International Property

Currency Exchange and Currency transfers for your Property Purchase Abroad.

The Foreign Exchange market is the world’s largest financial market, in excess of 1.5 trillion US dollars are being exchanged daily.

The process of Foreign exchange transfers couldn’t be easier. and as most services - money transfer is a free service with our Foreign Exchange partner. However, be aware that some companies make charges for transfering money abroad.

Here is a simple 3 step guide:

Step 1. Open an account

Complete an application form and ensure you have usually two forms of ID: (1) photographic (2) proof of residence.

Step 2. Buy your currency

Speak to a currency dealer and they will give you the current market rate. If you are happy with the quotation they will buy the currency on your behalf. This trade is usually confirmed in writing by way of a deal receipt and usually provides instructions on how, when, and where to make payment for your currency.

Step 3. Get your currency

Once cleared funds are received by your dealer, they will promptly transfer your exchanged currency to any bank account of your choice, worldwide, the same day. 

Other than just choosing any particular day to exchange your money, you could choose other dates to make the currency exchange. It may be that you have decided to buy a new property that won’t need the final balance to be paid until 18 month’s time. In this case, it may suit you to do a ’spot deal’ today for the deposit and arrange for a ‘forward deal’ for the final balance. By doing this, you will have just ‘fixed’ the purchase price to your home currency and will have ensured that you don’t get caught out by a weakening home currency, or a strengthening one in the country of your purchase. This can save people thousands.

Here are 4 basic types of transaction:

• Spot Contract
A spot contract is undertaken when you buy currency at the prevailing exchange rate at the time of the transaction and make payment within two working days. This transaction is typically used for deposit payments on property or for full payment if the funds to pay for the transaction are available.

• Forward Currency Contracts
A forward contract is undertaken when you fix the exchange rate now for a specific date from one to 24 months in the future. As an example, your final payment for a home abroad may be the equivalent of £100,000. You could fix that exchange rate today with a small deposit, and pay for the bulk of that transaction at the completion of the forward contract. To guarantee the exchange rate, private clients will have to pay for at least 10% of the value straight away (a margin deposit) and the balance on or before the maturity of the contract.

• Time-Option Forward Contracts
You may also reserve a time-option forward contract. This contract allows greater flexibility in paying. For example, a property developer may give you a date of December 2008 as an approximate completion date but may tell you it could take a bit longer. Your dealer may recommend that you set a date for your forward contract of February 2009 and you are free to settle that contract anytime before the maturity date with no penalty.

• Limit Order
Limit Orders allow a client to set the rate at that which they would like to exchange their currency. Our foreign Exchange partner will monitor the market for you and if the rate can be achieved, we will purchase the currency on your behalf. We would then notify you of the due date for your payment. This is particularly important for contracts of substantial value where a small currency fluctuation may have huge implications.
Getting Started

If you would like further information please call our Private Client Desk on 01480 458400. You may also register online with us. We will contact you to activate your account. In order to complete the registration process, we require two forms of identification. Please also provide us with a copy of your passport or driving licence and a utility bill, council tax bill or landline telephone bill with your address.

Gatehouse International are very happy to recommend Key Mare as we have been promoting their top quality homes for a number of years now, and their build quality has always been excellent.

We always insist that all developments that we promote, have to undergo a series of legal requirements before we will market them to our buyers. Key Mare have passed this formal ´due diligence´ with flying colours. They have all of the relevant planning consents and they offer a high standard of after sales service together with legally binding guarantees (both building and bank guarantees).

Key Mare, are a property development company that has been operating on the Mediterranean coast since 1988 and are growing daily. They are all about solidity, confidence and quality.

Their houses are outstanding for the variety of building designs that they offer and have taken great care to consider the environment. Key Mare have developments in Murcia, Alicante, Almería and the Canary Islands.

In short, they offer homeowners every possible comfort, guarantee, security and quality in a home, so that their well-being is assured.

What makes Key Mare different?
- Ten years’ guarantee on a building, according to the Building Law 38/39, insured with the company Mapfre.
- Insurance for checking the homes before handing over the keys and against building defects for the first year with Multimap, Mapfre insurance group.
- Insurance against payments during the building work to guarantee the amounts paid until building ends.
- Help to obtain the most personalised financing possible when buying a home.
- Guide book to the building, explaining all the details for using the common areas and those of the house itself, emergency exits, etc.
- Client attention service.

As Key Mare agents, we are able to offer some unusual deals such as the Rent Before You Buy offer. It makes sense really, why not actually live in the home of your choice, pay rent, and see if you like it before you buy.

Call (UK) 01480 434290

As many property buyers opt to try before they buy, agents in Spain are receiving more enquiries about long-term lets.

Approximately 20 per cent of all enquiries received by agents are now about long-term lets, as buyers opt to sample a particular area of Spain before they commit.

The benefits of long-term renting means they get to experience a particular location first-hand, they’re immediately available to view properties as they come on to the market, and they are already in place, so they don’t have to keep going backwards and forwards between countries during the buying process.

For property owners, long-term letting can be a good deal too. There are none of the legal restrictions that surround tourist or holiday-lets and recent changes in the law favour the landlord should evicting a tenant become neccessary.

Long-term letting is a very good way to make income from your property in Spain, as you have rental income coming in constantly over a long period of time.

If you are renting out your home to holidaymakers by the week, then you may end up with some weeks when the property is empty and you are not making any money, therefore Spanish homeowners who perhaps don’t won’t to use their property for six months of the year, may find a long-term let is very profitable.

Why not contact our Spanish office for a suggestion of rental investments in Rural or coastal Spain