Designed to an exceptionally high standard with grand style entrances and courtyards, this property is ideal for entertaining and year round living. The plot benefits from being in a mature pinewood, which has been used as a feature of the magnificently landscaped gardens which include a private pavilion overlooking the immaculate Almenara Golf course.

Accommodation consists of a double volume entrance hall leading to formal salon, formal dining room with direct access to a large covered porch.

A fully fitted Bulthaup kitchen with integrated dining and family room opening out to a terrace complete with lily pond and fountains.

There are 3 double en suite bedrooms on the ground floor and 2 on the first floor including a fantastic Master bedroom suite with large dressing room and spacious bathroom.

In addition there is an independently accessed cottage off the main entrance patio complete with en suite double bedroom and sitting room currently used as an office.

Features include a classic mix of modern and antique materials in a Vintage Syle, beautifully appointed antique fountains, authentic antique doors detailed patio designs all of which have been used to make this an elegant modern style family home. Under floor heating, air-conditioning throughout, heated indoor swimming pool with Spa, gym opening onto gardens, large decked terrace and infinity pool with spectacular view to the golf course.

For more information about this marvelous villa for sale,Reference 3000050, please contact our Sotogrande sales office.

E-mail: sotogrande@hansa-realty.com

The Spanish celebrity Julio Iglesias has married his partner for the past 20 years Miranda Rihnsburger in Julio’s second home Marbella at the Costa del Sol. The religious and intimate ceremony took place in the parish of Virgen del Carmen of Marbella on August 24. Afterwards they celebrated a Mass in the chapel of the family country estate in Ojén, situated next to Marbella in the Province of Malaga where they are going to stay till September when he plans to record a new CD with his hits from the 60’s,70’s and 80’s.

You can find more information about Nikki Beach Marbella and their daily parties on their Webpage: www.nikkibeach.com/marbella

And if you would like to buy or rent a property next to the prestigious beach club please contact our office in Elviria.

Here are some of our high recommendable properties in Elviria next to Don Carlos and Nikki Beach:

This document is extremely important to get the electricity and water supply contracts for your house. Before the builder obtains the certificate of habitation, there could be water and electric supply in the construction, because the builder obtains temporarily these services to for the machines. But the supply obtained from the builder is a supply for “works”, but not for “house”.

Sometimes, buyers or promoters are left in their properties with electric and water supply for works use for years, because the builder did not obtain the proper Certificate of Habitation (CH). They have water and electricity, but in a very poor condition and more expensive than the normal supply for a house.

In order to guarantee you, as buyer, that the builder will obtain the proper CH, it is recommendable to leave a part of the payment of the price when the CH is obtained. It will force the builder to work right and to do his best to get this document asap. You cannot legally sell a property without this document.

If you are living in a property that does not have a “cedula”, or you have lost or never received a “cedula”, then you can enquire about this by contacting the technical department at your local town hall, bring your passport, NIE number and title deeds and maybe even your recent water and electricity bills for applying for it.

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Buying a home in Spain is not like buying a car or another consumer product. It needs some specific knowledge of the market. Often this means that different professionals will give you legal, financial and tax advice.

Every day more and more buyers decide to involve their lawyer, their real estate agent or their tax advisor in this process. The lawyer and the real estate agent are the professionals with most experience in this field. It is important to stress that the purchase process in Spain differs significantly from the purchase process in other European countries, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Holland and Belgium. For this reason, it is vitally important to use Spanish lawyers in the process of purchasing a property.

After all, the purchase of a home in Spain should be the start of a long worry-free holiday, and not the start of a long legal process. This article points out some of the main aspects to be considered. It is important to make clear that we will only focus on the most relevant points here.

Is the seller the owner of the home?

It is essential that sellers have full ownership of the home that they are selling; otherwise, they cannot transfer their property. Before signing a private contract and (usually) paying 10% of the purchase price in advance, we should ensure that the seller is indeed the owner of the property, as specified in the pertinent registers. The real estate agent will require the property title deeds from the seller in accordance with the Spanish legislation and the lawyer will verify these documents.

Is there a mortgage on the home? 

In our firm’s everyday practice, it is not unusual to find purchasers who are surprised to discover a mortgage belonging to the previous owner. They decided to make the purchase without a lawyer, who would have checked for any encumbrances on the home before the signing of the purchase deed. 

