Savills - Flipbook - Page 68
The buying
process
Now you have considered all the preliminary legal,
financial and administrative actions it’s time to get
started. While each buyer’s experience is slightly
different, based on individual circumstances and
the type of property they are purchasing, generally
the process will follow the following steps:
1. Online property search
Once you have clearly defined your budget and
property requirements, it’s good to start searching
online to get a feel for what is available. Not all
online listings are accurate or up to date, but by
identifying what you do and do not like it will help
the more in-depth search that will follow.
2. Appoint your agent
Once you have done your own research, it’s
important to appoint a local real estate agent to
refine and investigate your initial selections, as well
as exploring other suitable alternatives. Spain works
differently to some countries in that real estate
agents, in the main, have access to all properties for
sale, not only their own listings, but most will have
their own area of expertise. If you have a specific
area in mind, it’s best to choose an agent with
proven local knowledge in that area. A local agent
will be able to access local listings, prior to them
reaching the open market. We recommend choosing
and building a relationship with one agent before
your viewing trip who will do all the groundwork
before your arrival and co-ordinate viewings.
3. Property viewings
When you have established a suitable shortlist of
properties, it’s time to arrange a viewing trip. During
this trip, you will start to acquaint yourself with
different neighbourhoods and locations as well as
seeing a number of different properties each day.
In the time that you are not visiting properties, it is
worth getting a feel for what it would be like living
in a particular area. Visit the local amenities, eat out
and soak up the local atmosphere.
68
