Property Professionals in SpainIt´s advisable to have the help of property professionals when buying property in Spain Purchasing property in Malaga is an important decision to make. Added to that, you have the unfamiliar environment plus, the large financial investment. Altogether, this means, you really need to get it right. Search out for yourself qualified, competent property professionals right from the word go. This will definitely ensure that yours is not the name mentioned in the tabloid press as the participant of some Spanish property purchase mishap! When you buy a property in the U.K. you exchange contracts, pay the man, get the keys and that, pretty much, is that. Not so in Spain and this is why malaga-express.com has a special section devoted to Property Professionals so you have a more informed idea of who does what around here. As a new resident in Malaga, you may be involved with one, or all, of the following property professionals during the settling in process …
Real Estate Agents Real estate agents vary somewhat in expertise and grassroot knowledge of the business. Word of mouth from long-time residents is always the way to go to find that pro-active, real estate agent, who is worth his weight in gold. Without this direction you may find yourself purchasing property with an ´agent` who is, himself, a new arrival to the coast and who lacks the know-how to give expert, honest and accurate guidance to a potential buyer. It could be of course, that this enthusiastic new agent is employed by a company who have good, experienced management and who provide excellent back-up to their salespeople. That’s fair enough. But, without the advantage of local knowledge it is best to ensure that any agency you deal with is licensed by either API (agente de la propiedad inmobiliaria) or by GIPE (gestor intermediario en promociones de edificaciones). These licensed and trained Real Estate Agents are usually bilingual, educated and generally provide trustworthy and reliable service. Next on the list of property professionals... Notary Years ago there was the doctor, the priest and the Notary. They were the most important guys in town. The doctor is still a key figure, of course, the cleric has lost a lot in the rankings but, the Notary continues to enjoy high standing in the community. You’ll need to see him for just about any legal move you make and he is one of the few fortunates whose fees are set by law! (Nice work if you can get it!) The Notary is the appointed official authorized by the Spanish Government to witness the signing of any public document such as when purchasing property, making a Spanish will or when you may need to sign over power of attorney to your lawyer to act on your behalf. Surveyors Should you use one of these property professionals? Still not sure … love the house … but, you suspect that it might be past its sell-by date? Now you might wish to give it a miss … or you might decide you’ll get a survey done. Well, for your information chartered surveyors are few and far between on the coast. The few that exist are generally British as this is not a recognised profession as such here in Spain. But, another alternative when considering purchasing property is to go along to a recommended architects office and book an appointment with the technical architect. (aparejador) He will check out your property for you, and report on its condition. He will source out any possible problems and suggest remedies. And, of course with this report in hand you will now be in an improved position to better negotiate the property purchase price! Let's continue with the next on our list of property professionals... Gestor A Gestor is the man who can help you through the mire of paperwork when you’ve recently arrived in Malaga. He is the expert in Spanish officialdom. Many of the services offered by gestorias you can actually do yourself but, it is without doubt, money well invested to avoid the hassles of Spanish bureaucracy. He will organise your NIE number (a fiscal number needed for just about everything in Spain), your residence permission, work permits, and business registration and will also counsel on other practical issues as you’re setting up home in Malaga. President/Administrator As an owner of an apartment or house which is part of a community in Spain you will automatically become part owner of the common areas of the complex. You will, along with your neighbours form the Community of Property Owners. All owners participate in the expenses for the upkeep of the urbanization and this of course, in the long term will safeguard your property value. The President of the community is elected by the members and is its legal representative. He will oversee the general management of the community. The community members will meet once a year at the Annual General Meeting where the President will propose the budget for the coming year and present the accounts and expenditures for the previous year. Usually, not too many people volunteer to be President. There’s a lot of responsibility involved but no salary (!) …and a larger urbanisation can take quite some time each week to manage. So, most communities employ a professional administrator to work alongside the President. He takes over the daily running of the community and he is obviously paid for his services!! You might also be lucky enough to become friends with your neighbours and... enjoy get-togethers such as the summer garden party we recently enjoyed as seen in the photo.
Coming to the end of our list of property professionals, we still have... The Lawyer As a recent resident here in Malaga this man will become your new best friend! He will smooth your path while you’re purchasing property. He’ll sort out any inheritance issues, draw up your Spanish will … plus, organise your NIE number, and your residence card. He will explain all you need to know about corporate law and taxes and will assist with social security registration should you require. Many times a real estate lawyer will work alongside a tax lawyer so most of your needs can be covered by the one office. But, where to find these supermen? The question of finding the right lawyer is one close to my heart. The vast majority of lawyers are meticulous and correct but, unfortunately, I know from experience that a less than conscientious lawyer can cause so many problems so please get this one right. Talk to people, get recommendations from locals and check out our British Consuls Lawyer List which you can
download here.
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