Barbara Wood, The Property Finders
Page Sponsored by The Property Finders
Barbara Wood, Director of The Property Finders, is a trusted expert, with decades of experience in helping international buyers find property in southern Spain. In this interview with Andalucia.com, she explains the concept of a buyer’s agent and how working with an independent property finder gives buyers professional representation, local expertise, and peace of mind throughout the purchasing process. Barbara also gives us an insight into some of her favourite places in Andalucia.
Andalucia.com: The Property Finders are agents for the buyer. What is a buyer’s agent?
Barbara Wood Buyers’ agents, also known as property finders, work exclusively on behalf of the purchaser, under contract for an agreed period of time.
AC: Previously you were an estate agent. Is being a buying agent or property finder very different as regards what you actually do?
Barbara Wood: It’s a completely different job. An estate agent takes on a listing and their job is to do whatever it takes to present a property in the best possible light and sell it at the best possible price for their client, the seller. As agents for the buyer our task is to investigate and uncover anything that could negatively impact a property. Estate agents don’t go looking for negatives, we do and flag them up in advance. I never turned down a listing when I was a selling agent. As a buyer’s agent I may assess as many as 30 properties and only recommend 3 or 4 for the shortlist.
AC: You talk a lot about due diligence. What exactly do you mean by that in the context of property buyers in Spain?
Barbara Wood: The first step in all searches is taking a very detailed brief. Once that is agreed we proactively research and investigate all properties we find that exactly match our client’s specific criteria. Legal checks come first, getting copies of the nota simple and the catastral registry entry. This in no way takes the place of an independent lawyer once a property has been chosen but it tells us if there are any issues that raise doubts and require further investigation. We inspect all properties, firstly externally, looking for issues such as road noise, poor local maintenance in the immediate environment, empty plots near by, future developments, anything we feel could have a negative impact on the property in the future. We only make internal inspections of properties that pass the external checks.
Our clients receive detailed written reports showing the exact location of the property, full details and our comments, including on price. If they are happy with our recommendations the property makes it on to the shortlist for viewings.
That’s what I mean by due diligence, all the essential details covered which few, if any, buyers from overseas have the time or knowledge to do themselves. I call it the hidden part of our work, but it’s absolutely essential. Our clients never walk into a property if we haven’t made a full assessment in advance.
AC: Your services are paid for by the buyer. What would you say to someone who needs convincing - what are the benefits to them?
Barbara Wood: We are 100% on the side of buyers. We stay realistic and objective. We never disguise anything. A good example of this would be in the case of east-facing properties with little or no afternoon sun in winter. In my experience, an estate agent will want a morning viewing while I would insist on an afternoon visit.
We cover the whole market. Use an estate agent and you will only see openly listed properties. A buyer’s agent can also introduce private sellers, in fact they like us as we don’t take a commission from the. We also get offered properties before they are officially on the market or ‘under the radar’, great for ensuring our clients are ‘first in the door’. In most cases, our clients are able to plan a viewing trip of just a few days due to all the work we have already done during the initial phase of property inspections, saving them both time and money. We are very good negotiators, we know what the right price is and are always prepared to advise against a purchase if we think the seller is over-optimistic. In most cases, our fee is covered by the amount saved on the asking price.
AC: Is there a limit on the number of properties you will inspect and assess during the initial search?
Barbara Wood: No, we will continue until our client is happy with the selection of properties shortlisted for viewings.
AC: What happens if the buyer wants to make changes to the initial brief after viewing the shortlist to introduce other criteria?
Barbara Wood: Not a problem, we go back to the drawing board and start again. We understand that ideas change and a few viewings can help buyers focus on what really matters to them. It often happens that what was once a priority no longer is while another requirement becomes more important and moves up the wish list.
AC: What happens if no purchase is made in the contract period?
Barbara Wood: The contract can be extended by mutual agreement although in the 20-plus years of The Property Finders this has only happened once. The buyer was only looking in one specific development so resales were rare. Eventually, we wrote to every owner on behalf of our client and this was successful.
If circumstances have changed and the buyer no longer wants to proceed the contract can be terminated with 30 days notice in writing. We then raise an invoice to cover our time charges.
AC: What assistance do you offer post-completion?
Barbara Wood: Whatever is needed. We can make introductions to architects, builders, interior designers, and property managers. And our clients can be assured that we never take introductory commissions from any provider we introduce, all our recommendations are based on reputation and experience.
Opening hours for The Property Finders
Monday to Friday -
Saturday and Sunday - closed
Contact information
Tel: +44 7714 219091
Website: thepropertyfinders.com
Email: [email protected]
