The prices of property in Spain have dropped drastically – some by as much as 35-50% – making them the same as the value in 2004. This is bad news for sellers who will be selling the properties at a loss but great news if you are looking to buy property in Spain at the moment. “There is a wide choice of properties to choose from ranging from townhouses, luxury villas, beachside apartments, fincas and commercial properties,” says estate agents in Menorca, Spain.

The international press has covered the problems that have tainted the Spanish property market including instances of ‘land grabbing’, people who have purchased illegal properties and those who have been hit with liabilities that they weren’t aware of before purchasing.

A question being asked by everyone at the moment is whether it’s safe to buy in Spain? We’ve put together some guidelines to consider when deciding whether Spanish property is for you:

1. Read up on the Spanish Laws

You must realize that the property law in Spain is very different from the ones in your home country. You should be more careful and cautious than you would have been in your own country.

2. Research the Liabilities Associated With the Property

Acknowledge the fact that the property you are buying might have some liabilities and could be connected to a state infrastructure project. If there is an infrastructure project around your property, there is the risk of losing a proportion of the land.

3. Familiarise Yourself With the Spanish Property Keywords

Make sure you understand the Spanish property law before you go hunting for a property. You should know the relevance and meaning of Urbanizado, Fully Urbanizado or Rural to fully know where the property you are interested in falls under.

4. Invest In An Excellent Lawyer

Invest some time in searching for an excellent lawyer. The conveyancing should be done by the lawyer and nobody else. There are some characteristics that the lawyer should have, namely that he/she is: independent (of the agent, developer and the seller), fluently speaks your language, is a specialist in conveyancing, fully qualified with high public liability insurance. All the assurances and advice you get from your lawyer should be in writing.

5. Make Sure to Have All Documents Translated into Your Language Before Signing Anything

Don’t sign anything at any point in time until the …

Reupholstering a piece of antique furniture is a great way to give it new life. The process involves removing the fabric, padding, springs, and other materials from the existing wooden frame. These materials are then replaced with new fabric and accessories, helping to restore the furniture back to its former glory.

Instead of throwing away old furniture, reupholstering it gives you a chance to continue using it for many more years. Heirloom-quality furniture is often reupholstered multiple times throughout its life, allowing it to be passed down through the generations.

Professional or DIY?

For professional-quality results, you can hire a company such at The Upholstery Workshop to reupholster the furniture for you. These companies have the tools, expertise, and experience to do the job right. Unfortunately, the cost of having furniture reupholstered can be quite high. If you are working on a tight budget, you may want to consider taking on the project yourself. Transforming an old, outdated piece of furniture into something beautiful and new can be a fun and rewarding process.

The vast majority of antique furniture pieces can be reupholstered, simply because of how they were constructed. In most cases, older furniture is extremely well-made and can last for many decades. Newer furniture, on the other hand, is a little bit less predictable. Some pieces that were made in the recent past don’t have a solid enough underlying structure to be reupholstered.

Deconstructing the Furniture

Typically, it is a good idea to snap a photo or two of the piece of furniture before you begin the project. That way, you will have a guide to refer back to when you are putting it all back together.

Likewise, as you deconstruct the furniture, take photos of each part of the process. You may even want to take detailed photos of certain parts of the furniture so that you can clearly see how they were originally put together. This can make it easier to put everything back together the right way when you are done with the project.

The process of reupholstering a piece of furniture can take quite a while, depending on the size and complexity of the piece. During that time, it is easy to forget how the original piece of furniture looked or how it was put together. Having a series of photos can help overcome this challenge.

If you are reupholstering a …