The market can be a bit confusing when looking for a house abroad. Luckily, you can get someone to do all the hard work for you – a real estate agent.
A real estate agent will know the local market like the back of their hand – every property for sale, its characteristics and exactly how much each one is worth. Money can’t buy that kind of expertise.
They will do all that fiddly paperwork that can be daunting when dealing with foreign bureaucracy.
They will search for the perfect property to suit your needs and try to get you the best deal possible.
As an intermediary between you and the property owner, they can solve any problems, argue your case, iron out the finer points of the deal or even request renovations to the property, all in a calm and professional way.
Best of all, they speak the local language!
Things to look out for...
There is an extra cost involved in using a real estate agency. This will normally be paid by the seller, but some agencies charge both the seller and the buyer for their services.
By signing exclusively to an estate agency, you may be limiting your options to only those properties that are in the agent’s portfolio, when there are many more out there.
At the end of the day, using an estate agency can be an enormous help when buying a property, but be sure to choose very carefully who you trust with your future purchase.
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