January 29, 2010 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (News)

We have been waiting long for it but finally the final step has been made in the aproval of Marbella´s urbanistic plan. It has taken almost eight years to get this done! We wonder why, but that is an other subject. There is only a group of seven homes/projects that have been left out of the plan, so there is not a reason for everyone to be happy.  Although critisized by some whe think that the final aproval gives direction and security for the future. A huge step forward can be made on the infrastructural installments of the town and it will be easier to obtain building licenses from now...



January 27, 2010 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Properties for sale)

This 2 bedroom villa with great extension potential has just been reduced in price from 645.000 to 550.000 euros, offers welcome. Reduced villa in Marbesa ...



January 27, 2010 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Properties for sale)


Everyone seems to be interested in the progress of the prices of property on the Costa del Sol. We would like to present you some of the latest price reductions on our Marbella property portfolio.     Reduced property 1
Reduced property in Hacienda las Chapas € 1.050.000,-

...



January 26, 2010 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Properties for sale)

Hardly do we bump into bank repossessions or distressed property worthwhile mentioning. Mostly we see that the best bargain is one created by negotioting strongly. But this time we have encountered a villa in El Rosario that has been reposessed by the bank and will be sold to somebody coming with a sensible offer. The property has 6 bedrooms and is located on a large double plot of approx. 2000 square metres. The properties does need renovation/modernizing but the aiming price will be around 600 to 650.000 euros. With similar properties on the mark...



January 26, 2010 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (News)

The hotel chain Roc-Hotels has reached an agreement with the owners of the Don Miguel Hotel in Marbella, which has been closed since October 2004, to reopen the establishment in May 2011. Roc Hotels will be renting the establishment from the current owners and refurbish the installations. The lease agreement will have a maximum duration of 15 years and also include a clause giving the new tenants a preferential bu...



December 03, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (News)

Marbella — For decades, Marbella has been an international hub for both business and pleasure. Marbella’s unique demographics and smart-casual atmosphere have made it a center for the entrepreneurial spirit that is well established and growing in Spain. Because of its international reputation and appeal, Marbella attracts millions of tourists and hundreds of thousands of English-speakers of different n...



December 03, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (News)

The owners of the Hotel La Quinta Golf Resort & Spa have signed a pre-agreement for the management of the hotel with the Sol Melia group. The Hotel La Quinta was managed by Starwood under the Westin brand up until now. Sol Melia will take over the management and run the hotel under its brand “Melia” starting from the month of January. This will give it time to establish the brand u...



December 01, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Law)

Every community owner can make repairs in their own property (flat, attached house…) under the following conditions: 1 Previous notice to the Community owners. 2 If the building general structure and façade was not modified. 3 Avoid causing any damages to the rights of other community owners. Article by iAbogado Servicios Jurídicos SL (Madrid, Spain). Visit www.iAbogado.com for more original content like this. Reprint permission granted...



November 24, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Law)

The Statutes and the internal rules of the community Most communities have a wide set of rules which governs the property owners rights and standards of behaviour expected from the persons who reside on the complex. The Statutes of the community may only be modified by unanimity vote of the community owners, both present in person and by proxy. If Statutes need changing, this pertains to the annual general meeting. The Statutes must set out the private share which corresponds to each owner. If any member of the community vi...



November 19, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Properties for sale)

We have just been offered this great value for money villa in the area of Elviria. The villa is for sale with us at € 695.000,- being heavily reduced from € 1.000.000,-. The house offers great sea views and is located very central in Elviria on a short distance from shops, schools and other amenities. The owners are moving abroad and have decided to reduce the price drastically for a qui...



November 19, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Law)

Finding out your community share before buying your property If you are going to buy a Spanish property, which takes part of a block, it is advisable to check at the Spanish Property Registry (Registro de la Propiedad) the physical description of your apartment and the building that is attached to, in this way you will find out your property size and what is your common-area share. The Spanish Property Registry may also provide you with the rules about the use of the common facilitie...



January 26, 2010 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Law)

1. General Information If you have bought an apartment or villa, which take part of a building complex, keep in mind that these will be subject to the Spanish Law of Horizontal Division (Ley de Propiedad Horizontal). This law is applicable whether you are resident or not. According to this law, every apartment or villa-owner has the co-property of the common elements of the building complex (stairs, lifts, façades, swimming pool, cleaning servi...



