In many of the British magazines and newspapers you may read you will find a useful guide with some piece of advice about buying houses in the sun.

According to The Government's Office of National Statistics some 69.284 properties in Spain are owned by Britons, although these include those owned by people still officially resident in Britain and who declare their second home to the Inland Revenue. In reality, many more are likely to exist. More than a third of the tourist housing stock in Spain is owned by Britons.

As Graham Norwood says on his “Guide to buying property in Spain, our favourite place in the sun”, published at The Independent on the 3rd of May,2006, Britain's Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), which conducts an annual survey of European housing markets, says Spain's has been the strongest of them all, rising by 120 per cent since 1998.

Buyers should accept that the huge price rises of the past five years have gone, probably for good, as most of Spain has seen a step-change in infrastructure improvement and the move to low Euro-zone mortgage rates. Typical property prices will vary significantly from region to region. Premium prices are charged for new properties and all homes in large cities are expensive.

On his opinion, once you find a home you like and agree a price - it is not unusual for private sellers to settle for 85 per cent of the asking price - the buyer's conveyancing solicitor must establish the property has clear ownership titles and is free of debt (any unresolved debt at the time of purchase falls to the new owner).

It is clear that solicitor legal assistance can avoid you disgusting situations and unnecessary expenses, and may allow you to relax in the purchase process.
Both parties then sign a contract containing local government search details, purchase price and date of completion if it is a new home. A deposit of 10 to 15 per cent is normally paid by the buyer. If the buyer pulls out he may lose the deposit; if the seller withdraws, he must reimburse twice the total of the deposit. On completion day buyer and seller sign the title deeds, or Escritura de Compraventa, and the remaining 85 or 90 per cent of the purchase price must be paid.

Our lawyer’s office will provide you with full legal advice in order to make the purchase as easier as possible for you, reviewing documents, asking for information to the Land Registry, drawing up the title deeds, etc. As Norwood says, “It is vital for a bi-lingual solicitor to check title deeds if you buy there”.
Other things you should consider during your stay in Spain are residency, education and welfare.

Since 1991, Spain has issued residency to some 400,000 UK citizens. Sometimes medical and financial checks are made, although the process is quicker than it used to be. It can usually be done in four months, providing you spend 50 per cent of the year or more in Spain. You may check for details with the Spanish embassy.
Pre-school education is now freely available in cities for children from the age of three. Age five and over, schooling is compulsory at a primary school until 11.

Secondary schooling is then compulsory until 17 although many students go on special two-year Bachillerato courses to prepare for university. British ex-pats routinely claim Spanish education to now be superior to Britain's.

Spain has less generous welfare payments than Britain. Britons staying temporarily or permanently in holiday homes can use Spain's modern health service relatively freely via E-forms now common throughout the European Union - check with your British GP. Britons who are not resident most frequently use E111 to cover emergency treatment.

Obtaining the N.I.E number, the residence card, or negotiating the better conditions for your mortgage loan are stages we are use to deal with, providing foreign clients with the higher quality service.