With so much Spanish property for sale it is hardly surprising that so many Brits are taking the plunge and moving to hotter climes. Whether your move is permanent or if you are just buying a holiday home, there are some things that you should know about the Spanish property market. Being forearmed will mean that you won't get caught out or have an unpleasant experience and that everything will run as smooth as possible. To give you some support here are five things that you should remember about buying in Spain.

1) Find you ideal property

You need to find the property you want, in the location that you want, at the price you want. There are clearly two ways of doing this. You could set off into the Spanish sunset and simply look around. This is perhaps the foolhardy way of doing things and can work out very expensively. You may not find a suitable Spanish property for sale for months. Alternatively you can look online, find prospective properties and then visit to give them the once over. This is a better and more cost effective method. There are many websites that are geared specifically to Spanish property purchase, so choosing a reputable and experienced company is easy.

2) Find a Solicitor

Although you could take the risk and go it alone, it is extremely wise to find a decent solicitor who can help sort out all the paperwork and guide you through the legal implications. In Spain solicitors are called 'abogado' and will obviously be fully aware of property legislation in Spain, and will advise on what fees you need to pay out (tax etc) and will be able to help in other areas. However you will need to factor in the cost for the solicitor's time in your budgeting.

3) Make an Offer

With the help of your solicitor you can now make an offer on the property. It is best to send you offer to the seller in writing so that everything is above board and cannot be disputed at a later date. The offer should include the amount that you are going to buy the property for in total, the amount you wish to give as a deposit, and when you intend to pay the full amount. It is also good to state in the offer letter what you are expecting to buy and the condition in which you expect it to be in (e.g. with working electrics, water and so on.)

4) Post offer checks

Once your offer has been accepted there are a number of checks that need to be made. Once again you solicitor will be invaluable in this part of the purchase. Your solicitor will be able to check with local land registry departments that a) the seller is entitled to sell the land in the first place and b) that all of what he is selling is his to sell. The solicitor will then be able to create all of the legal documents and contracts necessary to finalise your purchase. Because of the way it works in Spain some Spanish property for sale hasn't been locally registered. This is usually because it has been in a family for ages and registration fees are steep. The solicitor will be able help is such a situation.

5) Final Things

After you have bought a property your solicitor will create a deed for you and send it off to the local land register. This is to officially inform the land register that you are now the owner of the property and that it cannot be sold again by anyone else. Your solicitor will also be able to help transfer all billing into your name. The last thing that you need to do is move in!

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