Just joined - just starting

Hi!

We have just joined this morning, as we are starting out on our new life and want to be as prepared as possible with lots of research.

Our plan is to sell up our house and business here in the UK and retire to live permanently in Spain.  We have only just begun our search and we are due to go on an inspection trip next month to see Polaris World properties with Parador Properties.  However, research is beginning to reveal some rather worrying stuff about both these organisations. 

Maybe we will have to rethink who we actually work on this with.  We imagine we could purchase directly from Polaris World without having to have the middle man?

Obviously there's lots to read here, so maybe we will glean some more information as we go.  Any thoughts, advice, insights would be most welcome.

Thanks, nice to "meet" you all, and thanks for a great site Justin.

The Batties

Good to see you & I know you'll gets lots of advice on here. I've been a member for absolutely ages & it's a great forum. Best thing is we have fun amongst all the serious issues. If you didn't laugh you'd cry sometimes. We are all here for each other as you'll realise in time.

So, you're going on an inspection trip next month with Parador eh ? Well, if you see something & decide to purchase don't have their recommended lawyers, get one totally independant. They can be a trifle forceful we found. We didn't buy through them. We've owned a home in Spain since April 2005 & are well aware of the pitfalls of buying.

Just ask anything & we'll all rally round to help & support you.

Hola, morerosado!

Thanks for your nice welcome.

Yes, the thing about their own lawyers is something we have already read about. 

In fact, read some awful stuff about people being dumped in the middle of a Parador inspection trip and having to find their own way/flights home.  Eeeek!

We can see that we are really going to have to be on our toes for this trip and not let them bully us.

I expect I'll find the answer to this question somewhere, but will ask it anyway - how do you go about finding an indpendent lawyer?  (bearing in mind that we are only just about to start on our Spanish lessons  ).

Looking forward to chatting....

P + B  (The Batties)

Contact http://www.westmed-es.com/ingl%E9s/index_in.htm A friend of ours runs an ex pats club & one of the lawyers, Pedro J. Munuera Suances, speaks at their meetings. Email pedro@westmed-es.com or anyone listed in the contacts section.

Another one is http://www.ricorabogados.com/

Our own resident lawyer on EOS forum is Maria de Castro & you can contact Maria here http://www.costaluzlawyers.es/eng/?page_id=23  Email: mldecastro@costaluzlawyers.es

hi batties

we bought on la torre golf resort. going to live there in 3 weeks. waited a long time to complete but think eventually it will be worth it. we used fuster@associates los alcazares and they done a great job. hope this helps and you hopefully will find the right place

         davidandlinda

Hola batties,  we bought via Parador Properties almost 5 years ago. We came on their inspection trip and told them what we wanted and how much we were willing to spend and did not deviate. They were great, not pushy and very helpful. Their aftersales service left much to be desired tho, and that was probably cos we rented while our property was being built and would not pay the 600€ fee so they were less than helpful in that area. Funnily enough we also used their solicitor...........I think she was a conveyancer...............called Sylvia Hann from Domus Consulting in Torrevieja. She is German and was wonderful throughout.

I've heard not so good reports about Polaris World tho, but it's better you look for yourself and make your own mind up. Just tell whoever you come out with exactly what you think you want and how much you want to spend and DON'T let them talk you into spending more than YOU wabt to or buying something you're not sure about. You can always say NO.

Hi Batties,

I can back Karensun  on using Domus And Sylvia as a solicitor.

I use her personally and always recomend her to our clients,she has very german traits and is very efficient and meticulous.

If you are just considering Polaris then it seems that an inspection trip maybe a little overkill,then again if you are considering other options it may be worth your while.

As an agent i maybe biased in certain opinions but i would say that if you are buying from a builder then it is always wise to use an agent as most builders prefer it anyway,you will gain nothing by missing an agent out and going direct.

The price is still exactly the same whether you buy direct or through an agent and at least you have a point of contact for queries when questions jump into your head,it maybe easier speaking to someone in your agents office than getting an answer from a big corporate organisation.

Hope this helps

Regards

Georgia

Firstly, good luck and have fun, David and Linda.  We hope your move goes smoothly and you are happy.

And thank you all for your info and advice.  Such a lot to be going on with, but we will look at all the links and sort ourselves out.  We'll definitely report back!

hi batties here i am again forgot to say, if you are thinking of polaris resorts you don't need an agent go direct to polaris and they will put you up in their intercontinel hotel for i think 3 nights  you safe nothing using an agent as prices are all the same { as far as i know]

         ALL THE BEST DAVID AND LINDA

The website for the polarisworld inspection trips is villacashback.com

Best Regards,

David and Linda.

It's quite wierd that you can speak to many people using many agents & there'll usually be some good & some bad said about each. It obviously depends who you are put with regarding the rep taking you around. With Parador a few years ago now, we had a massively fat unkempt guy called Peter allocated to us. Peter drank beer whenever he could throughout the day & drove us home one night from a restaurant having drunk four pints during the course of the day !!