November 17, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Law)

The Plusvalia Tax is a tax set by the local authorities and based on the increase of the value of the land from the date the owner acquired the property to the time of the present sale. The local authorities determine the amount of plusvalía to be paid for each house purchase in Spain, depending on the area where the property is located. The market value or sales price of the property does not have an effect on the plusvalía tax. ...



January 26, 2010 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Construction and planning)

The town of Marbella has opened an office specially to provide information to investors who are waiting to invest. Information will be provided regarding the PGOU or urbanistic plan.  The town hopes to wash away all uncertainties the investors might have regarding the corrupt past of the town. Let´s hope they do not stick to words only and prove that Marbella´s past is really the past. Then the future will be absolutely bright for this town Source: Surinenglish...



November 06, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Construction and planning)

The high street retailer, which has almost 700 stores in the UK and over 300 overseas, will open a branch next month on the Costa del Sol, which has a significant British expatriate population. The 14,000 sq ft store, located in the La Canada shopping centre, will stock clothing, homeware, biscuits and cakes, but not fresh food. It will be run by franchise partner York Ltd, which also manages the M&S store in Gibraltar The company is investing €3m (£2.7m) into the opening and estimates it will create around 70 new jobs in the area. A spokesman for M&S said: &ldquo...



November 06, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (News)

The free Internet phone companySkype has brought a special bus to Marbella. From today until December 3 visitors will be able to see how easy it is to make free calls and to try out other services such as video calling and instant messaging. The bus also has the latest products from Plantronics, Philips and Hewlett Packard. The event will be launched this morning by Alberto Lorente, who is the Skype manager for Spain and Portugal. “We want people to ...



November 06, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Construction and planning)

El PP amplió ayer su presencia en Marbella. La alcaldesa, Ángeles Muñoz, acompañada por el presidente provincial de su partido, Elías Bendodo, y por algunos miembros de su equipo de gobierno, inauguró al mediodía una nueva sede en Las Chapas, la séptima del término municipal. Como en el caso de la de Nueva Andalucía, esta sede, que fue bendecida por el cura de la zona, Roberto Rojo, tendrá la particularidad de contar con un departamento exclusivo para atender de forma preferente las necesidades de la numerosa población extranjera residente en este distrito....



January 26, 2010 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Construction and planning)

At first glance they just look like the plans for another typical Costa del Sol apartment block. However a closer look at the details reveal that there is nothing traditional about it. The building is to be called Arco Iris (Rainbow) and it will become the first real estate project in Spain that is aimed at LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) clients, with an added condition: residents must be over 55 as the development will also take on the role of a care centre. The building will be located in the very heart of Torremolinos, a town that in recent years has become a favourite holdiay resort for homosexuals. This has give...



November 06, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (News)

The “A Place in the Sun” exhibition confirms that 60% of purchasers prefer Spain and think prices are at rock bottom The hoped-for green shoots of the economy in the UK were showing their heads in Birmingham last weekend, when thousands of people turned out for the “A Place in the Sun” exhibition held at the NEC. International property shows in the UK had been in the doldrums over the past months and some of the organsisers had gone into bankruptcy owing to the overall downturn in property sales everywhere, but “A Place in the Sun”, back...



October 28, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Law)

Legally, it is not absolutely necessary for you to make a Spanish will to dispose of your assets in spain. A Briton who owns property in Spain can bequeath his Spanish apartment in the same British Will he uses to dispose of his property in England, and his will can be probated in Spain. However, there are a number of steps which must ta...



October 28, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Finance)

Sterling started last week under the headlines “the pound gets pounded”; It was looking very difficult to put a forward a case for buying Sterling when so much negativity continues to undermine it. One thing that was strikingly apparent is only the UK and US have expanded their money supply by over 100% in the past 18 months and both have interest rates at near zero.  It is no surprise then that both currencies are being used to fund positions in high yielding currencies and came under heavy pressure in the markets. However as the week unfolded things started to improve for...



October 06, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (News)

Since June we have seen an increase in sales volume of the property market in Marbella. We have seen this in our own company and lots of other estate agents we talk to daily confirm they are making more sales. Now is this a sign of recovery for the Marbella property market? We think it will still take time for prices going up again and prices might even go down a little more, although we are sure that we have seen the biggest price falls already. But nevertheless it is a good sign to see more houses selling. We think the reason behind the increase is the awareness with vendors that they really need to lower their prices in order to...



