Scarey!!
 

Hi - How about this??

Just been viewing a house and was very interested. On checking for myself (you know me by now I check everything) after being told by the Agent a) That it was a horizontal division, b) The property had a mortgage on it, I have since found out that the plot was indiviso and the property behind which was the original finca was the one with the mortgage on it!! They even tried to pass off the paperwork for the old house as if it belonged to the new one, and of course, there was only one electric meter belonging to the original finca. But dont worry they said the meter is there and so it was inside the perimeter wall!! Seems to me maybe desperation is creeping in as building land gets scarce?? :beer:

Re: Scarey!!
 

So what was their excuse when you told them.... let me guess... something along the lines of.. "Not that i know of... I'll check and get back to you"...
On our Turkish forum we are all invited to openly Name and Shame the worst agents. We also praise those that do a good job obviously... it helps, but it hasn't stop odd one falling in the net...

Re: Scarey!!
 

Thank goodness you have your wits about you Mitzipurr. Keep trying, and good luck, the property you want has to be around the corner.

Re: Scarey!!
 

Whilst sitting at the computer here in Sunny Droitwich Spa browsing all the estate agents web site for suitable property, albeit, in Murcia/Alicante areas. I have to think is it worth it, I'm not giving up, far from it, but when you read threads like yours Mitzipurr, you start to reappraise the situation, without a doubt, when buying in Spain you MUST be there on Spanish soil, there is no way you can judge an agent from his website, you have to be face to face. I have sent more emails that I can remember to agents regarding property for sale, in almost every case the property turned out to be 1) Sold, 2) requires complete refurbishing or 3) has been withdrawn, and no they don't know why and no I cannot contact the vendor direct.
If I had the money I would visit every weekend to find a suitable place, we have been advised to rent first, a good point, but as I will be self employed that will make getting a mortgage difficult, At present we have been advised that the last 3 wage slips can be used for a mortgage, which means landing and buying from day one, not a option.
This is not a problem, just a small hiccup requiring a solution ;)
May I just say, that without people such as Mitzipurr et al. we would be in a much worse position, your advise and help is without doubt invaluable.
Kevray

Re: Scarey!!
 

It's a pretty local organisation, kevray, and I have to say that their web presence is one of the worst sites I've seen, but Urbaltea in - erm - Altea, are quite good, if you go and see them and make it clear you want to cut through the crap. At least, they were good to us.

Re: Scarey!!
 

I have to agree with Kevray... i thank mitzipurr and others like him for sharing their views on this site. It's a tremendous help to people like myself who are thinking of buying in Spain... :)

Re: Scarey!!
 

Megacity One, eh? I'll be popping over to see my folks in Wychbold in a couple of weeks time if all goes to plan.

On the subject of mortgages for self-employed, I was chatting with my wife last night about the general property process and she said that it was virtually impossible to get a large mortgage as a self-employed person (Autonomo) in Spain. Everything is geared up for employees or company owners and this is just another hurdle to deal with for people with slightly entrepreneurial outlook, along with fixed social security but no benefits. Take care how you set up in business, though, and you might be able to work it out.

On the legals front, we're buying a plot in Asturias and getting to the Notary stage. Since I'm working in Dublin during the week and we've 5 children, getting up there for a signing session is a logistics nightmare. Chatting about it when we were out for a meal one night with our neighbour, who used to work in a notary office and he gave us loads of advice, took over negotiations and checks, arranged power of attorney for the deal and will go up on a trip to sign on my wife's behalf (buying in her name for both of us), just for expenses. Result! :D A nice little trip for them, low hassle and expense for us. More proof of how lovely some Spanish can be.

Re: Scarey!!
 

? I'm self-employed. Have been for about 10 years. We moved to Spain 3 years ago and bought a house 2 years ago. No problem getting a mortgage (80 percent) - I even showed my UK tax returns as only had a year of being self-employed in Spain. We had been with the bank since arriving here though. So it wasn't like they didn't know us - perhaps that helps.

So virtually impossible? Nah - but perhaps you couldn't just walk in off the street and get one. Of course, I don't know what it's like in the UK - this was my first house purchase anywhere!

My advice - listen to others, and take note of what they say, but never let anyone tell you something is impossible until you try it yourself. 80 percent mortage for self-employed, importing a classic motorbike, getting a job with a local company, not having to pay any 'black' on a house purchase... had we listened to folks - we would never have tried (and succeeded) in any of these things!

Have fun!
t0rie

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www.whangdoodleland.com

Re: Scarey!!
 

It took me a year to find somewhere, as previously posted, and I drove over 600 miles on one trip. I am one of those people who when buying something I check and re check and drive shop assistants, car salesmen etc etc insane.
You have to realise that like yacht brokers, estate agents see many dreamers, so you have to build up a relationship with one and let them know you are serious. One agent who we thought was very trustworthy and we knew from London, turned out to be adept at high pricing, and we eventually dropped him. Like you I e-mailed many who never replied, or said they would look into things and get back and never did. Some gave me a really hard sell, especialy at Costa Esuri which features heavily on this forum. There were many who were reliable and spent a lot of time and trouble. I found the best way was to come over, yes make some appointments, then just drive around with an agent and get a feel for the agent as a much as for the properties. Every trip was a learning curve until we honed in on the one we eventually bought. The ones that can seem unattractive can turn out to be gems, the dream homes can be a disaster. As my agent said, if it's cheap you can be sure there is a snag. Near a motorway, poor access, dodgy paperwork ! Pm me if you want to know who I used and felt reliable. Opinions differ ! And remember there are no bargains anymore, and it really cannot be done on the cheap, unless you want to go and live in somewhere like Extremadura.