Heart FM’s Lee Jay Interviews David Laver

Lee Jay of Heart FM Spain interviewed our Estate Agent David Laver last month so here is a copy of the interview for those of you that missed it. Tune into Heart FM on 95.7FM in the Alhaurín El Grande area or listen online at http://www.heartfmspain.com/. Our thanks go to the staff at Heart FM for providing us with the recordings.

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We Have Moved Offices!

New ICP Office

If you have ever visited our old office on the Cártama road in Alhaurín El Grande, you will know that we were already long overdue for a move. The office seemed to get smaller and damper by the month! Now we have a lovely, shiny, bright & spacious new office that is not only better for us but also for our clients. We even have two new sofas, in ICP trademark Orange, for you to sit down and relax whilst you wait.

The move went well after weeks of intensive preparation. The new office needed four coats of white paint to cover all the old green, blue, red and black paint that was used by the previous tenants! We have a new alarm installed and are now Authorised Agents for “Securitas Direct” alarms, which means we can give you a great discount on a similar installation in your own home or office.

Where exactly are we located? Just two minutes walk from our old office. We are on Calle Gerald Brennan, number 83 in what was the old “Videoclub Milenium”, next to the “Casa Paco” Fish Restaurant and directly facing “Cafetería Fahala”. If you get to the BP Petrol Station then you’ve gone too far!

Spotlight On Alhaurín El Grande

The beautiful whitewashed town of Alhaurín el Grande is located at the foot of the Sierra de Mijas mountain range in the Málaga region of Spain. It offers wonderful views over the stunning Guadalhorce valley, which is made fertile by the rivers Pasadas, Fahala, Jurique and Torres that flow through it. In fact, the region produces an abundance of fruit, vegetables and cereals, and boasts numerous olive groves.

During Roman times, the settlement was thought to have been blessed by the gods due to its fertility, favourable climate and proximity to precious mineral deposits. This led the Moors to later name the town Alhaurín, literally meaning the “Garden of Allah” (or “God’s Garden”).

The town has undergone many tribulation, including an earthquake in 1680, various plagues, and numerous invasions and occupations by the French, Romans, Moors and others. Today it is a prosperous town with a population of 27,000 of which roughly 2,000 are foreigners.

Why buy there?
With only a short drive from Málaga’s famous beaches and close to the Sierra Nevada ski resorts, Alhaurín el Grande is perfectly situated for those seeking a traditional area untouched by tourism, yet close to all the attractions and amenities of the Costa del Sol. It is close to Málaga’s major cities, being just south of Coín and north of Mijas, and it is only 15 kilometres from Málaga airport. It lies in an area of outstanding natural beauty, with a number of lakes and waterfalls in Barranco Blanco, while to the southeast there are extensive forests, dotted with Neolithic remains.

Alhaurín el Grande enjoys an average annual temperature of 17 degrees Celsius and is a pretty town with whitewashed houses and colourful window shutters. There are a number of attractions including the 12th century Moorish Archway, the old Arabic fort and the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, with its Roman columns and town church. The Churches of La Ermita de San Sebastián and El Convento y las Agonias are also well worth visiting.

The town is famed for its many traditional celebrations, including the “Feria de Mayo” and the “Día de la Cruz” in May, “Día de Jesús” in June, and the “Día de la Virgen” in August. In addition to these the Easter week celebrations attract tourists from across Europe. Improvements are currently being made to the area’s infrastructure. However, there are already two golf courses nearby, while the surrounding countryside offers plenty of hiking, cycling and climbing opportunities.

Where to buy
There are many nationalities purchasing property in Alhaurín, and demand from foreign buyers is high, especially within urbanisations such as the Alhaurín Golf & Country Club development. With strict building regulations in place, fincas to renovate and traditional whitewashed townhouses are extremely popular and this has caused prices to increase significantly in recent years. Nevertheless, property in this area remains significantly cheaper than on the coast.

Typical properties
There is a healthy mix of the old and new in Alhaurín. Property in the area includes newly built apartments in the centre of town, while there are a number of villas available in the urbanisations on Alhaurín’s outskirts. Look outside of Alhaurín’s boundaries and you will see a plethora of cortijos and fincas to be found in the surrounding countryside.

Most buyers are looking to purchase a traditional country home, complete with two acres of land and some fruit trees. Wherever you buy, given the geographical situation of Alhaurín, property is virtually guaranteed stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valley.

If you live in the Guadalhorce valley, you’ll find that you’re never more than 25 minutes from the coast, which makes this area hugely popular among tourists. Consequently, it can be very profitable in terms of rental income As well as offering a healthy short term market, there is also a strong long term rentals market, as many potential buyers arrive in Alhaurín with the intention of renting for between six months to a year before they buy.

