Customers’ opinions of Property Adviser
“Their report was decisive when purchasing our villa”
I feel at home in the Canary Islands. The sun is invigorating and the food is delicious. Last year my husband and I realised that our savings were barely yielding in the bank and we decided to look for an investment. After some thorough research, we decided on a property in La Gomera. That way it would be handy when we visited the island and we could sell it when the time was right.
Some neighbours who have a villa in Lanzarote advised us to check everything was in order before signing any purchase contracts, to avoid risks. They told us about Glex&Co, the law firm specialised in these cases for 20 years who helped them with their purchase and, visiting their website, we saw that we could do the whole process online with their Property Appviser tool! It doesn’t get easier than that! Their comprehensive report, in perfect English, was decisive when purchasing our villa.
“€150 that protected our entire savings”
Last year I was about to purchase a marvellous villa in Tenerife. With incredible views, very close to the beach… ideal for my family. Our holidays were about to end and we saw it on sale. It was love at first sight. After returning home I contacted the estate agency via email and the photos they sent us of the interior were even better than we’d expected. The price? Too cheap to be true!
Out of precaution, I searched the Internet for references and found www.propertyappviser.com. €150 was a small investment compared to the €180,000 asking price of the property. We didn’t have much to lose and a lot to gain. When we received the report, alarm bells rang: the property was partially built on protected land, it didn’t have an occupancy permit and it was pending a court ruling that might mean it would be demolished. A small procedure before the purchase that saved us from risking our entire savings.
“We were about to spend a thousand times the cost of the report”
After my last holidays in the Canaries I decided that the next time I wouldn’t go back to a hotel. I wanted my own space where I could relax and invite my friends over, somewhere to enjoy the sun, the landscape and our free time when we retired in a few years. We visited several estate agents and settled on a villa in the local style, spacious with lots of light. A dream home that we had to make a down payment on before legally registering it. Just imagine… My wife Anne is an interior designer and we spent countless hours planning the atmosphere we wanted to create for our new villa. But gradually, as the date to register the property neared, excitement gave way to doubts.
We were about to get another mortgage, and buying a property abroad is something complex that requires time, money and knowledge that is beyond our capacity. We don’t know the language, nor the legal and administrative ins and outs… we knew we needed help, but… who to trust? Paul, a work colleague from the main office, told me about www.propertyappviser.com. I had my doubts, but Anne said to me: Are you really going to think it over? It’s just €150! She was right. We were about to spend a thousand times that amount. 72 hours after the purchase we received a very complete report via email: the situation of the developer, whether there were debts pending payment, whether the decennial insurance had been taken out… Everything was in order! Faced with such an important decision, you can’t just take a gamble.
“There were no problems with the purchase, but… What if there had been? Our peace of mind has turned out to be very cheap.”
Our children saw the sea for the first time in Fuerteventura. We’ve spent the last 25 summers of our lives there, and have great memories: the weather, the people, the landscapes… So we decided that it would be a good idea to spend most of our retirement there, enjoying the great climate. I love England, but this rain doesn’t do my joints any good!
We were a bit apprehensive, because some friends of ours had the same idea three years ago and bought a nice house in Palma. But the seller didn’t tell them about the debts the previous owner had with the residents’ association, so they found they had to pay €15,000 in communal repair charges that they hadn’t foreseen. They’re still fighting the previous owner in the courts, with the expenses and headaches that brings, and that’s after having to pay the debt to the residents’ association! To avoid something like that happening to us, they told us about the law firm that was defending their case: Glex&Co, and looking at their website, we saw that we could request an online report on the house we wanted to buy. What’s more, they’re certified by the RICS! Now we were speaking the same language! In 72 hours we received a simple, easily understandable report in our language and without complicated legal terminology. I can still remember the sigh of relief and feeling of reassurance: “The property meets the legal requirements for its purchase” €150? Our peace of mind has turned out to be very cheap.
“I was about to make a mistake that would have a put an end to a period of my life I was so looking forward to”
My great passion is my profession: painting. I’m fascinated by sunsets; I always have in mind a perfect sunset I enjoyed several years ago in Lanzarote. When I was free from some responsibilities I decided to buy a studio on the island to give all my projects a new twist, to soak in all that light and start again, somewhere new, in a new culture, surrounded by a new landscape… Despite the initial shock for Thabitha, my agent.
My former partner and I sold the loft we shared in SoHo and I started looking for an adequate place to set up my studio. I found the perfect location, in a former fish market warehouse, beside the sea. I was blind during that period: I just wanted to dedicate myself to my work, without worrying about anything else. Fortunately I followed Thabitha’s advice, who requested a property report through www.propertyappviser.com. Despite all the seller’s promises, it was clear that the project was infeasible because the old building was protected and no work could be carried out on its structure or on the façades. That report was decisive in saving me a heap of problems and also did me a big favour. I had to continue searching until I found the perfect place, in Pedro Barba, on Isla Graciosa: a traditional villa opposite the sea that used to be a fish salting factory. I think there’s no landscape on the planet that could be more different to New York.
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Example report
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