Buying a dream home in Spain is about to get much easier for British and other foreign purchasers, following the opening on 15th July 2014 of an office in the Costa del Sol by online resource company, SpainBuyingGuide.com, part of the Overseas Guides Company.

Through its new Spanish premises in Cala de Mijas, which will be run as an exclusive partnership with international money transfer specialist Smart Currency Exchange, Spain Buying Guide will help people buy safely in Spain through their trusted partner companies, including estate agents and property lawyers. The team will be on-hand in the Spanish office to offer guidance to property hunters, as well as offering guidance over the phone and online from the Resource Centre in the UK, through its buying guide website and portfolio of free information guides.

“Our Spanish office will raise our customer offering to a whole new level,” said Head of Spain Buying Guide, Angelos Koutsoudes. “Face-to-face contact with our team and partners on the ground in Spain will complement our existing operations run out of London perfectly. Dealing with companies and individuals in person will offer additional reassurance for both valued clients and partners in the Costa del Sol.”

The opening of the new Spanish office also marks the re-launch of the SpainBuyingGuide.com website. The new, improved site will make researching a property purchase in Spain simpler, with impartial information on what steps to take and who to talk to for those who want to live the dream in Spain. The site also features experiences and insights from expats who have already made the leap to living abroad themselves, giving their own personal recommendations and sharing tips for the real 'dos' and 'don'ts' of buying property in and moving to Spain.

This comes at a time when foreign interest in owning property in Spain – in particular, a holiday home on the Costa del Sol or Costa Blanca – is seeing a revival. According to the Spanish General Council of Notaries, demand from foreign buyers grew by 27.2 per cent in the first quarter of 2014 compared to 2013, with foreigners representing 19.4 per cent of the total sales market.

Charles Purdy, Co-founder and Managing Director of parent company, the Overseas Guides Company, commented: “This is the first exciting step in the Overseas Guides Company's international growth. We will continue to launch additional offices across a number of key countries this year and next, to provide both our clients and partners with a wider range of services across our country network.”

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Notes for Editors:

1. The new Spain Buying Guide and Smart Currency Exchange offices open on Tuesday 15 July from 5pm with a launch party at:

Centro Comercial Cala Sol

Boulevard La Cala

Edificio B Local 17

29649 La Cala de Mijas

Mijas Costa

Malaga

Spain

Please RSVP to benoit@smartcurrencyexchange.com if you would like to attend.

2. The Overseas Guides Company: Creators of SpainBuyingGuide.com, the Overseas Guides Company is the official guide partner to Rightmove Overseas and winner of the OPP Gold Best Media Award in 2013 and Bronze Award in 2012. The Overseas Guides Company launched in 2005 and has gone from strength to strength, becoming the foremost media portal and resource for anyone looking to buy property or move overseas.

3. As well as a Resource Centre offering free information over the phone (0207 898 0549), the company publishes in-depth, unbiased Buying Guides for 15 countries across the globe, regular newsletters and information bulletins for overseas property buyers.

4. The Overseas Guides Company Partner Network connects readers to a range of trusted professionals who are experts in the international property buying and selling process, including property agents, financial and legal advisors. To ensure information is current and first-hand, the company has a growing team of expat writers, who offer first-hand information and an in-depth understanding and of what life is like in their country of residence.

5. Smart Currency Exchange: Smart Currency Exchange is an FCA-authorised international money transfer specialist with over ten years experience in the overseas property market. Smart Currency has built on founding values of customer-centricity and harnessing overseas property expertise to help over 20,000 clients in the UK to better understand the risks of exchange rate volatility to save money on currency costs, transferring over £3 billion for clients to destinations all over the world. Unique in the industry, Smart Currency do not remunerate their traders on commission, but on customer satisfaction and retention, meaning they offer personalised, impartial client service.

Crucial to this is an in-depth understanding of the overseas property buying process, supporting clients from start to finish. Smart Currency also partners with legal experts, agents and financial advisors to help make their overseas property purchase as smooth and straightforward as possible.

6. All writers and industry experts at both the Overseas Guides Company and Smart Currency Exchange are available for media comment on aspects of buying, selling, or living abroad.

Media contacts:

Jackie Nicholls, Public Relations:

jackie@overseasguidescompany.com, 0207 898 0549

Rachael Kinsella, Public Relations:

rachael@overseasguidescompany.com, 0207 898 0549

Richard Way, Editor, the Overseas Guides Company:

richard.way@overseasguidescompany.com, 0207 898 0549 or 07807 802 382

Benoit Panissie, Country Manager, Spain:

benoit@smartcurrencyexchange.com, +34 694 473 055