The Internet is one of the best tools you can use when you go into buying mode and is curious about what is available on the Spanish real estate market.

Many customers are incredibly prepared and have put down many hours online to explore areas and homes before traveling to Spain for viewings.
Some customers are happy to bring well-documented and printed materials, some have folders full of different homes and suggestions.
I once had a client with very advanced spreadsheets, where the customer has analyzed around thirty properties down to the smallest detail.

When a customer comes loaded with information and knows what it wants is always positive, as it makes the agent's work somewhat smoother.
What makes the whole thing a little more complicated, and unfortunately can lead to confusion and disappointment, is the fact that a lot of what is advertised on websites and search engines can already be sold. Or the information is not correct at all, regarding the location, view, quality or sometimes even price.
It even happens that some properties that are advertised does not even exist!

How can it be like this?
In many northern European countries we usually have one agent with exclusivity on a sale object.
They have the correct information about address, floor plans, "styled" photos, exact details such as operating costs, community fees, etc. published.
Once the property has been sold, other speculators are informed and all advertisements are removed from the market. Simple and clear for all parties.

Here in Spain, several agents can advertise and sell the very same property. Which agent or how many agents that can sell the property is decided entirely by the owner.
So, why sold items still are for sale as they have already got a new owner is usually due to the fact that not all agents have become informed that the property has been sold and thus it will not be removed frommarketing. This is something that the owner must notify each agent about.
Another reason may be that there are players in the market which unfortunately does not remove sold items, as they can act as excellent"lures" for customers.
When you call or email the agent, you get the answer that the property has just been sold, but that they have another object that can be interesting.
We have on several occasions seen homes being advertised"for sale", which were sold one to two years ago.

How come the information varies so much when it's the same property?
As for the price, it can be so simple that the owner, after discussion with an agent, decides on a price reduction, but overlooks that notify the other agents.
Then the higher price remains on some websites.Of course, there are other reasons as well.In the current situation, the information can vary drastically.
I often see ads where properties are located quite far inland or upon the mountain is advertised as "beachfront". This is it of course just carelessness or ignorance from the agent.
It's not totally unusual for agents to use photographs from the completely wrong object or area,to get better selling images in the ad.
Many unfortunately neglects to quality-check these details before the ad is published on the web, hence incorrect information!

Now that you have read all the way here, I hope you have some understanding of the confusion that can quickly arise during the search for housing in Spain.
You have hopefully also received some useful information about what you should check and what you can expect.

At Spaindinavia we do our very best to always have updated and accurate information to our customers.
But… even we can make mistakes that can be confusing for us as many agents are involved in the sale of the same property.

Our best tip is that you have regular communication and contact to have the most and best correct information about the objects you want and is curious about!