All those amongst you looking for that dream Spanish property have one thing in common – you are all after a great deal.

We´ve spoken to lots of potential buyers in the last month or so, and we´ve been keeping a note of all the different phrases that people have used to describe what they are after. These are the most common terms that have been used - they have been repeated again and again:

-    a bargain
-    a cheap deal
-    a distressed sale
-    a heavily discounted property
-    a forced seller

Whilst all 5 of these phrases may appear similar, for us in the Spanish property market, one stands out as being distinct from the rest – “ a bargain”.

I am concerned that with prices being lowered across the board, and the knowledge that there are forced and distressed sellers out there, most people just want to bag the best possible financial deal or the cheapest possible unit. People are being blinkered and are forgetting to follow the golden rules of buying property.

Cheap properties, distressed properties, discounted properties, forced sales – they all sound very exciting and very tempting, but none of them equate to ´a good deal´ or a genuine Spanish property bargain if they are of sub-standard quality and/or in the wrong location.

Remember, price + quality + location = bargain.

There are plenty of properties for sale in Spain at the moment, but the proportion of these that can genuinely be described as a ´bargain´ is probably tiny.

Be very careful!