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How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

Old Mar 29th 2007, 2:46 pm
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Default How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

We are in the process of purchasing a property in a small in land village and 3 months later no nearer completion. After watching numerous "Buy a property in Spain" type programmes where people moved in after 10 days I was wondering how long it took for other people to complete on their purchases
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Old Mar 29th 2007, 2:53 pm
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

Originally Posted by Ambre Solaire
We are in the process of purchasing a property in a small in land village and 3 months later no nearer completion. After watching numerous "Buy a property in Spain" type programmes where people moved in after 10 days I was wondering how long it took for other people to complete on their purchases
Very interesting this as we want to buy something resale and inland ourselves once we sell up here. That sounds like a long time though from what I have been hearing here. No advice but good luck anyway
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Old Mar 29th 2007, 2:58 pm
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

Originally Posted by Ambre Solaire
I was wondering how long it took for other people to complete on their purchases
2 months
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Old Mar 29th 2007, 3:30 pm
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

The first time 3 months, the second time 1 month.
Have you been told what is holding your one up?
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Old Mar 29th 2007, 3:41 pm
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

fingers/toes crossed we're completing tomorrow on a re-sale property. We instructed the solicitor on 2nd march, paid the holding deposit the week after and then the mortgage held us up a bit but all in all a month to the day (assuming everyone turns up with the right documentation of course!).

Despite having a seemingly v. efficient solicitor (or his assistant perhaps) it has all felt kind of hectic and weird, but that's just because of the unknown system and the ways things are done here. I wouldn't have been surprised if ours had taken three months

Again, any idea what's holding it up? Do more than one family member own the property/land - that could make life more difficult i would imagine.
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Old Mar 29th 2007, 3:55 pm
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

Originally Posted by Ambre Solaire
We are in the process of purchasing a property in a small in land village and 3 months later no nearer completion. After watching numerous "Buy a property in Spain" type programmes where people moved in after 10 days I was wondering how long it took for other people to complete on their purchases
Only one month from start to finish.

Estate agents brought us to see the house, had a second visit the following day to measure things as we were only over for 4 days in total. Decided to buy and asked them to deal with mortgage etc and came over for three days one month later to sign up and receive the keys.

Great service, mainly achieved I believe because the estate agent that we used does all of the searches etc prior to advertising the house so it is preparation of the papers only after verbal agreement is achieved.

Rosemary
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Old Mar 29th 2007, 4:45 pm
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

Twelve months, although to be fair it was a heap of rubble on a mountain side when we first saw it.

1 year almost to the day from start to when we took the keys, luckily all as contracted on time.
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Old Mar 29th 2007, 5:21 pm
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

Originally Posted by Ambre Solaire
We are in the process of purchasing a property in a small in land village and 3 months later no nearer completion. After watching numerous "Buy a property in Spain" type programmes where people moved in after 10 days I was wondering how long it took for other people to complete on their purchases
did you not agree a date when you signed contracts and paid the 10% deposit ? usually a date is specified when you have to pay the full balance and can move in

this is what was written in ours anyway, thought it was the norm ?
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Old Mar 29th 2007, 6:31 pm
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

Yes mine was the same. When I paid the holding deposit I was given a timescale for everything to happen, and it wasn't too far out. I signed up in November 2006, and completed end of January 2007. Mostly I believe because I had the most brilliant agent, and still do. He, and his team are still organising everything, and this has made such a huge difference to the smooth running of the process. I admit, that at first I was a bit suspicious, as I had heard so many horror stories about crooked agents. I still have nothing but admiration for mine, and live in hope that this will continue. So far so good.
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Old Mar 29th 2007, 8:33 pm
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

One month after paying the holding deposit, deal done.
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Old Mar 30th 2007, 6:33 am
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

Originally Posted by Ambre Solaire
We are in the process of purchasing a property in a small in land village and 3 months later no nearer completion. After watching numerous "Buy a property in Spain" type programmes where people moved in after 10 days I was wondering how long it took for other people to complete on their purchases
Took us 3 months, one month for first part of deposit, then rest 2 months later, then house was ours.
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Old Mar 30th 2007, 9:44 am
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

Thanks for all your responses

The property was not with an estate agent and we went to view it with the local Corredor. The gentleman must be at least 80 and lives at the top of a mountain so communication has been a major issue, even though we are using a Spanish Lawyer. It took 11 weeks to obtain the IBI receipt from the Corredor to enable the Lawyer to obtain a Catastral Certificate. It now appears the the property is inscribed as 18 sq metres in the Property Register although a major reform was done 17 years ago and the property now measures 228 sq mets.

