Hi All,

We are hopefully in the final stages of buying a property near Ginestar, a small building on 2Hct. At the cold feet stage and probably way too thinky now :) Until we get the building up to at least camping status we would appreciate all and any advice.
It is a shell at present, sitting by itself in the middle of the land. Almonds and Olives, sparse with some dead trees and land has not been worked for some time.
It is beautiful.
Ideas, thought and all advice GREATLY appreciated.
Thank-You

Welcome.
Just hope that you have used a solicitor.
Maybe you would like to read other people's comments, on many previous posts on the Forum.
You may find them helpful and informative.

I have been going through the forum for a couple of days now. A lot of good information some of which I never thought about.
We are buying with the help of a recommended agent, Maxine at El Perello Properties.
We were looking farther south where we have friends, but love this area.

Best to do lots of homework first, and always use a solicitor.
Things are so different here, can be overlooked, then become a costly mistake, if people are not careful.
Different laws and taxes here in Catalunya aswell.

Hi Roadruns,
Welcome to the Forum.Depending on what you might be thinking about doing in the future with the Building on this plot of land,it may well be wise to consult a Catalan expert in this field (Sorry about the Pun  :) ),before finalising your purchase.  Good luck

Be careful, building regulations are very different here. Use a lawyer. David Pique in Miami Playa is an expert on this area. It is worth the money to have the right advice.  :)

Check out what you can and can not biuld on the land, the mayor in ginestar is not a british friendly person

Not like a previous one then, who gave out permissions, and then people found out they had built or extended properties illegally.
Residents in that area have even lost their life savings, because of this.

Rita ive not heard of anyone who has lost their life savings through the previous mayor in ginestar he did give out a lot of planning consents but mostly for 50 square meters or less even my own was given permission by him and I got my cedula last year, the present mayor will not give padrementayes (if thats the right spelling) out to any one living on the campo regardless of anything he has even been aproached by a solicitor and agreed what he was doing is illegal but untill he is told by a higher authority he will not budge , this may not sound serious untill you try to registar a car in your name

Thanking you all for all the tips and advice.

I found this number for David Pique on the forum, I will call him Monday. 615 694 576

Thanks for all the information folks, a lot to take in on top of what I have already researched. It's you guys at the coal face, so to speak, for real ideas and suggestions. 

I would be super careful in buying anything in Catalunya after the 1000's of problems other people have encountered.

If you are planning to live on a finca in Ginestar legally, I would say just forget it, yes it might be beautiful, but illegal.
Jools

Jools, I would agree that you need to be "super careful" when buying a property in Catalonia, actually anywhere in Spain.
I think it is better to consult a qualified lawyer when deciding if it is legal or not to live in a specific property/finca in "Ginestar" rather than make any decisions based on the unqualified opinions that maybe offered on this or any other forums.

Qualified lawyer.. HA

Qualified lawyer....! HA! HA! HA!  I had the best "qualified lawyers in Tarragona on a 2 year court case and lost 30k.
This forum is just as valid as any so called informed opinion by ANY lawyer on HIS or HERS interpretation of the law here in Catalunya . Listen to Jules that is the best advice , after all she been in the property game   here years and she knows this area inside out .

Catlan, sorry to hear you lost so much money, but that is what the court is for to decide who is in the right not the lawyer. In my case using a lawyer saved me a major headache and 12000E. Situations differ some people have a strong case some do not.
Its up to each person to decide if they want to take the advice of a qualified catalonian lawyer or an english estate agent when it comes to matters legal/illegal in Catalonia.
No disrespect to Jools she is well known for outing frauds on this forum.

Yes, definitely get a Lawyer, but also don't forget to tell him absolutely everything that you plan to do on the property you want to buy.

So, if on your little piece of paradise in Ginestar, you want to build a 4 bedroom villa tell him, or if it is a humble 50m2 cottage tell him that too.

