A quick guide to:

Villa sales agents in Spain are largely unregulated. This does not mean that anything goes, but it does suggest that you need to take time to find out exactly with whom you are dealing.

Often owners will list their property with multiple agents, and you will frequently see properties advertised at a bewildering variety of prices. This is because no two agents work the same way. Some will charge the owner a straight commission whilst others will find out what the minimum an owner is willing to accept and then add their commission on top. Frequently there will be more than one agent representing the property and commissions have to be split. There can be a substantial mark-up at times.

Rent before you buy Don't be rushed or pressured into making an offer straightaway. Visit the area frequently and if you see a property you like return at different times of day. Some agents may want to show you a property in the morning, knowing that this is the only time of day the property receives any sun. You may find you have bought a home in the shade if you do not return later to see for yourself.

Take care with older resale properties There is nothing wrong with buying an older property, but Spain's hotter climate does mean that things can ware out quickly. A good example is central heating. Yes, it can get cold in winter, and whilst the heating season is short, you still don't want to suffer a series of heating breakdowns. Take the advice of a good heating engineer if you are buying an older property. In this part of Spain there are four main types of central heating, each one with their own unique set of issues:

• Oil fired
• Bottle Gas (there is no mains gas on the Costa Blanca)
• LPG Gas which requires an outside tank (subject to an anual inspection)
• Under floor can be expensive to run

Heating Engineers are strictly regulated in Spain, so you should check to see that your system has been installed legally. There are many unregistered British tradesmen working on the Costa Blanca, and as they are often working without permission, it is always worth making certain that the job has been carried out by a qualified professional that has the correct certification is in place.

Some older properties have cast iron water pipes which have been set into the concrete floors and walls. Although iron pipes are used less frequently these days, architects still tend to specify that they are buried in the concrete structure. Spanish plumbers do not engage in building work, so it can be rather expensive if you have to have a builder cut through the concrete before a leak can be fixed. Another problem with some of the older properties, in the Javea area for example, is that salt water was pumped through the pipes a few years back and caused long lasting corrosion to many older service pipes.

Avoid buying a house with a leaking pool. A pool technician once told me that nearly all the pools leak to some degree on the Costa Blanca, due to the nature of their construction. A pool should come with a 10 year guarantee. Make certain that your pool has been installed by an accredited pool construction company and has been built using the Gunite contstruction method. This is where the concrete is spayed on to the steel work of the pool and allowed to set in one piece. A leaking pool can be very costly to repair. If you are buying new, make certain that you do actually have planning for your pool, as water remains a precious commodity in this area.

---