A property is sold more easily if potential buyers can obtain all the information they need to make an offer in a simple and direct way. When you want to put your home up for sale you will need at least the following documents:

• Copy of the Purchase Deed
• Receipt of the last local taxes paid
• Copy of the 'Nota Simple' from the Land Registry.
• Just as in the UK you will also to need an energy performance certificate.

 Having these documents available from the start means that there will be no delay in supplying them to the interested buyers.

Every sale has two sections as explained at the beginning.
Regarding the sale process itself, we request the above documentation from the client, we provide the buyer with everything necessary to make the relevant checks, we contact the administrator if there is a Community of Owners and we review the purchase contract.

But it is the list of expenses and taxes that we believe is of greater importance to our customers at this time. In every sale there are two taxes to take into account.
The Tax on the Increase in Land of Urban Nature (IIVTNU) is a local tax, its amount varies according to each City Council and depending on the value of the land and the number of years you have owned the home.
The other tax is the capital gain, the difference between the price that you paid when you bought your house plus the expenses that you had, and the sale price, less the expenses that you had.

When we prepare a budget of the costs in a sale, we will let you know the net amount you will receive once all the expenses have been calculated.

When our client accepts the offer of a buyer we verify with his lawyer the terms of the contract before it is signed.

It is normal to withhold sufficient funds from the sale proceeds to cover any pending utility bills etc.

Unless it appears that there will be any Capital Gains Tax to be paid there will be a 3% withholding tax which is deducted from the sales proceeds. This is subsequently refunded by the tax office after all the necessary paperwork has been approved and filed. Of course, these items will be included in the list of expenses

You will have the choice as to whether or not to attend the completion of the sale yourself or have us deal with it. Most clients tend to leave us to deal with the completion of the sale and we would obtain the right to do this for you via a Power of Attorney (POA). In fact, even if you would like to be at the Notary office yourself it is advisable to grant us a POA. You can click here for an explanation of a POA.

Apart from representing and signing on behalf of the client at the notary, it is increasingly necessary to use powers to resolve any incident that may arise afterwards. For example, transferring funds, providing documents, dealing with tax office queries, termination of utility contracts and closing bank accounts.

Once the sales deed is formalized, we then check the actual outgoings and pay to you any difference in your favour.
We then prepare and submit the income tax form of non-residents (IRNR). After approval, we request the refund of the 3% withheld or, if applicable, make the payment if there is a capital gain.

From the signing until the end of the entire process usually takes between 4 and 6 weeks, but you should know that this is not a deadline for the return, if applicable, of the amount withheld corresponding to 3%. The usual time in these cases is from 5 to 6 months, currently the State Agency for Tax Administration (AEAT) makes these returns directly to the current account of the client in the United Kingdom.
As this refund is made directly by the tax administration, it is not a problem for us to finalise the costs.
Although the sale is now completed, this is not necessarily the end to our work. We will be available to help you to solve any issues or problems that arise as a result of the sale of your home. Being the keyholder is not unusual when more than one agent manages the sale of the house. We are also called upon to check the inventory of furniture and fittings if being sold with the property.