Marbella’s microclimate is one of the main reasons why so many people choose to spend more time on the… more
This is a feeling that many buyers will relate to, and the good news is that there is more than one way to find a property on the Costa del Sol. You can search the property portals, contact different estate agents and arrange viewings as you find properties that interest you. This is how many people buy property here, and for plenty of buyers it works perfectly well.
You can have one person working specifically for you, somebody who gets to know what you're looking for, understands your priorities and helps you search the market with your interests and preferences in mind. This is the idea behind our Property Finding Service.
Finding properties isn't very difficult. There are thousands of them available online. Working out which ones are actually worth your time is a somewhat different matter.
This means we need to know not only your budget and how many bedrooms you need, but also how you intend to use the property, where you want to spend your time and what is most important to you and your family. Just as importantly, we need to learn what you don't like, what you don't want and the things that would be a red flag and put you off a particular property.
Once we know what you want, we will be able to look at a property and say, "Yes, this one is a possibility," or, "No, that one is not worth looking at," and therefore save you time. There may be occasions when we find something that meets almost everything you're looking for but involves a compromise. Rather than dismissing it or wasting your time, we can discuss that compromise with you and decide together whether it is worth arranging a viewing.
The aim is not to show you as many properties as possible, but to make sure that we find you the right one.
This is where our Property Finding Service differs from the normal relationship between an estate agent and a buyer. When an estate agent is instructed to sell a property, the seller is their client. There is nothing wrong with that. It's simply how conventional estate agency works.
With our Property Finding Service, you are our client. We agree in writing at the outset that you will work exclusively with us on your property search and that we will work for you. We also agree exactly how we will be paid when and if you eventually buy a property. This means that our financial position doesn't depend upon which property you choose.
If the right property is one we are selling directly, we can recommend it. If it's listed with another estate agent, we can recommend that one. And if the right property is one where there is no commission available from the seller's side at all, we can recommend that one too. In effect, we earn the same agreed percentage whichever property you ultimately buy. We can therefore focus purely on getting everything right for you, and you can relax in the knowledge that we are working on your side.
Not necessarily. Our fee is agreed with you before we begin and is based on a standard percentage of the eventual agreed purchase price. Depending upon the property you buy, some or all of that fee may already be covered by commission available from the seller or another estate agent. Where it isn't, the difference is taken into account as part of the overall figures for that particular purchase.
This means that when we look at different properties with you, the financial position is clear and can be considered alongside the price and other costs of each transaction. It can then be reflected in the offer you make and the price you agree to pay.
If you don't buy a property, there is no fee. The commitment you make is to work exclusively with us while we search for your property. We make the corresponding commitment to work for you.
It's a straightforward arrangement, set out in writing so that both of us know exactly where we stand.
Maybe not. Thousands of people successfully buy property on the Costa del Sol without using a dedicated buying service, and you may be perfectly comfortable doing the same.
However, some people feel more comfortable using a Property Finding Service. You might prefer the idea of having just one person you know and trust who understands what you're looking for, can search and filter properties for you, discuss the advantages and disadvantages honestly and tell you when they think something simply isn't right.
For some buyers, particularly those searching from another country or unfamiliar with the Costa del Sol property market, that relationship can make the whole process considerably easier. It can also save an enormous amount of everybody's time.
Once we understand what you are trying to achieve, we can help you consider the wider questions too.
Would the villa you've always imagined actually suit the way you intend to use the property, or would a lock-up-and-leave apartment make more sense? Is the location you've been concentrating on genuinely the right one for you, or might somewhere you haven't considered offer more of what you're looking for? Are the swimming pools, gyms, spas and other community facilities something you will actually use, or are they simply additional costs you don't need?
There isn't always one correct answer. Our job is to help you ask the right questions and make your own informed decisions so that together we can find the right options.
We can also introduce you to independent lawyers, mortgage advisers and currency specialists where appropriate, so that you can obtain the specialist advice you need during the purchase.
Perhaps we should just talk
This service will not suit everybody, and we don't expect it to. However, if you have been looking at property on the Costa del Sol and find yourself wondering whether it would be easier to have somebody working specifically for you, we would be happy to explain how it works.
There is no obligation to use the service and no pressure to proceed. Call us on (0034) 952 90 52 00, WhatsApp us, or email info@michael-moon.com. We look forward to hearing from you.
