Morocco in North Africa is a popular part of the world for tourists, home buying and new development hunters as Morocco welcomes overseas property & home buyers. With next to no nt, leading the way to revitalising Morocco. Stable country coupled with booming home buying andrestrictions on foreigners home buying, property development areas are being erected to fuel the demand of second home owners and invest opportunity.
Popular, Morocco government is keen to drive through change throughout the entire country and home buying and property development is attracting foreign direct investme property market Morocco can offer a range of opportunities for all budgets and tastes. With Morocco being a warm climate and a country close to the equator it offers many months of sun with much less expensive property in comparison than other similar countries in the region.
With Morocco having a history of home buying & property ownership without deeds it is always best to check title deeds with older property. Older townhouses and land in Morocco tends to present a small problem when it comes to transferring title ownership as it takes much longer to secure deeds for a home & property without deeds. A new built home tends to provide a straight forward home buying ownership opportunity as new deeds and home ownership legal issues can arranged by your lawyer.
Buying Process
- Viewing trips to Morocco looking at potential property and homes.
- Deal direct with home owners with older property as this tends to be the normal practice. Also a good idea to consult with a good English
- English speaking estate agent that will provide suitable property and homes for you to look at.
- View property developers new built apartments and homes.
- Decide on a final price when home buying, which is another custom in Morocco.
- Agree a final price for the property or home.
- Gain the agreement of the home owner or owners to sell the property and accept the terms. - Appoint a lawyer to conduct a survey, legal checks, title deeds check and home ownership of the property.
- Preliminary contract is drawn up when both parties agree the change of home ownership that will detail all terms and conditions.
- Pay a deposit at the initial agreement stage which tends to be higher than other countries.
- Lawyer will also check to see if there is any outstanding debts on the property, as the new owner would inherit all debts when home buying in Morocco.
- In general a bank account in Morocco is required for the payment of property.
- When your professional lawyer and you are happy with the property and all documentation then the final agreement to transfer is initiated by paying the final outstanding balance owed on the purchase of the home.
- Your lawyer will then officially enter the property home buying sale with the government officials. Time period from agreeing a home buying or property purchase to registering the property under your ownership can take as little as a week or months depending on if there are any issues that arise through paperwork or planning.
Fees and taxes are charged around the rate of 6.5% for buildings and land at 1% of the total sales price.
Communicating
Morocco in towns & cities have all the modern means of communication such as broadband and dial up internet, fax, telegram, telephones and mobile telephone signals. Rural areas and the desert at times a mobile telephone signal is weak or no service available and you are very advisable to plan all living and travel in mind of health & safety. Post in and out of Morocco can be slow at time, although sending international or express postage or packages should be the same service as other countries offer. Travel
Airport
Several airports in Morocco, although not all service international flights and can be difficult seeing Morocco by plane with specifically chartering a pane yourself privately.
Roads
Major highways from city to city and towns and other minor roads throughout morocco are mostly usable. Driving around some parts of the country requires four wheeled drive vehicle as the road can range from a rough uneven surface, dirt, rocky and sand. Hiring a car is no problem and driving round major towns & cities which are well sign posted. Toll road payments are present in Morocco and are payable in advance if you wish to use a toll road.
Taxis
Petit Taxi Cheap and most affordable around morocco cities and major towns. Petit taxis are only permitted to ferry passengers in one specific town or city and are not allowed outside the city limits. Grand Taxi Usable for all over Morocco and can take you most places you wish to go. More expensive and comfortable and generally are all Mercedes cars. Good idea in tourist cities to ask for a set price before starting your journey.
Buses
Transportation by bus in Morocco is fairly cheap and in major towns and cities for is set cheap for people to use the bus and afford the fare at the same time. Getting around Morocco is possible by bus and all tourist and a lot of non tourist routes are serviced every day.
Trains
Reliable trains and almost always come on time are the best mode of transport to get around at an affordable price. As like other countries there is first and second class and standard differ according to the choice of carriage you choice to travel. Moroccan national railway company (ONCF office national des chemins de fer) is taking really good care of its customers: train stations throughout Morocco are well-equipped and clean and the personnel are very friendly.
ONCF Call center: 090 20 30 40 Website: http://www.oncf.ma At present the 3 main routes services are: " Tangier-Kenitra-Rabat-Casablanca " Casablanca-Marrakech " Oujda-Fes-Meknes-Kenitra There is also a train line which connects Casablanca to the Mohammed V international airport. Plans are in place to expand the rail network to service more towns and cities throughout Morocco.
Sea
Tangier from Spain, Casablanca and other ports on the coastline of Morocco can be accessed by the sea.
Medical Assistance
Always advisable to have comprehensive medical coverage before leaving home. Morocco has good hospitals, private clinics and doctor available 24 hours a day, although in some parts of the country it is difficult to access medical care. Remote areas and the desert could mean hours before medical assistance arrives and a means of summing help such as a mobile phone is ways advisable.
Ray Blanchett RC Property Worldwide