Because he will have to investigate on your behalf whether this is possible of not, also ask him what are your chances of getting a 'cedula' after you build something, because the impression I get is that Catalunya are giving out cedulas like toffees now, after previously declaring all of those buildings illegal..............why????...........so they can tax you more on what you have done, it's all about money in the Catalan pot from here on I'm afraid.
Jools

wrote on May 25^th, 2014 at 10:34am:

Catlan, sorry to hear you lost so much money, but that is what the court is for to decide who is in the right not the lawyer. In my case using a lawyer saved me a major headache and 12000E. Situations differ some people have a strong case some do not. Its up to each person to decide if they want to take the advice of a qualified catalonian lawyer or an english estate agent when it comes to matters legal/illegal in Catalonia. No disrespect to Jools she is well known for outing frauds on this forum.

Hi Smidge,
Glad to hear you had success but as in our case not all lawyers are honest. We used an English speaking lawyer in Tarragona and won the case in court plus full costs. They then appealed and we won that also again plus full costs which 4 years down the line we have still not received from them and the only advice we were given by the court was to take legal action against our own lawyers to get it, as they are large on promises but short on fulfilment.
Yours living the dream in the sunshine but unfortunately its raining again, wished we had not taken that wrong turning in France but here we are, a soggy none complaining Bulldog. 

Fully agree with you Jools. Most things are about money.
Bulldog also agree with you. Lawyers are people after all and not all people are honest. Its very important to get a a lawyer with a good reputation. Then one may have a chance but of course just going to the lawyer means you have already lost anyway.

I agree Smidge I said this to the wife about marriage, please send all my correspondence via my local hospital now being fed by tube.
Yours a bedridden Bulldog!!!! 

After all my research and advice, hopefully working with a recommended solicitor there is nothing else to do but make a hopefully good decision. Fingers, legs etc all crossed. :)

wrote on May 25^th, 2014 at 6:23pm:

After all my research and advice, hopefully working with a recommended solicitor there is nothing else to do but make a hopefully good decision. Fingers, legs etc all crossed. :)

There is a lot to do. A house/building shell on land with olives smacks of a family not paying death duties or the land is in dispute and there are no documents (Escritura) and the house going into disrepair you see them all over Spain bear that in mind. Solicitors here in Spain only tend to ask the minimum of questions They will only go deeper if you ask the questions. Make sure all the searches re outstanding debts, Access to your property, And The properties legal right to be there. You also need permissions for pool, Wind turbines, Building permits you need them for electricity/Gas/Water supply and insist that the Escritura (Title deeds) for the property has a copy in English also make sure it shows the correct amount of land you are buying over the years bits of your land may get taken when fences are moved etc, Also any building on that land and their purpose (A house not a cow shed). Remember once you sign with the notary and hand over the cash you are lumbered with that property. Another thing future plans near your property is that new 4 lane A road coming through your garden ? You can never glean enough information you can discard some but have too little and you are throwing your money away. As good as David is, You still need to make sure you have all your questions answered BEFORE YOU HAND OVER A PENNY. Check all the pumps,toilets,Sewage Treatment Plant is legal and fit for purpose if not it could cost you thousands of Euros. This is not like the UK it can take 5 years to sell a property take your time it's a buyers market. Everyone is smiling at you at the moment because they want your money just take a step back and a deep breath and calm down.there is no rush and do not sign anything unless you have your solicitor approval and more important still you understand everything in that document you are signing.If it's unclear tell David to go back and get answers that's what you pay him for remember he is working for you.

I have had a little rant there but everyone on this Forum is wiser today than they were when the first arrived here.There are many many pit falls and sometimes those people you think are your new friends are sometimes jealous and send you in the wrong direction. I wish you all the best and hope everything for you and your family go smoothly.  ;)

https://www.gov.uk/how-to-buy-property-in-spain

http://britishexpats.com/articles/spain/buying-property-safely/

http://www.euroresidentes.com/Property/vocab/escritura.htm

Thanks for that Bunter, we have time and will do as many checks as possible.

Bunter,
what detailed and good advice you have given. Hopefully newcomers and potential buyers in the area will take note of them.

Yes Bunter I think you covered most things correctly there.