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Secure Your Ideal Home With These
 Simple but Really Useful Spanish Phrases

By Peter Christian

(c) Peter Christian - All Rights reserved
http://www.streetwisespanish.com

If you're moving to Spain for a while, the most important part of the process is of course, finding a nice place to live. No matter if it is renting a flat or buying a property outright, here are several useful Spanish phrases that are bound to prove helpful in securing an ideal place where you can relax and relish the wonderful Hispanic culture!

Vale, first of all, you're going to need to locate un agente de la propiedad inmobiliaria and ask them for details about the types of properties you're aiming for. Just say this useful Spanish phrase:

Hola, me gustaría que diese información sobre los pisos/las casas en venta/alquiler - I would like to get some information regarding  apartments/houses for renting/buying

You will probably be asked:

¿Qué busca usted? or: ¿Busca usted algo en particular?

Simply respond with a short description of what you're looking for, for instance:

Estaba buscando un piso/ático/una casa con al menos dos/tres habitaciones una de ellas de matrimonio, y con terraza o balcón - I'm interested in an apartment/a studio/a house containing no less than 2/3 bedrooms with one of them a double-room and with a terrace or balcony

Other useful Spanish phrases you can include here are:  A estenar - brand new, amueblado - furnished, con un ascensor - with an elevator (I'll be sure to add this expression if it is a third floor flat or higher) and bien situado - well situated. It's possible you'll moreover come across this as bien comunicado in a few agentes de la propiedad inmobiliaria.

If you do see a place you like and you want a brochure, just say:

¿Puede darme un folleto informativo? - Can you provide me with a brochure?

One thing that can cause confusion for Spanish language students relates to the usage of two terms for the word "deposit": Una entrada y Una fianza.

Examples as always help best:

¿Cuánto es la fianza del alquiler y cuál es la duración del contrato? - How much is the rent deposit and how long is the duration of the contract?

Para firmar las escrituras de la casa, es necesario dar una entrada del 20% y tener un aval bancario - In order to sign the deeds of the house, it is necessary to pay a 20% deposit and to have a bank guarantee.

A pair of extra useful Spanish phrases there: un aval bancario, a bank guarantee and las escrituras, the deeds. And here's one or two more useful Spanish phrases you're certain to hear:

Soleados y amplios - Sunny and spacious. You'll see this even if the property is a very small studio where a hamster would feel claustrophobic! 

Tiene humedades - This indicates the property has damp - you've been warned!

Calefacción general - If the property is an apartment, watch out for this. This means that the heating for all of the building is provided by a single boiler. Tenants cannot control the boiler nevertheless they pay a share of the heating bill. A smart idea is to ensure the flat has calefacción individual, as you can control the heating and more significantly, you will only pay for what you have used.

Lastly, one more useful Spanish phrase to be aware of as it can also confuse non-native speakers. When it comes to making payments for your new home, you're very likely to see this on the agreement:

Se puede pagar por transferencia bancaria o solamente mediante talón

You've no doubt easily got most of the Spanish there but then you'll have hit the last word talón, the term for "heel" in Spanish. Here comes the confusion! To pay by heel - what's that saying? All this is saying is that you'll be able to pay the rent or mortgage by check and this is a really useful Spanish phrase to introduce to your expanding streetwise Spanish vocab.

These useful Spanish phrases are sure to help you secure your ideal home and you can quickly plug-in to the language and the culture of the Spanish world and add an authentic, vibrant feel to your Spanish with the unique and fun Streetwise Spanish program. To sign-up for your free weekly Streetwise Spanish tips and add even more useful Spanish phrases to your vocab, click here now

Hasta pronto,

Peter Christian