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Services Service 5 of 6

Buying & selling

We manage the buildings we advise on, which is an unusual position to advise from. We know what these properties cost to run, what breaks, and what a plausible rental figure looks like once the real costs come out of it.

The purchase price is the part everyone concentrates on and the part least likely to hurt you. What hurts is the community levy nobody mentioned, the pool that needs relining, the terrace with no waterproofing, the rental projection built on peak-week rates applied to fifty-two weeks.

We approach a purchase the way we would approach taking the property into management — because that is usually what happens next. The question we answer is not what it costs to buy. It is what it costs to own.

What this service covers

01

Search and shortlisting

We work from a written brief and view on your behalf, including the properties an agent would not put in front of you because they need work.

  • Written brief covering use, budget, tolerance for work and exit horizon
  • Access to the local market beyond the international portals
  • Viewings attended and filmed with commentary, not just photographed
  • Honest reporting — including the reasons not to buy
  • Comparable evidence assembled for anything you shortlist
  • Shortlist narrowed on the numbers, not on presentation
02

Technical and legal due diligence

Before you commit, somebody who knows buildings should look at this one, and somebody who knows the paperwork should look at that. We arrange both and read the results with you.

  • Technical inspection of fabric, roof, damp, drainage and systems
  • Legality of the built area and any extensions verified
  • Community accounts, minutes and planned levies examined
  • Title, charges and debts checked by an independent lawyer
  • Licences and permissions confirmed for letting, if that is your intention
  • Everything found is priced, so it can be used in the negotiation
03

The real cost of ownership

The number that decides whether a purchase was a good one. We build it from our own maintenance data on comparable properties, not from an agent's estimate.

  • Annual running cost modelled: taxes, community, utilities, insurance
  • Maintenance provision based on the building's actual age and systems
  • Realistic rental income by season, net of the cost of achieving it
  • Immediate capital works identified and priced separately
  • Purchase costs, taxes and fees laid out in full
  • Sensitivity: what the numbers look like in a bad year
04

Selling

A managed property with a documented maintenance history sells better than an identical one without. We prepare the property and we prepare its file.

  • Valuation based on achieved prices, not asking prices
  • Preparation works identified by return on cost, not by taste
  • Professional photography and a proper written description
  • The maintenance history assembled as a selling document
  • Viewings hosted by someone who knows the building
  • Offers assessed on certainty as well as price

How it runs

  1. 01

    Brief

    How you will use it, how often, what return you need and how long you expect to hold it. Everything after this follows from that.

  2. 02

    Search and view

    We shortlist, view on your behalf and report — with film, commentary and the reservations an agent would leave out.

  3. 03

    Diligence and numbers

    Technical inspection, legal checks and a full cost-of-ownership model before you are committed to anything.

  4. 04

    Completion and handover

    We coordinate lawyers, notary and bank, and the property moves straight into management with its survey already done.

How this works country by country

Costa del Sol, Spain

Spanish conveyancing is well trodden but unforgiving of assumptions: buyers need a NIE, the registry entry has to be checked rather than believed, and a non-resident sale carries a retention against the seller's tax position. Your lawyer advises; we make sure they have everything, on time.

  • NIE, bank account and power of attorney arranged if you cannot travel
  • Nota simple checked for charges, debts and the registered built area
  • Purchase taxes and fees budgeted in full before you offer
  • Non-resident retention on a sale explained and planned for

Central Switzerland

Switzerland restricts the purchase of residential property by people who live abroad. Permits are limited, cantonal and quota-bound, and holiday-home ownership carries conditions on use and resale. This has to be established at the very beginning, not at the notary.

  • Eligibility to buy as a foreign resident established first
  • Cantonal permit requirements and quotas checked before viewing
  • Restrictions on letting and resale explained in writing
  • Coordination with a Swiss notary and the competent authority

What you receive

  • Viewing report

    Film, photographs and a written opinion — including the reasons against.

  • Due-diligence summary

    Technical, legal and community findings in one document, each item priced.

  • Cost-of-ownership model

    Annual costs, realistic income and the sensitivity behind both.

  • Negotiation record

    What was found, what it was worth and how it was used.

Questions about this service

Talk to us · info@m13property.com

Do you represent the buyer or the seller?

Whichever one is paying us, and never both on the same transaction. When we act for a buyer we are paid a fixed fee by that buyer, so there is no incentive for us to push a particular property or a particular price.

Can I buy without travelling?

In Spain, yes — with a power of attorney and a NIE we can run viewings, diligence and completion remotely. Switzerland is more restrictive for buyers resident abroad, and we would establish your eligibility before you spend anything at all.

Are you an estate agency?

We sell property from our own managed portfolio and we act for buyers on a fee basis. We are not trying to be a listings business — the reason our advice is worth having is that we run these buildings afterwards.

Do you give legal or tax advice?

No. We coordinate the lawyers, notaries and tax advisers, prepare what they need and make sure nothing is missed on a deadline. The advice itself comes from the appropriate qualified professional.

Other services

All services

Not sure which of these you need?

Describe the property and how you use it. We will tell you what it realistically needs — including the parts we would not charge you for.

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