Property sales at present time - Page 2

Hi Kelvin

I'm sorry your brother in law is facing such an awful prospect of losing so much money in such a short space of time.  I guess it is a buyers market in the current climate, but I do really feel bad for people in this situation as I would be devastated if it were me.  Thank you for your honesty and your insight.  There is a lot of uncertainty even with estate agents etc as you have stated.  We will be sitting tight and waiting to travel and hoping we can engage the right people to help us buy a property to live in.

Best wishes 

Catherine

Hi Ray,

I think this could be the case with 'my house' as there are numerous posts on the website of the same house with varying numbers of photographs. Lol I think it's time to stop looking and wait until we are actually standing in the property!!

Thank you

Catherine

Hello:

I agree with RobScot. If you dont know very good the area and the house, I would recomend you to see the property, visit the area and ask arround to be sure about your decision.

It is a realy big thing, and you should not be in a hurry. Maybe you want to know that the neighbor is unbearable.

Regards.

Hi CBev

Take note of all the advice on here, it’s a great resource with very knowledgeable members

You’re obviously keen to be in Spain and who can blame you, I love it. Keep planning, keep dreaming and read everything you can about a achieving your goal. I wish I’d found this forum, particularly Jim’s guides, when I was considering buying. 

Something that might just keep the optimism going regarding “your” particular property. My neighbours property has been on the market for over four years, with upward of 6/7/8 different agents, at various prices. It is however, still for sale, so you never know. Don’t despair just yet. 🤪🥂

Thank you for this advice.  It does seem that a 'rip off' culture is truly alive in Spain.  Thankfully my husband will deal with all of the business side as I am definitely too soft for those kind of people.  we are not concerned about repairs etc as Carl is a carpenter by trade but as we actually built our own home by ourselves we will do any work necessary once we can purchase supplies.

Kind Regards

Catherine

Hi Angebadge

Thank you and you are right, we will keep planning and dreaming and this forum is an amazing source of knowledge and information for us.  It is invaluable and we are delighted to have found it.  Wow four years is a long time to be selling a property.  I suppose the only good thing about not being able to travel is that we won't impulse buy or make hasty decisions.  We are using this time to build up our savings and explore all of the options available to us as we will keep our home here also....just in case!! 

Best wishes

Catherine

We knew where we wanted to buy, La Finca Golf Algorfa, after visiting areas for viewing late last year.

We did actually offer on a town house we only saw via video from the estate agent and numerous photos, risky = yes.

That said when we placed the deposit with our solicitor, Abaco in Torrevieja (who we had engaged with prior to talking to agents) it was dependent on a good survey outcome.

We moved in last week after coming out to sign the papers etc. No horror stories to tell at this stage and if anything the property is better than we saw in the video. Prices are likely to be further challenged due to covid so perhaps even more of a buyers market. We offered 15% below asking price and settled on 10% below - which I know is all relative on the original asking price and whether it's a consistent price if advertised with multiple agents.

Good luck.

Good morning Catherine,

We have had a house in Torrevieja on the La Mata side for almost 20 years and use it as often as we can. We were lucky, my sister in law had an apartment nearby and raved about this house. It was far more than we intended spending but my husband decided to buy it anyway.  It iS in a good area, within walking distance to the beach/ coastline, good bus service, schools, shops, bank, restaurants and all amenities. These things are necessary. There is an airport bus travelling every hour into the centre of Torrevieja. NO FLOODING IN OUR AREA ... vital.  When it rains over there, it RAINS. The houses are not insulated and can be freezing cold in the winter. Check for damp plasterwork behind curtains and ground level. Make sure you have ample storage space for bicycles, luggage and all the junk we accumulate.  A clothes line... a must.  South facing... another must. Car parking ...vital. Good outside space and a solarium is a massive plus. We have loungers and a rattan suite on ours for off season use.   STAIRS... Not coming into lounge as impossible to heat the room in the winter. A fireplace.. another must. 

I could go on forever. Privacy is also important and can be difficult to find. Tidy and quiet neighbours... vital. Dog barking...nightmare but normal. Please don’t jump in and put an offer on a property without familiarising yourself with the locality.

Hold your horses Catherine! Bide you’re time. Your day will come so make sure your choice is the right one, it’s a costly business buying and selling in Spain. 

Another point.    Flights.   Will there be any in the near future? If there are some, what cost?  Low cost airlines could become a thing of the past. 

The ball is in your court so play wisely. 

We never regretted buying in Spain and love being there but sometimes I regret not selling up and bringing out investment back to NI and buying on the coast here. We are getting older and that can dictate the game. Travel can be tiresome , walking long distances to get on a flight, carrying hand luggage up and down stairs, the list is endless.  So easy when you are younger not so when you become decrepit!

if I can help you with advice in any way, please just ask. 

Best wishes,

Rosemary.

Make sure you view the property if possible several times at different times of the day as noise levels will depend very much on what time it is.  There will be pressure put on you to make an offer but it is still a buyers market so do not rush into anything.  Whilst we love our house, in hindsight we could happily live in a smaller property as so much time is spent out of doors, even in the winter and most socialising is done in bars and restaurants rather than at home.  Gas central heating is a huge plus as it is cold in winter although not UK standard and for a relatively short time but the longer you live here the more you become acclimatised and notice the drop in temperature over the winter months.  Happy house hunting.  Nothing is perfect anywhere you go but after 5 years we do not regret our move to Spain and in the current virus situation are so grateful we were here in lockdown rather than a cold and dismal Scotland (which by the way we do love, just not the weather).

Hi Rosemary

Thank you for taking the time to reply giving so much detail and food for thought in many areas.  It gives us an extended list of things to be watchful for and hopefully we will make the right decision when we eventually get to buy a home.  The current situation will change many things like flight prices and availability etc as you say, so everything is a waiting game at the moment.  We are not under pressure to buy before a certain date so that is a bonus.  We could also rent for a year and travel around and make big decisions then.

Thanks again for your help

Kindest Regards

Catherine