October 06, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (News)

The Andalucía High Court has overruled an order suspending demolition of part of the property

There has been another set back for Antonio Banderas regarding his home ‘La Gaviota’ at Los Monteros in Marbella.

The Andalucian High Court of Justice has rejected the ruling which had suspended...



October 06, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (News)

The owner is preparing to reopen, but delays in paying the bills meant the temporary layoff could not go ahead as agreed

There has been some progress for the troubled Los Monteros Hotel in Marbella, EFE reports this Monday, with signs that its Russian owner, Ernest Malyshev, is preparing to reopen the establishment. Electricity is back on and water supply has been restored, and it’s thoug...



September 25, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Finance)

The upper house in Spain has authorized the government of Spain to protect the mortgage holders from unfair financial practices. The Bank of Spain will now investigate the questionable mortgage practices.

The full Spanish Senate unanimous voted to approve a measure by the Popular Party, which calls on the government to take action against what is called unfair mortgage practices. Some credit institution will now feel more pressure from the Bank of Spain to regulate the mortgage market the the lending institutions, reports Finanzas.

In a statement, the spokesman of CiU...



September 22, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By () in (Finance)

The pound came under intense pressure last week falling to 1.10 against the euro and slipping against the USD. The pound has not been helped by wobbly risk sentiment, but the main damage seems to have been inflicted by an article in the Telegraph. The paper reported that Lloyds Banking Group has been forced to abandon it’s plan to withdraw from the Government’s toxic debt insurance scheme after failing to raise enough capital to meet the FSA’s strict requirements. As we experienced previously jitters in the UK banking sector hurt the pound and given the bad sentim...



September 16, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (News)

Six thousand square metres of bars, cafeterias and restaurants and 2,800 square metres of shops. With the opening of the new terminal building Malaga Airport is to become a first class commercial centre with an advantage to make most traders’ mouths water: more than ten million visitors a year, which could soon grow into 20 million. The lucky businesses to occupy this coveted space have now been chosen. Just over a month ago Aena awarded the contracts for the 21 new food and drinks premises and 24 shops, most of which will be in the new terminal building. As expected competition for the con...



September 18, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By () in (Finance)

The language used by foreign exchange specialists and the banks can often seem daunting. Currencies Direct, the pioneer of non-banking foreign exchange for private clients, have compiled the following glossary of terms to help make sure you understand exactly which currency product is right for you. Interbank Rate
The interbank rate can be applied to a variety of financial products including Foreign Exchange, i...



September 10, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Finance)

Keith Spitalnick, Business Development Manager at Currencies Direct offers his top tips on how to choose a foreign exchange specialist and how to determine the legitimate companies from the ‘cowboys':
1.       Select a company that has at least three years of audited accounts and is financially strong.
2.       Ask what professional bodies the company belongs to. The Association of International Property Professionals (AIPP) is the trade body set up to protect the interests of property buyers and sellers.
3. &nbs...



September 10, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Properties for sale)

We are happy to present you our latest property listing in the area of Hacienda las Chapas, Marbella. The villa is located on a fantastic over 300 m2 plot. It offers 4 bedrooms and three bathrooms all on one single level. The house is completely ready to move in t...



September 10, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Law)

If you already own a car with British or German registration and if you are a tourist in Spain, you can operate such a car for six months in a calendar year with no formalities beyond the presentation at the border of your driving licence, car registration and insurance certificate that is, if anyone bothers to stop you at the frontier.
You can keep your foreign-registered car in Spain permanently, but you will have to garage it for six months of each year as you can only drive it on Spanish roads for six months. As Spain is now a member of the EU, the international insurance certificate, or s...



September 07, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (News)

A new deal has been signed to re-open the five star hotel in Marbella. The workers’ committee at the luxury Los Monteros Hotel in Marbella has signed an agreement to reopen the establishment with the representative of the owner, the Russian magnate, Ernest Malyshev. If all goes to plan it means an end to eight months of conflict at the 5 star hotel. El País reports the deal was drawn up in the offices of the CCOO union in Marbella and includes the payment of 1.8 million € in back pay to some 60 workers. A total of 72 workers will remain at the establishment, picked on the ba...



September 07, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (News)

The Town Hall proposal concerns 30 restaurants affected by the Coastal Law

The Coastal Authority is currently studying a proposal from Marbella Town Hall to grant new concessions to the chiringuitos and have told Diario Sur that they plan to get the proposal out on public display as soon as possible.

