Real Estate on the Costa del Sol

Real Estate on the Costa del Sol - With over 10,500 registered Real Estate Agents here on Spain’s Costa del Sol, how the devil to you go about finding the right one for you?

Unless you’ve been under a rock for the last few years, the real estate market’s reputation proceeds itself although It’s not all murky waters.

We have had first hand experience with the property market over here and may even have our own property for sale in Estepona, working in it and buying from it so we know the pitfalls, we know the so called ‘blags’ and we hope to offer you an impartial view of how things are done over here and link you up with, who we consider to be, first rate companies who have your best interests at heart.

Buying a property in Spain is a dream that is so achievable for many couples and families now, and so long as you know the right questions to ask, and the right people to have around you, then it can still be a good, fun experience to finally realise what you may have spent years pondering over.

Real Estate on the Costa del Sol - So where to start?

I imagine most of you are beyond just sticking a pin in a map as far as knowing the general area you are wishing to live in. If you go back to the same place regularly for holidays and breaks, then start looking at the whole area with a different perspective.

Say things to yourself like ‘…if I were to live here permanently, would I mind being so close to the main road’ or ‘ so far away from any basic shops’?

What you can live with for a two week holiday is a lot different for long-term reality. The fact the bar underneath your apartment doesn’t close until 3 in the morning really doesn’t matter on holiday because you’re in it!! But if you’re living here and having to get up to go to work for 9.00am you might think a bit differently.

For families, a major consideration is the schools. If you are thinking of sending your children to state Spanish school then you have to be in a certain catchment area (similar to the UK). If you are erring towards International schools, then again travelling distance is a factor too.

Check out our section on Schools and Education on the Costa del Sol as we have gone into detail on the processes involved for registering your child in school.

Another consideration to buying a property or real estate on the Costa del Sol is; are you going to use it as a holiday home or make the permanent move over? If you are thinking of living here then go to our Living category for information related to this.

So once you have sounded out the area, maybe spoken to a few ex-pats that live around the neighbourhood that you like you can approach an inmobiliaria or real estate agent and begin to get the ball rolling. They will take your brief on what you are hoping for and set to work looking for the right property for you. You may ultimately need to be a bit flexible on some areas of your house wish-list as every property over here, new or re-sale has good and bad points.

Many agents selling real estate on the Costa del Sol offer complete in house packages with their own solicitors and so forth. Our only advice, once you have reached this point, is to appoint your own solicitor and lawyer. By doing this you are far more likely to achieve a real 3rd party point of view and they will ultimately work with your best interests at heart.

Nearly all lawyers or abogados have English speaking staff so the language barrier is no longer an issue. There are various free English papers that are available along the Costa del Sol in hotels and shops and many of these companies advertise, alternatively you can just walk into one off the street and introduce yourselves.