Thinking of purchasing holiday home on Terrazas - advice please?

Hi everyone, my husband and I are planning to visit Spain for a few days next month to visit Terrazas and view properties. We are hoping to look at 3 bedroom properties, as we have young twins, boy and girl. We like the look of Terrazas and feel that it may offer more value for money than the other resorts which our budget may not stretch to. Our mortage has been organised in the UK and this will be our first adventure into the overseas property market. At the moment we do not feel we'd like to rent out our holiday home.

We are very unfamiliar with this region of Spain so was hoping anyone who has been through the buying process recently may be able to offer us some advice please?

The do's and dont's of buying in the country, to buy new or pre owned, who to deal and anyone/company to steer clear of, maintenance fees, buildings and contents insurance, the resort info, community, local area, good for families, security etc etc.

Thank you to anyone for your time and help with this.
Kind regards
Sarah

I'm not familar with the Terrazas area, so won't comment on that.

One thing that is important is not to fall for the sales pitch of some agent. Talk to different agents. Return to the site without the agent at your side to see what people say when the agent's not there. Talk to neighbours and see what the neighbourhood's like. Also, don't assume that because properties are being advertised for a price x, that they are also being sold for that or worth that. A lot of the property being adverised on the Internet and in the windows of the agencies still has unrealistically high prices and so just because yours is going to be a bit cheaper than a comparable place down the road, that is no guarantee that you're getting a good bargain.

Also, get yourself a property lawyer and don't blindly trust everything an agent or the seller tells you. The lawyer should especially check that the house is built legally, that it really belongs to the person who claims to own it, and that it is free of debt and unpaid taxes. If it is an older property I would also get an independent surveyor to have a look (there are some English-speking ones around) as many houses in Spain were built on the cheap and are going to have major repairs looming (this is sometimes the real reason people sell). Major issues are typically moisture rising from the ground, and leaking roofs. Some new houses may actually not be as new as they look as many developers have huge backlogs of unsold properties, so again, be wary of what you're buying.

 

This message was last edited by amogles on 30/08/2013.

thank you for your help and advice

 

 

Hi, Sarah I bought an apartment on the Isla earlier this year you can phone me on 01792 416692, if you'd like to discuss.

Regards

 

Chris

Can I thank you all for your messages, I am very grateful

 

Hi Sarah,

I bought on Terrazas on the Island in 2006 and completed in 2011, . I love it there, and am so glad that I bought on this resort.

I also have a great lawyer, who many people have used in buying in Spain and all has gone well, so thoroughly recommend them. If you want to contact me, you can ring me on 0793 024 8059, or private message me

Best regards

Kevin