It affects 30 of the town’s beach restaurants which, under the Ley de Costas, currently stand on protected coastal land. The paper said 15 of them will have to move a new location, but that it could be no more than just a few metres, should the Town Hall’s proposal be accepted....



September 01, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Finance)

As Spanish banks most of the time link their interest rates on mortgages to the Euribor this is good news for people looking for a mortgage at the moment. Euribor 12 months bank to bank rates are as low as 1.3 % at the moment after having been around 5.5 % only in 2008. Also people who had their mortgage rate revised are having lots of benefit at the moment. Spanish banks like Santander, CAM, ING Direct and others are generally offering something between Euribor + 1,2 and 1,5 % but discounts can be negotiated. Your aiming point should probably be trying to get +1%. Don´t forget Euribor is very low now but that won´t las...



September 01, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Law)

This is already the case for a longer while, to be exact from 2007, but lots of clients are still confused about this subject. In April of 2007, Spain ended the need for EU citizens to obtain a residence card. EU citizens now are issued a sheet of paper called a Certificado de Inscripción en el Registro Central de Extranjeros, a Certificate of Registration. The sheet also contains the EU citizen`s NIE, Numero de Identificación de Extranjero, which identifies him to the Spanish Tax Authorities. It is almost impossible to carry out any official or banking transaction without this number. All co...



August 31, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Home Staging)

We would like to share our view on some common factors that can have negatively influence when trying to sell a house. There are many more, fill the rest in yourself. Price: From experience we can say that most owners tend to look at their property in a very emotional way, and that is very normal. But when you want to sell your property someday it is not the best strategy to let yourself be guided by emotions. For example: most owners will consider their house the best of all other comparable houses and this is logical. One day they bought the house because they fell in love with i...



August 31, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (News)

Everybody seems to be talking about the credit crunch and the economy nowadays and everybody has an opinion of his own. Probably one of the heaviest discussed subjects are the local property prices and predictions whether they have bottomed out or will fall more.

I would like to share our point of view on this subject. Before I do this I would like to state one thing that is very important: nobody can see what the future brings and nobody can say with certainty what property prices will do, one can only give his opinion.

Now the big question is: Have the property prices of Marbella property...



August 31, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Finance)

August 26th, 2009 According to an article in the Spanish newspaper, Expansion, one in five Spanish mortgages is now considered as being high risk and liable to become "non performing". The mortgages at greatest risk are naturally those contracted after 2005 where the loan to valuation was over 80% of the total. In 2006 and 2007, according to data from the bank of Spain, LtVs were over 80% in 17.7% of the mortgages granted. Prior to 2006, the main source of data comes from a study by Genworth Financial, who show that loans with +80% LtV rose from...



September 03, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Properties for rent)

Marbella Long term rental of the week: We have added this apartment to our books last week. The apartment is located in the area of Elviria, not far from the beach next to the restaurants ¨La perla Blanca¨ and ¨The Beach House¨. The distance from the beach is probably around 200 met...



August 31, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Finance)

After a spell of inactivity akin to watching paint dry suddenly the GBP/EUR pair sprung into life.
The move started last Friday after we had further positive feedback from the US economy as existing home sales came in much better than forecast hitting 2 year highs; this data and a healthy economic assessment from Ben Bernanke boosted the good cheer in the markets. We are approaching the one year mark from the collapse in the financial systems and at the moment things are looking pretty steady and stable. However I personally feel that economic data will be closely scrutinized in the next quarter to look for sustainability in t...



August 28, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Law)

Costs involved in a property purchase in Spain will usually be less than 10 per cent of the purchase price , but can go higher in individual cases. (for instance when a mortgage is needed)
You have two taxes and two fees to pay on the transfer of your property. The two fees are for the notarisation of the deed and for its registry in the Property Registry. The two taxes are the transfer tax and a sort of capital gains tax on the increase in value of the land, usually called the Plus Valia Tax. This tax is a municipal tax. The Plusvalia is normally paid by the owner, but owner and buyer are free to make arrangements of who wil...



September 03, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Properties for sale)

A new interesting listing in Marbesa, just east of marbella. This house is located 100 to 150 meters from the beach only. The house has been very well taken care off over the years and has been rennovated in 2001. Afterwards all windows were replaced and a pool was placed. Please visit the listing details for more information.   ...



