Uksp

Hello, we have found a house we want to buy in Spain in a very spainish area, so estate agent speaks very little English. Can someone let me know the order of steps I need to take to purchase, ie: do I need a bank ac first, then lawyer, then change money to euros etc before putting offer in?
Any advice is much appreciated.
Thanks

snikpoh

I would suggest getting a lawyer first to establish that the property is TOTALLY legal. Only then will you know what sort of offer you might make.

Very soon on in the process you'll need an NIE

Once you know that all is OK, you've seen the old IBI bill (council tax), seen the nota simple then now is the time to make an offer.

I would suggest that NO money goes to the agent nor to the vendor - use your lawyer and theirs.

Sign a 'contract' stating your offer etc.

etc. etc.

KieronF

I f you can provide a little more detail, such as the area in which the property is located, there may be people on here who can make a recommendation for solicitors and so on. The norm is that your solicitor will complete the necessary searches to ensure there are no problems with the legality of the build - once complete you can ask the solicitor to submit a formal offer which is normally in the order of 10% of the total purchase price. Be aware - this deposit is non-returnable.


You do not state whether you are based in Spain or the UK. If already in Spain, then the above is quite straightforward, if you are in the UK then you can still proceed with the purchase but will need to provide your chosen solicitor with Power of Attorney to act on your behalf.


You will need a Spanish bank account (resident account if already there) or non-resident if still in the UK. Again, the solicitor can open one, get your NIE numbers for you with the power of attorney (search the threads, I did one about obtaining POA a few weeks ago).
Beyond finding a solicitor etc, the process is very similar to home buying in the UK.

guesswork

It is very important you find out if there are outstanding debts on the property. The buyer inherits outstanding debts on property. Get a Nota Simpla from the local town. This shows any debts

Fred James

You normally get the Nota Simple from the Registry office. You can get a certificate from the town hall stating any outstanding fines or unresolved infractions outstanding.

spainrico

Good research here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-b...perty-in-spain

Uksp

I am based in the U.K. and looking to purchase in the Costa De La Luz area (Chiclana) so as I say the estate agent that showed me some properties spoke very little English. Do I need to visit Spain to get the NIE number and bank account set up? Any advice on bank accounts with online accounts in English with little fees would be great? Also just searching internet and ‘lawyers in spain’ came up on placeinthesun, would anyone recommend them? Thank you

Rotor

So you are going to buy a house in Spain pre Brexit and when Spain is on the brink of civil unrest?

KieronF

Search through the previous posts on this subject using the 'Search' tab in the menu. many of the answers you need are there and covered in great detail. If you are in the UK you will need to give a trusted solicitor Power of Attorney to act on your behalf otherwise you will face endless return trips to sign this and that along the way. With the POA the solicitor can open a bank account on your behalf, obtain your NIE numbers, pay the deposit etc etc. Search the previous forum posts for a list of Foreign Office recommended (English speaking) solicitors

YMF

There is a very good English speaking lawyer in Conil. If you are looking in Chiclana it is very important that you fully understand the status of any property you are thinking of as many of them are illegal to some extent to another. There have been many posts on this forum about these issues so suggest you do a search and also look at ChiFRA.org for more info.

Millhouse

fortune favors the brave

Rotor

Or is it "fools rush in where angels fear to tread" ?

Rosemary

Rosemary

Aitor12

Hello, the most important thing when buying a home is good advice, if the real estate agent does not speak English better, let him or her get confused, the first thing is to get an English speaking lawyer in Spain <<<SNIP>>> the second is to choose the house, either through your agency or another, the lawyer will give you the necessary instructions and the following steps like creating a bank account and what kind to make checks etc, the lawyer will review the cadastre and that all this to the order of the day, they will try to negotiate the price and soon they will stay in notary to sign arras or direct writing, it is better to sign arras first.

Dxf

Hola

Temple Cambria, the English speaking lawyers in Conil is the first place you need to start; their knowledge of Chiclana is second to none. Buying an illegal property in Chiclana is not as problematic as some would believe as around half the houses in Chiclana are illegal. However you MUST get proper legal advice and DO NOT USE ANY ESTATE AGENT RECOMENDED LAWYER.

There are a number of banks that profess to "speak your language" but the costs may differ between resident and non-resident accounts.

Usual disclaimer that I am simply a satisfied customer of the lawyer and have no financial interest.

ps - good choice of location

Davexf