Make life easier for your buyers
Think back to previous house sales you’ve made. During which parts of the process have your buyers come across obstacles? In hindsight, was there anything you could have done to make things better?
We’ve previously discussed buyer insights on our podcast, exploring purchase stories that we felt agents and their customers could learn from. Here we pick out some of the most stressful parts of the buying process and look at what you could do to help ease the stress.
A confusing property search
Too much choice can be difficult to cope with. Talk to your buyers about exactly what they’re looking for, listen carefully, ask pertinent questions and make sure they’ve considered all aspects of their new home. Draw on your experience of similar types of buyers to aid discussions and avoid mistakes.
Relocating a family
If you find out there are children involved in the move, schools should immediately become a consideration. Provide useful information about local schools as well as what the application process might involve. Similarly, find out about the rules for migrating pets into the country and help buyers to understand what’s involved.
Dealing with the details of retiring to Spain
Expats who are planning retirement in Spain will have different needs to other buyers. Help put them in a great position for life in the country by explaining a little about where they should go for information about claiming pensions, how the healthcare system works and how to gain access to it in the local area. Politely remind buyers that they need to consider their needs in 20 years’ time, not just now. They’ll thank you in the long run.
Choosing a holiday home that will rent well
If your buyer is looking for a home they can let out for part of the year, talk knowledgeably about the kinds of things that make a rental popular. Suggest things they may not have thought about like choosing a location that is close to an international airport and suggest useful tools like Skyscanner for checking flight options.
Discuss the legal aspects of renting out a holiday home in Spain, for example the fact that it’s illegal in some areas to let via AirBnB – make sure buyers understand the importance of checking local rules before making decisions.
Understanding the legal stuff
No one expects you to become a legal expert but this is about giving your buyers a little understanding of the process and how to make sure everything is done as it should be. Learn about the various documents involved in buying a house – these will likely be different to what your buyer has been used to at home.
Suggest the use of a local multilingual lawyer to check all contracts and make sure documents are correct. Explain a little about the difference between a notary and a solicitor – internationals may be unfamiliar with the need for a notary. Where relevant, be open with your buyers about issues you have seen with previous transactions and how they were resolved.
Making sense of the finances
Discuss budgets up front – if buyers are struggling, suggest using the Kyero budget calculator. Remind them early in the process that they’ll need to open a Spanish bank account and request an NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjeros) number. Help to set their expectations about how time consuming this can be and offer any tips you’ve learned from others who’ve gone before.
Be open with buyers about the various additional costs they can expect to face. From notary fees to deposits to transfer tax, your buyers may not be familiar with these charges and may struggle to find them if they’re not accounted for up front.
When you receive a new enquiry, carefully consider the type of buyer in front of you. By drawing on your experience, pre-empting difficulties and trying to make the process smoother, you can vastly improve your buyers’ experience. Not only will that mean you gain yourself a reputation for offering a great service but you’ll position yourself as an expert in international property sales and receive great reviews (and therefore new customers) in the process.
