Tips when viewing Barcelona Real estate

Barcelona real estate Blog

Friday, 08 October 2010 13:20

When searching for your perfect apartment, you can make life a lot easier for yourself by following these guidelines for viewing properties, and ensure your purchase is as sound as you think it is. Make purchasing Barcelona real estate a much less painful process.

View the property more than once

If you find a property you like, it is important you visit it more than once, preferably at different times of day, so you can get a good feel for the natural light the property receives. The mind is prone to play tricks, and the second viewing may reveal things the first did not. It is surprising how often buyers comment how the property seems different to how they remember it the first time.

Check the orientation of the property

Make sure you are aware of the orientation of your new apartment. South facing properties receive more light throughout the day than north facing ones.

Keep an open mind

Often, the right property for you is something you hadn´t considered or thought of until you have seen it. Keep an open mind as to the state of the property, if it is in worse condition than you were looking for, but is in a great location, has a good price and great potential for you to renovate to your taste, it is worth considering. Also, looking at areas you hadn´t previously considered my bring up some fantastic properties.

Research local amenities

Check seemingly simple things such as how far the apartment is from public transport, where the nearest supermarket is, whether there is parking nearby, and whether there is a shop that is open late, for example. These things can make a big difference to your quality of life when you move in (or the convenience of your tenants if you intend to rent it out as a Holiday apartment), but are often overlooked.

Check the installations of the building

Make sure there is a gas installation, and the hot water is powered by gas. A lot of older buildings are not connected to gas, so people rely on electric installations for their hot water,cooking and heating, which means higher utility bills, or else they use "butano", which is gas sold in bottles, which is inconvenient and expensive. Getting gas put into the apartment can be very expensive and inconvenient, and you will often need the consent of the rest of your neighbours, who may be resistant to the idea. Also, check things like the community charges, whether there is a cleaner for the stairs of the building, or a doorman.

Look at a good number of properties

This is especially true when buying abroad, it is important to view a number of properties to get a better idea of what is on the market.