Buying off plan

Hi
we are intending to buy off plan and would like to know if there are any problems in doing this.  We hope to take possession 09/10 but have not signed anything yet, just wanted to gain some advice from people who have been this route.  We hope to buy from Atlas.  Can anyone provide some guidance please?

thanks

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We bought from Atlas and I can only say never again!!!!  When things started to go wrong they didn't want to know, we also used the solicitor recommended by them & they too were less than helpful.  Our apartment was finally completed 16 months late after the builder did a disappearing act. 

We could get no information from Atlas or our solicitor (Aroqa Seiquer) E mails & letters went unanswered for weeks phone calls were not returned. Most of our information was gleened from fellow sufferers on this forum.

There are lots of great properties for sale ont the Costa Blanca, some on this site and unless you have nerves of steele think twice befor buying off plan.

Read all the great information available on this forum before parting with a penny.

Now we have our apartment & the nightmare is behind us we re looking forward to enjoying our trips over there, but we could have done without all the stress and aggro & total lack of empathy from Atlas.

Happy hunting and good luck.

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Hi Gamundy welcome to the Forum,  Please read as many postings as you can with reference to "Off Plan" Buying, some of the contributers on here are very experienced in such matters. I bought off Plan with the intention of taking up residence. I now live and enjoy my Penthouse apartamento. If your intention is to buy and then sell, then most people will advise you against it, because its not so easy now to make a profit. Developers will tell you otherwise though I am sure. All I can say is consider other options for purchasing, take care before you decide.

Regards

John

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Hi gamundy

Where were you thinking of buying anyway ? Off plan certainly in the CDS is a major problem, I believe, but also many heartaches have been caused by buying off plan anywhere what with delays, no habitation licences & agents, lawyers & builders who won't "play" fair so, as John said, read up lots & lots & even more in the forum before thinking about buying anything. Get yourself a totally independant lawyer too, most important. I'd not buy through Atlas, had problems with them.

Best of British

Regards,

Rosemary 

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Please avoid that company with a name like a book of maps (see? Easy not to mention names).

We have been having trouble for 5 years with that company.  All nice as pie at the beginning but they don't want to know you once they have your money.  We still have no deeds to our property and keep getting the brush off from them despite many letters, e-mails and personal visits.  I have a feeling they don't give a damn.  Get an independent solicitor and agent to handle things.  Oh, and those nice, cheap inspection visits?  You will only see the properties they want to push and you will get a bill for the visit after about 3 months.  Remember, you get nothing for nothing.  If you know the area, rent out a place for a week or two (there are plenty advertised), hire a car and look around.  If you don't know the area, by all means go on an inspection trip but leave your cheque book at home.  You will have (albeit gentle) pressure right up til the time you leave.  At least you will get to know the area a bit better.

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Thanks for your feedback.  We were hoping to buy in Villa Martin Oasis Golf.  There are other companies who sell these properties other than the (map) company, so I hope we have left some options open to us.  Do you think that prices will reduce?  We are concerned that if we put a deposit down, the prices will decrease by the time 09/10 arrives,so not sure if to keep an eye on the released properties and then to put a deposit, or to put one down on the onset - thoughts appreciated if anyone has had experience of this.

When we went on the inspection trip we were not told that we would have to pay for this later- await to see what happens.

Thanks for taking the time to post a reply

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Hi gamundy

If you're intent on buying a certain property in that area can I suggest you PM an agent posting on here ("Georgia") who works for http://www.rightmoveespana.com/index.aspx who advertise on EOS. "Georgia" works from the Guardamar office & will be only too pleased to advise you, I'm sure. Make your own way over for a few days again & let "Georgia" show you properties.

If you click on this link Is it as bad as we are all lead to beleive!!? he has posted in there.

Go to one of Georgia's posts & click on the Send private message  under his name & send him a message.

Kind regards,

Rosemary 

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Thank Rosemary for the info.  Have made contact via private message and hope to visit that area again soon.  

Best wishes
Gloria

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Thanks Bobaol.  I hope it works out for you in the end.  Will wait and see how much the invoice will be.  Hope to visit that area again soon and to look at more properties.

Kind regards
Gloria

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Kathie and John thanks for all your help and advice.  My husband is now panicking about buying off plan.  My problem is that if you see a property you like on a development and like a plot, it's hard not to buy off plan because you may not be able to secure the position you want.  Any suggestions as a way forward?

regards
Gloria

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I can recommend a developer who has a good reputation in the area.  I haven't heard anything bad about them and had a look around some houses on places already occupied.  Everyone I spoke to, either living there permanently or as holiday homes, told me the build quality was excellent and the company was very well spoken of for after sales services.  They have permanent offices in the area which means they won't do a moonlight flit.  They are called Euromarina and have big offices in Quesada on the Quesada/Guardamar road.  If you call in, they will give you a time to meet you and take you around one of the properties.  There is no big sell an it is a very professional outfit.  We have decided to buy our permanent home with them and have been amazed at the quality of the houses compared with some we have looked at.  They have apartments, town houses and villas suiting all pockets.  No, I don't work for them but it was a pleasant change to come across a developer who seems to know what it is doing and takes pride in the workmanship.  I won't post a link but they do have a website and you can look at some of the places they currently have.  If anyone knows anything different about this company, I would be grateful if they could let me know BEFORE I commit myself fully next week.  I'd rather lose the €3000 I've put as a reserve than come across problems later on.

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Euromarina are very good builders, certainly. You have to make an appointment with them to ensure someone is available to take you around the immediate area to show you their properties which, when we were taken round, had the 7% IVA included in the price they gave us.

Their office is by the Laguna hotel just off the Montesinos road, lovingly nicknamed The Lemon Tree road, between the N332 & the Crevillente Road.

Our friends bought with Euromarina. I know they had trouble with contact. Not getting responses to their concerns at times, otherwise I believe it was ok. Oh, they had to organise buying their own boiler !!  They bought a Fortuna mid terrace house on Dona Pepa 2.

This message was last edited by morerosado on 6/3/2007.

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Hi all,

Bobaol-Euromarina have always been very proffesional with us and our clients as we collaborate with them and have done for some time now.Quality is very good and they have been around for 35 years.

As far as contact goes they use the agents like ourselves as intermediaries to handle contact,support and general "hand holding" through the whole purchase, as it cost the same as to buy through an agent as it does direct it seems a no brainer not to do this,after all that is what we get paid for and thats where the after sale support comes in.

Moresado-Thanks for the recomendation,we do aim to please,originally a client asked me to post on here thats how i discovered the forum she said "i could talk for england and i should put it to good use"i think that was a compliment!!

Gamundy-I have sent you a PM explaining very briefly my views,there is no need for anyone to panic about "off plan" especially because you haven't parted with any hard earned yet.

It is all down to research and leg work,gather as much info as possible,take some sound advice and then and only then make an educated decision.

I bought off plan myself as at the time i had to sell my house and business to be here and this all takes time.

My house was as expected and was only two weeks behind the expected completion date in the end so nothing really to get stressed about.

The whole thing with buying off plan is find an agent,get to know and trust them and let them get stressed about your house,that'swhat we are here for,the trouble with the larger EA's is that you become a number rather than a person and it becomes impersonal and you will find you do not get the same service as you would with someone who knows how much it means to you.

Hope this Helps

Georgia

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Many thanks for those replies.  We are over next week for the final commitment and are already using an agent, thanks.  We just wanted to know if we are making the right decision after all the bad news stories we hear and having been burned once.  As this is going to be a permanent home, we are being a bit more wary this time

We are definitely going for it and are looking forward to living there.  Thanks again.

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