When Parador ring you before you go over & ask you many questions & follow it up with a written questionaire you don't expect them to take you an hour away from where you said you wanted to be, on the very first day, do you ?  For those who know the CB we were taken from where they put us up in Villa Martin to a huge urb being built just outside Castilla, an hour north & inland, on a fast road from Torrevieja, instead of the Guardamar/Algorfa/Benijofar areas we said we wanted. We were taken to Polaris World which was just starting out at Torre Pacheco too &  then, unbelievably, he drove us to Mazarron. MAZARRON, I ask you when we wanted to be near friends who'd bought outside Benijofar. That's how much they wanted a sale. They wouldn't let us out of their sight. I think they showed us 16 properties in three days so we were out around 10am till sometimes after 6pm, all were more than we'd said our budget was & not in the areas we'd insisted on. We had our own property here & it seemed, from what others said, they were trying to get us all to remortgage & then have more money to invest. They didn't like people talking to each other, that was obvious. As the day went on Peter got more & more stroppy as we would not show enough interest in the properties he showed us.

We complained about Peter & he (supposedly) was sacked for drinking on the job but all the reps & his boss were aware he was drinking & it took us to complain for them (supposedly) to do something about it. Imagine if we'd had an acident in parador's caring hands. I recall he took us to a place to eat at lunchtime & another Parador rep, a young woman, ordered our meals. Peter says beer & she frowned & ordered coffees which was unfortunate as hubby & I really fancied a cold beer.  But then the female rep smoked & she wasn't meant to allow anyone to smoke in the car but the couple she took around both smoked & said they wouldn't get in the car if they couldn't smoke & that suited her.

The trials & tribulations of inspection trips, eh ?

BTW Karen, I am now packed. I reckon case (with God knows what in) weighs 18.5 - 19 kg & our scales are pretty accurate matching Easyjet's scales. (Probably why I stay off them ! ) So under 20kg. Only one hand baggage too.

Regarding lawyers we, on EOS, usually always advocate using an independant lawyer but seems, in this case, you'll be ok if you get the one mentioned.

Just go enjoy, keep your wits about you. There's always another inspection trip.

Hola Amigos Y Amigas

Are we getting our Polaris and Our Paradors mixed or are they the same Company, Que?

"Are we getting our Polaris and Our Paradors mixed or are they the same Company, Que?"

Hola The Batties , I'm a newbie to this forum as well and I've got tosay they are a friendly bunch.

We went with Atlas International for our inspection trip and I've got to say they were fantastic, one to one with there sales people who were really friendly (I know they are selling) and never once at all pushy, they did what we asked , went to were we wanted and wined and dined us all week. While at dinner we never talked about property or buying. They found us exactly what we wanted and at the price we were looking for. After sales has been good with them but as we are coming up to completion and things are dragging a little ( probably my impatience).

While on our inspection trip we went to Campomoar golf club and Parador were holding what I think was there inspection trip introduction meeting. There must have been 30 couples there in one room with a lot of salespeople. I must admit it looked a little intimidating from were I was standng.

Good luck on your journey! 

"Atlas International were fantastic" ....  you see what I mean, it's who they put you with sometime. Atlas were really laid back with us but had no idea of answers to our questions & we left without buying from them, although we had chosen the property, been to the developers office over half an hour away to choose tiles, kitchens etc. These were questions they should've found out the answers to if they themselves couldn't answer. I'm always pleased to hear those who have sailed through with buying. However I often feel it's good luck rather than much else. The couple we were put with were nice enough, fellow Northerners, but seemed out of their depth as I believe they'd not long started, our bad luck I guess. They, also, took us all the way up to Castilla, over an hour away on a fast road. What is it about Castilla. Four years later we drove up to see what the urb at Castilla was like & the residents were only too glad to tell us. No commercials except a small club even after four years of living there. Not much in the town either & in the middle of nowhere if you're without a car.

Thanks Simmo, yes, we are a nice bunch in here, you're so-o-o-o-o-o right there.

Hiya,

We have just joined the forum, we have sold our house and are waiting for the sale to go through.  We are thinking of renting initially over in Spain, however, we have been in contact with "Homeespana" with regard to purchasing a home in spain.  We wanted to know about the process and any good property lawyers that could be recommended as we have been told that to purchase a property in spain is a lot less complicated than the process in England.  Is this true?

would appreciate any advice in this area.

regards

Norffy

It is not less complex than the UK and whoever has told you that should be shot!! Far too many people are ready to believe what they want to hear. It is complicated, property issues can be huge depending on what you buy. There has been a lot of illegal construction in Spain and there are many ready, willing and able to rip you off for a quick buck!!

You need to ensure you do your research and make sure you get plenty of good independent advice. There are many people on this site who will be able to answer questions about what you want and where you might be looking and should be able to help ensure that you dont make the mistakes they did - just make sure you ask the right questions and when an estate agent is cozying up and being your best cuddly friend forever ask yourself the question what is it that is motivating them - they will buy you dinner, lunch and breakfast but for the price of a drink they would possibly sell their mother. I DO OF COURSE MAKE THE EXCEPTION OF THOSE AGENTS IN THIS FORUM AS THEY WILL TELL IT HOW IT IS AND IN MY EXPERIENCE ENSURE YOU DONT END UP WITH EGG ON YOUR FACE!!