Guide to Property for Sale or Rent

 Where to advertise your property for sale in Spain, has now become a critical decision. Should you choose your local estate agent, an International agent, a free property web site or pay a small fee to advertise the property yourself?

With the current onslought of the ‘Credit Crunch’ affecting property sales worldwide, and the strengthening Euro value against the Pound, it’s difficult to see where you could advertise your property, and achieve a sale at a reasonable price.

BuyMyVilla.com offers an excellent opportunity to advertise your property for sale in Spain, without paying the large agency fees and reach many more potential buyers than the local agent. BuyMyVilla.com is a web site where owners can sell their property direct, or For sale by owner (as it’s known). Is it like all the others that advertise properties for sale in Spain?…

What makes this site different from others where you can even advertise for free? Well, as with almost everything else, you get what you pay for! Free sites offer an automated listing service where your property in Spain is merely placed onto the database with very little thought about what would attract a buyer. BuyMyVilla.com places emphasis on the presentation of the property and, possibly more importantly, how a search engine will read the property details.

The search engines are key to how many people view your property on the web. You can have the prettiest property at the lowest price, but if no-one knows it’s for sale and it’s hidden among thousands of other properties, it won’t be seen. If you advertise the property for sale in spain, on a site that carefully words the advertisement, your advert will be seen and you have just increased your chances of selling your villa in Spain.

Just advertising on the web isn’t the answer any more, you need to advertise on a site that will be seen and will be in the top ten searches like “buy a villa” or “buy a villa in spain”. Try the phrases on your favourite search engines.

Try BuyMyVilla.com to advertise your property for sale in Spain, many have already.

Save about 190,000 euros! This has got to be the biggest bargain Spanish property available.

About 40% off the list price for this cheap Spanish property on Polaris World, La Torre development.

Now only 280,000 euros. It should be 470,000. It´s a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom villa on a corner plot. The villa is key ready.

Conditions: A 10,000 euro deposit secures the purchase and completion must take place in 14 days. If you are looking for a cheap, bargain, Spanish property… this is surely it!

Spain: 0034 950 473192 as to speak to Antony or email.

UK: 01480 434290, ask to speak to Zoe

MORE POLARIS WORLD information here. 

We have one more cheap Spanish property on Polaris World, La Torre, with the same conditions. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, also on a corner plot. Now just 215,000 euros.

1st line golf properties near the sea are extremely rare.

Gatehouse International have released just 34 duplexes on an exclusive golf development on the Costa Almeria. To our knowledge, this is the only frontline golf development offering sea views in Spain. The development of frontline golf properties is close to the scenic beachfront town of Mojacar.

There are 3 styles to choose from. Each duplex is frontline to the golf course and has its own garden and there is a communal pool. All have rooftop solariums, which have even more benefit when you know that Costa Almeria enjoys about 320 sunny days each year! It´s reputed that the sea is the warmest in the Mediterranean on this coast as well.

The golf frontline properties range from 130 Square metres to 117 and have a choice of 3 or 4 bedrooms. These uniquely positioned properties can be purchased with a 15,000 Euro down payment. The balance can be paid for with a pre-arranged Spanish Mortgage, subject to status.

(Type 1) Casa Verde, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, Roof solarium, Garden. From just 375,680 Euros

(Type 2) Casa Mar, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, Roof solarium, Garden. From just 400,000 euros.

(Type 3) Casa Sol, 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, Roof solarium, Garden. From just 416,000 euros.

For more information on these 1st line golf and seaview properties and a brochure:

call 0034 950 473192 or email us here.

Save Money On Currency Exchange.Gatehouse International has partnered with a well known Foreign Exchange dealership in order that our customers can have the benefit of the Best possible rates at any time, with the least inconvenience.

We aim to provide the very best exchange rates, therefore saving you money. Our Foreign Exchange partners will designate you your own currency dealer who will guide you through the whole transaction and explain the various methods of purchasing foreign currency, to help you get that better exchange rate!

