“Definitely don’t hesitate” How A Place in the Sun Currency will save Paul in excess of €10,000

How did we choose it? Well, through aplaceinthesun.com, they put us in contact with Welcome Estates and we set up a viewing trip last September for a week. On the first few days we viewed 10 properties, a mixture of second-hand and new-builds, and then on the Thursday we went to put the reservation fee down on a new-build property and haven’t looked back.

How did you fund the purchase? Have you sold up in the UK and moved, or is this a holiday home for now?

It’s a holiday home, we did have an apartment down the Costa del Sol but we’ve got an expanding family with more grandchildren, so the traditional 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom ground floor apartment wasn’t big enough. The Costa Blanca just seems to offer far better value than the Costa del Sol. We knew where we wanted to go, we were familiar with the purchasing process in Spain and we used the proceeds from the Costa del Sol property sale, plus some savings. We’re going to stay in the UK and use it as a holiday home for us and the family.

I did consider using my current account, but I really found that service can be somewhat lacking and it can still be paper-based. The commission and the exchange rates they offer was nowhere near as good as A Place in the Sun Currency, so it was dismissed fairly quickly – don’t use your current accounts!

What made you choose A Place in the Sun Currency, and are you pleased that you did?

It was all packaged together, A Place in the Sun Currency do everything from the beginning to the end. They arranged a Teams meetings with the estate agent prior to us going out in September, they arranged the viewing trip and it was a natural progression that in terms of funding the property, A Place in the Sun Currency would help us with that. There were no issues, it’s bundled together in a great way that gives excellent customer service.

If you could give 3 tips to help other people when buying overseas, what would they be?

1. Know your budget, but be realistic with that budget
2. Pick your area after you’ve done research
3. Use professionals to help you in purchasing that property. Don’t think you can cut corners. Just think, right, I’ve got the budget, I’ve got the location, I’m going to use people that do this for a living to get me the best holiday home or the best permanent home and then just go for it!

How much planning did you do in terms of budget and exchange rates, when it came to putting offers in?

Not a lot, actually we didn’t have a budget! I look at rates every day anyway and having had a Spanish property since 2004 it was something I looked at on a daily basis. So we didn’t have a firm budget, I knew about exchange rates and with buying off-plan it wasn’t a matter of putting an offer in, it was ‘this is the price, you sign up, give the reservation fee and off you go!’ It’s straightforward, you don’t have to think about putting offers in, haggling or counter offers.

Is there anything in the overseas buying process, generally, that you would change if you could?

I suppose there’s nothing much we can influence, there’s a lot of involvements with notaries and so forth that you don’t have over here in the UK. You’ve just got to realise if you’re buying in foreign country you’ve got to go through their processes, so it may be a little different from the UK or England, but we can’t change that. It’s not going to be a straightforward process, but I’ve got A Place in the Sun Currency to help me.

Do you feel that A Place in the Sun Currency play a helpful role in your property buying journey?

Definitely. It makes it so much easier and they really keep you involved. It’s just a seamless process, they’re very clear on what documentation they need such as proof of funds and ID etc, I can’t fault them it’s just great. They do what they say they’re going to do, when they’re going to do it and everything moves through so smoothly.

Is there anything that you think A Place in the Sun, including the currency service, could have done to help you even more?

I don’t think so, to be honest. I still get the daily emails with overseas properties, just to see what’s available out there. It’s all the service together—the estate agents, currency services if you need them, solicitors, and notaries. It’s a one-stop shop. As I say, these are professionals who do this Monday to Friday, 9 till 5, and probably even longer hours. So I have no qualms. You know you’re going to get the right service because they’ve got a reputation to uphold!

Would you recommend A Place in the Sun Currency?

Definitely don’t hesitate! I can’t see an alternative to be honest. Great service, great rates, you’ll be saving a fortune. Go ahead and use the A Place in the Sun Currency team.