requirements and wishes change. This way we can adapt the program flexibly and you avoid unnecessary loss of time.
Dream Properties International also has access to the full range of properties in all regions in Spain as a purchase broker. This is because we do not work with exclusivity of homes here in Spain. We can therefore show you the entire offer and make all agreements for you, regardless of broker. On a viewing day, we may have agreements with various selling brokers so that you can see the entire range in the region. So feel free to forward properties to us and we will prepare a good viewing program. In this way we ensure that you can enjoy yourself during the viewings in Spain. Buy without worries!
Do I have to take anything into account?
In any case, it is important to keep in mind that it can always be the case that on the viewing day it turns out that a property you wanted to see has suddenly been sold or reserved. Sometimes we don’t know this until just in advance. This is also because a house is not exclusively for sale with one broker. So we often don’t know if re-views take place through other brokers. As soon as someone makes a reservation, the house is immediately taken off the market and can no longer be viewed. You see: the real estate system works completely differently than in the Netherlands and Belgium. Fortunately, we have years of experience and we know how it works here in Spain.
Sometimes homes are suddenly rented out so that we cannot view them. Don’t worry, we always try to schedule nice alternatives.
We also always recommend that you rent a car yourself for the period that you are in Spain. Of course that is less necessary if you are specifically looking for a large city such as Valencia or Málaga because the houses are closer together and sometimes within walking distance, but otherwise it is nice to be mobile yourself. This gives you complete freedom to stay in the region after the viewings to do your own research and to explore the neighborhood further.
You've found your dream home, now what?
First of all: how nice that you have found your dream home! We can of course schedule a re-visit so that you can take a closer look at the property. It is of course important not to make a hasty decision. Are you sure? Does it feel good? Then it is important to transfer an offer. Owners are allowed to put their home up for sale with various brokers and we must of course prevent the home from being sold right in front of you. We collect as much information as possible in order to make a suitable offer. If the offer is accepted, it is important that a reservation contract is made as soon as possible and that a reservation amount is transferred so that the property is taken off the market.
We will also put you in touch with a good independent lawyer who will draw up the contract and who will then check the property for you for legality, debts and other matters. After the review, we sometimes immediately schedule an appointment with the lawyer at the office to get acquainted, but sometimes remote contact is also sufficient. A Spanish bank account can also be opened at a bank. When the lawyer finally gives the green light, the cava can officially be taken out of the fridge! Then, of course, the preliminary purchase contract and the 10% down payment are made and the transfer only follows at the notary, but the enjoyment can already begin! Mission accomplished!
Personal advice
We understand that you still have many questions. No problem. Our motto is: buy without worries! We want to help you realize your Spanish dream and will assist you every step of the way. So if you have a question or if you want more information about a viewing in Spain and buying a property in Spain, please feel free to contact us. We are ready for you!
