Elena H. Ghazale La Boutique Sales Manager & Coach

Dear reader.

If you are here, it is probably because you are thinking of buying a house. I don't know if it's your first home or your fifth, but either way I'm sure this article will be of interest to you.

Buying a house is not an easy task. For many it is the biggest investment of their lives and it is not surprising that during the process many doubts could arise.

That's why finding the right type of real estate agent to make your dream come true is, to a large extent, the most important part of the process.

Yes, you read that right, the type of Real Estate matters. The size, however, not so much. ;-)

It is not the same a real estate agency that works in the usual way, or a luxury real estate agency, or a real estate agency for repossess assets, or a real estate agency specialised in country homes. Do we get me? There are many types of real estate agencies and each of them focuses mainly on one type of product and service.

When we have no experience, it is natural to think that all real estate agencies are the same, but nothing could be further from the truth. Therefore, if we are looking for a house, it is imperative that we entrust this task to a real estate agency that fits what we really need. Otherwise, it is likely that our search will end up being arduous and frustrating, even making us think that the product we are looking for does not exist.

In this article I am going to give you the keys to the first thing you should find out before placing your future in the hands of your friend Juan's agency . Surely you know someone who works in this sector.

• FIRST KEY QUESTION:  What is the niche market you specialise in? •

This question is key, because the answer has to be totally aligned with the type of product we are looking for.

How are you going to find your dream bungalow with private pool in your friend Juan's repossess real estate agency? Not only will he not have the product, but even if he doesn't tell you directly, he won't put much effort into helping you because you are not his ideal type of client.

Furthermore, your friend John will most likely try to convince you to change your plans and buy two cheaper flats on the outskirts of the city instead of buying what you really want. Why? Simply because everyone can only talk about what they know and offer what they have. It's not a bad thing on their part, it's simply part of human nature. And that is why this is undoubtedly the first and most important question.

• SECOND KEY QUESTION:  How many years of experience do you have in the sector? •

OK, so we've found a real estate agency that specialises in the type of product I'm looking for, now what? The second key question for me would be how many years of experience do you have in the sector? An established company has contacts, a higher quality product, has already earned the trust of many homeowners who in return place their trust in them for the sale of their homes and most likely the variety of product by size, areas and price is greater than a real estate agency with little experience.

• THIRD KEY QUESTION:  What area do you specialise in and where do you have an office? •

For me, this is undoubtedly the third key question. A real estate agency with a presence in Maspalomas will naturally have more product in the south of the island than a real estate agency with an office in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. This is quite natural as in this sector time is money and going to look for a product in an area far away from our office often complicates the whole process. Obviously there are estate agents who work all over the island, but I guarantee you that their main product will be centred in the 10 kilometre ratio around their office(s).

• FOURTH KEY QUESTION:  What will be the buying process in the case that we find the house of our dreams? •

OK, we already have a real estate agency, it's in the area where I'm looking, it specialises in the type of product I want to buy and they have a decent amount of experience. Now what? Now it is important that we prepare ourselves to take the big step and for this we must find out what will be the buying process in the case that we find the house of our dreams? This question is one of the most important for me. It is in fourth place because it doesn't make sense to ask it to just any real estate agent, but to the company we have decided to work with.

Why is this question so important? Simply because it is only natural that when we find the house we want to buy, we are very nervous. Unless you are an experienced investor with many years of practice, buying a house can be very stressful.

Dreaming about buying a house is one thing, but taking the plunge is quite another. Once we find the ideal home, our little heads play tricks on us, it is as if we suddenly come up against a wall and everything we had thought of in the past no longer makes any sense. In fact, this natural fear that we feel at that moment has caused many people not to go ahead and thus lose the opportunity they were looking for.

That is why asking this question in order to be prepared is fundamental and asking it when we are still serene, calm and collected can make the process much easier.

The answer to this question is for me one of the biggest filters on the quality of the work of the real estate agency I am going to work with. A real estate agency that lacks a process, protocols and a way of operating is a real estate agency that improvises. And that, dear reader, is very dangerous. So make sure they explain the whole process to you beforehand and in detail. Don't be afraid to ask them all your questions over and over again. That is good for a safe and pleasant process.

• FIFTH KEY QUESTION:  What is the legal process and how is it done? •

Finally, when we want to buy a a property, it is important that we talk and ask about the legal process of buying it. What is it and how is it done? When we buy a house, there are tasks that we have to do before, such as looking for the right estate agency, others during the process, such as the protocols to follow, the signing of the contracts, reservations and payments of the property, etc. and others after the purchase of it. The post-sale is very important and we have 30 days to carry it out or we could receive penalties. Therefore, it is very important that our trusted real estate agent explains the process and the amounts that we will have to pay.

At La Boutique · Canary Real Estate, we can give you answers to all these questions and, of course, we could resolve any other doubts you may have. If you would like to talk to us, please do not hesitate contacting us.

With love, Elena.