New Year resolutions

With January buzzing with New Year's resolutions, many of us will be promising ourselves that 2005 is the year we will finally make our dream come true and buy that property abroad.  So how do you make the experience a pleasure? 

After all a home in the sun is an exciting prospect, whether you are looking for somewhere that may eventually be your main residence, or just your own place to spend your holiday.  There is no replacement for a good wishlist.  A holiday getaway wants to be close to the sort of amenities that you use. 

Are you a golfer?  A party animal?  Will you rent out the property when you are not here?  Do you tend to rent a car, or will you need public transport and taxis?  Do you cook, or is proximity to restaurants important?  If you have kids, that will throw all sorts of new questions into the melting pot. 

It may all seem very obvious, but all these questions will save you a lot of time.  You don't want to spend your precious leisure hours traipsing around every property on offer, so the clearer you are about what you want, the less time you will spend wasted on seeing the wrong properties. 

Of course, your agent will be invaluable in this.  A good agent will make the time to sit down with you and discuss your needs.  If your requirements are not realistic for the price you are prepared to pay, then your agent will be able to help you decide on which factors to compromise.  A good agent should be well trained, so that your time is spent on seeing a very short list of possibilities.  The more thoroughly the agent understands what you want, the better for you. 

But that's just the start.  Your agent will be able to advise you on the myriad of other choices you will make when you purchase, from mortgages to insurance.  Not all estate agents on the island have the administrative infrastructure to make sure that the process goes smoothly.  It can't be emphasised too strongly to potential buyers that the first step in the property hunt should be about finding the right agent.  A good track record is vital as is some third party recognition, such as awards for service. 

The responsibility of an agent in Tenerife should go far beyond simply getting you to sign on the dotted line.  It is a real shame that not all agents feel the same way about after sales service.  It is more than a shame that, for a buyer, it is almost impossible to tell at the outset which agent is going to be conscientious and which is going to leave them to fend for themselves in a foreign country.  So protect yourself.  Don't worry about the properties you see in the adverts.  An established estate agency will have many hundreds that don't appear in their advertising, and the chances are they will have just the one you're looking for.  Time spent on finding a quality organisation to deal with will save you so much when you come to buy. 

Buying a property on this beautiful island is a fantastic New Year's resolution; make sure the experience is a pleasure, not a pain.