Sweden is one country where people still seem to be buying property in Spain, primarily as holiday homes. After all, with continuous darkness in some parts of Sweden during the winter months you can understand why buying a €60,000 to €120,000 house in the sun is such a desirable prospect. "The Swedish and Norwegians are definitely buying," says Oscar, a Swedish conveyancing expert at Ábaco. So for those interested in selling a property, what are they looking for? "They usually want somewhere that’s not too isolated and a property that is in good order. They like things to be tidy and to work. They are quite particular about what they’re buying and you can expect some searching … [Read more...] about Despite slump, Scandinavians still show interest in Spanish real estate
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Spanish property auctions
The following information about what is involved has been supplied by ‘Spanish Property Auctions.’ Auction house practice will differ. What does the auctioneer do? In most cases they will take clients to view homes, give them advice on legal matters, help them find mortgages and point them in the right direction when they need it. Who benefits from a property auction? It tends to be people who have tried the traditional estate agent route and it hasn’t worked. They’re probably keen to sell-up as quickly as possible. For the buyer the advantage is the number of bargain properties on sale. What are the safeguards? You can arrange to inspect the documents for a possible purchase prior to … [Read more...] about Spanish property auctions
Who’s who in the Spanish property buying minefield
Because of this it is worth seeking the advice of professionals. That doesn’t mean that everything will always go smoothly, but usually at least you have a method of complaining if it doesn’t. The variety of professionals available to help can also be rather confusing. Here we’ve compiled a little glossary to help you with the titles of the legal and financial people that you might need to use. Abogado – The abogado is a Spanish lawyer - a trained professional who can check the legal status of your documents, carry out inheritance instructions and complete the usual kinds of tasks you would expect of a solicitor in the UK. Notario – The notary is a public official who does not act on … [Read more...] about Who’s who in the Spanish property buying minefield
A letter from the Tax Authority
The imputed income tax is a tax on property payable by non-residents on the basis that if they wished they could receive rental income from their property. Spanish residents have to pay it too on any second property they own in Spain. For years Spanish property owners were largely unaware of the need to pay this tax. They were often not told about it at the time of purchase and without a similar tax in the UK they remained in luxurious ignorance. Until now. The Spanish Tax system tends to work according to the assumption that everyone knows what they should pay. Whereas in the UK you would expect to get a reminder of some kind for an unpaid bill, here it can go undetected for years until … [Read more...] about A letter from the Tax Authority