About Purchasing a Property in Spain
Although we recommend that everyone embraces this amazing country, we realise that at first not everyone will feel 100% comfortable in joining ‘real Spain’. For those who love the reassuringly warm weather and the cheap but surprisingly good quality Spanish wine, but are less sure of the language and customs, there is a large and welcoming ex-pat community up and down the coast. Property and restaurant prices are slightly dearer than more rural areas, or those yet undiscovered by Northern Europeans, but the difference is not great enough to be alarming.
We believe that moving to Spain is still one of the ‘safest’ moves abroad. Much has been made of new hot-spots like Bulgaria and even Croatia. Despite many positive features, these countries do not possess all year round sunshine, a comprehensive infrastructure, regular airline routes and a track record of tourism and economic growth over more than 25 years. Nor do they have a proven and steady level of rental and resale return. Spain does and there is no sign of any change in the trend
Spanish property prices and interest rates may be increasing, but they are still much lower than the UK average and the increase has not been and will not be so drastic as has been suffered by Northern Europe in the last 10 years.
To many people Spain offers a life-style that they could not afford to enjoy in Northern
Europe. Certainly, you will notice a big difference in the costs of going out for meals or drinks. The utilities and standing charges of a property here are also significantly less. Council charges are much lower than those in Britain; the average bill for a 2-3 bedroom villa per year should not far exceed 250€ and in many cases is less!
So for a smart purchase of a second home, a financial investment or a complete relocation, Spain is still a top choice. With 400 people from the UK moving to Spain every week, there is something to be said for safety in numbers!
Avoiding legal pitfalls…
As some television programmes have shown, there is concern over illegally built property in Spain. This is not a new problem and although very unfortunate for those who have purchased one of these properties and are embroiled in legal wrangles, detracting from the idyllic life they thought they were buying into, this process is easily avoided. Good legal representation before and during any purchase will identify and notify you of any doubt of legality before you commit any hard-earned cash. Harighi International does not recommend any lawyers in particular, but we can assist in finding you a reputable one.