I am unabashedly a list girl, so yes: I will be making a list of how to make your property purchasing dreams come true, but there is one thing that is by far and away the most important step. You must want it enough.
I know that sounds simplistic but it is nonetheless THE most important aspect of your dream. The reality is that there will be a fair amount of work ahead and you may encounter a few problems along the way so you need have the determination to push on with your quest, but remember that countless other people have done it and you can too. Here comes that list:
Cost: It is essential that you have a clear idea of exactly how much you wish to spend from the outset – and then that you stick to your budget. If you need a mortgage, try to get an idea as to what sort of mortgage you can get up front, and certainly know what you can afford to repay. You also need to have a good knowledge of all costs that you will incur on purchase (both the cost of the property and the purchase charges), how much you will need to spend per annum, transport costs etc.
A Currency company: Aligned to cost is that you open an account at a first class currency company, one certainly regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) under the new Payment Services Regulations 2009. When I moved countries I was unaware of the enormous savings a currency company can secure. Go to: http://www.smartcurrencyexchange.com/ for an outline as to how they can save you heaps of money. And remember: if you decide on a price to pay for your new property, and are happy with that price, it may be best to lock your currency in at that day’s rate. Certainly people who did that in early 2009 laughed all the way to the …well, currency company, by the end of the year!
Location: You will need to decide exactly where you wish to buy: this decision will be dependent on what you are using the property for. If you think you may want to rent it out at any stage, then the location is of primary importance. For instance you will need to think very carefully about access, both by air from the UK but also the distance from the airport once there
List your requirements: Make a thorough list of your requirements, specifying what is absolutely essential to you: 3 bedrooms, a bathroom rather than a shower (my pet requirement!) etc – and don’t be swayed, no matter how pretty the house is
Views: Ensure that your lovely view cannot be obscured: One of my saddest memories is of a couple who bought a flat abroad with a heavenly sea view. When they next visited the property, a huge block of flats totally obscured their view – they immediately put their property on the market, with their dreams in tatters
Reputable Estate Agents: Decent agents will happily listen to your questions and answer them as best they can (plus we can help you find those agents!). You may be able to make offers of up to 20% less than the price they are asking if the area is one that is a buyer’s market - the agents we recommend will guide you as to which these are: make use of them!
Lawyer: Always use your own independent lawyer. If you are recommended someone once on the spot, always ask for personal references and check them
Sign ONLY when contract checked and correct: This may seem an obvious one but in the excitement of buying your property you may overlook the importance of getting your contract correct. If you don’t fully understand everything, get the contract translated, and changed if needs be
And finally – take your time! Do not allow yourself to be rushed into anything – it’s a huge decision and one that you will have to live with, so make sure it is the right one
If you need any help at all just phone the OGC Resource Team on 0207 898 0549 and they will gladly assist you where they can - there is currently no cost nor is there any obligation to use our recommendations at all.
Thursday, 26 August 2010
Thursday, 22 July 2010
Why buy property in Spain?
I read a very interesting article recently. What it said was that Brits move mainly for cost of living reasons, plus for a better quality of life for themselves and their children. Potential first-time homeowners are finding the cost of buying a home in the UK prohibitive and cheap travel abroad reduces the perceived distances. It can take about the same travel time to get from London to the north of England as it takes to get from London to parts of Spain !
Over and above that, with technological advances, many people are able to work anywhere in the world and are no longer tied to an office, or even to a country.
Almost 4,000 Britons moved abroad EACH WEEK in early 2008 according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the UK ’s biggest exodus in nearly 50 years. By the year 2014, the number of Brits living abroad is expected to be in the region of 3.2 million. Spain now ranks among the top three European countries chosen by us Brits, along with France and Portugal .
Approximately a million British nationals now live for at least part of the year in Spain : many have moved permanently and others have chosen to buy a second home there. It would appear that relocation is most popular with Brits aged between 18 and 30 and also those in the 51 to 60 age bracket, perhaps seeking a better lifestyle for their retirement. An increase in tax for high wage earners, coupled with rising UK unemployment, is thought to be partly behind the mass exodus.
Geographically, Spain 's diversity is immense. Located at the crossroads of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Europe and Africa, Spain 's history and culture is a melting pot inherited from the many nations that invaded and conquered Spain in the past.
In 711 A.D. the Moorish General Tarik and his army crossed into Spain from Africa to the Iberian Peninsula thus beginning the Moorish domination of Spain , which only ended in 1492. The Moors built magnificent cities in Spain ; Cordoba for instance, built in the tenth century, was far in advance of its time and resembled a modern city. The streets were paved, and there were sidewalks for pedestrians that were lit at night. And all this several hundred years before there was a paved street in Paris or a street lamp in London !
The country has an abundance of magnificent buildings, ranging from Islamic palaces to Gothic cathedrals and Moroccan-influenced villages. Almost every second village has a medieval castle and Roman aqueducts abound – the breathtaking Ronda springs to mind here. This dramatic city is where both writer Ernest Hemmingway and film maker Orson Welles spent time, in the old quarter called La Ciudad. Both wrote about Ronda's beauty and famous bull-fighting traditions – indeed after Welles died in 1985, his ashes were scattered in a Ronda bull-ring. Hemmingway’s ‘The Sun also Rises’ is set in Spain and captures the flavour of the country beautifully.
Other Moorish towns include Toledo , Seville and Granada , with its spectacular Alhambra . The whitewashed villages of Andalucia are lovely too and their people still live according to age-old traditions, inherited from their Iberian, Roman and Moorish forefathers. This is especially true of the wonderful heritage of Moorish architecture and culture, with many of the buildings still retaining their Moorish architectural roots.
