Greetings From The Costa Blanca!

My name is Jon Sambrook, a middle-aged property agent based near Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca. You are about to discover that this is a different type of web site to most of the other two million sites that provide information about Spain and buying Spanish property.

I have been involved with property sales for around 30 years in the UK and the last 5 years in Spain. I moved to the Costa Blanca in early 2002 to follow my dream of living the good life in the sun, just as you may be thinking of doing in the near future!

I only have two regrets about moving to Spain. Firstly, I wish I had done it twenty years ago and secondly, I can't watch my favourite soccer team so easily. (Watford FC....come on you 'Orns!)

Our Competitors Strategy

Information on other property websites is often broken down into a few key areas:

Location

Everywhere is beautiful and sunny, a paradise bursting with "dream homes", many at much lower prices than in the UK and Eire.

Properties        

Literally dozens of pages of apartments, bungalows, chalets, villas and fincas. You name it, they have got it.

Easy To Buy

Wow! Spain must be the most straight forward country in the world in which to buy property!

Viewing Trips

Hey, look at this! Most agents offer a cheap weekend break without ANY obligation on your part to buy a property from them!

Timing

Ahh! The only thing is, prices are rising so fast that unless you get on the plane right NOW, today, and bring your 3,000 euros deposit with you, preferably in cash, the home you saw at their exhibition or on their web site will definitely have been sold !!

Hmmmm......... This Web Site Does Not Go Down That Road, So Please Read On!

Did you know, if you search for "Spanish Property" on Google, there are around 2,200,000 (TWO MILLION TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND) web sites of which 355,000 are just promoting the Costa Blanca, my backyard so to speak! 
 
If you surfed each of these three hundred and fifty five thousand sites promoting Costa Blanca property for just five minutes each, it would take you more than 3 years to visit them all! (No breaks, meals, sleep etc)

So just which ones will you visit? Most likely those that are easily found because they rank highly in the Search Engines, perhaps with sponsored pay to click adverts, offline press adverts, exhibitions and other high cost advertising mediums.

Why Are There So Many Spanish Property Websites Out There?

Well... buying an overseas home, especially in Spain, has become the GREAT British and Irish past time in recent years.

Favourable exchange rates, rapid house price growth in the UK and Eire, plus an extensive choice of both new and resale property, in particular on "The Costas" has created very favourable conditions for UK and Eire buyers in the last four or five years.

Spain is without any doubt a great place to live full or part time!

Less than three hours from most UK airports, Spain is just so accessible plus, of course, low cost airlines mean a weekend break in Spain is often a lot less expensive than a city break in London and the weather tends to be better too!

You won't find me "going home" more than is absolutely necessary. You can keep your grey skies, obscene cost of living and crazy politics!

But, there is something you should know. Well, actually TEN SECRETS about buying a home in Spain that some property agents don't want you to know!

The Spanish property market operates differently to your domestic market and if you are not careful, your dream home in the sun may cost you a lot more than you might think after reading all those other pretty web sites.

Why Should I Believe You, Jon?

Ok, Ok, yes, I am just one of the dozens of estate agents in Torrevieja on the Costa Blanca, so why should you believe me? That's a good question and one I probably could not answer convincingly on a website, but I will try to give you a little insight into how it works!

I run a small family owned business. You won't find us at all those property exhibitions you can go to every weekend, nor will you see half page adverts in the quality press. We do have a property web site (plus this one) but you won't find the URL here! We certainly don't send out glossy brochures, run branded mini buses although we do have a very easy to find office in the Church Square in central Torrevieja.

Think About This For A Moment.

Just who Is PAYING For All This Extravagant Marketing?

Just who is paying for those "no obligation, no pressure" viewing trips that are advertised everywhere? The estate agents in Torrevieja or wherever they are based?

Really? Do You Think So? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but...NO! In fact...... 

                                         YOU ARE PAYING FOR ALL THIS!
What? How come?

It's a result of a change in market conditions, at least on the Costas, and the complete absence of EFFECTIVE regulation of estate agents who are marketing properties to you.

