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Spanish Property Services & Fees
Property Services
The Spanish Property Register ensures that you explore all
the possibilities when buying a property in Spain.
Anyone familiar with purchasing property in the UK will understand
the processes that are in place to safeguard the purchaser.
When dealing in a foreign country and currency these become
increasingly important, however these services are not considered
standard practice in the Spanish property market. Many people
looking for property in Spain are not aware of the potential
downfalls of investing in a foreign country. It is all too
easy to get carried away and make decisions that could be
potentially disastrous.
The Spanish Property Register investigates the three main
areas where it is vital that you have accurate information
before making any commitment:
- The widest range of property available
to help you in selecting your property in an organised and
considered way
- Legal services and local searches
beyond anything normally available
- Certified structural surveys and
independent valuations
The Spanish Property Register will save you time and money,
and give you the peace of mind that your investment has been
thoroughly researched.
Finding the Property
The Spanish Property Register will scan all the properties
on the market to match the requirements of the client. The
client then receives these via email and has the opportunity
to select from a shortlist of properties they consider appropriate.
Initial search criteria would include:
- Budget
- Size of property required
- Location
- Individual circumstances, establishing
personal preferences and priorities
- Use of the property, holiday home/permanent
home
Once we have established how many properties are available
that fit the given criteria, we can forward the property details
for review. The client can then exclude properties of lesser
interest and start building a selection of properties that
can be organised into a future viewing itinerary. The client
feedback helps us better understand their requirements and
we can widen or adjust the search if necessary.
Client Viewing Itinerary
Once the client is happy there are enough properties to view
to warrant a visit, we arrange an itinerary with back-to-back
viewings making the best time of the client's time. As part
of an itinerary we will prepare background information as
to the pros and cons of each property so as to be fully prepared
prior to the viewing. During the visit, we can also assist
with securing their NIE or fiscal numbers and opening a Spanish
bank account - both necessary for the purchase of a property.
We accompany the client during the property viewings with
the agents. Our role is to keep a perspective and assist the
client assess the relative merits of each property. It could
be useful to test to see if there is any flexibility in the
price of some of the properties. Even so, once a property
becomes of interest to the client, we would add our leverage
to negotiate the best price, and in some cases our client's
keep at a comfortable arm's length while we drive the best
deal we can. At the end of each day we review the properties
seen and discuss how we can get the most from the next day
of viewings.
By the end of their visit, the client will have seen a large
variety of property that match their criteria. If they wish
to look into a particular property in more detail we assist
with our legal services, otherwise we review the search criteria
and decide how we need to proceed.
Investigating the Legitimacy of the Property
When the client is satisfied that they have found the right
property, we need to check to ensure that everything is in
order so that the client can proceed with the purchase.
The Private Contract
Before investing time to investigate the property, the vendor
will take the property off the market for an agreed period,
requiring the client to pay a deposit. The private contract
must protect the client in case we discover any problem with
the property and ensure that the deposit is refunded in full
should this be the case. Agencies that deal with our clients
should accept the Spanish Property Register private contract
terms and conditions, rather than our clients having to accept
terms that are more favourable to the vendor.
Legal Searches
Spanish law holds the existing legal owner of a property
liable for all encumbrances on the property no matter who
was responsible. This means that if there is an outstanding
mortgage, tax office embargo, or court charge against the
property this liability will automatically transfer to the
purchaser after completion. Our legal searches will check
the land register to ensure the property is free of all charges.
Local Authority Searches
Customers from the UK will assume these checks are normally
carried out as part of the legal process, however in Spain
this is not the case. This is where many problems for purchasers
commonly occur down the line. For example there has been much
press coverage regarding the LRAU, or more commonly known
the land grab laws, where owners have found that their property
is due to be in the middle of a new development and they are
required to pay for the infrastructure as a shareholder in
the land.
The general plan at the local town hall will detail all future
planned changes in land use and development projects in the
local area. From checking the general plan, we will understand
if any new developments or changes are expected, so that our
client is aware how this might affect their property. The
local authority searches also check potential liabilities
due to the town hall, for example if the previous owners have
not paid their rates, or have outstanding fines for illegal
building work, etc. Any planned road widening or other infrastructure
projects that could potentially claim land from the property
is also checked.
