November 14, 2006

Recent article in the SUR in English

The Recent article in the SUR in English pretty much encapsulates the point of my posting at the begining of the year. We are now in the phase of the GLUT. The huge number of standard two bedroom apartments that were started over 2 years ago are begining to come online.

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November 13, 2006

Viva commissions reviewed by the agents

I have some interesting points of view from recent conversations with the directors from several real estate companies on the subject of Vivas recent tactic of lowering commisions, droping the MLS system they shared with numerous small agencies along coast and charging an upfront fee for the conveyancing of the property when is registered in the company.

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October 5, 2006

Interview with Connected Property Solutions

This is a short interview with Nick Alderton from Connected Property Solutions a real estate company that sells property within the Elviria area of the Costa del Sol.

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September 1, 2006

Viva Estates set the standard by dropping real estate commisions on the Costa del Sol

Latest news from the Costa del Sol is that Viva Estates has apparently dropped its commission rate to 3% (2% for the sale and 1% for the conveyancing). It was only a matter of time before one of the larger players started the price war. I am sure this herlads the beginning of other large agencies lowering their fees.

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June 17, 2006

The End of Corruption in Marbella

With the current state of the scandal in the town hall in Marbella it is hard to determine when exactly things will get back on track. Planning and development and the departments that had the responsibility of issuing licences are in complete dissary and many of their responsibilities have been removed by the Junta de Andalucia. Regional government has also stepped in with a team of specialists and an interim mayor, to ensure that no further corruption continues. It seems very probable that this will be the way things will be run for the next few years.

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May 22, 2006

Regulating real estate

It's going to be a tough call to reintroduce regulation of the industry in Spain. Trouble with the existing regulatory bodies such as FODPAC and GIPE is that they are usually subscription based communities that really do not offer much in the way of a guarentee of a good service. Disciplining memembers is unheard of.

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May 1, 2006

Predictions For The Costa Del Sol Property Market 2006 Onwards

Current economic analysis would suggest that the Costa del Sol is in state of oversupply, with many of the units started two to three years ago completing in 2006. This has led to a glut of properties for rental and/or resale in certain sectors of the market. This situation looks set to continue due to the backlog of properties being finished off over the next few years.

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Will Strong Demand For Costa Del Sol Property Continue?

The Costa del Sol is an international market affected by factors that are different to the provincial markets in a local town or city in your home country. Demand here was triggered by the desire for a property in the sun by the millions of people due to retire over the coming thirty years. The local market is not entirely dependent on the state of the national or local economy but on the economies of many countries throughout Europe, Russia and the Middle East.

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March 27, 2006

Problems in the Country

An email I recently recieved:

I need advice please, having bought a property with 30,000 sqm, we now have the local estate agent selling part of our plot for building another house, we have the relevant papers, escritura etc, all logged at land registry. Since he originally sold the plots, he is re-distributing the boundary lines and stealing 10,000 of our land for another house to be built. town hall have told them they cannot build there, but they are selling the house in all its glory on the internet on several sites. advice, please please please please.....

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February 6, 2006

Insights into the recent spate of negative press surrounding illegal build in Spain

I came across this interesting series of posts on an online forum that put across the arguments of illegal building and the recent spate of negative press on Spain. It ties in quite well with my post on the importance of using a lawyer in all conveyancing matters Read Post.

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January 22, 2006

The importance of using a lawyer's services in all conveyancing matters

For those who have had the misfortune of being ripped off in a Spanish property transaction I can only offer my deepest condolences. However, during my own research most of the people I have spoken to didn´t seek proper legal advice and the intermediary involved was an unscrupulous estate agent from their own country.

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November 22, 2005

Crime, Corruption and Scandal

Ben Johnson / Bright

The Costa del Sol has a tarnished reputation in the worlds media and tabloids today. Much of the planning irregularities and money laundering scandals are at the forefront of most of the press we encounter about the area. However, its an important point to note that the very reason why so many planning irregularities and fraudulent buisness practices are coming into the media spotlight at the moment is that regional and national authorities are finally getting around to tackling the problems with corruption and organised crime.

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October 22, 2005

So what does the future hold for the property market on the Costa del Sol

Over lunch today I started mapping out how I think the next year few years will go in terms of the property market here in Spain. I wanted to share it with you and see what you thought.

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Buying offplan in the new Med markets

I get asked this question a lot when I talk to people.

If Bulgaria and Turkey will follow a similar path to Spain and are due for huge, accelerated increases surely this means the time to buy is now then?

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Comparing the Spanish holiday home market with other emerging markets on the Med

The Spanish market is not as in the same level of debt as the UK. The spanish residencial market round the major cities IMO is in better shape than the UK residenctial market. The Spanish second home market is potentially facing a correction in 2006 or 2007 and unless you find the right property at the right price now is not the time to invest.

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The Land Grab Scandal

I want to dispel a few Myths!

Firstly The Land Grab Scandal In Valencia Province (under the LRAU Act or compulsory purchase law)

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Spain is still the best country for buying a holiday home

One of the reasons I have started this weblog it to let people know that despite the neagtive press, the horror stories, negative comments you find in some posts I have seen and the attractiveness of NEW AND UPCOMING AREAS along the med, for me Spain hasn´t lost it charm or its investment potential.

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October 9, 2005

Accurate Survey of Spanish Property Prices, Is It Currently Possible?

I received this article from http://www.ipropertysearch.co.uk/ today
which explains why, in the UK, different marketing groups often come
to different conclusions about housing market trends there.

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