Questions & Answers

1) “Why do I need your services when I could do it myself”?

We offer our expertise and a comprehensive bespoke service, which will save you time, money and possibly distress if you were to get it wrong - many do!

Searching for property in another country is time consuming and expensive - you may have to make several visits if you are to find your ideal home.

Our service saves wasted time by pre qualifying shortlisted properties on your behalf.
Properties are often mis-represented or badly described and it’s difficult to make an informed judgement based on photos on the web or in brochures.

There are people who will want to sell you any property - we want you to buy the right property.

2) “Why do you charge a fee when other companies offer a similar service for free”?

There is no such thing as a free ride.

The majority of agents and home finders in Spain generate their income via sales commissions paid by the vendor or developer. You will therefore pay indirectly for their services, by paying more for the property.

The commission rate charged by selling agents on second hand or resale property varies but is generally between 3% and 10%. Commission paid to selling agents for new properties can be as high as 20% in some areas.

When selling a second hand or “resale” property, it is common for agents in Spain to ask the vendor what price they want to achieve and to “add their bit on top.” - Valuations are often done on this basis.

ANY DISCOUNT OR COMMISSION NEGOTIATED BY HOMESEARCH COSTA BLANCA IS REBATED BACK TO OUR CLIENTS.

3) "Lots of companies call themselves independent - how are you different"?

Our fees reflect our dedication to providing the best service possible, which is not influenced by affiiation to any third parties - you know what your are paying for and why you are paying for it.

It might be tempting for a commission based agent to show you properties that attract higher sales commission. There will always be a doubt, even with reputable companies, that they may be trying to obtain the best rates of commission for themselves. A parallel exists in the Financial Services Industry.

The same applies to “recommended services” or “after sales” packages. Can you be sure that the architect, bank, solicitor, or retail outlet are not giving “incentives” to the agent? Will you be getting unbiased advice?

4) “How do you justify your fees?”

The Registrationl Fee (which is deductible from our Fee), is a sign of commitment that you are serious about purchasing a property in Spain and it allows us to commence working independently on your behalf.

Our Fee is competitive and reflects a great deal of work, including:

Initial consultations and formulation of client brief.
Sourcing and viewing properties whilst keeping abreast of availability, price trends, investment potential and desirability factors.
Provision of transport for airport transfers (where appropriate), orientation tours and viewings.
Viewing of suitable properties and providing a shortlist, including detailed reports and photographs.
Accompanied viewings/inspections.
Liaising with vendors, agents and developers as appropriate.
Research on future developments and projects in the area, which might affect selected properties.
Assistance with negotiation or negotiating with the vendors and/or vendors agents on your behalf, in order to obtain the best price.
Assistance with obtaining N.I.E. (Spanish fiscal number) and opening of a Spanish bank account.
Liaising with legal representatives and local authorities.
Acting as your representative in Spain throughout the purchasing process; being on hand to sort out any problems or queries and assisting you wherever possible.
Accompaniment to the Notary and translation service.

5) “Couldn't I negotiate with the seller direct to save money? “

You could try if you had carried out research and were certain that the price had not been artificially inflated. Language could be a problem if the vendor is Spanish.

We are conversant and aware of price levels and trends in specific areas and also of commission levels.

Through our contacts in the market, we are informed of properties which are not yet on the market or are for sale privately, thus giving our clients access to the best opportunities.

Often, properties sourced via Spanish agents are cheaper (particularly inland) and we are able to negotiate and translate on our client’s behalf.

6) “How else can you save me time and money?”

By assisting you in the avoidance of costly mistakes.

Planning in Spain is inconsistent, particularly with rural properties. Great care is needed to avoid problems.

You could buy a property:

That is not legal or is not registered.
That has ownership problems or is built on land which is not yours.
That has faulty drainage or structure.

We aim to avoid these and other potential problems through diligent research and inspection.

By saving you much of the expense of searching

You could come out on a subsidised inspection tour and be shown around a series of semi finished properties or sites where the properties “will be.” Often there will be no time to make a reasoned judgement or to explore the area and other properties independently.

You could undertake the search yourselves. You may have friends who live here or you may have been on holiday here and know the area quite well. How many trips will you need before you make a final choice? This can be costly and time consuming.

By acting as your representative in Spain

In conjunction with your chosen legal representative, we can carry out a great deal of the administration and procedures involved in the purchase of a property, thus minimising the amount of time you need to spend here. We can organise services and make enquiries on your behalf, if empowered to do so.

7) “What if I change my mind about buying or I am not happy with your services?”

In the case of the complete Property Finding Service, if your circumstances change, or if you decide after our search that you do not wish to buy, your registration fee will be forfeit and we would have the right to charge an amount to cover our expenses (up to a reasonable limit).

Rest assured that we would consider each case independently, taking account of the circumstances. The worst scenario is that you have lost the price of a cheap holiday for two. You may have learned a great deal from the experience, however.

For further details, please refer to our Terms and Conditions, which are available on request.

We will do everything in our power to ensure that we provide a high level of customer satisfaction and would want to know if you were unhappy with our service at any time throughout your transaction.

8) “Property Agents say that they will guide us through the purchase procedure - why are you different?”

The difference is that we do not sell property and therefore do not have a conflict of interests. We protect only the buyers' interests.

9) “I can find private properties on the internet - isn't that the cheapest way”

It might seem to be the cheapest way but we firmly believe that it is not the best way.

Remember that photographs do not tell the whole story.

If you have other general questions that are not shown here, we will be pleased to answer them by email and may include them on our website for others to read (with the authors permission)

Contact Us

Telephone	0845 021 22 35
Spain	(0034) 627 612 843
Email	info@homesearchcostablanca.com