Buying Land
More and more non-residents are looking for land to build their own dream villa/Chalet. More and more Spanish real estate agents include plots of land in their property for sale.
Due to the sharp rise in Spanish property prices over the past 10 years, buying land in Spain to build your Villa/Chalet is often much cheaper than buying a Spanish villa with a large garden (this is not however necessarily as cheap as many newcomers to the Spanish property market hope).
Buying land to build can be just as complicated as buying a house in Spain. Spanish land laws are complex, and it is very important to choose the correct plot of land in order to avoid future problems. It is vital to find out if the land you are considering has planning permission, or may be under a possible repossession order similar to the one facing by unfortunate property owners in the Costa Blanca.
Once you have checked all this out with an English speaking lawyer and bought your land, you will need to find an architect to design the house, have the plans approved, and get planning permission. Then you will have to find a reputable building company (this is no easier than finding a good builder in the UK) and then you need to, or have a project management company oversee the actual construction.
However this should not deter you from buying a plot of land we are just making you aware of the correct procedures.
We can assist in all of these matters, but we charge a commission as it can be very time consuming.
If you have bought a plot of land in Spain and are going have a house built you may intend, later, to install a swimming pool. When you include the swimming pool in the initial plans and have it built at the same time as the house, you will only have to pay 7% IVA (VAT).
If you wait and have it built later, it will be considered as a luxury item liable to a 16% IVA. The average price of a small swimming pool at the moment is €10,000 this is a €900 difference just in the tax. Why wait when you can have it included at the beginning?