There are endless tracts of wild countryside as well as some spectacularly rugged stretches of coast between the beaches. While travelling to the north east of Granada I glimpsed what I thought to be a town – actually it turned out to be a film set! Our driver told us that many of the Spaghetti Western movies such as the old Clint Eastwood classic ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ as well as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ were filmed in this part of Spain .
Spain has been the home of some of the world's great artists - El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Dalí, Picasso - and has museums and galleries to show for it. The country pulsates with music of every kind, from the drama of flamenco to the melancholy lyricism of the Celtic music and gaitas (bagpipes) of the northwest. Cervantes' novel Don Quixote, subject of more than one film, is one of the most popular ever written and film directors such as Pedro Almodovar attract huge audience to their works.
The country has many enchanting religious festivals, pilgrimages, carnivals and fairs. In fact, given Spanish friendliness, you will find yourself part of these festivals as you are carried along by the warmth and enthusiasm of the crowds – sometimes literally!
Spain’s history has always been closely interwoven with the sea, both culturally, historically and, indeed, in its cuisine. Think of those early Spanish navigators who, with the Portuguese, led the way in the discovery of the New World . Indeed Christopher Colombus’ voyages were funded by the Spanish King and Queen, Isabel and Fernando.
Most importantly, Spain is the ideal family friendly environment. It has an exceptionally low crime rate; the latest crime figures indicate that the UK is far worse off than Spain when it comes to crime - particularly violent crime. Most people are also attracted by the relaxed and unstressed way of life in Spain and the culinary delights are legendary… and affordable.
Visit the Spain Buying Guide site for more information
Over and above that, with technological advances, many people are able to work anywhere in the world and are no longer tied to an office, or even to a country.
Almost 4,000 Britons moved abroad EACH WEEK in early 2008 according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the UK ’s biggest exodus in nearly 50 years. By the year 2014, the number of Brits living abroad is expected to be in the region of 3.2 million. Spain now ranks among the top three European countries chosen by us Brits, along with France and Portugal .
Approximately a million British nationals now live for at least part of the year in Spain : many have moved permanently and others have chosen to buy a second home there. It would appear that relocation is most popular with Brits aged between 18 and 30 and also those in the 51 to 60 age bracket, perhaps seeking a better lifestyle for their retirement. An increase in tax for high wage earners, coupled with rising UK unemployment, is thought to be partly behind the mass exodus.
Geographically, Spain 's diversity is immense. Located at the crossroads of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Europe and Africa, Spain 's history and culture is a melting pot inherited from the many nations that invaded and conquered Spain in the past.
In 711 A.D. the Moorish General Tarik and his army crossed into Spain from Africa to the Iberian Peninsula thus beginning the Moorish domination of Spain , which only ended in 1492. The Moors built magnificent cities in Spain ; Cordoba for instance, built in the tenth century, was far in advance of its time and resembled a modern city. The streets were paved, and there were sidewalks for pedestrians that were lit at night. And all this several hundred years before there was a paved street in Paris or a street lamp in London !
The country has an abundance of magnificent buildings, ranging from Islamic palaces to Gothic cathedrals and Moroccan-influenced villages. Almost every second village has a medieval castle and Roman aqueducts abound – the breathtaking Ronda springs to mind here. This dramatic city is where both writer Ernest Hemmingway and film maker Orson Welles spent time, in the old quarter called La Ciudad. Both wrote about Ronda's beauty and famous bull-fighting traditions – indeed after Welles died in 1985, his ashes were scattered in a Ronda bull-ring. Hemmingway’s ‘The Sun also Rises’ is set in Spain and captures the flavour of the country beautifully.
Other Moorish towns include Toledo , Seville and Granada , with its spectacular Alhambra . The whitewashed villages of Andalucia are lovely too and their people still live according to age-old traditions, inherited from their Iberian, Roman and Moorish forefathers. This is especially true of the wonderful heritage of Moorish architecture and culture, with many of the buildings still retaining their Moorish architectural roots.
There are endless tracts of wild countryside as well as some spectacularly rugged stretches of coast between the beaches. While travelling to the north east of Granada I glimpsed what I thought to be a town – actually it turned out to be a film set! Our driver told us that many of the Spaghetti Western movies such as the old Clint Eastwood classic ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ as well as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ were filmed in this part of Spain .
Spain has been the home of some of the world's great artists - El Greco, Velázquez, Goya, Dalí, Picasso - and has museums and galleries to show for it. The country pulsates with music of every kind, from the drama of flamenco to the melancholy lyricism of the Celtic music and gaitas (bagpipes) of the northwest. Cervantes' novel Don Quixote, subject of more than one film, is one of the most popular ever written and film directors such as Pedro Almodovar attract huge audience to their works.
The country has many enchanting religious festivals, pilgrimages, carnivals and fairs. In fact, given Spanish friendliness, you will find yourself part of these festivals as you are carried along by the warmth and enthusiasm of the crowds – sometimes literally!
Spain’s history has always been closely interwoven with the sea, both culturally, historically and, indeed, in its cuisine. Think of those early Spanish navigators who, with the Portuguese, led the way in the discovery of the New World . Indeed Christopher Colombus’ voyages were funded by the Spanish King and Queen, Isabel and Fernando.
Most importantly, Spain is the ideal family friendly environment. It has an exceptionally low crime rate; the latest crime figures indicate that the UK is far worse off than Spain when it comes to crime - particularly violent crime. Most people are also attracted by the relaxed and unstressed way of life in Spain and the culinary delights are legendary… and affordable.
Visit the Spain Buying Guide site for more information
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
