Spain Remains Favourite for Brits Moving Abroad, Questions You Need to Ask When Viewing a Property, Plus More

What Draws a Buyer's Focus When Viewing a Property?

 Are you selling your home? Got a viewing coming up? Make sure you get rid of any clutter as it could be the downfall of a potential sale.

Anglian Home Improvements recently conducted some research using eye tracking technology to discover where buyers' eyes are drawn to when viewing a property. During this study, a variety of homebuyers wore eye-tracking glasses while viewing a home so that it could be determined what aspects of a home captured their focus.

According to the findings of the study, the largest concern for buyers and taking up 27% of the buyer's focus, was furnishings and décor, closely followed by clutter and mess, which attracted 24% of their focus during the viewing. Although the clutter and mess were not always mentioned when passing on feedback to the agent, it still caught their eye.

Perhaps the most surprising statistic from this study was that only 4% of the viewing time was spent on the property's layout.

The results also showed that personal items of the seller such as family photos often distracted the viewer from other aspects of the room.

It was also revealed that there were some differences depending on gender as men were more focused on the exterior of the home (32%) while women were more concerned about the interior (16%). It also seems that clutter and mess is less of an issue for men as they only spent 20% of their time focusing on it, while women averaged 28%.

Head of PR at Anglian Home Improvements, Melanie McDonald, said: “It was very interesting to learn that so little of the participant's behaviour was focused on the building and structural features, apart from the things that needed to be fixed.”

McDonald went on to say that “Although it is easy to forget to mend that broken light switch or socket, the fact that all the participants lingered on the badly installed light switch in the study just goes to show these little things are noticed during house viewings and will make the idea of them living in the property seem much further away.

“With nearly a fifth of the house hunters’ time spent looking out the window, one of the top tips from this experiment is to make sure the view from your windows is up to scratch.”

Spain Still the Favourite Location for Brits Moving Abroad

A recent study into the buying habits of Brits looking for a change of scenery has found the allure of Spain still holds a strong hold over British buyers.

Spain remains the most popular European country for Britons looking to relocate or buy a second home. The number of searches totalled 2,513,374 – over 74% more than France, which came in at second place.

Spain beat competition from locations such a Portugal, Italy and Germany, to be named the favourite location for those looking to make a fresh start.

So why is Spain so popular?
Spain is still one of the most popular holiday destinations for UK holidaymakers, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that many visitors fall in love and wish to make it their permanent home. But what is it about Spain that makes it so appealing as a permanent home?

Distance
The average flight time from the UK to Spain is just over two hours, making it one of the fastest to reach destinations in Europe. Spain is also affordable to reach all year round, with the usual summer holidays price increase being less severe than the ones for flights to France, Italy and Malta.

Climate
Spain’s average temperature sits at a warm and comfortable 21°C, making it one of the hottest countries in Europe, perfect for a summer home. You can expect higher temperatures of hitting 30°C in June, 34°C in July and 33°C in August. Spain is the perfect escape for those sick of the UK's dreary summers.

Affordability

Some buyers might be concerned that the cost of living in Spain might be dramatically higher than the UK. At the moment, the cost of living in Spain is approximately equal to cost of living in the UK. That means you won’t be paying more in Spain for your food, bills and entertainment.

Questions You Should be Asking When Attending a Viewing

 The process of buying a home can be a long and stressful one so when you do finally decide to put an offer on a house, you need to be certain that it’s on the right house. How can you be sure you’ve found the right property? By taking your time when viewing a home and asking the right questions. You’d be surprised at some of the questions people forget to ask and end up regretting it months down the line when they discover something about the home that they don’t like.

To make sure that you find the property most suitable for you, we’ve compiled a list of 10 questions that are definitely worth asking when viewing a property.

How long has the property been on the market?
A great place to start as it can give you a good insight into the property immediately. If a property has been up for sale for nearly a year, you might want to think about why no one has picked it up so far. Houses that are on the market for a long time aren't always a sign of something sinister, but knowing how long it has been on the market does give you a little more perspective and is a good starting point to any viewing.

How much interest has there been?
This is a good follow up question to the previous. Especially if you think you’ve found your dream home. If there have been a lot of viewings or even a couple of offers then you know straight away that you need to act quickly.

