Helping a buyer find the right Costa del Sol property is also about recognising what isn't right. From understanding red flags and realistic compromises to knowing when the best advice is simply, “Don't buy this one.”

"This isn't the one for me."

Or maybe helping them decide what not to buy

When we're helping a buyer to find a property on the Costa del Sol, the starting point is always understanding what they're actually looking for. We will normally ask them to make their ideal home dream list, and whilst the list of dreams is important, just as important is knowing what it is that they don't want. Sometimes knowing the red flags can save more time than knowing the wish list.

It's not that buyers are difficult or indecisive. Very often, they're simply working their way through their likes and dislikes and trying to discover what things really matter to them. Occasionally, having told us exactly what they don't want, they will come back to us with an option they've found on a property portal which features one of those red flags.

If we can see immediately that it is not suitable, we will say so. There is little point in wasting everybody's time arranging a viewing when we already know why the property doesn't fit the brief. If the buyer still wants to see it, of course we can arrange that, but at least we have had the conversation first.

Searching the whole marketplace.

When we're looking for a property for a buyer, we will always look at the whole marketplace. It doesn't matter whether the property is listed directly with us or with another agent, with whom we will share the commission. The question we ask first is simply: is this property suitable for the buyer? The reality of the Costa del Sol property market is that a very high proportion of transactions involve two agents. In most cases, we find a buyer for a property listed by another agent, and other agents introduce buyers to one of our properties.

That is perfectly normal, and it has always been our assumption that a transaction is likely to involve shared commission. If it doesn't and we happen to make a direct sale, that's a bonus, but it doesn't influence which properties we consider for a buyer.

The simple truth is that if we don't find the buyer the right property, we don't make anything. There is little sense in allowing the commission on a particular property to determine whether or not we recommend it. Find the right property first. Worry about the commission afterwards.

Sometimes the honest answer is that the property you want doesn't exist.

This is another conversation that isn't always easy to have. Sometimes the buyer is looking for something which simply doesn't exist in the marketplace they have chosen, particularly at the budget they have available. If somebody is looking for a detached villa with a sea view in Marbella with a budget of €350,000, for example, we aren't helping them by pretending that if we search long enough, we will find one.

Sometimes, in a situation like this, you either have to decide to buy the type of property that your budget will allow, or move on and look at another area where you can buy a villa with a sea view for €350,000. On the Spanish coast, these places do exist. The question is always going to be: what do you want to do?

Almost every property purchase involves a compromise.

Many years ago, when I was working as a trainer in the London property market, we didn't call people dealing with buyers and sellers salespeople. We called them negotiators, and we understood that a large part of the job was actually problem solving and what we used to call objection handling. If somebody found a property which gave them 75% of what they wanted, we would help them look at the other 25% to see whether they were genuine reasons not to buy the property or whether they were compromises that the buyer could comfortably make.

The terminology has changed, but the principle hasn't. Very few people find a property which gives them absolutely everything they would like to have, and that is irrespective of their budget. Sometimes, in truth, the higher the budget, the harder it becomes because the expectations increase and so does the level of compromise.

The important thing is always deciding which compromises matter. If it happens to conflict with one of the items at the top of your wish list, it may be a reason not to buy. If it's something that's down towards the bottom, perhaps it is one of the compromises that you're prepared to make.

Sometimes you only discover the problem when you get there.

Of course, not everything can be established before viewing a property. When we're showing a property listed by another agent, we may be seeing it for the first time, along with the buyer. Occasionally, you walk into a home and see something which changes the conversation completely. It may be an obvious structural problem, or it may simply be that the view or the amount of accommodation doesn't live up to expectations. Some of these may be things that can be resolved by further investigation, but sometimes the sensible advice is to walk away and look at another option.

Not every problem needs solving.

This is perhaps one of the things that experience teaches you. Some problems can be overcome, some compromises are perfectly reasonable, and some things need to be investigated properly before making a decision, but on some occasions, it may just be a step too far. Helping a buyer is not necessarily a matter of overcoming every objection. Sometimes the right advice is to let it go and move on to another option with the simple advice: "Don't buy this one."

One of the great things about the Costa del Sol property market is that there is a good level of choice, and if the property we are currently looking at doesn't suit you, we will find one that does. I think the secret is never to feel rushed into buying something that you don't want, but also, at the same time, when you see the right property, to be able to recognise it and say, "Yes, this is the one for me."

Our job is to help buyers find the right property: the one that meets their criteria, the one that will give them joy, and the one that will give them the lifestyle they have dreamed of. If you need straightforward help with your property search, we will be more than happy to talk to you and explain how we can help you. Call us on (0034) 952 90 52 00, WhatsApp us, or email info@michael-moon.com. We look forward to hearing from you.