The questions that separate an agency that knows the property from one that is forwarding a listing. Ask them by email, before you book flights.
A viewing trip costs you flights, a car and three days. The email you send beforehand costs you ten minutes and decides whether those three days are useful. These twelve questions do most of the sorting, and you can send exactly the same list to three agencies and compare the answers side by side.
About the agency
Four questions that establish who you are dealing with:
- What is your registry number and your company's legal name?
- Are you instructed directly on this property, or is it a shared listing from another agency?
- Who will I actually deal with, and in which language, from viewing to completion?
- Do you recommend a lawyer, and are you connected to that firm in any way?
About the property
Five questions that reveal whether they have been inside it:
- What are the community fees, and has a derrama, a special levy, been voted or discussed?
- What is the annual IBI, and what is the rubbish charge?
- Is what is built the same as what appears in the land registry and the cadastre?
- Why is the seller selling, and how long has it been on the market?
- What has been replaced or repaired in the last five years, and what has not?
About the area
Three questions no brochure answers:
- What is this street like in January? How many neighbours are here in winter?
- Is there anything with planning permission that will be built in front of, or next to, this property?
- Can this property legally be let to tourists, and does it hold a licence?
How to read the answers
You are not grading knowledge, you are grading honesty and effort. "I do not know, I will find out and come back to you by Thursday" is a good answer. "It is all fine, do not worry" is not an answer. An agency that gives you the IBI figure and the community minutes without being chased twice is telling you what working with them will be like.
Send it to three agencies, not one
The same brief to three registered agencies in the same town costs nothing and gives you a comparison you cannot get any other way. On each town page here you can pick three and see them side by side first, so you are choosing between real alternatives rather than between the two names that happened to reply to a portal enquiry.
Questions people ask
What should I ask an estate agent before viewing a property in Spain?
Ask for the registry number and legal name of the agency, whether the listing is theirs or shared, the community fees and whether a special levy has been voted, the annual IBI and rubbish charge, whether what is built matches the land registry, why the seller is selling, and what the street is like in winter.
Should I use more than one estate agent?
Yes. Agencies specialise by area and by type of property, many listings are shared between them anyway, and there is no cost to you: on the Costa Blanca the seller pays the commission. Sending the same brief to three registered agencies is the cheapest form of due diligence there is.
Is it rude to ask an agency who pays them?
No, and a professional agency will answer without hesitation. On this coast the seller pays the agency out of the sale price. If anyone asks you for a separate buyer's fee, ask what it is for and get it in writing before you agree to anything.