How long have the current owners been here?
When viewing a property, most people are thinking long-term and looking for a home they can see themselves in for years to come, so it’s worth finding out if the previous owners did just that. If there have been multiple owners in and out of the property over the last 5 years, then you need to think, why?

Have there been any recent repairs or renovations?
What you have to keep in mind when viewing a property is that you’re most likely viewing it in its cleanest and brightest state. The current owners are trying to sell this home and to do that they’ll do their best to wow you at every opportunity. Try not to simply glance at the rooms and move on, ask questions about the state of the home, have there been any repairs recently? Will the home need any repairs in the future? If you’re making an investment, you want to know

What’s included in the sale?
While you wouldn’t expect the seller to leave behind their 60 inch HD TV, some of the items in the home may be left behind. This mainly applies to the kitchen area and items such as cookers, washers, dryers. It’s best to ask what’s included with the home so you know what extra purchases you’ll need to make if you end up buying the home.

Can we test the plumbing and electrics?
Sellers may not make you aware of any electrical or plumbing issues so it would be best to check everything is in working order. Check the water pressure and try turning all of the lights on and off. This doesn’t mean that you should consider any faults with electrics and plumbing as deal breakers, but you need to know exactly what needs fixing.

What’s the neighbourhood like?
You can take a walk around the area yourself and get a feel for things, but a good agent should know the area pretty well and be able to give you more information. Ask about the local schools, shops and if there has been any major changes in the area recently. After all, you’re not just investing in the home, you’re also investing in the neighbourhood itself.

What transportation links do we have easy access to?
If you or members of your family need to use public transport, find out about the transport links. How far away are the train stations and bus stops? How frequently do they run in this area? If you’re going to be using public transport daily, you need to know if the commute from your new home is suitable.

How is traffic during rush hour?
For those of you that get around the city in a car, finding out how easy it would be to get from point A to point B during peak times could be quite important. If you need to drop the kids off at school and try and get to work before 9:00 am, it’s best to find out how much of a challenge that will be on a daily basis.

Can we book another viewing?
If you make it through the viewing and still feel positive, ask if you can come back again at a different time of day to see if you feel the same. Try visiting when it’s less bright when the property looks less like a show home or when the area is less quiet during rush hour and find out whether noise could be an issue.

What are the Rules for Living in a Spanish Community?

 In Spain, it is common for an apartment or property in Spain, to form a part of a development. Your neighbours or estate agent might talk about a “Community of Property Owners” and the service charges that add to the cost of owning a property in Spain. So what is a community? And how does it impact upon you as the owner?

What is a “Community of Property Owners”?
A development will usually comprise a number of individual apartments or villas, which will be built around or near to a communal area. The communal area will usually be something like a private road, a swimming pool, or golf course, depending on the development.

By buying a property in a development, you gain access to these excellent amenities. However, its maintenance isn’t free, so, by Spanish law, a community of property owners must be formed, and each owner must pay a community fee to cover the cost of the upkeep. The site will usually have a paid administrator on site, to oversee the upkeep of the development.

So what are the benefits?
Well firstly, it means there is always a proactive (and reactive) plan in place for the maintenance of the communal area, which is paid for through your community fee. That means if you own the property as a holiday home, you will won’t have to bother with maintenance when you are supposed to be on holiday.

A development will mean you and your neighbours will have access to exclusive amenities that you would not normally have (i.e. swimming pools, communal gardens) all of which will be tended to by professionals. There might also be a handyman on site, who can assist you with repairs on your own property, meaning you won’t need to find a professional, which can be tricky in an unfamiliar culture.

Living on a development means there will always be someone present on the site, so you can feel more secure when you are away from your Spanish home. If you ever choose to rent out your property, having professionals on-site can make the process far easier.

The administrators of the development will usually hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM), meaning you will get the opportunity to learn of any changes being made well in advance. You might also have the opportunity to have your say on changes.

So how can I avoid problems?
Firstly, ensure you have a direct debit set up to cover the cost of your community fee. The last thing you want is to lose access to the on-site amenities because it slipped your mind to pay your bill. It is also vital that you attend the AGM, to ensure that you remain informed of all the upcoming changes that might take place.