How to buy a home in Spain safely during lockdown
- British appetite for holidays and second homes in Spain remains strong
- CostaLuz Lawyers walks buyers through safe online buying practices
- Pre-foreclosure purchases deliver savings of up to 60%
The Covid-19 pandemic has done little to quell the long-term British love for Spain. In fact, the idea of lounging on a beach in the sunshine holds a great deal more appeal when it is so far out of reach. As Spanish tourism board officer in London, Javier Piñanes, recently pointed out:
“There is a strong desire to travel on the part of the British and they emphasize that Spain is the destination they want to travel to, it is their top destination for holiday.”
Nor is it just holidays that Brits are dreaming of during lockdown. Recently reported figures from Taylor Wimpey España observed an increase of 39% in website traffic during the first week of 2021, compared to the same week a year earlier.
But with travel restrictions in place that, currently, have no end in sight, how can British buyers turn their dream of holiday home ownership into reality?
According to CostaLuz Lawyers, with the right safeguards in place, it is perfectly possible to buy a Spanish property safely online during the lockdown. While buyers can’t visit the property and the local area in person, they can research to their hearts’ content online. Key to doing so safely is to engage an independent lawyer early in the process.
“The right lawyer can be invaluable in terms of helping you choose a Spanish property. They can help you to work with reputable, honest and reasonably priced agents, arrange a surveyor, check all required paperwork is in place and do the conveyancing and post-sale work. Not only that, but your transaction will be covered by the law firm’s professional indemnity insurance and title insurance, for added peace of mind.”
Keith Rule, www.costaluzlawyers.com
Locating the right agent through whom to buy is half of the battle. Plenty of British buyers have been burned attempting to buy property in Spain before now. The CostaLuz Lawyers team can attest to this. They have won almost 850 claims from Spanish property developers and banks, with many cases brought by buyers who paid substantial deposits during the pre-crash years, but never received a completed property. Many of these cases are still working their way through the courts now, some 10 to 15 years after the deposits were lost – in 2020, CostaLuz Lawyers won 51 cases for a total of 76 clients, despite the shutdown and reduced operation of the Spanish legal system for extended periods during the year.
These cases highlight how essential it is to find the right agent, which is something that an independent property lawyer can assist with. Not only that, but the right legal representation can also open doors to potential cost savings. CostaLuz Lawyers, for example, operates a service that connects British owners of negative equity homes in Spain – those who are facing foreclosure in the near future – with buyers in the UK. The service enables the seller and buyer to agree a below market value price that avoids foreclosure, keeping everyone happy (including the bank). In some cases, this service has seen buyers pick up homes for around 60% of the price paid for them back in 2007.
“Buying during the pandemic means finding new ways to view properties and engage with the purchase process. It can also deliver some excellent bargains. And what better way to finally celebrate the lifting of travel restrictions, whenever that may be, than to visit your new holiday home?”
Keith Rule, www.costaluzlawyers.com
For more information, please contact CostaLuz Lawyers’ UK office on +44 1908 635 111 and speak with Keith. To speak with Maria in the Spanish office, call +34 956 092 687 or you can visit www.costaluzlawyers.es