This is the agents link that we have used in Tenerife.

http://www.tenerifeproperties.net/

Ring and ask for Kerry Stone or Mike Woodhouse. They are NOT the quickest or slickest but everything from the purchase contract to signing at the Notary was handled for us and it was all done correct.

Crin you really need to go and decide for yourselves which area you are interested in, then take it from there - I honestly believe that most agents out there are reputable. Through our own experiences we can recommend Los Cristianos Properties (INVALID URL and Visaverde (INVALID URL but there are plenty more good ones. There are many decisions to be made and you will get a clearer picture about things if you start off by reading all the posts about buying and renting in Tenerife, mostly in the Expats and Owners section. Get a feel for the prices by checking all the agents' websites, bearing in mind that location decides most things. Good luck.

When it comes to choosing a good rental property, just use common sense i.e. where would most people like to stay when they go on holiday? - in a busy resort, near the beach, near the restaurants, near the bars, with a seaview etc. The problem you face of course, is that the nearer you get to meeting that criteria, the higher the cost. So you have to find the nearest property which does meet it, and meets your budget!

Thanks for the replies. We were in tenerife in january looking at property, we have decided to buy in the Los Cristianos area, there are some apartments for sale at sur y sol but we didn't see that complex while we were there, does any one know if it is any good. Most of the agents were trying to sell us castle harbour but we didn't like it.

If you have decided upon LC I definitely recommend you contact Los Cristianos Properties - they have been established for years, ask for Diego, he knows absolutely everything that is happening in the area, he has been there for ever and knows everyone. Depends on your budget but Sur y Sol are being refurbished and seem quite a good price, they are situated quite near the front and the council have at last started to tidy things up a bit in that area. The pool area at Sur y Sol isnt very attractive but it might be worth enquiring if that is being re-done as well

All the main banks have websites, some of which have a button to convert the site to English. This may help in sorting a bank account. Barclays is present in LC and in San Eugenio, and the LC branch I know for a fact is recognised by my local Barclays here in the UK. I haven't asked the question as to whether one can open an account remotely, or whether it's possible to extend the existing UK account in any way. Probably wishful thinking. You could try and work without a bank using telegraphic transfers to pay your outgoings, but at around £25 per transfer that could be expensive.
We bought an apartment at pre-construction after standing on a concrete floor supported by pillars and it was the most worrying moment of my life when I passed over a holding deposit to an agent I didn't really know from Adam and went back to the UK leaving the agent to do the necessary. Before we departed the agent took us to arrange NIE numbers to allow him to progress in our absence. After that it was a matter of transferring monies as each stage of the property completed. Now two years after completion and having a lovely apartment to escape to whenever we can we both appreciate the effort put in by our agent who to this day still remains a regular source of help and advice if needed.

Sorry forgot to tell you earlier, some friends of ours opened their bank account (inPDLA but there are probably other branches) at BancaMarch via the internet at http://www.bancamarch.es but this was about 2 years ago so dont know whether it is still accepted that way or not now.

Edited by Bawbee to correct link

Hi PMH

Which agent did you use to buy your apartment

Hi Crin,

The agent we used was Sunway Properties, 2 Parque Cattleya, Playa de Las Americas. Tel: 922 790021, just down from the Aparthotel Columbus and on the opposite side of the road. It appears to be run by a Brit (Barry Macdonald). However, I believe he'd be lost without his right arm member of staff Carmen who really runs the business. I understand he's now opened a branch in FUERTEVENTURA, so would appear to be expanding. Our next door neighbour in our apartment block also used Sunway with no apparent problems. Macdonald himself isn't someone you can take to easily, but when a telegraphic transfer of ours went adrift temporarily at a particularly vital moment of the sale, he stood the costs himself until our money appeared, and at no charge that I'm aware of.

PMH

A trainee Tenerife Swallow