Please explain, I hear you say. Ahh, that touches on TWO of those TEN SECRETS that some property agents would prefer you didn't know! But I will give you a "no obligation" opportunity to find out what they are a little further down this page...

Another Important Detail...

You should also be very aware of the real cost involved to actually buy Spanish property. Most web sites will suggest you budget costs at 10% of the agreed price.

This can be easily justified as the property transfer tax (similar to UK Stamp Duty) on second hand properties is levied at 7% with the remaining 3% being used for legal and other fees.

But then again, except for brand new property when your costs may be closer to around 11-12%, you probably won't pay more than 7-8%, unless you need a Spanish mortgage in which case your fees may be around 10%. There again, bank mortgage fees can vary depending on the bank!!

Hmmm......................

A good friend of mine over here, also an estate agent, regards the claim that costs will be 10% as nothing short of a scam! I wouldn't go quite that far, but fees are a bit of a grey area and you need someone on your side rather than on their own side, if you follow me!

This is covered in more detail in my FREE 10 part newsletter:

10 Secrets Most Spanish Property Agents Don't Want You To Know!

that you can obtain in just a few moments from this website!

If you are seriously considering making an investment in a Spanish property, I cannot think of any reason why you would not want to subscribe to the newsletter and get the low down on how the market operates over here.

You will discover how you can SAVE MONEY when buying a Spanish property in easy to digest bite sized chunks!

So, why would I give all this information to you for FREE and without any obligation on your part? What's in it for me, you may be wondering?

Fair question! Well yes, it's time for a small confession! As I said, I am in the property business on the Costa Blanca and whilst the life style and weather are great, sadly I cannot live off sunshine and fresh air alone!

Many of my new customers are referred by existing clients; recommendations that often result in an ever increasing circle of new friends, all starting with our low key, no pressure approach to helping you learn more about buying a Spanish property.

You can read a small selection of our client testimonials by clicking here! 

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS  (Then click your browser Back Button to return to this page)

So, of course I would welcome any opportunity to help you find your home in the sun whenever that may be!

The 10 Secrets Most Property Agents Don't Want You To Know! newsletter will be the first contact between us and I hope that as you get to know me better by reading the instalments, (which will be sent automatically to your inbox), you will begin to feel more comfortable about enlisting my help when the time is right for you to visit the Costa Blanca and maybe buy your dream home!

OK, just so you know what to expect from the newsletter:

10 Secrets Most Spanish Property Agents Don't Want You To Know!

1. How to make friends easily with complete strangers.

2. Is the tail wagging the dog?

3. How to avoid falling into the "price trap"

4. The Viewing Trip Myth

5. Don't be seduced by the sun!

6. A word of caution

7. Why you should NEVER pay a cash deposit

8. The truth about the 10%

9. Legal Beagles

10. Bring a good book and some aspirin!

To subscribe to the newsletter, just complete the contact information that follows. When you click on the Tell Me The Secrets, Jon! link below, you will be taken to the FREE sign up page. Just complete the required info and you will get instant access to Chapter 1. You will then receive the link to chapter two a couple of days later and so on.

You can cancel your subscription at any time, but why cancel useful money saving information that comes to you entirely FREE and without obligation?

The 10 Secrets Most Property Agents Don't Want You To Know! newsletter will provide you with valuable INSIDER KNOWLEDGE that can save you £'000s when you buy a Spanish Property! 

So, What's The Catch, Jon?

Ok, another small confession from me! The flip side of the deal is that I may send you further information from time to time, all of which will be highly relevant to buying a Spanish property! Plus, if you let me know your preferred location, property type and budget, I will happily send you examples of properties as they are added to our listings.

Thank you for visiting my website and reading this far. Please feel free to contact me if you need any advice and I look forward to meeting you before too long in Spain but only when the time is right FOR YOU!

Oh! I almost forgot......IF you do eventually decide to visit my "patch" and proceed to buy a property through my company, I GUARANTEE to save you AT LEAST 1,500 euros from the advertised price of any property being marketed by us. 

And in many instances a great deal more! 

So, what are you waiting for? Just click here to subscribe:

Tell Me The Secrets, Jon!