Living Here
An area of outstanding natural beauty, life is lived in a traditional Spanish vein in the Alhaurín area, with centuries of culture and tradition being evident. In fact, values reflect those seen 30 years ago in the UK. Even though the town of Alhaurín has become very cosmopolitan and there are a large number of foreign residents living here, life maintains a Spanish feel. This is enriched by the local cuisine, such as “Migas” (breadcrumbs fried with garlic) and “Gachas Cachorrenas” (porridge with spices).

The local population refer to Alhaurín as ‘inland Marbella’ due to its thriving economy and beauty, plus the local government is currently undertaking a project to develop the town, with plans for many new facilities. It already boasts a great selection of bars, clubs and restaurants, which makes the area great as a family holiday or rental destination.

John and Lynda Laver decided to leave their Bedfordshire home for warmer climes and a more relaxed way of life. Both had stressful jobs in the UK but neither of them felt ready for early retirement they just wanted to work fewer hours and spend more time together, and with their family. They settled on Spain, but from there it was important to ensure the area they chose was accessible, as they had a daughter with young children who needed to be able to reach them easily. John and Lynda had visited the Costa del Sol many times but didn’t want to live in the busy coastal area, instead seeking a location that offered a more Spanish lifestyle.

“A friend recommended that we look inland from Málaga Airport, and suggested towns such as Alhaurín el Grande, Coín and Monda. What we found was the Guadalhorce Valley, an area largely untouched by tourism with stunning villages and countryside,” says Lynda. They knew it was exactly what they were looking for and had soon purchased a brand new, four bedroom house in the countryside surrounding Alhaurín el Grande. It came complete with an acre of land, fruit trees and a working well. John enthuses: “We’ve spent many hours working on the landscaping and have now created a beautiful home where many of our family friends have spent happy holidays with us.”

Fans of outdoor activities will find that there are many leisure activities to pursue, while the beach is only 15 kilometres away. There are local and international schools in the region and both private and state healthcare are available. Despite there being a cosmopolitan mix of nationalities, it is still important to learn the language and make a real effort to integrate yourself into the local community. That way, you can make the most of living in a traditional and welcoming environment.

So why not visit Alhaurín El Grande for yourself and treat yourself to the taste of real Spanish living.

New ICP Forum

Our Forums are now open for use. Anyone can register to use them (which is obligatory if you want to post a question or comment on a post) and they cover a wide range of topics from legal aspects to everyday life here in Spain. The Forums are in English only and are aimed at helping people in their move to Spain and finding out more about the country. Topics range from schooling to work, culture to private jumble sales.
We ask that these forums be used in a friendly manner, respecting all users, even if opinions differ. Also we ask that you read the rules and guidelines before posting your first comment.
Hopefully the ICP Forum will be a good, fun, social spot to make new friends and find out more about the lifestyle here in inland Costa del Sol, Andalucía. Real Estate professionals can also use these forums for an in-depth discussion of the Decree 218 (Decreto 218). Enjoy!

The forum link: ICP FORUMS

“Decreto (Decree) 218″ DIA or FICHA- Which Should I Use?

As I have been browsing through the various Decree 218 forums and webpages, I notice that the majority refer to the DIA form. In Spanish the full name for it is “Documento Informativo Abreviado” (‘Abbreviated Informative Document’) and then some, depending on what type of homes you are selling. The document should stick EXACTLY to the number of pages specified in the Decree 218, under the relevant annex or appendix. For example, under Annex 2 the DIA form on page 5  must detail the building specifications (“Memoria de Calidades”). If you need to use more than one page for this then use a different sheet of paper, attach it to the DIA form and make reference to it under the relevant section on page 5. Why is this so important? One Inspector from the “Junta de Andalucía” explained it to me this  way: If I go to an Estate Agent (Real Estate Firm or Realtor) and ask to see the DIA form for a particular NEWLY BUILT property, if all the information is on the same number of pages and in the same place on each of those pages, then it makes it much easier for me as the client to be able to make comparisons if I go to another Agent and ask to see their DIA form for a similar property. That way I don’t have to hunt through reams of paper to find the exact details I need, especially if I have a DIA form with me to compare it with another.

So which form should be used when selling a home? It all depends on the type of home being sold and it is quite simple really.

• Off-Plan Homes or Homes Under Construction. The document you should use is detailed in Annex 2 of the Decree 218 and the full title is “Documento Informativo Abreviado En La Venta De Viviendas En Proyecto O En Construcción”. It should be 8 pages long.
• New Homes being sold for the first time (direct from the developer). The document you should use is detailed in Annex 3 of the Decree 218 and the full title is “Documento Informativo Abreviado En La Venta De Viviendas Construidas En Su Primera Transmisión”. It should be 9 pages long.
• Rental Homes. The document you should use is detailed in Annex 6 of the Decree 218 and the full title is “Documento Informativo Abreviado Para El Arrendamiento De Viviendas”. It should be 5 pages long.