Are there any tax debts associated with the property?

There are various encumbrances that are not only associated with the seller, but also with the property itself.

IBI (property tax) – rubbish collection – tax on non-residents

The municipal property tax (IBI), the tax on rubbish collection and the non-resident tax tend to be a common problem. For example, Mr Smith is not a resident, and he decided not to pay local taxes and even forgot to pay the non-resident tax for a number of years. When Mr Smith wanted to sell his house, he found he had an enormous debt and surcharges on the property as a result of the non-payments. The purchaser obviously refused to pay for the purchase of the home until the matter was settled. This is therefore an important aspect to be taken into account by both the purchaser and the seller.

Capital Gains Tax

As you may know, as a result of the sale process, the seller is held to pay a tax of 19% (it was 18% before) on the difference between the purchase price and sale price. If you buy the home of a non-resident, the law stipulates that the purchaser is obliged to ensure that this tax is paid by withholding 3% of the purchase price.

Plusvalía

Plusvalía is a tax on the increase in value of urban land. It is paid by the seller. As in many cases, the seller has not paid this, it is essential that your lawyer establishes some guarantee to ensure it is paid before the actual purchase. The plusvalía tax is an aspect that is often forgotten by those who are not experienced in the purchase process.

Is there a homeowners’ association?

Unlike in other European countries, in Spain most houses and flats form part of a homeowners’ association. Each home must make a payment to the association as an annual payment for the maintenance of property held in common, such as staircases, swimming pools, concierge, etc. The annual amounts vary significantly, from fifty Euros per month (in a modest block of flats) to 400 Euros per month, in the case of a luxury estate with a large number of services. Owners often do not make these payments and have to sell their property to pay the resulting debt. You should therefore look for the necessary guarantees to ensure that the home you are buying is also free of these kinds of charges.

These are only some of the aspects to take into account. You should be aware that you have a whole range of means available to minimise possible legal contingencies and ensure that the purchase process is simple, stress-free and free from any future costs that could have been avoided.

Lexland Abogados

Real Estate Department

Tel. 952778899 marbella@lexland.es

We would like to recommend you this penthouse in the beautiful area of La Mairena, east of Marbella, situated in the mountains. The high position of this place gives the apartment a great view over the mountains, the coast and Elviria. The south-east orientation guarantees lots of sunshine all day, but especially the sunsets here are simply unbeatable experiences.

The apartment complex has been designed emulating the white Andalusian villages, with terraces and balconies on different levels and wooden pergolas and gardens with native plants that make the complex fit perfectly into the surroundings. The penthouse apartment itself is elegant and perfectly suited for a luxury holiday.

The penthouse with two bedrooms and two bathrooms is very well priced due to the current market situation. So it is a great opportunity to buy a spectacular home and it’s only a ten minutes drive to Marbella city centre, Elviria and the beautiful “Pearl White Beach”.

For further information please contact Bernd Dellwig from our Elviria office. Tel. +34 952 850 250

E-mail: marbellaeast@hansa-realty.com

Here another oportunity to buy a great apartment in La Mairena:

Lots of owners are considering price reductions to be more appealing for buyers. We have selected some of the properties that have been repriced and should be considered when looking for a property in Marbella, Elviria, Mijas Costa or Sotogrande.

Enjoy our selection and find more price reductions on our webpage.

All throughout my visit the gentle Budha gazed upon me with serenity. The warmest materials and colors from various exotic countries mix and flow easily welcoming you into this peaceful environment the owners created. You feel at home instantly a stone throw away to the San Pedro Beach Paseo. Quite a delicious experience.

This spacious villa is situated in a very quiet residential area on the beach side of San Pedro and in walking distance of the beach. The tastefully decorated villa comprises of six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a staff accommodation, a fully fitted kitchen with high quality appliances, a separate dining-room and a spacious open plan living-area. The housing-space features marble floors and there is wooden flooring in the bedrooms. The south-facing terraces both offer magnificent mountain views and the upper terrace has partly sea views. The house is surrounded by a beautiful well-kept garden with a nice pool.

By Corinne Villette

For more information contact: marbella@hansa-realty.com