September 03, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Properties for sale)

We have recently visited the recently finished project Samara in the area of Altos de Los Monteros, Marbella. This high quality development is located high up on the hill just behind the town of Marbella. The area is called Altos de Los Monteros and is reached by taking the exit at the Hospital Costa del Sol/ Bahia de Marbella.   ...



August 14, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Law)

You might be offered property already owned by an offshore company registered in one of the many tax havens around the world.
This means that the property is not registered in the name of the owner. It is registered in the name of a company located in Gibraltar or Panama or the Caiman Islands. The owner of the company owns the property.
These tax havens earn their name because they are legal jurisdictions where taxes on locally registered companies are nil or very small, and secrecy is assured from the owner`s own tax jurisdiction.
The advantages: When you sell your Spanish property, it is only the company ...



October 06, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Law)

You go to see a Spanish lawyer and explain your wishes to him. In the case of death of one spouse, for example, you may wish to leave all possible assets directly to the other spouse, without any inheritance to the children. As a foreigner, you should be able to do this. Even if surviving children inherit their legal portion, it is not usually necessary for the house to be sold and the proceeds divided, for example. The surviving spouse continues to live in the house and administer it for the good of the children still at home. If the house is later sold, the children can then get their legal share...



October 06, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Law)

The annual real estate tax on your spanish property must also be paid. This tax, based on your valor catastral, can vary widely from town to town for the same type of property because it is a municipal tax. This real estate tax is called the IBI, the Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles. The tax is raised every year, in line with inflation. If you are a non-resident, the best solution for you is to have the tax directed debit in your spanish bank account. This is a standing order to the bank to pay the tax and you can include any other municipal charges as the rubbish collection tax. You obtain...



August 08, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Finance)

After the doom and gloom in the markets over the winter months, spring brought a cheer back into the markets and talk of “green shoots” helped sterling to lead the march higher across the markets.  In May and June we saw a plethora of improved data from around the globe leading to better sentiment and lifting the pound which was sold heavily and progressively as the recession enveloped the global markets. More recently however we have seen more bad news returning to add a cold dose of medicine for the UK economy.  The bad news has centered on the GDP contraction of 2.4%- the sharpest fall since 1958; the rising unempl...



July 13, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

A cliffhanger of a week for sterling last week dominated by the expectation and then the announcement from the Bank Of England on interest rates on Thursday.  Going back to the start of the weekrisk aversion was ratcheted up a couple of notches due to a few contributing factors; firstly the hangover of the payroll data from the US on the previous Thursday was still apparent and undermined any move into risky assets. In addition the civil unrest in China did not help- here violence in the western region of Xinjiang left at least 140 people dead and more than 800 people injured also helping the case for risk aversion.  This led t...



August 08, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Green energy)

Residents are no longer subject to the property owners` imputed income tax on their principal dewlling. For this tax, 2 per cent of the official rated value of your property, the valor catastral, is calculated as if it were income and added to your total. If your rated value has recently been raised sharply, the figure will be 1.1 per cent.
This tax on imaginary income for the taxpayer`s principal residence ended in 1999. If, however, you own two homes in Spain, you will have to pay the tax on the second residence.
 
Non-residents remain subject to the tax as, by definition, Spain is not their principal residence. They ...



August 08, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Home Staging)

We just took a great villa for sale that used to be priced at 1.2 million euros and is now reduced to 850.000 euros for a quick sell. We normally are not very impressed with price reductions as we see a lot of them nowadays and most of the time the properties are not the most interesting ones.

But now we think it is a special occasion to shout out loud that this villa is really priced to sell. The property is located in the heart of Elviria walking distance to shops and amenities. It offers a great 1.300 m2 plot and offers sea view from the upper floor. The villa is completely ready to move in to and is offered without furniture...



June 16, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

Historically the taxation of non residents has always been different to that of Spanish residents and this has been widely criticised by professionals and taxpayers particularly by those resident in other EU member states. Discrimination of EU citizens or companies is prohibited under EU Law since its inception and the signing of the European Union treaty and all subsequent EU Legislation and all European countries have had to adapt their internal legislation to be in compliance with...



August 08, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Restaurants and Bars)

Although the economic climate is very tough we can still see activity and new businesses opening in the area. Elviria recently saw the opening of a new Tapas bar ¨El Barracon de las Tapas¨, which serves quality Tapas at very competitive prices. The place is packed every day until now and we can say that Elviria has a new hotspot again.

