THE following are some tips on how to buy property in Seville, Spain. Seville of course is a landlocked city in southwestern Spain. It offers the April Fair every year on that month. This is the Holy Week celebration in Seville. Food there consists of seafood from Cadiz and wine from Jerez and most of the sautéed food is swimming in olive oil. That is why the Spaniards are known for their longevity because olive oil is the healthiest cooking oil known to man. Other specialties of a typical Seville dinner include grilled squid, cuttlefish, swordfish and dogfish, Andalusian ham, lamb’s kidneys dipped in sherry sauce, snails and gazpacho. Common sweet delicacies here are polvorones, roscos, yemas and tortas. The yummiest fruit here is Seville orange.

Many tourists from other European countries flock here during summertime and especially during April Fair. These are tourists from seaside countries who want to go somewhere else where there is no sea and only skyscrapers and mountains can be found. A few of these British expatriates even buy properties here to be used as a retreat every summer. After all, Spain stands as the summer capital of Europe for those who cannot withstand the humidity in the tropical islands.

Maximum temperatures here are pegged only at 25 degrees Celsius. Other British expatriates spend their retirement here along with their British wives. Of course, they will leave their adult kids behind in Britain. But this does not mean though that only old tourists inhabit Seville. Children will enjoy the rides at the Isla Magica Theme Park. Then there’s a boisterous choice of museums to see – the Andalusian Center of Contemporary Art, Museum of Archaeology, Museum of Popular Art and Customs, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Carriages, Military and Historic Museum and Bullring and Bullfighting Museum. Take note, all these museums can be visited for free. Then there are the Spanish landmarks of old – the Cathedral of Seville, the Real Alcazar and the Torre de Oro. It is also only in Seville where you can find restaurants featuring flamenco dancing shows. Included in the menu are sautéed artichoke with cuttlefish and fried lima beans, prawn-stuffed squash, candied cod with garlic, grilled honeyed lamb stuffed with spinach and mushroom and desserts featuring the famed Seville orange.

When you are scouting for property here, it is best suggested for family or friends to accompany you so there would be second or third opinions on the best properties available. Also, you must have a choice beforehand on whether you just want to rent a villa for a period of six months or just look for a lot with no constructed house yet. Or are you looking for a condo suite or a house stripped of all furnishings? Your friends and you must also be accompanied by a Spanish speaking lawyer to deal with the real estate agent as well as to assess the property laws in Spain. Anyway, taxes are not bad once you’ve purchased a property. You will just have to pay for the garbage collection tax and if you’re not living in the property you’ve bought, you will be taxed according to your potential income of the property should you decide to lease that to other persons.