If you are even considering buying in a currency that is different from your source bank, it will be worth your while just getting a free quote from one of our Partner’s dealers, at no cost to you.
Foreign Exchange prices vary every few seconds. Over a very short period, the price of your chosen home can vary wildly. By the time that you come to complete the purchase, we have known people to have lost out by as much as £10,000 just due to exchange rate fluctuation! Of course, prices can go up as well as down. However, in order to minimise the risk, we recommend that all clients at least register with us and get a quote today so that they can compare it with their bank.

Once you’ve decided on your dream property, you may possibly need foreign currency to make your purchase. Gatehouse International can provide you with:

• Superior commercial foreign exchange rates
• No fees or commission
• No telegraphic transfer costs
• Your own currency dealer
• Forward buying of currency
• Opening of foreign bank accounts
• Regular monthly payments for pensions and mortgages.

More on this …

A trickle of second homes for sale turns into a flood.

The credit crunch has started to take effect on the second home market in countries where there are many new developments just coming to the stage of completion. When purchase decisions were made two years ago and consumer confidence was high, properties were increasing in value due to high demand, cheap local loans and high equity values in the primary homes.

It´s very different now. Many new developments are now coming up to the completion stage and the developers are asking their buyers to part with the balance owed, in return for the title deeds and the keys. Some buyers are choosing to cut their losses and sell for below perceived market value, but many remain in denial. The reality is that, to sell, offers of 20% below the asking price are likely and should be considered in most circumstances. The alternative is to keep the properties and hope to rent them out. Bluntly, there are not enough prospective tenants to fill all of these holiday homes.
For those, with property overseas in “Euroland”, there is the prospect of mentally off-setting some losses against the rise in the strength of the Euro against the Pound. In some cases, most people will get 10-15% more Pounds for their Euros when converting money back to the UK as the Euro has strengthened considerably against the pound over the last year.

Where´s the good news? It is predicted that the buyers who still exist will begin a buying frenzy this summer. The really smart buyers will pick from the crop now. If you have a property to sell, simply advertise it on a For Sale By Owner site like BuyMyVilla.com for just a few pounds, avoid the estate agency fee, and let the savvy buyer contact you direct. They´re out there, you just need to let them know your property is for sale.

Motivated property sellers used to be a rare find.

Over the last few years, while the property market has been in the ascendancy, property sellers only became motivated when they saw something they wanted. With the housing market rapidly adjusting itself in the UK, property sellers have suddenly become more motivated by other factors including the desire to ‘offload’ surplas property portfolios before they have negative equity.

Why would someone buy now? Buyers can get a bargain basement price when purchasing from a motivated seller. In many cases, witnessed recently, sellers have been happy to sell at less than their purchase price 2 years before. Most of the sellers are seeking to avoid re-possession and the resultant ‘black mark’ against their name. In one case, a client on our For Sale By Owner site , www.buymyvilla.com , had 3 properties to sell on one development. He advertised just one on the site and has met with great success. He now has a lawyer interested in buying all 3.

The method seems to be working for the sellers, but the buyers are going out of their way to find what the industry now calls ‘motivated sellers’.

For a cheap, bargain, property visit Motivated Property Sellers for a selection, and deal with the property owners direct.

www.buymyvilla.com has just been relaunched due to a rising demand from individuals wishing to save money on selling fees and wishing to retain control of their own property sale. For Sale By Owner ( FSBO ), as it’s commonly termed, is not a new concept. As the use of web sites has rapidly progressed over the last few years, there have been a number of web sites claiming to be the ‘next big property site for properties for sale by owner’. In reality, very few are professionally run, by Realtors (Or estate Agents in European parlance). Professional agents provide one part of the insight required to make a property web site work. Understanding of buyer’s needs on a web site is the other main requirement.

BuyMyVilla.com, fulfills both of those requirements. The site owners have been selling property since 1986 and have run successful property web sites for 10 years. The site has been designed with simplicity of use as a paramount feature. Property owners can upload their own property details and up to 12 pictures. Once a modest advertising payment of just €149 has been received, the site administrators will feature the owner’s property on the web site.

