# Finally Done It....We've Bought In Spain!!



## StevejR1 (May 21, 2013)

After getting an offer on our house before Christmas, we started 2015 full of enthusiasm and excitement...so we started to push the solicitors as the New Year began. It soon became aware there was a problem in the chain, and we were advised to go back on the market....

...reluctantly, we did two weeks ago...but the response has totally surprising, and an offer was accepted on Monday, and on Wednesday we started negotiations on the house we wanted in Andalucia.....

....by the end of the day it was ours!!! 

Despite the enormity of the decision, and the stress of the arrangements that now face us, we feel remarkably calm...a good sign we feel we have made the right decision 

Our journey has taken two years. We've learned, we've listened, we've taken advice....we still have loads to learn, plenty more to listen to, loads of advice yet to hear...in fact it probably starts her in earnest!!

We've tried to keep our eyes firmly open, and tried not to get carried away, or blinded by anything, and given ourselves the time to work out what we really want, rather than what we 'thought' we wanted.

We are now looking for a reputable solicitor in the Iznajar/Antequera area...anyone got any suggestions?....we have been recommended Molina Gonzalez in Antequera....has anyone had any experience of them?

I'm sure the post will be coming fast and furious over the next few weeks, so brace yourselves!!


----------



## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

congratulations

Welcome to Spain , its a great place to live !!

Good luck with the move its a great adventure !!


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Antequera is beautiful. I hope you like olive oil.


----------



## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Congratulations, I hope you will be very happy there.


----------



## Derek H (Dec 7, 2008)

Well done. I wish you every success.

Oh dear! Someone else I envy. One day. One day soon? Please......

Come on now man, chin up. Remember you are British ;-)
Derek


----------



## Roy C (Sep 29, 2012)

Congrats, hopefully this time next year we will be making preparations to do the same. Without talking prices , were you able to negotiate a decent percentage off the asking price?


----------



## Maureen47 (Mar 27, 2014)

Great news and isn't it a great feeling , it took us almost 2 yrs to find the right property too but you know when its right. When do you plan to move ?


----------



## StevejR1 (May 21, 2013)

Thanks all 

I think the move to Spain will be dictated by the sale of our house here Maureen, which we are being told to expect it to take 8-12 weeks, so around those sort of times


----------



## Maureen47 (Mar 27, 2014)

Not that long then , our permanent move happens in October this year and cant wait , will be there for a lot of the time prior to that but back and forward trying to get sorted out for the final move , its great when you have your house sorted , makes it all real


----------



## StevejR1 (May 21, 2013)

Roy C said:


> Congrats, hopefully this time next year we will be making preparations to do the same. Without talking prices , were you able to negotiate a decent percentage off the asking price?





Roy C said:


> Congrats, hopefully this time next year we will be making preparations to do the same. Without talking prices , were you able to negotiate a decent percentage off the asking price?


I'm not sure if you've ventured into the Spanish housing market yet Roy, but you soon realise like any housing market , that you soon get a sense of what is a house's market value, regardless of asking price.

In Spain however, a house with a true market value of say €250,000 can easily be up for €300-325,000.....you wouldn't see that sort of mark-up in the uk, because they would have to drop to sell, it appears in Spain that you bypass that with your offer. 

I'm not saying that there aren't well priced properties in Spain, but generally this seems to be the rule of thumb. We have proved that in the properties we have liked, and enquired about....one was €425k, but would accept €350...another was €340k but would accept €280..another €420, but would accept €375........and that was just from making an enquiry, none were tested further with a bid.

In the end, with the property we bought, we decided what was a fair price for the property, and that's what we offered....we didn't offer low to be haggled up, or barter with the owner...we offered him a fair price, for us, and him. We may have lost out a little, but I think the owner respected our approach, and I think the process was more civilised as a result....and hopefully during the conveyancing this approach may work in our favour.

We are happy with the price...it's not a snatch!...but it's a fair price, and we are happy. I had not actually worked it out before, but after your question I did, and the reduction in selling price was 15% off the asking price....but I think it was a realistic sort of price to start with


----------



## StevejR1 (May 21, 2013)

maureen47 said:


> Not that long then , our permanent move happens in October this year and cant wait , will be there for a lot of the time prior to that but back and forward trying to get sorted out for the final move , its great when you have your house sorted , makes it all real


It has taken us two years to find our ideal home....and even with the ample choice that there is on the market at the moment, finding the one that ticks all your boxes..or most of them..is not as easy as you'd imagine.

In the end we had a short list of three, but with two favourites. But realistically the one we bought was the one we wanted .....and that makes the two year learning curve all worth while


----------



## Isobella (Oct 16, 2014)

Congratulations! Just think of the extra bucks you have got for your pound by the delay


----------



## haynesbob (Oct 9, 2012)

Congratulations  We bought a house just over 2 years ago in Ontinyent and are now planning on putting our house in the uk on the market in May and will move when it sells. Hope everything goes well for you


----------



## Roy C (Sep 29, 2012)

Hi Steve

Thanks for that detailed answer, I really like the attitude you adopted towards the sale and I would like to think that is the sort of approach we will take. I hadn't looked at it that way before but I think it would be a good way to do things, I'm a great believer in karma and all that.

Roy


----------



## tonymar (Jan 29, 2015)

I think you have picked the perfect time to buy 
In the 12years I have been here never have prices been so low , and now the pound is strong
Great time to get a bargain

In our area new expats have recently bought property , which hasn't happened for years

I think the market is now starting to move again , 

Good luck


----------