The last document, that we mainly use as a company, is NOT a DIA form. It is in fact a FI form or “Ficha Informativa” (‘Fact Sheet’ in English). When should this form be used?

• Resales or Second-Hand Homes. The document you should use is detailed in Annex 5 of the Decree 218 and the full title is “Ficha Informativa En Segundas O Ulteriores Transmisiones De Viviendas”. It should be 3 pages long.

This last document is the ONLY one that should be used for in selling second-hand homes (homes that have had a previous owner) and therefore the DIA forms should NOT be used for this type of property. Seeing as we only sell this type of property and are inland specialists in country property, we will soon provide a more detailled explanation as to how to fill out a “Ficha Informativa” along with an translation of the aforementioned document.

I hope that the differences between the neccessary documents has been made clear. If not, please feel free to post your questions here on the Blog and we’ll try to answer them for you. As always, remember that all of these forms must be filled out in Spanish by law. Other languages are OPTIONAL. Here’s wishing you a successful business week.

The Inspector Cometh!

“Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water…” or in our case, open up shop, along comes another Inspector (from the Junta de Andalucía). That’s the bad news. The good news is that we passed with flying colours… again! Our last visit was in September 2008 so we were a little surprised that another one showed up this morning, only 6 months later. His explanation was that we could expect a visit every year, especially as on his list he only had 3 Estate Agents listed here in the village. Does this mean then that we are the only 3 agencies legally registered? Hmmm, a point to ponder! Apparently the Junta has a campaign every year which lasts about three months so we can breathe easy until next year. The truth is that we really didn’t have anything to worry about as we always work hard to make sure that our paperwork etc is up-to-date for the benefit of our clients and also our own.
The main area the Inspector wanted to know about was the sale of NEW PROPERTIES and those under construction, as they present a real nightmare with all the required paperwork. However, because we only do re-sales (second hand homes), we had nothing to comply with and had no “DIA” forms to show. He also commended us on our good use of the “Public Advisory Notices”, both in the display window and next to the “Claims & Complaints” notices inside the office. By the way, both of these signs are available for free download on our Blog (As always, please leave a comment if you do so!).
He reiterated the point that the price shown on the advertising display for each property should be the price that the CLIENT (prospective BUYER) pays and not the current owner of the home. As such, our commissions don’t have to be broken down and listed separately on the Window Card as these are paid by the current home owner. As the fees for each property vary as regard to the Notary and Registry, at the side of the price we put (in Spanish of course) “plus expenses and taxes” (“+ Gastos y Tributos”) and then list these on a separate document, clearly visible in the Window Display.
It is worth mentioning that the Window Cards need to be in SPANISH by law. This is what the Decree 218 states as being information clearly understandable and accessible. Given that the official language of the country is Spanish then that information MUST be supplied in Spanish. You can have it detailed in other languages as well but the Spanish descriptions must be clearly visible and prominent.
If the number of bedrooms is shown on the Window Card then the “Metros Útiles” (“Useful Metres”) of the property MUST be shown as well. That is not to be confused with the “Metros Construidos” (“Constructed Metres”) of the property.
Finally, there also needs to be a validity date (“Periodo de Validez”) on the Window Card, stating the date the prices of the property are valid to.
That’s our interesting news for the day and here’s hoping that your inspections go equally as well.

Linking to Blogs

Over the past year or so we have posted to various websites and blogs our views, answers and experiences with the Decree 218 issues. Now we have our own blog we will be referring to these various posts and using the information we posted on them. Hopefully I have tracked back to them correctly so as not to take all the credit!

Need Insurance In Spain?

Caser & ICP Insurance

We are now working closely with CASER, Spain’s number one insurance company for the savings banks. This means that we can provide you with real savings on many types of insurance, whether it be for your car, home or life insurance. One of the great benefits of our being Caser’s contact point is that we can provide you with a copy of your policy IN ENGLISH so you know exactly what you have contracted.

We are already well known for our friendliness and reliability so we are very excited at being able to extend this into the insurance field. As always, please feel free to pop by the office and ask us for a quotation, without any pressure or obligation.

Welcome!

Welcome to Ideal Country Property and our first ever blog. We will be posting a variety of content, based around property sales and rentals, legal themes, the famous “Decreto 218″, advice on living here in Andalucía, plus our general activities as a company and individuals. We hope that you will enjoy the content presented here and that it will also prove invaluable to you, whether you are searching for a home to buy or rent, wanting to know more about the area we cover, or are simply curious as to what we are doing!

Feel free to post your own comments and queries but if you require specific information about buying a home, then please use our Contact & Feedback form here: http://www.ideal-country-property.com/en/contact