If you are looking at purchasing a Spanish home then you have several options available to you.

Firstly there is the traditional method of contacting an estate agency. This can be done via the web as many agencies now have websites with a large selection of properties and contact buttons. Most estate agencies in Spain now rely heavily on this method to find their clients. However some still have a long way to go with their customer service technique.

Another method is to travel to Spain and take a look in the estate agencies windows and then to go into their office if you find something that you are interested in. You will find that this method will certainly get their attention. However if they feel you have a house to sell or do not have the hefty deposit available to put down on a potential purchase they may not take you seriously. Many estate agents work on commission only and they do not get a base salary so they are not interested in clients that are not ready for an immediate purchase. They direct their energies into clients that are in a stronger and more immediate position for buying a property. Others are quite pushy and will encourage you to immediate forget your plans to visit the beach that afternoon and instead spend the next five hours in a a car seeing properties that they want to sell, but will probably not be properties that you want to buy.

When we looked to purchase a property in Spain we found estate agencies that actually listened to our requirements which were quite specific few and far between. They wanted to sell what they had on their books and at the start wouldn't even show us details of where we were going or what we would see. By day three we insisited on knowing exactly what we were going to see so that I could rule out properties that had a cliff drop for a garden ( we had a one year old with us), properties miles from any potential school and also properties that only had 2 bedrooms ( we needed four as we are a large family). The property we bought was the only one that had all my boxes ticked and the only one where the agent actually listened properly. So if you do go to an estate agency insist that you see the paperwork of any property that you are going to visit first.

It has been a huge problem over the last few years of estate agencies trying to sell properties that do not have all their legal paperwork. Areas such as Marbella have now clamped right down on this and Marbella is an area where you are very unlikely to buy a property that is illegal. The authorities now insist that any property being sold has to possess its escritura ( deeds) and that all bills have been paid on the property. Estate agencies are checked and can be closed down immediately should they be seen to be selling property that is illegal. This is very reassuring to overseas buyers in unfamiliar territory of purchasing a property in Spain.

Another way to purchase a property is to go via one of the online property portals such as http://www.InSpain.tv This Spanish property portal run by an English couple who moved to Spain seven years ago, has access to thousands of properties for sale, short term rental and long term rental in Spain. Estate agencies and private owners advertise their properties on the InSpain website and potential purchasers or renters send an online enquiry for further information. This gives you access to the estate agency or owner directly and means you access properties from many different sources, not just one estate agency. You have more choice.

When looking for a property to purchase in Spain remember to keep back around 10% for property taxes, legal fees etc. Use an independant lawyer, not one that the estate agency recommends. This ensures that the lawyer, or abagado in Spanish, is working for you and not the estate agency.

Spain is a large country. Choose your area carefully that you intend to either live in or travel to for holidays on a regular basis. Southern Spain is warmer than Northern Spain in the winter and cooler in the hot summers. Think about the distance you want to travel from the airport that you land in. Do you want to hire a car or use public transport? Are good local schools a factor or do you need an International School? If you are elderly how far do you want to be from the local hospital and doctor's centre?

You are buying into a dream but when purchasing a property in Spain, don't forget your head.