hi, were thinking of buying in goa . we are holidaying / wanting to veiw in april, could anyone recommend whether to arrange veiwings through estate agents over here (uk) or just wait till i get to goa, seek agents, then veiw??
also, we are wanting to purchace a property whether it be new build or old for under £20,000 for 1 bed plus...are we being realistic or will we be pleasently suprised?
many thanks, richard & helen.

Hi there
I was wondering, have you checked out the requirements for being able to buy a house in Goa? eg. would you have the correct visa type to be able to purchase property - you cannot buy on a tourist visa, nor can you buy until you have the required 182 days residence, as far as I am aware.

I would recommend that you find out as much as possible about the rules/laws governing purchase of property before you make a decision. Then visit the place and check out what is available. We were in Goa in November to buy a house and my lawyer advised us to hold off on any purchase as he personally had a client of his refused permission when it came to completing the sale.

You would be well advised to check out all the requirements before you make a costly mistake. And personally I would not accept an Estate Agents assurances .. remember they stand everything to gain by you making a purchase. Get an independent opinion, preferably from a lawyer specializing in Goan property law.

That's my two cents, for what it is worth.

Fleur

I would recommend Roy at the Goan Estate Agency in Calangute www.goanhomes.com. We bought through him at Christmas.

I agree with fpbutler that you need to make sure that you are legally able to purchase property. We are in the process of applying for PIO cards. Residency is the safest option as I believe that the dummy companies some people set up in order to buy are being looked at more closely.

Be careful.

hi if you go to north goa, checkout,acron homes,talk to DR john britto. he owns the company also he explains everything you need to know.my wife and i have bought a villa off acron in november 05 due for completion march 08. we have freinds who bought 2 years ago they live there 6 months ayear. we have bought are villa on a 5 year lease,on a tourist visa,till we can do 182 days ,which wont be for acouple of years . the lease costs 100 rps a month.the good thing is you are dealing with thedeveloper not any middle man. karl & jenny .

Hi

We are buying through axiomestates. You can look at their website to see what is available, they have offices in London and India. They seem more reputable than some companies that other people have written about on various blog sites. Some agents have charged introduction fees to buyers, we have only paid the developers fees as agreed in the contract. They also act as a go-between if we have queries with the developer.

I agree with everyone else, you must make sure that you qualify to purchase in Goa. You need to research the process, ther is lots of info on the Indian High Commission web site http://www.hcilondon.net

I also found info about buying in India on the State Bank of India website.