--- title: "Buying a resale home: what to check first | Las Colinas Nordic" description: You place the furniture before you reach the car. A frontline villa overlooking holes 3, 4 and 5 is my example of what to check first. image: https://lascolinas.no/hubfs/LCN%20Newsletter/2026-11/insider-2026-11-villa-v2.jpeg --- [Skip to content](https://lascolinas.no/en/lcn-blogg/buying-a-resale-home-what-to-check-first#main) [![Las Colinas Nordic](https://lascolinas.no/hubfs/lcn/logo-whitegold.png)](https://lascolinas.no/en/?hsLang=en) [Estate](https://lascolinas.no/en/estate?hsLang=en) [Region](https://lascolinas.no/en/region?hsLang=en) [Properties](https://lascolinas.no/en/properties?hsLang=en) [Process](https://lascolinas.no/en/process?hsLang=en) [Advisor](https://lascolinas.no/en/advisor?hsLang=en) [Questions](https://lascolinas.no/en/questions?hsLang=en) [Articles](https://lascolinas.no/en/lcn-blogg?hsLang=en) [NO](https://lascolinas.no/lcn-blogg)[EN](https://lascolinas.no/en/lcn-blogg) [Begin the conversation](https://lascolinas.no/en/lcn-blogg/buying-a-resale-home-what-to-check-first#lead) × [Estate](https://lascolinas.no/en/estate?hsLang=en) [Region](https://lascolinas.no/en/region?hsLang=en) [Properties](https://lascolinas.no/en/properties?hsLang=en) [Process](https://lascolinas.no/en/process?hsLang=en) [Advisor](https://lascolinas.no/en/advisor?hsLang=en) [Questions](https://lascolinas.no/en/questions?hsLang=en) [Articles](https://lascolinas.no/en/lcn-blogg?hsLang=en) [The Insider](https://lascolinas.no/en/lcn-blogg?hsLang=en)4 min read # Buying a resale home: what to *check first* You place the furniture before you reach the car. A frontline villa overlooking holes 3, 4 and 5 is my example of what to check first. ![](https://lascolinas.no/hubfs/lcn/john-uppard-portrait-jacket.jpg) **John R. Uppard**Buyer's advisor, owner at Las Colinas · 5 November 2026 ![Buying a resale home: what to check first](https://lascolinas.no/hs-fs/hubfs/LCN%20Newsletter/2026-11/insider-2026-11-villa-v2.jpeg?width=2000&height=857&name=insider-2026-11-villa-v2.jpeg) *What to look at first, so the view is the pleasure it should be.* The seller opens the door to the terrace. The light is good, the course is green, and within a minute you are deciding where the table would go. By the time you reach the car you have already placed the furniture, the guests and the first evening. That reaction is natural, and it is part of why a home works for you. When a resale home comes up, it is easy to fall for it on the first visit. The feeling arrives first. The checks can follow, and they are easier to do calmly, with the view still there afterwards. If you have bought a home before, you know how a first impression can colour the rest of a viewing. You notice the light, the layout and the neighbours, and the questions you meant to ask drift away. Later, at home, you remember them one at a time. It helps to arrive with the list already in your head. Here is what I would check, in this order. ![A couple on a terrace looking out over the estate](https://lascolinas.no/hubfs/lcn/blog/couple-terrace-estate-view.jpg) > By the time you reach the car you have already placed the furniture, the guests and the first evening. > > The first impression ## First: does it suit how you want to live? Before the building, the life. A home can be well built and still be the wrong one for the way you want to spend your days. How you want to live 1. The location on the estate. Some people want nature trails and quiet, others want to be close to the restaurants. 2. Which way it faces. Morning sun or evening sun. Think about where you will have your first coffee and where you will sit in the evening. 3. The size and the number of rooms. Think about who will stay, and for how long. 4. Whether it works for what you plan to use it for. ![A wooden nature trail sign among pine trees](https://lascolinas.no/hubfs/lcn/blog/nature-trail-sign-in-the-pines.jpg) Nature trails and quiet ![Evening light over the course and the homes on the hillside](https://lascolinas.no/hubfs/lcn/blog/evening-light-over-the-course.jpg) Which way it faces ## Then: the building itself Once the home suits your life, look at what it is made of. A view and a floor plan show the home as it is today. The questions below are about how it was made and how it has held up. The building - The build quality, and the developer who built it. - Whether any guarantees still apply. - Signs of damage, problems or earlier repairs. ## Your own checks In Spain it is usual for the buyer to arrange the checks. I would have a professional surveyor look at the home, and your lawyer check title, debts and permits, before you commit. It is a calm, practical step. The view stays a pleasure, and the checks give you the freedom to enjoy it. Each of these checks looks