Hello all.....I am new to this site, but I need some information if nobody minds. We are coming out to Spain, Alicante, Orihuela area, week after next with Masa International. But before we do this, does anyone know how long the buying process is after you pay the deposit on the property that you find? The reason I am asking is that we need to work some dates out for the buyer of our house in England. I hope this wasn't too painful to read!! Thanks..xxxx

My advice.
Do not take anything they tell you at face value. Do not sign anything, or give them any money.
Treat the trip as a holiday and a "getting to know the area" experience.
If afterwards you decide that you like the area and want to buy. Then go back and look at all the for sale /se vende signs and deal direct with the vendor or through a local estate agent.

How long is a piece of string.
Depends on if is a new build or resale of course

Just make sure of you buy that you get a totally independent solicitor .... dont use one recommended by them

[QUOTE=Mitzyboy;
Depends on if is a new build or resale of course[/QUOTE]

Do you think that Masa International will show them any resales??
I doubt it.

I have no idea, I dont have knowledge of their business

Yes Masa do show resales....I know that for a fact. It is also resale that we want. But thanks for trying!....

How long do you want it to take? If you are a cash buyer you could go to the notary and sign within the week if you get your skates on.

If you need a mortgage it will take longer.....allow about 4 weeks for the bank to get themselves organised.

On the otherhand if you are looking for a long completion then you just state that from the outset. Like you I had to coordinate completion of my property with the people who were going to take over my old house. We agreed on 4 months after paying the deposit.

The buying process can be as fast as you want!
Please, please, please make this the first of several trips! The way most of these viewing trips work is to show you around half a dozen or so properties that are really dire and then save the best until last. It will seem such good value next to all the others that you will feel compelled to buy it, and the chances are it will be totally unsuitable for what you want.
By all means, go on the viewing trip, but please, please, please don't sign or buy anything until you have been back on your own!.
Remember that there are tens of thousands of properties for sale in Alicante and the agents will do anything they can to sell you something.
Find your own solicitor. The agents may well give you a list of "Highly recommended" legal professionals. Find one who is NOT on the list!
And remember that it is easy to tell if an agent is lying, you can see their lips move!!

I have read some bad comments about Masa, have a google. I would avoid them like swine flu.

The buying process can take as little as a month if it's a resale and don't need a mortgage. Don't pay out any money until you have consulted a Lawyer.

They showed us some resales, one year old and falling to pieces!

We are now renting long term, all problems for the landlord and we can move when we want or get fed up with the view.

is this your first trip to Orihuela ? there are lots of things to investigate before considering putting down a deposit on a property.....esp as it can be a very speedy process..its difficult not to ger carried away with the moment and dream these companies build for you on inspection trips

as most people who do or have lived in Spain will advise its good to rent in an area first before committing...things can seem very different when you actually live in an area, I know this from personal experience

do you have children ? and what about work ?

lots and lots to consider

Thanks to you all who have replied and tried to help us. We are retired, so we wont be working and we have no children at home now. We will be looking for a re-sale home not a new build. We wont be getting a mortgage either, as have just sold our house and exchanging this coming week. We are looking to put a deposit down on property in spain, then within weeks to pay the rest of the monies.

Please don't! Go on the inspection trip of course, but please don't put a deposit on anything or sign anything at all, until you have seen it several times at different times and preferably on your own without the agent! Agents will tell you absolutely anything to get a sale, especially in the present climate, and you can be assured that there will be pressure to sign up!

Always look at the house in different seasons and weather conditions, things change so much here. ;-))

This puts you in an extremely strong bargaining position. Please, forget the old "british reserve" about not haggling, in Spain it's not only expected but the asking price has the haggle-factor built-in. Given the amount of desperation in the market at the moment (both with sellers who really need to move some real-estate and (even worse) the agents who make huge commissions - 6-7% on a sale) you can be not only cheeky, but downright outrageous in what you offer. If you can say that you'll complete the sale within a month, I'd open the bidding at about half what they vendors are asking, maybe even less. If you think that's unrealistic, just take into account that a place near me which was sold a few years ago for over 90,000 euros has just gone for 43,000.
So long as you don't "fall in love" with one particular property and are willing to take a few refusals you can do very well at present.