Buying a Property on The Costa Del Sol (Brief Overview).

The aim of this brief overview is to help you understand the purchasing process here in Spain and to ensure that you buy safely by following the correct procedures.
Buying a property on the Costa Del Sol is very safe and straight forward as long as you follow the guidelines.

Your step-by-step guide to finding and then securing the purchase of your property.

Step 1 - Finding A Property That Suits Your Requirements.

This can be as easy or as complicated as you wish:

The complicated way - Contacting multiple estate agents here on the Costa Del Sol.

You will be bombarded by emails of properties that you are not even interested in, usually because the agency did not listen to EXACTLY what you were looking for and just put you on their mailing list.

The easy way - You can contact us ONLY, one contact for everything.

We will listen to EXACTLY what you want and only send you EXACTLY what is suitable.
We have a database of over 1,500 estate agents properties, over 23,000 properties, so really there is no need to go elsewhere.

Step 2 - Now That You Have Found Your Property.

Once you have found your perfect property you need to make sure that all your hard work is not in vain and reserve it ASAP.

On leaving an agreed amount as a deposit, normally around €6,000, we will provide a reservation document in which all the terms of the agreement are set out, for example the agreed selling price and what if any of the furniture is included etc.
This document is usually signed by yourself and the seller to officially show an act of intent to purchase & sell the property.

Although in Spain you do not need to have a lawyer for the purchase of your property we would highly recommend having one, this will make the whole process much easier and less stressful for you.

Some of the legal procedures that the lawyers will take care of as part of the purchase process:

Confirming the actual owners of the property and that they are entitled to sell the property.
Confirming the property is legally registered in the corresponding registries.
Confirming the property is free from all debts & charges.
Confirming the property has been given the relevant building permit by the town hall.
Ensuring that the legal prescriptions of the planning and building laws have been complied with.
The study of all documents which are deemed necessary to execute the purchase operation.
The lawyer pay all the expenses and taxes arising out of the purchase on your behalf, this includes registering the public deed in the corresponding Land Registry.
The lawyer will change the ownership of all bills, supplies and taxes concerning the property, and if you wish, will arrange the direct debiting of those bills.

Should you choose to have a lawyer involved we can recommend a few for you to choose from as we work with a group of independent law firms here on the Costa Del Sol.

Step 3 - After Due Diligence, Exchange Of Contracts.

Once you or your lawyers have done their due diligence and finished all the legal checks, the next step is to sign a private purchase contract.

The signing and exchanging of contracts is a legally binding stage of the property buying process, once this has been done you are legally bound to buy the property and the seller is legally bound to sell by the agreed date in the contract.

At this stage you will be asked to leave a non refundable deposit of between 10%-15% of the agreed selling price.

Step 4 - The Day You Collect Your Keys.

The day has arrived, everybody involved will arrive at the notary at the agreed time to exchange deeds, cheques & keys.

At this point EVERYBODY will say goodbye and make a quick exit, not us.
Our service continues for as long as you need us, whether it be for help, information or recommendations for cleaners, builders etc.

We wish to remind you that this overview is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace or contradict any other advice you may receive.