How does this differ from some other For Sale By Owner sites? Well, once you’ve paid the advert fee, the property can remain on the site for a year and there are no other costs to pay when you sell the property. The buyers contact the property owner direct and the buyer and seller deal directly with each other. No middlemen. No extra cost. Thousands saved.

Of course the site has many other features including useful advice and contacts, together with an easily searchable database. The most useful feature from a prospective buyer’s point of view is the site’s regular updates of properties are specifically what the buyer has registered their interest in. All the buyer has to do is register as a member, fill in their requirements and they will be updated regularly with only the properties that suit the saved search. If the requirements alter, they can log-in and make a new search that can be saved.

This feature sells more properties and saves the buyer’s time searching.

To advertise on BuyMyVilla.com, payment can be made in a number of easy ways including credit and debit cards through PayPal.

Visit BuyMy Villa.com to register for property updates, or if you wish to sell and save thousands.

Beach house for sale in Sant Elm Mallorca - You can’t get closer to the sea.

Beach properties rarely come up for sale in Mallorca. This is a fantastic example of just how you can buy a villa in Mallorca and ‘have it all’. With its four terraces and views over Dragonera Island and with direct sea access this house offers incredible holiday feeling.

The main house is a reasonable size of about 150 sqm and was completely modernized a few years ago. There’s 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a very beautiful and bright living room with open fireplace and kitchen. It is possible to extend this area and build an apartment of about 30 sqm.

On the ground floor there’s a separate guest apartment of about 40 sqm with small kitchen and terrace, also with access to the beach. The house comes with garage and own boat garage.

All this for just €850,000. (about $1.293M, or £650,000). View this property here
Or many more properties for sale in Mallorca here.

Alpujarra Valley in Granada Province.

The Alpujarra mountain range, is about thirty miles from Granada city and 25 miles from the coast. It is as much part of Granada as it is of Almeria province. It is well known for the great views and the white towns; its mountain landscapes, the house balconies full of flowers; its friendly people and the atmosphere they create - and most importantly - the spectacular backdrop of the Sierra Nevada. All of these attributes led to it being designated a Global Reserve by UNESCO, as well as a national park and a nature reserve, especially for its native flowers and distinctive ecosystems.

The history of Alpujarra is just as important because it was the last refuge of the Arabs in Andalucia. It was here that Boabdil, the last Moorish king, lived for some months after the Christians captured Granada. And, it was to the Alpujarra that the Moors, who refused to convert to Christianity, fled and found refuge during almost a century before they were finally expelled.

The Alpujarra also still has many features of Berber culture, particularly in everyday houses and in their unique irrigation aqueducts that farmers are still using.

The Alpujarra valley gained modest notoriety in more recent times from people like Chris Stewart, who wrote ‘Driving over Lemons’, which captures the unique charm of the area. Many have followed his example and have sought to buy a small farm, or cortijo in the Alpujarra valley.

Properties there are still great value and the ellusive ‘real Spain’ can still be bought with a modest budget.
Properties in the Alpujarra.

Property for sale in the Granada region of Spain is fast becoming the new area to buy.

Granada - The Spanish Province of Granada is one of great importance in the cultural and religious history of Southern Spain, and many great authors have capitalised on it’s flavour in books that will overwhelmingly outdo this writers notes on the area.

With historical centres like the captivating Alhambra Palace and the highest mountain range on the Iberian Peninsular, how could one overlook Granada when planning a potential overseas property purchase. While new developments are available for you to buy off plan, there are plenty of good value resale properties for sale in the Granada area.

Granada too also has it’s share of pretty unspoilt coastal towns and villages, and the coastline from Castell de Ferro to Nerja is some of the most beautiful and dramatic in Andalusia. This coastline is sometimes known as the Costa Tropical, mostly on account of the ambient temperature there. It takes about an hour to travel from the beaches in Costa del sol to Granada city and just 30 more minutes North will take you straight to the Ski slopes!

Its easy to understand why so many people are searching for property for sale in Almeria, Granada and Andalusia.

 For properties for sale in the Granada region, visit this site.

Or for a selection of properties in the Alpujarra valley, go to this site.