Roda Golf Resales

With a few people now selling or looking at selling their properties on Roda Golf, I was wondering who are the best agents to speak to regarding selling the property and can people share their opinions. I understand it is quite expensive to sell in Spain but don't know how much or whether you have to sign exclusively with one agent or band it out with a few.  I am not aware of much resale success in Roda at present and would welcome a discussion regarding the selling issue.

Many thanks x

 This forum makes very depressing reading at the moment.  It is sad to see so many people wanting to sell or needing to sell for whatever reasons.

It would be fantastic if all your circumstances change as we all know the only people who make money at times like this are selling agents, and we all have had experience of them in the past.  Out to make a quick buck at someone elses expense.

I do hope things change for all of you.

I am a retired estate agent whose sons have taken over my business. I have been through the tough times in the early 80's when interest rates were starting at a base rate of 13% and the tough times of negative equity in the 90's. I like most selling agents did continue to make money at these times but a lot less than I did when times were good as we all have to "cut our cloth" at times like this and recognise the times we are in. Selling agents are doing a job like everyone else and in good times no one cribs about their fees but in bad times it seems so much worse as your selling price has probably dropped so much. However, I believe that there are a lot of honest estate agents out there who are not making any money at the moment and they do not deserve the tag line "out to make a quick buck at someone else's expense." This may have been true in years gone by but the industry is very heavily regulated now in both the UK and Spain. I have met several agents working in Spain and have been very impressed with their honesty and integrity and I have had 50 years in the business so I know what I am talking about. Maybe kroda you were unlucky to deal with a bad egg but by and large the people who are still in the industry and have survived regulation and the bad times are the ones you can trust.

I am just back from Spain and was in the Roda Resales Office where the fees are 6%, which is more than we would have charged in Uk, however appears to be fairly reasonable in Spain and the big plus is that they are in a good spot for any potential customers as the Sales office is also there now. Shop around though and make sure that whoever you choose is working hard for you and keeps you updated on what is happening. Keep in touch with your agent and make sure that anything you can do to keep your property to the forefront is done. Most importantly you have to be realistic and recognise that wherever you are it is a buyers market at the moment and if you can possibly hold out I feel that a Roda property will continue to appreciate in years to come and is one of the best investments in Spain at the moment.  

Don

Advice appreciated and agree that eventually the resort will all be worth it. However, with the exchange rates as they are at present alonside the current financial issues the globe is facing then selling up has to be an option for a few. There will be a few who are forced to sell which always happens on every development as circumstances change between deposit and moving in. There will also always be the short term investors looking to turn things around quickly as well but Im sure there will be plenty in it for the long haul.

It does amaze me when you do an internet search that the asking prices differ so much i.e. a two bed 1st floor apartment on one site is more expensive than a town house on another site and some apartments differ in asking price by as much as 60k. I'm not in the resale business so am not speaking from experience but surely people don't expect to make a fat profit from a resale at present do they?

I'm not trying to be negative but would just like to discuss what is acually happening at the moment in the resort.

Luv always

The RODA site is a good one and I believe remains a good long to medium term investment and by the way I don´t sell property

Although the euro  is a problem people forget the benefit of the reducing interest rate in Spain so mortgages are getting cheaper, in my own case a reduction of around €180 per month for 2009

The resale market in Spain is still not regulated, has no real common code of conduct, and agents will charge whatever they feel reasonable as a commission, not always a set percentage

The normal approach is that they will visit and not really give professional advice of what the sales price should be, as the normal conversation is, how much do you want to get and they will then put on whatevevr they feel reasonable onto the price and market the property

There are many examples, including RODA, where you will find the same property being advertised at different prices, by different agents where the price can vary by upwards of €30k and the price in their window can be different form the price on their internet site so make sure you get an agreement that the agent commits to the sales price

There are a growing number of advertisers who chage a fixed fee of a few hundred euros, people like Easybuy, but no real success guaranteed as there are very few buyers around, and of course putting the for sale sign on the property

The other problem is that the buyer oicks up the sales, Notary Fees and tax liability which will add 6% - 8% to your advertised price and one idea is to price up the cost for transfer and include it in the sales price, advetise transfer fees included

Rental will be harder this year and the only way to do this is do it yourself with your own site and paperwork through friends and family if possible

Do people still expect to make a fat profit yes but the problem may be the amount added on top by the agent

I agree with Roy, agents do add there commission on top of the asking price and this is where you may find the same property varying in price.  To combat this potential problem, sellers can advise the agents how much to market the property for.