Mark Stucklin
Mark Stucklin is the author of ‘Need to Know? Buying Property in Spain’, published by Harper Collins, and writes the Spanish Property Doctor column for the Sunday Times. He also writes about energy efficiency and how to save money at home.
The fibs that property vendors tell, in Spain at least
Vendors always went to highlight benefits whilst reducing perceived costs, but telling porky pies is another matter. In a country like Spain, where the information you get from estate agents is patchy at best, buyers often find that the property or plot size ain’t half as big as advertised. Here is a list of some other common fibs told by vendors.
- There is no damp or infestations
- The electrical installations are in perfect condition
- This place never gets flooded
- Taxes and maintenance costs are low
- It’s a quiet area
- They are going to build a golf course here
- Your sea view is safe
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A sign of the times – a mortgage that costs nothing
A Spanish savings bank offers to lend money for free, at least for 3 years. A mortgage with no interest or capital repayments at all for the first 3 years, and no capital or interest roll up for later years. A loan with no admin fee (apart from notary costs, I guess) and a LTV of up to 90%. What is going on? Read more
Life can be tough in the Alpujarras of Andalucia, explains Chris Stewart
Chris and Annie Stewart
Life in the Alpujarras of Andalucia was tough before he turned the experience into a series of bestselling books, explains best-selling author Chris Stewart, talking to Mark Stucklin of Housematix. Read more
Why has there been so little outcry in Spain?
Beautifying the Spanish coast
It has always amazed me how little outcry there has been in the Spanish press and society about the depraved goings on in the Spanish property market, and Spain’s uniquely grotesque town planning model, especially in the Valencian Region, home to the Costa Blanca (and some of the most venal politicians on earth).
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No shortgage of “Real Spain” if you are interested
I’m on the fast train from Madrid to Barcelona, travelling through the heart of Spain. Miles and miles of stunning countryside bathed in Spring sunshine flash past the window as we cruise along at close to 300 kmh. The snow-capped Pyrenees are visible in the distance.
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Spanish property market in the dark
Spanish property, lost in the desert?
Where are you if you can’t see anything around you, and don’t have a map? Lost, most likely, just like the Spanish real estate market, where a lack of reliable data means we are all in the dark as to what is going on.
‘Mr. Drains’ abandons Spain for Africa
Seseña
Spanish developer Francisco Hernando, better known as ‘El Pocero’, or ‘Mr. Drains’, is abandoning all building work on his macro-urbanisation in Seseña, not far from Madrid, and heading off to build homes in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea, one of the least developed, and most corrupt countries in Africa.
Nobody is buying holiday homes on the Costa Blanca anymore
Is this what you really want?
I read that holiday homes on the Costa Blanca aren’t selling so well these days, down 83% in 2 years, from 4,233 sales in 2006 to just 702 last year (sales by developers to non-resident Europeans).
Caja Castilla La Mancha: Spain’s answer to Northern Rock
A Spanish Northern Rock
The guessing game as to which Spanish financial institution would be the first to do a “Northern Rock” is over. Last Saturday the Bank of Spain stepped in to bailout Caja Castilla La Mancha (CCM), a regional savings banks from the Castilla La Mancha region, providing the bank with 9 billion Euros of government-backed guarantees, and kicking out the top management.
Spain has been very naughty says EU Parliament
This morning the European Parliament voted on a report slamming Spain for all manner of evils in the country’s property sector.
The report, by Danish MEP (Greens) Margrete Auken, paints a depressing picture of developers and corrupt politicians trampling over private property rights and the environment in pursuit of their own enrichment, whilst the authorities look the other way.