Before you sign with anyone
9 Questions to Audit Any Real Estate Agency
You're about to hand the biggest purchase of your life to someone you've just met, from another country, with no way to check anything in person. Before you trust them, ask these 9 questions. They apply to any agency, in any country — including ours.
Official registration
Every licensed agent has a public registration number. Ask for it before you sign anything.
Liability and bond insurance
Without it, if something goes wrong, there's no one to hold accountable.
Who they represent
They could be working for the seller, the developer, or you. It's not the same thing.
How they get paid
Fees need to be in writing before you start — never negotiated halfway through.
Before you sign with anyone
In Spain, anyone can call themselves a real estate agent without a licence, without registration, and without insurance. No one will tell you that on the first call. And buying from abroad, with no way to check it in person, it's the one question that costs the most to skip.
That's why we put together this checklist — so you can audit anyone you talk to, not just us. The more of these 9 questions someone answers with hard facts, not nice words, the more confidently you can walk into the signing.
Before you pay anything
If an agency can't give you a registration number you can verify, that's already the only answer you need.
Frequently asked questions
What's your official registration number?
In the Valencian Community, every licensed agent is listed in the RAICV (the region's official register of real estate agents), with a public number you can check before you sign anything. If they can't give it to you straight away, or you can't find it on the register, you have your answer. Ours is RAICV No. 6440.
Do you carry liability and bond insurance?
The official register requires it — but ask for it in writing, not just their word. Without that insurance, if something goes wrong with the deal, there's no policy behind it and no one to hold accountable.
Who are you representing in this deal — the seller, the developer, or me?
It's not the same thing. An agent can be paid by both the developer and the buyer without ever mentioning it, and that works against you in every negotiation. We represent the buyer only, never the other side at the same time.
How and when do you get paid?
It needs to be in writing before you start — how much, when, and who pays it — never negotiated halfway through. On our new-build listings: No added fees — the same price as buying direct. On the open market or for a mortgage, the percentage and minimum are agreed in writing from day one.
Will you only show me your own listings, or the whole open market too?
An agency that only shows its own exclusives isn't looking for what's best for you — it's placing what it already has. Ask whether the service includes searching the whole market, not just their portfolio.
Do you speak my language, or will I need a translator halfway through the signing?
Buying from a distance is complicated enough without a go-between in every conversation that matters. Our website and our direct service work in 19 languages.
Can I speak to past clients of yours — with a name, country, and date?
A five-star review with no name and no date proves nothing. Ask for verifiable references: who, from where, and when. Ours carry a name, a country, and a date, and you can see all of them on the website.
What happens if something goes wrong after I sign?
Plenty of agencies vanish the moment they get paid. Ask whether the service ends at the signing or carries on afterwards — with the NIE, utilities, anything unexpected. Ours has a final step that comes after you get the keys, not before.
Will you explain how my money is protected before I sign, or will I find out after I've already paid?
On new-build purchases, Spanish law requires the developer to guarantee every stage payment with a bank guarantee or bond insurance, and to cover 10 years of structural warranty on the property. A good agent explains this before you put a single euro on the table, not after.
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