Now that the market is moving steadily (not quickly but steadily - walking stick rather than zimmer frame) we are seeing some interesting trends.

1. The cheapest, bargain, properties are selling out. The people who NEEDED to sell are selling up and we are not able to replace their properties at the same price. This doesn't mean the "market" is rising, but rather that properties on offer at much less than the rest of the market are disappearing.

2. Owners continue to withdraw their properties from sale in the expectation of better times (better for them - not you)! In other words they are confident that higher prices are on the way.

3. The first cuckoo of Spring? An owner recently refused to let a client view his house (which the client had specifically asked to view) because it wasn't right for the client and he, the seller, did not want to waste time with them. This sort of thing was a common enough occurance in the boom so does this indicate times are a changing?

The biggest problem for many potential house hunters has been the difficulty of getting finance. We do have a small number of houses available with owner finance options but these will always be limited in number and choice. Happily we have however found a bank who is able to get loans! They tell me that the maximum loan size if you do not pay Spanish taxes (non-residents) is between 60 and 70%. For fiscal tax payers (residents), the maximum is 80%. You will also need funds to cover the fees and taxes relating to both the property and the mortgage. We advise to allow a figure of around 14-15% of the property price to cover these. 

Finally, if you are thinking of coming to Spain to view houses please try and give me as much notice as possible so we can arrange things. We would hate to miss you!