We consider how many Costa del Sol properties buyers should view, why preparation matters, and how looking at too many can make the decision more difficult.
How many Costa del Sol properties should we look at before we buy?
At least one.
This sounds like a glib response, but it can be perfectly serious. There is no correct number of properties that you need to view before you are in a position to decide that you have found the right one. Some people may need to see 10 or 20. Others may find exactly what they're looking for on the other side of the first door they walk through.
We believe that much of it depends on the amount of work you do before you start looking at property. It's worth establishing:
- what you actually want
- why you want it
- how you expect to live in it
Your budget and preferred location obviously matter, but so do the things that will make you happy once you are living there.
This doesn't necessarily mean creating a huge checklist. In fact, sometimes it means doing the opposite. What are the things that will actually give you pleasure? Maybe it's:
- having breakfast on a sunny terrace
- being able to walk to restaurants
- enough outside space for the dog
- simply having one special room where you can imagine spending most of your time
Once you understand these things, it becomes much easier to distinguish between what really matters and what would merely be nice to have.
The viewing starts before you even leave home.
Today, you can consider a great many properties without physically viewing them. Photographs, floor plans, maps, videos, virtual tours and conversations with the agent can eliminate many properties that clearly are not right for you. If that preparation has been done properly, there is every possibility that the first property you view could be the right one for you.
You may well want to see a few more simply to give yourself some comparison and to reinforce your original judgement. There is nothing wrong with that, but don't reject the first property simply because it was the first.
We have in the past seen buyers who really liked the first property they viewed but decided, almost on principle, that they couldn't possibly buy the first one they'd seen. They then went on to view another five or ten properties that they didn't particularly like and eventually came back to the first one, only to discover that somebody else had bought it.
Sometimes the first day's viewings are the research.
Of course, not everybody arrives having done all the preparation. Sometimes the first day of viewings is when we really start establishing what a buyer wants and, most importantly, doesn't want. As agents, we are always watching and listening. What don't they like? What isn't as important as they thought? Which compromises are they prepared to make? Does an area that looks great on the map feel wrong in reality? Is the terrace more important than the extra bedroom?
These early viewings are never wasted. They are part of the learning process. The important factor is to be able to use what we learn to make the next selection better. There is every possibility that the first property viewed on the second day will either be much closer to what the buyer wants or actually be the one. The purpose of the exercise is not to accumulate viewings. It's always going to be to improve the quality of the decision.
Can you look at too many properties?
We genuinely believe that you can. After a while, properties start to merge into one another. You remember the kitchen from one, the terrace from another, the location of a third and the price of a fourth. After a while, you start comparing every property with an imaginary one made up from the best features of all the others, and that property probably doesn't exist. In our experience, viewing more and more properties doesn't actually mean that you're doing better research. Sometimes the sheer number just creates confusion, and you can either end up buying the wrong one or nothing at all.
If you find the one you want, don't mess around.
Nobody should pressure you into buying a property. If you're uncertain, keep looking. If something doesn't feel right, investigate it. If you are not comfortable, don't buy it.
However, on the other side of that, if you've done your research, understand the market and have found the property you really want, don't continue looking simply because you think you ought to see more.
Good properties do have a habit of selling. This is something that is particularly worth remembering when you're looking at individual homes like villas and country houses. Another similar apartment may come onto the market, although even apartments can be difficult to replace when you want a particular location, floor, orientation or position within a community. The more individual the property and the more specialised it is, the more difficult it may be to find the same combination again. The simple advice therefore has to be: if you see the one you want, don't mess around. Secure it.
The biggest discount isn't always the best deal.
The next important factor is going to be the price you pay. Most sales start off with an offer, and if the property is overpriced, then you will want to try and negotiate it to a price that you consider realistic. If the property is already sensibly priced, don't become so determined to negotiate a bargain that you end up losing the property you actually want. Getting €5,000 off a realistically priced home can be a better buy than getting €20,000 off one that was €30,000 overpriced in the first place.
The amount of the discount doesn't tell you whether or not you've made a good purchase. A sensible offer can also help to establish a sensible relationship with the vendor. An unnecessary low offer can sometimes do the opposite. Negotiation is part of buying a property, but the objective is to get the property you want at a price you're happy paying.
So how many should you view?
At least one.
Perhaps seeing a few more will help you confirm that you've got it right. Perhaps you'll need to see considerably more before you really understand what you want. There is no correct answer.
Do the preparation, ask yourself the right questions, understand what your budget buys and work out which compromises you can comfortably make. Also, and perhaps most importantly, think about what is actually going to give you pleasure when you own the property.
You can then go out and look at properties that have a real chance of meeting your requirements. When you find the right one, remember that the object of the exercise was never to view 25 properties or negotiate the biggest discount. It was to buy a property that you will be happy to own.
If you can walk away comfortable with your decision and looking forward to the life that you're going to have in your new home, then you really have answered the most important question of all.
Our role is to help buyers find a home they will be genuinely happy to own and to make the process as enjoyable as we can. If you would like to talk through the process and start making your first move towards buying a Costa del Sol property, you can give us a call seven days a week on (0034) 952 90 52 00, WhatsApp us, or email info@michael-moon.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