at something you cannot judge from a terrace. The surveyor looks at the building. Your lawyer looks at the papers behind it. You look at whether it suits your life. Together they give you the same thing from three directions: a clear picture to decide on. ## An example Villa Madroño is a frontline villa overlooking holes 3, 4 and 5: four bedrooms on one level, two bathrooms and a guest WC, 190 m² built on an 896 m² plot, a 10 by 4 metre pool that can be heated, and a putting green. Built in 2018. Key point The seller states it holds a tourist rental licence. Your lawyer should confirm that, and that it can be transferred, before you rely on it. Take Villa Madroño through the list as an exercise. Four bedrooms on one level raise the question of who will stay and how you will use the rooms. The 10 by 4 metre pool that can be heated raises the question of how you would use it through the year. A build year of 2018 raises the question of which guarantees may still apply. A frontline position raises the question of whether you prefer the quiet of the trails or a place close to the restaurants. None of these answers is in the photographs, and each one belongs on your list. ![A fairway, a lake and pine trees on the estate](https://lascolinas.no/hubfs/lcn/blog/fairway-lake-and-pines.jpg) The course and the lake In my view it is a good buy. For a frontline position, it is priced well against the other villas for sale today, and it is worth a close look. A home like this is easy to like. That is exactly why the order matters: how you want to live, then the building, then your own checks. Use the checklist first, then the view. If you have a home in mind, I am happy to go through the list with you. Villa facts: the villa's sales page, taken from the seller's listing as of October 2026. This article is general information, not legal or technical advice. **Read on:** [Villa Madroño](https://villa.lascolinas.no/#en), [Begin the conversation](https://lascolinas.no/en/?hsLang=en#lead). ![John R. Uppard](https://lascolinas.no/hubfs/lcn/john-uppard-portrait-jacket.jpg) Your conversation with John ## A question after reading? *Ask me directly.* [Begin the conversation](https://lascolinas.no/en/#lead) **John R. Uppard** · Buyer's advisor, owner at Las Colinas ## Read on [All articles](https://lascolinas.no/en/lcn-blogg?hsLang=en) ### [![For owners: form 210 for 2025 is due by 31 December 2026](https://lascolinas.no/hs-fs/hubfs/LCN%20Newsletter/2026-11/insider-2026-11-hero.jpeg?width=900&name=insider-2026-11-hero.jpeg) The Insider For owners: form 210 for 2025 is due by 31 December 2026](https://lascolinas.no/en/lcn-blogg/form-210-for-2025-due-31-december-2026?hsLang=en) A short reminder: form 210 for 2025 is due by 31 December 2026. What it covers, the rates, and the simple way through. ### [![A viewing trip that leads to a good decision](https://lascolinas.no/hs-fs/hubfs/LCN%20Newsletter/2026-11/insider-2026-11-visit-v2.jpeg?width=900&name=insider-2026-11-visit-v2.jpeg) The Insider A viewing trip that leads to a good decision](https://lascolinas.no/en/lcn-blogg/a-viewing-trip-that-leads-to-a-good-decision?hsLang=en) The four questions I would take with you on a viewing trip. The last one matters most. ### [![New build or resale? How the two differ](https://lascolinas.no/hs-fs/hubfs/LCN%20Newsletter/2026-11/insider-2026-11-lima-v2.jpeg?width=900&name=insider-2026-11-lima-v2.jpeg) The Insider New build or resale? How the two differ](https://lascolinas.no/en/lcn-blogg/new-build-or-resale-how-the-two-differ?hsLang=en) A finished home today, or one paid in stages. How I would choose between them. ### [![Visiting in November: what to expect](https://lascolinas.no/hs-fs/hubfs/LCN%20Newsletter/2026-11/insider-2026-11-golf-v2.jpeg?width=900&name=insider-2026-11-golf-v2.jpeg) The Insider Visiting in November: what to expect](https://lascolinas.no/en/lcn-blogg/visiting-las-colinas-in-november?hsLang=en) Summer days, cooler nights, a quieter coast and a sea still around 19°C. November at Las Colinas. ![Las Colinas Nordic](https://lascolinas.no/hubfs/lcn/logo-whitegold.png) [Estate](https://lascolinas.no/en/estate?hsLang=en) [Region](https://lascolinas.no/en/region?hsLang=en) [Properties](https://lascolinas.no/en/properties?hsLang=en) [Process](https://lascolinas.no/en/process?hsLang=en) [Advisor](https://lascolinas.no/en/advisor?hsLang=en) [Questions](https://lascolinas.no/en/questions?hsLang=en) [Articles](https://lascolinas.no/en/lcn-blogg?hsLang=en) [john@lascolinas.no](mailto:john@lascolinas.no) [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/34711258991) [Book a call](https://lascolinas.no/en/lcn-blogg/buying-a-resale-home-what-to-check-first#lead) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "John R. 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