Regional Searches
We extend our search to a regional level as any new urbanisations
and changes of use of land proposed by the local town hall
will need approval from the regional authority.
Rectification of the Escritura
Any changes that have been made to a property that are not
recorded in the vendor's escritura (deed), needs to be amended
before any transaction is completed. We check that the existing
escritura is accurate, and if not we can certify the changes
that describe the property in better detail. Any building
extensions, addition of swimming pools, changes in boundaries
or other changes in the property description need to be rectified
in the vendor's escritura so that it is valid before the purchase.
Otherwise, these changes may prove to be a liability in the
future. Our architectural department will survey and certify
these changes working with the Notary to make this process
as straight forward as possible.
Certified Structural Survey
We carry out the survey whether it is necessary for any loan
or mortgage to establish the condition of the property, or
simply for peace of mind and as a means of safeguarding their
investment. Any defects need to be uncovered and addressed
before completion, or be referred to in final negotiations.
Independent Valuation Report
A useful reference that examines the size and type of the
construction, the characteristics of the plot, the location
and other aspects influencing the value of the property. Similar
properties and their values in the same area are then compared
to assess an accurate figure for the value. The valuation
can help secure loans or a mortgage if necessary.
Preparation of Documentation for
the Notary
Once all these checks have been completed, the documentation
for the new escritura is provided to the Notary. Any further
points in question, regarding the transaction are then discussed
with the Notary before the completion date so that everything
is in order.
A Personalised Service
Buying a property is a big responsibility, and at times complications
occur that need careful thought. The Spanish Property Register
is an accredited API, and our team has over 25 years experience
dealing in the Spanish property market. We have direct contact
with most of the authorities and town halls that can help
solve many outstanding issues. Our clients look to us for
advice on a range of issues, from the initial negotiations
to beyond the completion of the property purchase.
The Spanish Property Register is unique in offering such
a comprehensive range of services that look after the
interests of our clients in Spain prior to, during and
after the property is purchased. Prudent and sensible
people will utimately engage a lawyer or someone with
the necessary skills to handle their purchase. We believe
it makes good sense to enlist professional help at the
beginning to ensure the whole process runs smoothly rather
than discover problems at the end. The best scenario when
problems are discovered is you have to start looking all
over again which can be frustrating and time consuming
the worst case however is - you loose money!
Purchase Protection Plan - Start off
on the right foot, check out the basic legitimacy of the
property before you do anything. We offer Preliminary
Legal checks and valuation assement which usually takes
about 24 hours to complete.
Free Services
The SPR service exceeds any other you will find in Spain;
both in the timeframes we operate, and level of professionalism.
We take the time and trouble to explain each step of the
process to you. As a registered member of the SPR community
you are entitled to a range of free benefits listed below
designed to assist you when buying a property in Spain.
Free Property
search
With the SPR Database we take much of the work out of
locating a selection of properties that meet your given
criteria. Use this service to make the most of your time
when visiting Spain.
Free Information
Library
The library of articles includes topics of interest for
anyone thing of moving to Spain. From Motoring, to Health
Care, Spanish Utilities to the Spanish Legal System, more
than forty different subjects are covered including answers
to frequently asked questions.
Free Advice Centre
If you need additional information we will always be
happy to provide assistance, by phone, fax or email.
Free SPR Protection
plan
Probably the most valuable part of our service to provide
guidance to you get off on the right foot. It ensures
that your purchase runs as smoothly as possible and you
follow the right course of action before you sign or commit
to anything. Our valuation will tell you if the price
is fair, and sometimes we can find the same property from
another agent cheaper. Remember SPR represents the buyer,
not the vendor.
Paid services
When you subscribe to our fee paying services we immediately
begin to work for you to explore the individual properties
that are available with your criteria. This is an interactive
process where we present more detailed information for
you to assess each property in turn. You then decide which
specific properties you want to see during your visit
so that you do not risk wasting your time in Spain viewing
properties that are of no interest. This is usually for
customers who are short on time and need to know their
options quickly to make a decision. This involves considerable
work and therefore we require 500 euros to initiate the
in depth Property Search Service, this payment can be
discounted against our legal and planning checks, structural
survey and the property valuation at a later stage.
Fee Structure
Click
here for full
details
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