Furnishing your property abroad

This article is one of a series outlining the experience gained by my partner and I whilst purchasing a property in Spain. They are published to inform others embarking on a similar life changing path. Who knows if the articles are enjoyed and deemed beneficial they might even grow into a book, so please do provide feed back...If we sell enough we might even be able to pay off the mortgage!

Congratulations if you are buying a property abroad! One of the next large expenditures is the interior design of the property. Certainly when we purchased our property we were contacted by interior designers at least 12 months before the completion date. Such companies will supply anything from a knife and fork to a bed.

The first thing you need to do is decide what you are going to use the property for? Is it purely for your own use? Will you allow family and friends to use it? Will you rent it out? How often will the property be used? When you have decided upon the answers you are ready to move on to the next questions. What is your budget to kit out the property? Are you going to design the interior yourself or get someone to do it for you?

An interior design company will offer to install all you need, via a 'furnishing pack'. For a 2 bedroom apartment a pack will range from 6,000 Euros to whatever sum you want to spend. In our opinion avoid the lower priced packages, the goods are too cheap and will probably not last long.

Whilst a company will take the pressure off you, are you happy for someone to design the interior for you? From our perspective we were only too glad to take up such an offer. The pack was installed in one day. However we found a few things which we were not expecting:

1. The bedding was cheaper than we would like, whilst it looks good it will not last long.
2. We could have bought the kitchen items ourselves at the nearest large supermarket, they stock the same, and we probably paid 60% extra for them.
3. The TV installed was a normal style not a flat screen, you would obviously pay extra for one, but we did not ask!

However one the plus side buying via such a company we did not:
1. Have to visit shops,
2. Be there to accept deliveries
3. Put curtain poles and other such items up

Overall it was great just opening the front door post installation and seeing it all clean and new and nicely laid out. The company even emailed us pictures once the job was completed. Would we do the same again? With the experience gained now we would like to design our own interior and do the whole process ourselves. The big question is do you have the time to do so? You can only answer that question yourself

Enjoy your property!

Selecting a Notary

Buying a property is one of the most expensive things any of us will do you in our lives. Selecting a legal representative to assist you is a vital part of purchasing a property, and even moreso if it is abroad. Expenditure on a legal representative should not be skimped upon; it could end up costing you a lot more in the course of time

You will find that if you purchase a property via a property development company or estate agent they will more than likely direct you to a specific legal company. This is usually welcomed since it will save you time and trouble in locating your own. However do check that the company is boni fide. Ask yourself specific questions. For example does it have a proper office? Does it have a web site listing its services and fee structure? Does the company appear to be professionally run?

If you wish to be at all legal meetings it is advantageous to have your lawyer present with you. However what if you do not wish, or cannot be present? For specific parts of the process you can appoint what is termed as a 'Notary'. The Notary will deal with the majority of matters on your behalf. In theory your lawyer and the Notary can be one and the same person. In essence you authorise the Notary to sign papers on your behalf to save you being present.
Although appointed by you, a Notary in the eyes of the law is an independent public official who neither works for the vendor nor the buyer. The principal role of the Notary is to guarantee the legality of the sale and to deal with certain administration tasks. Furthermore the Notary starts to function as a witness of the signatures in the contract and registers the new deeds

The Spanish government sets the notary fees according to the number of clauses in the deeds and the declared value of the property. They range approximately from 0.1% of the declared price of a property (for properties of 400,000€ or more) to 0.4% (for properties of under 100,000€). In case of a mortgage you must pay notary fees on the mortgage deeds as well.

This is one of a series of articles about purchasing a property in Spain. They are published to inform others embarking on a similar life changing path. Who knows if the articles are enjoyed and deemed beneficial they might even grow into a book, so please do provide feed back...If we sell enough we can might even be able to pay off the mortgage!

Advantages of buying a property abroad

Once a upon a time, (all good stories start like that), my partner and I were on holiday sitting on a sun drenched beach. As usual our minds wandered to statements like 'Why can't we do this all the time?' 'Why do we cram in pleasure into a 2 or 3 or weeks holiday a year?' 'How could we make money to make our dreams a reality?' After kicking it around the answer was simple. Why not buy a holiday home abroad? It appeared to have lots of advantages. We could use it when we wanted too for weekends or holidays. We could offer it to family and friends and or even go with them and spend some quality time together. We could winter in Spain. We could rent it out to help pay the mortgage. The list advantages seemed endless.

Where to buy? After much debate we finally decided on Spain since it has lots of sunshine, with temperatures ranging from a minimum/maximum of 7C/21c in the spring to 16C/34C in the summer, 10C/23C in the autumn and 2C/17C in the winter. It enjoys an average of 320 days of sunshine a year. It has miles of beaches, lovely food, lot's of green golf courses, friendly people and the flights from the UK are reasonably cheap. Another huge benefit was perceived to be the fact that a great many of the Spanish people speak English. A major factor was the long list of activities and facilities the area offered.