Recently we were surprised to see the popular franchise Terra Sana is opening a new branch in Elviria in July. Terra Sana is know for its healthy food, salads, wraps, juices and smoothies.

The area ...



August 08, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Finance)

After the doom and gloom in the markets over the winter months, spring has brought a cheer back into the markets and talk of “green shoots” are now actually looking more founded and the pound is leading the march.  We have seen a wealth of improved economic data from around the globe and the overall better sentiment is helping the pound which was sold heavily and progressively as the recession enveloped the global markets.  In 2008 sterling lost over 23% against the euro and flirted just above parity at Christmas- an incredible slide!  Since the turn of 2009 sterling has clawed back 10% against the euro so far an...



June 09, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

SPAIN DOES NOT TAX STOCK-MARKET PROFITS Spain does not tax profits made by an EU non-resident investor in the Spanish stock market. These profits from sale and income from interest on bonds are now considered as not arising in Spain. Dividends, however, remain taxable, when paid by Spanish companies.But even dividends are free of Spanish tax when the EU investor puts his noney into a foreign company which is quoted on the Spanish stock-market, and there are many.This freedom applies only to individuals who are resident in other EU countries, not to companies. It supposes that the non-resident investor is pay...



June 09, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

Foreigners often think that taking out an official residence permit in Spain will cost them money and expose them to Spanish taxes which non-residents can avoid.The truth is often the reverse. The resident property owner has a number of tax advantages over the non-resident 1. If you are a resident and more than 65 years of age, and you have lived in your home for three years, you will not be subject to Spanish capital gains tax when you sell it, no matter how great your profit2. If you are a resident and you sell your property, you are not subject to having 3 per cent of the total purchase price withheld and...



June 07, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

Foreign property owners all over Spain are getting the impression that inheritance tax is being done away with.The answer is yes, no, maybe, sometimes, and it depends. Whether your heirs will be subject to inheritance tax on your Spanish property depends on where the property is, whether you are an official resident or not, how long you have owned the property and other factors.
Location of the property and place of residence of the owner are the two most important factors. The short ...



May 14, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

Currently the pound is just about holding onto the 1.50 level against the dollar but has retraced down against the euro to 1.11 from a high of 1.14.  This month to date we have witnessed a wealth of economic data and also the monthly interest rate decisions from the Bank Of England and the European Central Bank. The Bank of England held the official interest rate as expected at 0.5% but surprised the markets by increasing the size of their asset purchasing programme by £50 billion in phase 2 of Quantitative Easing.  This now brings the total facility to £125 billion as the treasury pushes forward in its desire to ease...



April 30, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

Risk Aversion trading takes over again in the Far East as uncertainty over the seriousness of the ‘swine-flu' proves the driver for market traders. Official comment puts the death toll so far in Mexico at 103 and although there have been no fatalities from the disease in the US, there have been reported cases in several large cities including at a high school in New York City. This really is an example of ‘watch this space' and the market will be conscious of any adverse developments.Whilst the flu story is very unpredictable, the rest of the market has a more routine ring to it. The US Treasury get back on their cash raising wagon ...



January 26, 2010 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

Posted by Home Exposure Marbella, courtesy of Keith Spitalneck of Currencies Direct

Can Sterling continue its recovery as Euro Tumbles?

Finally it seems as though we are starting to turn a corner…..

At the time of writing GBP is trading at 1.1357 against EUR.

Yesterday the ECB president, Jean-Claude Trichet, said the central bank must do everything possible to boost confidence, signalling to the market that the ECB may cut rates from the current 1.25%. The next ECB meeting (and BOE meeting) is...



March 27, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

Home Exposure Marbella have recently taken this luxurious and special property for sale in the exclusive Los Monteros area, check this pdf presentation:...



August 08, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Leisure and activities)

By Lynsay Doel in cooperation with Home Exposure Marbella

Malaga Airport Airline & Flight

Spain has 47 airports and Malaga Airport is the fourth busiest and handled over 12 millions passengers a year.
Flights to Malaga International Airport are available from over 120 different airports world wide and 30 countries have direct flights to Malaga.
With many daily flights connections to Madrid you can virtually travel to any place around the world. From Britain you can choose between 28 different UK Airports, 4 different routes from Ireland and 3 three ro...



