SOLD! -- This beautiful villa with lots of potential has been sold

Although it took longer than expected, we have been able to sell the beautiful villa I have been marketing lately. It is a great property with lots of potential and the new owner was able to see it. Ample spaces, plenty of light, a big plot, an excellent location and sea views was just some of the assets going with it. I am sure they are going to enjoy it.

November 8th, 2012

Once again Alfonso, thank you so much for everything you did to help me with the sale of my property. You were fantastic.

Very best wishes,

JB

What range of properties are buyers buying?

I have found some interesting official information that, although only refers to Malaga province and the first quarter of 2012, it can give an indication on what is being sold. I have to say that the data surprised me:

- First of all, that more than half of the properties being sold are priced below the 150.000 € figure. In my market it is not easy to find those but it is clear that in the Malaga province a number of them are being sold.

- Looking on to the next range, and this is where most of my two and three beds are in, 91 % of the properties sold were priced below 300.000 €.

- Going even further, 99 % of the properties that left the market were sold below the 600.000 € mark.

- Only 1 % of the properties sold in the first quarter of 2012 were valued over 600.000 €. Most of the villas are in this range.

I am quite sure that the numbers for Marbella and Benahavis are somewhat different with higher percentages on the higher levels but even if we take off the lower range, the percentage of sales over the 600.000 € range won’t be higher than 2%. I would have thought that it was going to be higher.

Spain is creating a “bad” bank for toxic property assets

The Spanish government is creating a "bad bank" into which all the toxic property assets of its debt-laden banking sector can be off-loaded. The move is aimed at helping the country's troubled banks draw a line under the debt crisis and move on.

The Bank of Spain will assess the value of the assets being transferred into the "banco malo" and the banks will receive cash, debt or shares in return. The bad bank could last 10 to 15 years. The idea is that the toxic assets being off-loaded must have a value that will allow the bad bank to make a profit in the long-term.

However, the final regulations are not in place and there are still many uncertains about how the whole process will work. Not even how will be fixed the value of the assets to be transferred, one of the crucial points in all this matter. We will know more next month.

Is it the beginning of the change?

Let’s leave the charts talk. The tendency on the number of properties sold in Benahavis showed by the data of the first quarter has been confirmed in the second quarter. In fact, in 2012, the number of properties sold is already higher than that of the whole 2011. In Marbella, the numbers are not that good but in the same line.

The number of properties sold in the first semester is higher than the ones sold in the same period of 2011.

However, there is a negative side on the information provided by the Ministry of Housing: the mean selling price is lower (although the available information is only for the whole Malaga province). A simple conclusion can be reached: more properties are being sold at cheaper prices. This means that if you reach the appropriate market price, you may be able to sell. Therefore, the market is not dead but it is correcting itself.

¿Sabía que la fecha límite para el pago del I.B.I. es el 10 de Septiembre?

¿Que es el I.B.I.?

I.B.I. es la abreviatura del Impuesto de Bienes Inmuebles, un impuesto anual aplicable a todas las propiedades y que grava a estas. Es un impuesto local pagadero al ayuntamiento en el que se encuentra la propiedad por el propietario del inmueble independiente de su donde este tenga fijada su residencia. Se utiliza para el mantenimiento de las infraestructuras y servicios del ayuntamiento.

Are you aware that the deadline for the payment of the I.B.I. tax is September 10th?

What is the I.B.I.?

The I.B.I. is the short name for Impuesto de Bienes Inmuebles that means a yearly tax applicable to all Spanish properties. The I.B.I. is a local tax to be paid to the Council by the owners of the properties independent of the residential status. The property is liable for the tax, not the owner. The tax goes to maintain the infrastructures and the services of the Town Hall.

Las Terrazas A522 (Benahavís - Costa del Sol)

Beautiful apartment for sale in Benahavís. With fantastic panoramic sea and mountain views, it is located in a very quiet area at only 10 minutes to Puerto Banús and 5 minutes to the beach and San Pedro de Alcántara. It is surrounded by a beautiful communal garden with pool. It’s charming living room with fireplace, the two luminous bedrooms, one of them en-suite, and a very comfortable kitchen makes this property the ideal home for modern people.

Monte Golf de los Almendros (Benahavís - Costa del Sol)

Luxury penthouse for sale in Benahavís. Spacious and Luminous it is notable for its wonderful finishes in every detail and the brightness of all rooms. Bathrooms with Travertine marble, big modern showers and wooden floor. Fully fitted kitchen with the best appliances. High quality is all around. A modern living room with a large window that gives access to a generous terrace offering breathtaking views to enjoy the sun until nightfall.

Xarblanca (Marbella - Costa del Sol)

Beautiful villa for sale in Marbella. Genuine character is expressed throughout every inch of this home situated on a lovely residential street very closed to city center. Dining room, family room, large kitchen with laundry area, living room with fireplace, 5 'privacy filled' bedrooms, 5 baths and a great recreation room. Barbecue room with wine cellar and a mature tropical garden with Palm and Magnolia trees and a cozy vegetable garden. Perfect for enjoying the benefits of living in the city and the quietness of nature.

Azalea Beach (Marbella - Costa del Sol)

Townhouse for sale in Marbella. At only 15 min walking to Puerto Banús and 5 min to the beach, located in an area of fine homes of casual living. A dinning porch leads to a private garden and a communal tropical garden with swimming pools. In its 2 levels there are 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, a lovely kitchen, restroom and charming living room with fireplace. Its ample basement with laundry area, 2 bedrooms with natural light and 2 en suite baths makes the ideal home for large families who appreciate the luxury of living.

Las Terrazas B202 (Benahavís - Costa del Sol)

Exquisite apartment in Puerto del Almendro, Benahavís. It enjoys a huge terrace, stunning views, an exceptional amplitude and plenty of light. With a full independent apartment it is one of the cheapest properties of the area due to its relation site/ price. Monte Halcones shopping center is within short distance with restaurants and services. Ideal for those looking for a nice quiet complex at only five minutes from San Pedro and Puerto Banús.

RE/MAX Europe uses an interview to Alfonso Lacruz for its marketing

Please take a look to this video used by the RE/MAX Europe marketing team. I am proud of the fact that they used my interview for the video and to form part of this great team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WsMt-mZeAs&feature=plcp

Alfonso Lacruz awarded as one of the Top 15 RE/MAX Associate agents of Spain

RE/MAX Spain celebrated its Annual Convention between the 6 and the 9 of June in Lanzarote. As usual, it was a great meeting with very interesting coaches, lots of networking with other colleagues and plenty of fun. In this meeting, I was awarded with the 100% Club Award as one of the Top 15 agents of RE/MAX Spain.It was a great honor and I have to give many thanks to my entire team, the RE/MAX Eralia team and my own one. These are complicated times I would never had been able to reach this level without them.

RE/MAX Eralia at the Place in the Sun exhibition in London

We keep on maintaining the same philosophy that is to try to be everywhere looking for potential clients. We, in collaboration with other offices of RE/MAX in Spain (Murcia, Canary Islands and Alicante) went to the Place in the Sun exhibition in London. We wanted to show to the British market our properties and how good is the opportunity to buy now in Spain. In fact, and that is something that surprised me a lot because I never thought I was going to hear it, the panel of British experts were recommending the attendees to buy in Spain if you do it in consolidated areas like Marbella and Benahavis and if you are not thinking on a short term investment.

The exhibition was a really good experience where we met a lot of customers and we were able to exchange opinions about the real estate market in Spain. It gave us an insight on how the British see the Spanish market. It also gave us an idea on what the clients are looking for. We brought quiet a number of  leads that I will have to work to convert them into sales but that is the work.