Next viewing trip booked!

Do you have a query about moving to Andalucia and buying property in Andalucia. Find out by posting questions and reading about other peoples experiences.
User avatar
Loopy Lisa
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 46
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2017 6:31 pm
Location: London

Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Loopy Lisa » Sun Feb 19, 2017 8:21 pm

So we are off to Almeria which is the area we really like and have a few properties to look at there. Well 22 to be precise!!!! Rented a property for 6 days and all set.
Just wanted some guidance on questions to ask and info to get whilst we are there. This time, all the properties have a drive and gate that goes right up to the road - no tracks in sight!!!

Thanks for your help before and looking forward to help and advice this time :wave:

Unicorn
Resident
Posts: 1670
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 5:06 pm
Location: Estepona

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Unicorn » Sun Feb 19, 2017 8:26 pm

Hi Lisa :wave:

Good luck! :thumbup:

What happened with the last property? I must have missed the denouement............

User avatar
Loopy Lisa
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 46
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2017 6:31 pm
Location: London

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Loopy Lisa » Sun Feb 19, 2017 9:54 pm

The sellers wouldn't agree to anything other than selling to us and then we would have to sort out an easement or similar. And they insisted on the payment of the deposit money paid directly to them immediately. We tried to negotiate and offered them some alternatives but they refused to engage or discuss with us or even reply to what was or was not acceptable. Then they said sign the contract (bearing in mind they had rejected the terms) or we will refuse to sell to you. Then their lawyer sent an email demanding our deposit money saying we had breached the contract!!!!
Bottom line is we have walked away and are trying to get out money back, which even on everything above I think we are entitled to but they have been actively marketing the property for 2 more than 2 weeks before they pulled the plug.
Well good luck to them getting a buyer - now we are away from the deal we can look at it objectively and it is defiantly the right decision.

User avatar
costakid
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5752
Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2005 11:55 am
Location: malaga este

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby costakid » Mon Feb 20, 2017 8:35 am

You may want to check that they haven’t denounced you without telling you. Once you have a Spanish account all sorts of things can happen without you giving permission. Money can be taken for debts etc.

Unicorn
Resident
Posts: 1670
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 5:06 pm
Location: Estepona

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Unicorn » Mon Feb 20, 2017 1:00 pm

I agree. The previous sellers sound mad enough to denounce you and check out the agents as well. Rural communities can be, well, cosy!

Miro
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3584
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: Merseyside, formally Torremolinos

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Miro » Mon Feb 20, 2017 2:48 pm

Good luck with the viewings. Just remember, there's plenty out there, so don't be tempted to compromise.
We're off to the UK to view properties - so far we've only found 5 or 6 that fit our criteria (admittedly we don't have a whole province to choose from!) and none of them are likely to be 100% right. We saw one come online last week that looked perfect. I rang the agent straight away, who told me they had seven viewings already booked plus a second viewing, and by the afternoon I got a message to say it was under offer and therefore no more viewings.
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

maureenscot
Resident
Posts: 666
Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2016 5:37 pm

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby maureenscot » Mon Feb 20, 2017 6:59 pm

Wow Miro.Is this normal? Good luck Loopylisa

Miro
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3584
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: Merseyside, formally Torremolinos

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Miro » Mon Feb 20, 2017 7:16 pm

I think the property in question was very keenly priced, plus from the photos it was very nicely presented, clean, tidy etc. (Some are in a shocking state with no effort made to prepare them for sale - kids toys everywhere, peeling paint & wallpaper etc.) A few that I've seen have gone under offer quite quickly after being marketed, but usually they seem to take more like 3 months to go. Others I've seen have been listed on Rightmove for a year or more, so like here, I guess there's no "normal"!
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

User avatar
Loopy Lisa
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 46
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2017 6:31 pm
Location: London

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Loopy Lisa » Tue Feb 21, 2017 8:28 pm

maureenscot wrote:Wow Miro.Is this normal? Good luck Loopylisa
Thanks. But as to the UK market some areas and particular types of properties are being sold for above the asking price! We live in Kent and houses close to us rarely even have a for sale board - you only know that somebody is moving when the sold board goes up. Things here in the UK are crazy!

I don't know how they can denounce us as we have done nothing illegal, and we are avoiding the agent we were buying through and also the agent they are selling through now, as we know that they are friends of the vendors.

I will let you know how it goes .......

User avatar
costakid
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5752
Joined: Sun Feb 13, 2005 11:55 am
Location: malaga este

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby costakid » Wed Feb 22, 2017 8:54 am

LOOPY LISA WROTE I don't know how they can denounce us as we have done nothing illegal, and we are avoiding the agent we were buying through and also the agent they are selling through now, as we know that they are friends of the vendors.

You do not have to break the law. They can say you owe them money, take you to court and you won't turn up as they have no address to contact you and the courts find in there favour. You then have a court order against you and money can be taken from your Spanish account.

