The Ultimate Homes Blog

Well, thank goodness January has come and gone. With Brexit still in the news, and Donald Trump making headlines every day, January could not have seemed any longer, and we've even had some of the worst weather seen in generations here in Spain. But today is February 1st, the sun is out and the skies are blue so what better than a quick reminder of why you really should be considering buying a property in Spain. 1. Moving to Spain is easy Freedom of movement within the European Economic Area has been a God-send for anyone who fancies moving to Spain. There are no questions asked, no paperwork required – just by virtue of being an EU citizen, you already effectively are a Spanish citizen. Within one day you can be assigned your National Identity (NIE) Number which allows you to work. Really, it couldn´t be simpler. 2. The weather You will have seen photos on Facebook of snow on the beaches of Javea or the village of Guadalest looking like an alpine resort, but this happens ...

We certainly do live in interesting times. Last Thursday evening I went to bed at just after midnight and had read that Nigel Farage of UKIP had conceded defeat to the British "remain in the EU" voters. You know the rest, I woke up early on Friday morning to find that both Britain and Europe are to become divided and more fragmented than many of us can remember. I will leave the politics to one side as there are many out there who are in a better position than me to comment further on that. The fact is though that following the referendum vote, nothing is going to change overnight (apart from the GBP/EUR exchange rate). The process of leaving the EU is likely to take at the very least two years. However, the weakened pound means that Spanish property has now become 10% more expensive for British buyers. At the time of writing 1 British Pound will purchase 1.208,50 Euros, compared to one week ago when it was equivalent to 1.32 Euros. The exchange rate will be volatile now ...

We work closely with the currency exchange firm HIFX and have therefore reproduced this blog to help some of those who are still unclear how Brexit could affect you. "There’s now just over a month until Britain goes to the polls for the EU Referendum, and it’s still unclear what the outcome will be. With the latest result from the  Financial Times Poll of Polls  currently showing 46% stay, 44% leave and 10% undecided (as of 17 th  May 2016), it seems to be too close for anyone to call. This uncertainty appears to have been a significant factor in causing the  Pound’s value to fall by around 9% since November 2015. It seems reasonable to assume that we will not see a recovery for as long as the uncertainty remains, although the longer term picture is harder to predict. But as we’ve discussed throughout  our Brexit coverage , there are still options to help you prepare yourself during this period of volatility, whatever happens on 23 rd  June. While th...

A Happy (belated) 2016 everyone! We've had a lot going on at Ultimate Homes since the Christmas / New Year / Three Kings interrupted us back in December with four deals that started the negotiation process in the last weeks of 2015 completing in January. As would be expected, January is a quiet month for new buyers but we have still had two offers which we felt were fully justified. However, with the relatively good news surrounding the Spanish property market, vendors can be less reluctant to accept aggressive offers, and one offer was dismissed immediately, we are still hopeful on the other offer right now. This has also given both Steve and I the opportunity to get out and meet new sellers and developers and, in short, some new listings.    So continuing along the lines of previous blog newsletters - here is a selection of some of our favourite properties that we have visited in the last few weeks. Oh by the way, check out those blue skies, the weather has been incredib...

As the year comes to an end, I wanted to take this opportunity to write and thank our clients and collaborators (many of whom we now count as friends) for your support and loyalty. This year has once again seen a record number of clients and turnover for Ultimate Homes , and of course it has been our pleasure to help whether it being buying that dream home in Spain and on the flip side of the coin helping you sell a home. We are sure that 2016 will continue to be a busy and eventful year for us all. We wish you a peaceful and prosperous holiday season. Barry McCormack and Steve Rebbetts

Everybody is so busy on the run up to Christmas that often things get overlooked.  So before it’s too late, take a moment to make sure that your tax affairs are up to date. Am I non-resident? Spanish law states that a person  is resident  for tax purposes in Spain if they spend 183 days in a calendar year (including sporadic absences) on Spanish territory or if their business, professional or economic interests are based in Spain. Those whose spouse and/or dependent children are habitually resident in Spain will be presumed resident (unless legally separated). This is the  basic rule  to apply in determining if you are fiscally resident or non- resident – but if there is any doubt, you should contact your lawyer or tax consultant to confirm your status based on your individual circumstances. Do I need to file a tax return? And if so, when by? A person who is  non-resident  for tax purposes is liable to pay some Spanish taxes and is therefo...

Hot, hot, hot - temperatures in Spain broke all sorts of records during the month of July, and with such temperature, it is tempting to relax instead of work but we continue to go from strength to strength, recording more offers than ever before and more importantly more offers closing. In the ten years of operating, we have never been so busy with 25 property sales having closed or due to close so far this year. And with August being the traditional Spanish holiday month, we will not be taking our feet off the pedal, but viewings might be carried out in flip-flops as we try and be that bit more relaxed. But that's enough about us - how is your Summer so far? Visiting Spain perhaps? Here our a few of our favourite properties that we have visited recently - we would love to hear from you so contact us by email  or telephone us on +34 966 112 772 and let us know what you think. Javea Javea 220.000 Euros (plus taxes) 3 Bedrooms 2 Bathroom Detached Villa w...