August 08, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Home Staging)

Posted by Lynsay Doel in cooperation with Home Exposure Marbella

Renting Property in Spain

This section is a detailed and up-to-date guide to the important aspects of renting a home in Spain.

When moving to a new country, there are many new adjustments that you need to make and it can seem overwhelming. A key step in feeling at home in a foreign country is organizing a suitable place to stay: a space to call your own. Every country has its own accepted practices when it comes to finding accommodation or arranging a rental contract: without information, it ...



September 03, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Home Staging)

Post by Lynsay Doel in cooperation with Home Exposure Marbella

STAGING for Villas and Apartments
Villa/apartment staging is about illusions.  It's beyond decorating and cleaning. It's about perfecting the art of creating moods. Staging makes your villa/apartment look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, more loving and best of all; it makes people want to stay in it.
Contrary to what you might think, it's about more than preparing the villa/apartment to rent/sell. Staging is what you do after you've cleaned, de-cluttered, painted, made minor repairs; it's all abou...



October 06, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Properties for sale)

Property bank repossessions and distressed sales are probably one of the most discussed subjects on the Costa del Sol and the Spanish property market in general. Although a hot subject, our experience is that most of the time when people talk about a bank repossession or a distressed sale pricewise it´s not even that interesting considering the property and location.

One should consider that also with normal property nowadays it is possible to get a very good discount from the owner, even if the owner is...



August 08, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Home Staging)

Home Exposure Marbella has just started collaborating with Estepona based agency Terra Meridiana.

Terra Meridiana - a different kind of real estate service
Established in 2004, Terra Meridiana S.L. is a market leading estate agency
based in Andalucia, Spain. With offices in Spain and London, the firm covers
residential and new home sales, residential lettings, property management,
land and development sales and consultancy in both inland and coastal areas.
Our approach is simple, to offer and maintain a level...



March 19, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

Provided by Home Exposure Marbella in cooperation with Currencies DirectThe £ & € Exchange Rates – Where are we heading?…. 17Th March 2009The huge drop in exchange rates for the Pound against the Euro over the last week has followed on from what has been a very volatile period for the currency pair, making it very difficult to judge the best time to buy or sell.The Bank of England minutes next week may go some way to determining whether the slide for Sterling will continue but the real risk to many people is the ...



September 03, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Law)

Change to Coastal Law in Spain means properties can be sold again

The 1988 Coastal Law had taken all beach property into public ownership ahead of demolition.

The Spanish Government has added a last minute amendment to the Ley de Costas, Coastal Law. The change comes as an attempt to lessen the barrage of criticism the law has received from Europe, following complaints from the British and German embassies.

The law is in fact not a new one, but is now 20 years old,...



March 12, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

It design is helping Home Exposure Marbella storm the internet rankings. After only having started the website medio November we are already the best visited Marbella real estate website and are ranked high on content specific keywords in the search engines. If you check for keywords like: property Marbesa, villa for sale Marbesa etc. you will find us high in the rankings. Next step is the more general keywords. Check this alexa.com link...



March 12, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

Partnering agencies can deliver us content in order to get their own website higher in the Google rankings. We will update their post on our own well visited web and several blogs and forums. check...



March 12, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

HomeExposureHome Exposure Marbella has just started a collaboration with flexicurity of Switzerland see home Exposure website...



September 03, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (Finance)

By Home Exposure Marbella in cooperation with Currencies Direct

Source: Keith Spitalnick, Currencies Direct Spain


10 things you need to know when transferring your money to buy a property
When purchasing your property abroad you will need to pay for it in the foreign currency of that country e.g. for Spain this will be in euros. Your traditional high street bank may seem the obvious choice for where you change your savings, due to ease and tradition, but they are likely offer you the tourist rate on the exchan...



March 04, 2009 - No Comments - Posted By (Admin) in (default)

Home Exposure MarbellaSABINE REICHOW    ABOGADA-LAWYER-RECHTSANWÄLTIN10 things to have in mind when you purchase a property in Marbella, SpainAVDA RICARDO SORIANO 47, EDIFICIO BALMORAL, 1ª PLANTA OFICINA 102, 29601 MARBELLA • PHONE: 629690750 • FAX: 952863937E-MAIL: SRLAWYERS@TERRA.ES 1.- 1.-To start with, be aware of the fact that any person or his/her representative who  intervenes in the purchase of a property and therefore has to sign before a public Notary has to have a spanish NIE Number ( Numero de Identificación Extranjera). Th...