I know this is fact because it happened to a friend of mine over a town hall road tax debt.

elusive
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3275
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2012 11:49 am
Location: East of Malaga

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby elusive » Wed Feb 22, 2017 9:31 am

maureenscot wrote:Wow Miro.Is this normal? Good luck Loopylisa

Some neighbours of ours who moved back a few months ago found it very difficult to view anything they liked as it was gone before they could book flights! Luckily they were able to move back in with family and then look from the uk. Market in some areas at least seem to be moving alot. I keep an eye out on property sales as we rent out or home in yorkshire and before xmas they were shifting very quickly

Unicorn
Resident
Posts: 1670
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 5:06 pm
Location: Estepona

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Unicorn » Wed Feb 22, 2017 9:49 am

Lisa, Costakid is right. It does not matter if you think you have broken any law. You can be denounced for anything that they think you have done. Do not run away with the idea that breaking the law is involved. A denuncia is a complaint.

I am not sure how you check, I am sure someone else will tell you how, but I suggest you do!

Miro
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3584
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: Merseyside, formally Torremolinos

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Miro » Tue Feb 28, 2017 7:39 pm

Back from viewing in the UK now, and feeling rather depressed. We saw some really shabby places, and even the older properties that had been done up would clearly need more work and lots of ongoing maintenance, so we decided pretty quickly that we'd compromise a little on location in order to get a newer property. Problem with them is the rooms are usually too damned small (unless you're a fan of Ryanair, in which case they're wonderfully spacious!)
We finally found one we liked a lot, and if it was vacant possession / chain free etc., would probably have made an offer. However, after discussing it with the agent and a solicitor, we feel there's no point in even putting an offer in, because the elderly lady vendor isn't likely to sell any time soon. She already lost one buyer, who made an offer in January and wanted to complete in March, because she wouldn't commit to the time span. She wants to buy a shared ownership property in another part of the country and apparently there's a waiting list. On top of that, she's in poor health and spending time in and out of hospital....if she accepted our offer, we'd then have to instruct a solicitor and start incurring costs (hundreds of £ at least, possibly thousands) with no guarantee that she would ever move out and complete. We're flummoxed. For once, I'm thinking the Spanish system is better, with deposits paid and contracts signed before the buyer has to incur any significant costs.
Very stressed right now... :cry:
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

Unicorn
Resident
Posts: 1670
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 5:06 pm
Location: Estepona

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Unicorn » Tue Feb 28, 2017 7:42 pm

Miro, where are you looking in the UK?

Miro
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3584
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: Merseyside, formally Torremolinos

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Miro » Tue Feb 28, 2017 7:48 pm

Merseyside, specifically Southport, but widening the search now because we can't find what we want.
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.

Unicorn
Resident
Posts: 1670
Joined: Sun Jun 30, 2013 5:06 pm
Location: Estepona

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Unicorn » Tue Feb 28, 2017 9:20 pm

Oh, thanks. I was looking in a completely different area and found prices not so bad - just in case I have to move out of Spain!

User avatar
Wicksey
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 5872
Joined: Mon Sep 20, 2004 1:21 pm
Location: Axarquia coast

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Wicksey » Wed Mar 01, 2017 11:31 am

Miro wrote:Back from viewing in the UK now, and feeling rather depressed.
We're flummoxed. For once, I'm thinking the Spanish system is better, with deposits paid and contracts signed before the buyer has to incur any significant costs.
Very stressed right now... :cry:
Much of Europe uses the same system for purchasing property and it is so much better. I have bought and sold many times in the UK and it is so stressful. People seem to think once they have signed the contract they are safe, but up to exchange anything can happen so you are in limbo almost until you actually move. I have been in chains of up to 8 lots of buyers and sellers all trying to co-ordinate their legal stuff and agree on moving dates. Properties we have bought and sold here and in France are easy-peasy by comparison. I feel for you Miro .... try and get somewhere with no onward chain, like someone selling up their buy-to-let, it helps if you don't have a huge chain ahead of you.

Capitan-Roberto
Andalucia.com Amigo
Posts: 35
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2017 1:27 pm
Location: Ireland / Spain

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Capitan-Roberto » Wed Mar 01, 2017 1:16 pm

Not all of the UK uses the same system - different system in Scotland. And this differs from England and from Spain.
At the end of the day, no matter what system is used one thing is common to them all - buy or selling a house is stressful!

User avatar
peteroldracer
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 7774
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 5:56 pm
Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby peteroldracer » Wed Mar 01, 2017 3:28 pm

We have been gobsmacked at the costs and complications of selling and buying in Spain. Our swap is costing around €30000.....and as pensioner tax-residents we have no Value Added Tax!
I used to cough to disguise a [email protected] I f@rt to disguise a cough.

Miro
Andalucia Guru
Posts: 3584
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: Merseyside, formally Torremolinos

Re: Next viewing trip booked!

Postby Miro » Wed Mar 01, 2017 5:27 pm

Yes, I suppose on balance I'd rather have the seemingly hit and miss approach in England than the rob-you-blind system in Spain! Our buyer here is facing a transfer tax bill alone of approx. €13,000. We, in the other hand, expect to pay something well short of £1,000 stamp duty in England.
We've decided to up our budget a bit, and that's brought a couple more potential properties in to play. The difficult bit now is, do I pay for more flights to go view a couple of possibles? What if they go under offer before I get there? Or wait for more to come available, but risk losing out on the current possibles? Or just wait 'till we're over there permanently in June and hope for the best, but get seriously stressed out living out of suitcases and with family?!
Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often

"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative," Mordecai Siegal 1935-2010.


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot] and 4 guests