They are not using a lawyer or a Gestor and insist that everything is correct with the property and that it is correctly registered and have told us this week if we do not pay the 10% deposit they will sell to someone else !

Obviously we will not pay the 10% deposit until everything is legally sorted , although after 3 months and lots of money spent, we are coming to the end of tether !

This is the 3rd property we have tried to purchase over the last 16 months !

Ambre
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Old Mar 30th 2007, 6:26 pm
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

so there a couple of things:

1) our place had a similar issue in that only 55 square metres were registered with the land registry (it's a common problem) when it should have been 100metres. Providing the new building/s have been up for more than four years (which an architect will verify) then it's fine, it can just be added to the land registry at the notary at the time of completion (at a cost which the vendor should pay (at completion) as he should have registered it himself anyway and won't have done as he probably didn't want to pay rates on the bigger meterage to the castral (at a guess). So, in short, as it was 17 yrs ago the work was done it won't be a problem adding to the land registry but also nb there's something about the total building not occupying more than 25% (ish...) of total land so you'll need to check this - again, it may not be a problem because it was developed such a long time ago. I'm not sure.

I think you should get some answers to all the above before you go any further really, the owner saying it's fine isnt any good and I'm no expert. Your lawyer should be sorting all this for you. Is he/she english speaking? I don't know where you're buying exactly but we had a very good one in Chiclana if you need a recommendation and it's not too far from you?

2) Re the deposit, if you're desperate to buy and willing to risk it, apparently just paying the old 1,000,000 pesetas (6,000 euros) keeps the vendor happy so this may be an option and worth suggesting to your solicitor. This is what we did.

Good luck, it sounds like a mine field - and i think it is really but a good solicitor really should be sorting this all for you - or maybe consider getting a trusted estate agent involved instead of the corredor, who essentially, I believe, sniffs out the properties rather than having much experience in managing the buying and selling process....again, i'm sure there will be people out there who disagree with me!

Again, please dont' take my word for all of the above, it's my experience and what i've picked up along the way but speak to the professionals.

Hopefully this gives you a bit of help anyhow.

C.
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Old Mar 30th 2007, 8:50 pm
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

Originally Posted by Ambre Solaire
It took 11 weeks to obtain the IBI receipt from the Corredor to enable the Lawyer to obtain a Catastral Certificate. It now appears the the property is inscribed as 18 sq metres in the Property Register although a major reform was done 17 years ago and the property now measures 228 sq mets.
Catastral info for the majority of towns and villages is available free online to anyone at the press of a few buttons, if you know the address or Catastral number of the property, here:
https://ovc.catastro.meh.es/CYCBienI...ConsultaBI.htm
18 sq m was an awfully small "house". You need also to be sure that this property is definitely now registered as a legal house i.e. a permanent dwelling, and not a tool shed!
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Old Mar 31st 2007, 3:58 pm
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Default Re: How long did it take to complete on your Spanish Property ( Not Off Plan)

Knockcollins & Hillybilly

Thanks for your comments and additional advice.

The property is not up with an Estate Agent, so we have to deal direct with the Corredor. The Lawyer came "Highly Recommended" and writes and speaks perfect English. We have a copy of the Catastral Certificate, which also has a plan of the property on which states Parcels con un unico inmueble
Superficie Construda 228.

We have ben advised by the Bank that they will not proceed with the Mortgage until the "metres have been inscribed"

May I ask what is the process for the Vendor to get the additional metres inscribed,if the Bank wants it done prior to the Notary and how long does it take ?

The Vendor wants the full 10% deposit now !, but we have been advised by the Bank not to give the deposit until the property is registered.

We viewed the house in November, so there comes a time when one just walks away..............
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