Ever dreamed of living in the beautiful Spanish countryside? What could be better than doing so in your very own unique home, designed to your specifications? More and more people are buying land in Spain and doing just that.
If you are considering a self-build project in Spain it’s vital, as with any overseas
property purchase, to have a clear grasp of the legal and financial implications. Finding a plot of land is just the beginning, once it is secured with a deposit you will find yourself in consultation with architects and builders – and detailed plans will be drawn up. Current regulations with regard to building in a rural setting are fairly strict. This is a very deliberate policy to avoid the problems that have occurred on the coast due to intensive property development.
All new properties built on rural land must cover at least 10,000 square metres and only 2% of that land may be used for actual construction.
There are lots of other factors to be taken into account if you choose to self-build. You’ll need water and electricity and, depending on your plot, you may not have them! If there aren’t plans for mains electricity to be brought into the area you’ll need a generator. If there isn’t any water then a water tank will need to be included in your plans.
Once plans are drawn up there are two ways to proceed:
• Autopromocion: you, the buyer, purchase the plot of land and a builder builds on your behalf. A Title Deed must be authorised at the Notary before any building work can take place.
• You purchase the plot of land and the completed property at the same time, at the final signing of the Title Deeds for the house. This gives the builder more freedom to proceed and saves you two trips to the Notary.
Spain being Spain, things can proceed more slowly than you would like. Any building project is likely to end up, at some stage, tangled in rather a lot of bureaucratic red tape. It’s vital that you are prepared, both mentally and financially, for delays and that you have a realistic timeframe in mind for completion of your self-build project. Building your own dream home can seem
daunting but the rewards can be great: the house you build will really be your own.
Self-build clearly isn’t for everyone – there is also great potential in inland Spain
to find a renovation project. Prices have gone up of late, as buyers have become more aware of the investment potential of doing up a property inland, but there are still bargains to be found. The benefits of buying away from the coast can be significant – inland properties generally come with land, are more spacious and, above all, enable you to embrace a slower, genuinely Spanish, way
of life. Be aware that the words “in need of renovation” can cover a multitude of
possibilities! If you are lucky, it may be a cheap ‘fixer-upper’ needing a few coats of white emulsion and some TLC…at the other end of the scale are huge renovation projects requiring time, money and commitment.
Another popular option, of course, is to buy a lovely villa, with beautifully tended gardens and a pool…and just move in! You may be pleasantly surprised at just how much further your money will go inland, if so far you have only looked at properties in the busy coastal resorts.
You can find plots of land, renovation projects and ready-to-move-into properties at www.country-homeespana.co.uk