We settled finally on the Costa del Sol to purchase our property. We simply felt it was right for us. Spain is a vast country and if you purchase a property you have to ensure the area is right for you, after all we are all different. This Costa is Spain’s best known coastline and is 99 miles long stretching form Nerja in the east to Gibraltar in the south west. It has a population of 1.2 million and very important for rentals some 8 million plus tourists visit each year. The scenery is dramatic, the coastline being backed by high mountain ranges. The coast is green and lush and the area virtually had everything on our wish list

Eventually we travelled to Spain, the end result being that we purchased a property at Casares Del Sol and we have had several enjoyable trips there this year.

The journey from concept to reality took some 2 years and we decided to share the experience with others considering embarking on a similar life changing path. Who knows if the articles are enjoyed and deemed beneficial they might even grow into a book, so please do provide feed back...If we sell enough we can might even be able to pay off the mortgage!

'What to expect on a viewing trip'

This is one of a series of articles, 'warts and all' experienced by my partner and I purchasing a property in Spain which took us on a two year roller coaster journey. They are published to inform others embarking on a similar life changing path. Who knows if the articles are enjoyed and deemed beneficial they might even grow into a book, so please do provide feed back...If we sell enough we can might even be able to pay off the mortgage!

This article specifically covers the viewing trip. A bit of background. My partner and I had decided to purchase a property in Spain. Speaking to some friends they were also thinking of buying a property and suggested we join them at a property exhibition in Birmingham.

To cover more ground we split from them promising to meet at lunchtime and recommend suitable stands to visit. They were late back however and a phone call revealed that they had brought an 'off-plan' property on the Costa Del Sol, west of Malaga, and were just finishing the necessary paperwork.

Frankly we thought them to be deranged to make such a quick decision, however they knew that area of Spain well. We were more cautious. However upon their recommendation we visited the same stall and hey presto we had booked a viewing flight to Spain before you could say 'tapas!'. I must say though that the thought of a cheap weekend in Spain was quite appealing though. A weekend trip cost £95 each.

A few weeks later we landed at Malaga airport and were very impressed with a warm greeting from the sales person, Virgina. We were even more impressed that she knew our names. Our personal escort was very friendly and we were whisked away from the airport in a nice BMW company car.

No time to book into our hotel and freshen up, we were driven straight to various developments to view properties for sale. We did stop for a brief lunch, on the company. I did the wrong thing by drinking a large glass of wine. The day was warm and I must admit I soon nodded off in the back of the car, much to the annoyance of my better half!

After looking at lots of properties and developments at both ends of our financial spectrum we viewed a development we liked at Casares Del Sol approximately 25 minutes from Gibraltar. It seemed to have everything we were looking for. It promised luxury apartments with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a high tech kitchen, set amidst tropical gardens with 7 swimming pools. Being British we maintained the 'stiff upper lip' deciding to mull over the prospect during the course of the evening.

We were then booked into a smart hotel on the seafront in Marbella, all part of the package. By the next morning following a romantic dinner washed down by lovely wine, (wine in Spain is very cheap), we were convinced that the development was for us.

We did however visit some other developments with Virginia so as to be completely sure. There was no pressure placed upon us, the developments almost selling themselves. Virgina gave us lot's of help in seeing the various benefit's of exactly where to buy on a development. Consider for example things as views, noise levels, access as we get older (lift, stairs etc), proximity to pool, rental opportunity

What drew us to this development was that is was a mere 1 minute from the sea by car, 5 minutes to restaurants and shops, and 10 minutes to mountain villages. It promised to have stunning golf, mountain and sea views, and was, it had everything we were looking for.

We signed the purchase form and parted with 4,000 Euros, (good old Barclaycard). The lovely Virginia treated us to a slap up meal at Casares. Casares is a lovely traditional white washed mountain village whereby our development gets it's name. At this point she felt more like a new friend than a sales representative. As you can imagine we had many questions regarding what was to happen next and she was very patient answering them all.

We returned to the UK excited with dreamy thoughts of spending many holidays in our home in the sun. Virgina kept in touch occasionally informing us to progress on the development and even sent occasional photographs of our plot.

My advice is to carefully select which company you book your viewing trip with. Ask where you will stay during the visit, and of course what is the cost. Finally ask lot's of questions, compile a list before you go and get each question answered.

Our apartment at Casares Del Sol is now complete and we have enjoyed several trips there this year.

'Off plan v On plan'

This article is one of series written following our own recent experiences when purchasing a property in Casares Del Sol Spain. The path to property purchase abroad has many routes and along our path we have picked up some knowledge.

Hopefully you will find this and the other articles interesting, please do give feedback If enough find it of benefit a book may follow. If we sell enough it might even pay for the mortgage!

Specifically this article briefly explains the two types of property purchase. My sound advice is to engage an English speaking lawyer to lead you through the purchase maze. In Spain a property lawyer is called a Notary. The law in Spain is different to elsewhere and at first will seem daunting and complex but you will soon pick up the process. It does make life much easier if you can speak to your Notary.

Very basically there are two types of property purchases abroad. 'On plan' where you buy a resale or newly completed property and full payment is quickly due as in a normal house purchase, and 'Off plan' where you buy a property still to be built or which is partially built. Payments are in stages.

