I am buying

The order they turn up in

1. 1Estate agentA RAICV number. An agency with premises open to the public in the Valencian Community must be on that register. We show the number and the date on every listing.
2. 2A lawyer who is independent of the agencyThe colegiado number and the bar he belongs to, and one question: who introduced him to you? A lawyer recommended by the agency selling you the house is not independent, whatever anyone says. Ask for a second name and compare.
3. 3Currency brokerAuthorisation from the regulator of the country it operates from, and whether client money is held in a segregated account. Ask for the all-in rate, not the headline rate.
4. 4Mortgage brokerWhether he is paid by you or by the bank, and the binding offer (FEIN) in writing before you sign anything at the notary.
5. 5Land surveyorThat he is a colegiado surveyor and that the report is registered, otherwise it settles nothing with a neighbour.
6. 6Building surveyorThe colegio he belongs to, and that the report names the cadastral reference of the property. A report without that reference describes a house, not yours.
7. 7Damp and termite inspectionThat the company holds a ROESB registration for the treatment products it applies. Nobody may treat a house without it.
8. 8Snagging report on a new buildThat the person writing it does not work for the developer, and that the report is delivered before completion, not after.
9. 9Sworn translatorThe appointment number from the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Only a sworn translator on that list produces a translation an office must accept.
10. 10Notary and conveyancing gestoríaYou choose the notary, not the agency. And ask the gestoría for a written list of what it will do, because the word covers everything from a full service to a single form.

Read the full guide for this stage