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I  purchase  through  5 real  estate.  But  I  paid  them   1100 euros   but  it  not  the  norm.   I  got  Apartment  at  cheaper  prices  than  other  similar  Apartment  in Complex.  As  they  charge  seller a  fix rate price. In short   I  got  Apartment  cheaper  and Seller  got  more cash after  all  expenses  deducted.  

I actually sent them a whatapp last night, it’s hard to know which ones are legit that’s one of the reasons why we are going, thank you! Hopefully I can make arrangements with them today 👍🏼

Hi Kelly,

The "Red Day" you refer to, which falls annually on the 12th October, is Spain's National Day, or Día de la Hispanidad.  This year it falls on a Thursday, so if you're planning to view properties on Friday 13th as well, it would be worth double-checking with any estate agents that they will definitely be open on the Friday - it's common in Spain for individuals and small businesses to take a "puente" (bridge) day on Fridays and Mondays, when they fall either side of a Red Day, in order to extend the bank holiday break.

Regarding estate agents, within 100-200m of Casas Manuel's offices are Vincent's Real Estate and also Benigest, so worth checking out their websites too.  If you should view a property on which you want to make an offer, the selling agent may ask you to pay a "Reservation Deposit" of, typically, around €3,000 - this is a creation of the estate agency industry in Spain and has no bearing in Spanish conveyancing law.  Many agents (including, from personal experience, Casas Manuel) can become quite pushy about you handing this not insignificant sum over to them.  Unfortunately, there have been cases of estate agents refusing to refund this deposit if the sale does not proceed.  So do not pay any money to an estate agent - if your offer is accepted, you can offer to pay a similar amount to your own, independent lawyer, as a goodwill gesture, subject to them carrying out searches on the property.  Your lawyer can add a clause to make the amount refundable in the event that the sale does not proceed; but assuming it does, the amount will be credited against the total amount you owe the vendor.  

Once your lawyer is satisfied that the property is ready for sale, e.g. all documentation is current, such as the habitation certificate, energy performance certificate, etc., there are no outstanding debts and that any building additions have been carried out with planning permission and updated at the Land Registry, they will draft and agree the sales contract with the vendor's lawyer, and you will then be required to pay the legally binding 10% deposit.  It's at this point that it will cost you money if you pull out of the purchase - if you pull out, you lose your 10% deposit, but if the vendor pulls out, they have to pay you double that amount.

My recommendation for an independent lawyer for your purchase is Silvia of SGM Abogados, on the same road as Casas Manuel in Benijofar:

https://sgmlegalspain.com/

We did four trips to view properties before we bought our house - we saw so many, it was mind boggling, but there are lots for sale, so don't be rushed into anything.  Enjoy!

Kind regards,

Kim

Amazing thank you Kim! We are new to buying a home abroad and it is all alit to take in, plus we are very naive to it with the different laws etc, that is very helpful advice and I will contact the other estate agents as well 👍🏼. We have just sold a property here in Wales so we are in a good position my partner is more apprehensive than me as he is watching our property market slow down and prices are dropping, do u know if this is the same in Spain? Obviously don’t want to be stuck in negative equity. We are only there for a week more trips will definitely be needed, I suppose it’s just seeing how it goes. 
I can’t wait to get there now…… very excited 🤩

Thank you! 

I would most definitely agree with Kim’s recommendations.

If you don’t know the area very well I would suggest  looking at locations first rather than properties. . Once you get the right vibe for an area it’s so much easier as you then automatically narrow down your choice of properties.Again  if you haven’t already then make the choice between traditional style or new . The new properties are better insulated, but new apartments don’t come with much storage space. By staying in both Benijófar & Orihuela Costa, you are having the benefit of sampling two completely different  municipalities 

The vast majority of new properties are being sold as second homes to people from Northern Europe- Belgium, Netherlands and the Scandinavian countries and because of the demand, prices on those properties are increasing quite quickly. On the other hand , in my area a traditional 2/3 bed  2 bath house will get snapped up within a few days of it going on the market. 

With regard to 5Real Estate I know a number of people who have sold with them. They offer a fixed rate, but they  are the only estate agent to charge the buyer a fee. Most sellers  who use that agency will offer to pay the buyers fee as paying both fees is still substantially less than paying a “normal” estate agents fees. So if you decide to buy using them, ask if the sellers will pay your fee, or at the very least factor that cost in when making your offer.

Should you find an estate agent you fee you can trust and they don’t have a property you like on their books, they will still be able to arrange a viewing for you; estate agents operate differently over here.

Don’t forget to factor in the fees for buying a property it’s 10% tax and another 3-4% on top of that for fees etc. 

Also ask the charge for IBI (council tax)  as that can vary enormously both by property size and by municipality and also  if buying on a community  ask what the community charges are. Again that could be anything between 200 - 2000 € per year. 

You’ll find a wealth of useful information on here to guide you on your way, so Happy House Hunting

Lynn

Hi Kelly,

Just wanted to check something else with you: are you buying property as a holiday home, or for permanent living?  If the latter, it's especially important to learn about your municipality and how it functions.  For example, Benijofar is a small town, but has a very proactive and diligent Mayor, who is out and about every day, keeping a check on the area.  Orihuela Costa is a much larger area, starting from Punta Prima, through Playa Flamenca and La Zenia, down to Cabo Roig, with urbanisations both north and south of the N332.  The whole of Orihuela Costa comes under the control of Orihuela City and we often see complaints from property owners on the Costa that taxes being collected by the City are not being spent on the Costa.  On the plus-side, public transport along the N332 route is much better than further inland, where it can be non-existent.  Given the size of the Orihuela municipality, if you're interested in property there, it would be worth you asking the forum for opinions on specific areas, even individual urbanisations.

Kind regards,

Kim

When we were looking I found Anthony at Live Med Coast extremely helpful. We didn’t know the area at all and showed us round lots of different properties. Highly recommend.

Hi Kimmy, 

We are looking to buy to permanently live there, my youngest is almost 14, so waiting till he finishes school first, so it will be a holiday home for a few years but buying it as our permanent residence. There is a lot to take into account as it is all new but we are in a good position as we have sold our home and are renting at the moment. Is Live Med Coast an estate agent? I know a week isn’t long enough and we definitely have more trips planned but want to explore as much as possible while we are there and make the most of our trip. 

Yes, really helpful, link below

https://www.livemedcoast.com/index.php/properties/town-house/lmcd-41588-3-bedroom-2-bathroom-town-house-in-torrevieja-41588