In Spain ‘On plan’ deposits are normally known as arras, deposito, fianza, and reserve. Whilst the deposit amount is negotiable expect to pay around 10 per cent of the purchase price, the balance is paid upon completion. Check as to whether your purchase contract, contracto states plainly whether the initial deposit is to be returned in the event of non-completion. Expect there to be conditional clauses attached to a purchase contract, and are called clausulas abrogatorias.

‘Off plan' is often the preferred option both for the vendor and vendee. From the point of view of both parties the deposit can very low, in some cases 3-4,000 Euros. There is usually a 30 day cooling off period after which time normally 20-30% of the purchase price has to be paid, minus the initial deposit. The vendor loves 'off plan' since it is easy to sell the dream.

Friends of ours have been privy to this poetic licence occurring when buying their own specific properties ‘off plan’. Example 1: The internal floor space looked less when they obtained the keys than on the original specification, no less than 7 sq metres less in fact. Example 2: The apartment block was further down a hill than on the original plan, and consequently nearer to noise and the associated dust from road traffic.

Lastly before you decide which type of purchase is for you do lot’s of research!

Preparing for Lapland

Lapland is within the Artic Circle, so you can expect a winter trip there to involve cold and dark. But just how extreme and how much do you need to take?

On a day trip, you will be provided with boots and a ski suit. When we visited the changing area was full of 1 or 2 plane loads of people, each with different ideas of what was needed. Unfortunately, after the first set of activities there were children crying about the cold – and that was at the warmest time of the day.

Cheap thermal long johns and thermal long sleeved t-shirt are an essential base layer. Not only do they keep you warm, but they also help to remove sweat away from the skin (yes, you will at times sweat – just wait for the tobogganing!), which would otherwise make you cold.

We saw a lot of people dressed just like that under their snowsuits, but my preference was to be fully dressed. Jeans or trousers on the bottom half, then another long sleeved t-shirt and a fleece for the top. We "only" had temperatures down to –16c, it can go a lot colder, and I was just a nice temperature. But I would also recommend taking a jumper or cardigan to wear under the fleece.

My recommendation from personal experience would be to make some of the layers on your top half zipped layers. When you are moving around a lot or going into buildings you can then have the fleece and other base layers unzipped. Otherwise you would need to remove the snow suit to remove a layer – not the best idea when it's snowing!

The only problem I did suffer was cold feet. We had taken ski socks, but when we saw the cosy snow boots decided that normal socks would be enough. The others were fine in just normal socks, but mine must have been particularly cold as my toes began to freeze! In hindsight, thermal socks of ski socks, or at the very least good walking socks, are essential.

A good warm hat and skiing gloves are absolutely essential. Your hat should cover your ears and mine was a wonderfully warm woollen hat with fleece lining. Gloves have to be waterproof – one fall or thrown snowball and as others discovered you have very wet and cold hands for the rest of the day. Some lip cream to prevent the cold drying them out would also be a great benefit. Not so much whilst you are there, but it will prevent you suffering dry lips when you get back.

As for other bits, a torch is useful depending on what order you do the various activities. A camera must have a good flash and plenty of batteries. Keeping the camera protected from the elements will help to prevent the batteries going flat too quickly, but think how many you might need and take at least double that number. Also be aware that the camera will fog over at times, so take care when going from cold to hot and vice versa.

Keith travelled to Lapland with Cosmos. He writes and works for ClickRentStay holiday villa rentals.

Lapland Last Minute

A Christmas visit to Lapland can be a really exciting adventure, but is it the sort of trip that needs booking well in advance or is a last minute trip on impulse just as good, if not better?

With your main summer holiday it is really good to get it booked well in advance, secure in the knowledge that you know when and where you are going and where you are staying. But for a day trip to Lapland a lot of this security isn't required. You don't need to worry about the best accommodation being full - you aren't staying in any accommodation!

It is also very appealing in the winter to book a summer holiday. When it's cold and wet outside, the thought of booking somewhere warm and sunny is exciting. But if it's hot at home, is booking a trip to the artic circle where temperatures can reach -40c so appealing?

It is also part of the run up to Christmas. As we approach Christmas the adverts appear in the papers. Many of the people on our trip to Lapland had not booked long in advance. For many, including ourselves, it was almost an impulse booking. In one case, the family had booked only days before the flight, yet everything was ready for them.

Some families also don't tell their children about the trip. In an extreme case, we were told at check-in that a family had arrived shortly before us and even when checking in the tired children had not worked out why they were standing in the airport. There were no shrieks of joy on the plane as someone discovered they were off to see Santa, so I can only assume they realised between check-in and boarding.

We did find that it was very exciting booking our trip with Christmas so near. With only a couple of weeks to wait for the trip it was on our minds all of the time. The only downside is that you really should take a few warm layers and ski gloves – if you haven't already got them then with a late booking you might need to rush out and buy them. But then, with most holidays isn't there some sort of last minute buying?

Booking a last minute break to Lapland is a great idea. It really makes Christmas seem just around the corner!

Keith travelled to Lapland with Cosmos. He writes and works for ClickRentStay holiday villa rentals.