Overseas Property
Buying
a property overseas, as a holiday home, financial investment or for permanent
relocation?
Then put your mind at ease before signing a contract or handing over considerable
sums of money, by consulting our Overseas Property Conveyancing service first.
We’ll guide you past the problems and pitfalls that can happen when
entering property transactions abroad and ensure all the legalities are property
conducted, so you don’t lose out through sharp practice or unforeseen
loopholes.
Check out our 10 Top Tips for people thinking about buying property overseas.
Our senior property specialist, Graham Hughes, has over 16 years’ experience of handling property transactions in the Mediterranean, America, the Middle East, Asia, Far East and elsewhere and is one of the country’s leading experts in foreign property law. He is also an official notary public, which means he is authorised to prepare and authenticate documents for use abroad.
Why use a UK solicitor?
Buying property can be stressful enough, without the added difficulty of conversing in a foreign language or dealing with someone in another time zone. UK solicitors like ourselves, who have experience of foreign property transactions and a network of local legal associates around the world, can remove that extra stress, by discussing sometimes complex legalities in English, at times that are convenient to you. Besides, being officially regulated by the Law Society, we are obliged to carry professional indemnity insurance, which covers you should anything go wrong, and we hold your deposit and completion monies in a separate account, so it’s always safe. Many overseas solicitors don’t have these provisions, which we in this country take for granted.
Fixed price pre-purchase consultation
Whatever
property you buy, there are bound to be legal fees and local taxes, land registration
fees and other extra costs that you need to factor into your budget. Call
us first, even before you go on an inspection flight or start to contact estate
agents, and we can advise you about the pitfalls to watch out for, the costs
involved in addition to the purchase price and the most tax-efficient way
to purchase the property, all for a fixed
price consultation fee of £150 plus VAT (£176.25).
Finding a property abroad
Through our extensive network of overseas contacts, we can also offer you assistance in finding your dream property or investment opportunity. Just ring us on 01925 242488 and say you want to complete our property finding questionnaire. Or better still, you could complete the questionnaire online and we will contact you shortly with a selection of properties, in your price range and chosen location.
Already found a property?
If you’ve already found a property that you want to buy and would like to use our services to complete the transaction, then call us now or complete the overseas conveyancing form online. Don’t believe, by the way, foreign property developers and agents who say using a UK solicitor will cost more and lead to unnecessary delays. That’s certainly not the case in our experience and some smart investment in proper legal advice could well save you money worries down the line.
Introducing
a mortgage lender
Most high street lenders will not lend on property abroad and, instead, require you to take a second mortgage on your home in this country. However, we are able to introduce you to a UK company, which is fully regulated by the Financial Services Act and totally independent, that will source the best mortgage for you, in either sterling or the currency of the country in which you are buying. The security is then attached to your overseas property, rather than your home here. It can source euro mortgages in Spain for example, with a fixed rate as low as 2.5%. So, if you would like us to introduce you to this company*, either ring us on 01925 242488 and ask to fill in a mortgage request form or complete the form online.
* Please note Grace & Co does not offer any financial services or advice and is merely effecting an introduction for you.
