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Last Updated on 17/07/2023 by STEPHANE
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British property buyer’s guide in Spain
Find your free pdf report regrouping all our tips and all this information at the end of this article
The 10 things you should know before buying your Spanish property!
We make it easy for you to buy your dream property in Spain thanks to our knowledge and our network of local partners.
How active are the British on the Spanish property market? What properties do they like? What are the most loved Spanish regions by the British? How much do they pay? Do they prefer new build properties or resale? Do they need a mortgage for financing? How should they buy? What are the 9 steps to buy a property in Spain?
First, let’s analyse the Second Home purchases by the British in Spain
Both foreigners and Spaniards are very active on the property market in Spain.
In 2018, foreigners bought close to 100,000 properties in Spain.
Spaniards and Foreigners are buying the highest number of properties in 2018 vs any year since the crisis of 2008, have a look at our chart: more than 580,000 properties were bought, 15% of the purchases by foreigners.
Read our most recent article about that: Who are the foreigners buying real estate in Spain?
100,000 properties bought by foreigners in 2018. Why foreigners are so active in Spain?
We have listed at least 13 reasons why foreigners are buying properties in Spain. Of course, you’ll find sea, sun, beaches, nice quality of life… but investment return is important as we explain here: What return will you make on your Spanish Property in 2019?
How active are the British on the Spanish Real estate market? 15,300 properties bought in 2018
According to the “Consejo General del Notariado” in Spain, the English are buying 41 properties per day, or about 15,300 for the last 12 months up to December 2018, in Spain.
It is nearly 10 times more than in 2008.
How much do they pay for their properties? €1,649/m²
The price they pay on average is €1,649 per square meter. They pay just a little bit more than other foreigners buying properties in Spain. Check the evolution over the last 12 years.
Of course, depending on the region, price paid by foreigners per square meter is changing a lot. The Balearic Islands is the most expensive region if you want to buy a second home in Spain. Another factor factor to take into account for the price is if the property is a new build property or a resale.
Real estate prices in Spain are not any more in crisis
we have a stable and even growing market in many Spanish regions
If you want to know more about the property prices in all the Spanish cities, please check our Quarterly report on the Spanish property prices.
What are the most loved Spanish regions by the British?
The English are buying in the suspected regions where foreigners are the most active: the Costa Blanca and the Costa del Sol. Those two Costas are in Andalusia and in the Valencian Community and represent nearly 40pc of the transactions done by the English. Other important regions are the Canary Islands and Murcia.
Where are foreigners buying in Spain? In which Regions, in Which Cities?
Foreigners are actively buying properties in many Spanish cities: for Alicante, Tenerife, Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca, Malaga and Girona, they represent more than one transaction out of 4.
Here are the most active regions
Here are the most active cities
If you want to read more on the subject: Which are the top 10 Spanish cities where foreigners are buying properties?
What properties do they like? Small or big? 100m²
Most of the the English, 1 out of 3 buy properties bigger than 100 square meters. If you compare those numbers with other nationalities, the English do buy bigger second homes in Spain than other foreigners.
Do the British prefer new build properties or resale? Resale
15% of English are buying a new build property in Spain. This is inline with other foreigners.
Looking for a new build property? Discover the best new build projects available in Spain on our portal.
sold directly by renowned developers at their best prices.
EXCLUSIVE LAUNCH OFFER: Purchase any property and receive €3,000!
Looking for a resale? We have many local property finders ready to help.
Let’s have a look at the 6 reasons why a personal real estate shopper in Spain will be very helpful for your property search.
Do the British take a mortgage for their Second Home? €179,000
Only 13% of the property purchases done by the English in Spain are done with a mortgage. For the transactions with a mortgage, the mortgage size is €179,000. Other foreigners take €133,000 mortgage on average.
If you want to learn more on how to get the best mortgage deal, read our seminal paper: Your definitive guide to your Spanish mortgage rate: How to apply, how to get the best rates?
If you want to directly ask a free quote to our partner, don’t hesitate. Ask our partner a mortgage quote for a Spanish property.
Buying in Spain is easy, once you found your property, here are the 9 steps to your Spanish Property
1. Get your NIE “Número de Identificación de Extranjeros”, read our article on this: “Your ultimate guide to your NIE number“.
2. Find a lawyer speaking your language and Spanish: Looking for an property lawyer in Spain? Check all our partners here!
3. Open a Bank account
4. Do you need a mortgage? Your Spanish Mortgage: How to apply? How to get the best rates?
5. Sign the “contrato de Reserva”
6. Important checks of the property with experts
7. Get your mortgage confirmed
8. Sign the “contrato de Arras”
9. Go to the Notary for signing the contract for the purchase of the property
If you want to look at our detailed article: ” The 9 Steps before buying your Spanish property“.
How much does it cost to buy a property in Spain?
The short answer is 10% to 14% of the property value. Read our detailed article on that subject: What is the real cost of buying your Spanish Property?
How much does it cost to be an owner of a property in Spain?
The short answer is around 1% of the property value per year. Learn more in our detailed article: What is the real cost of owning your Spanish property?
How much does it cost to live in Spain vs UK?
Download our exclusive pdf report: British property buyer’s guide in Spain: what are the ideal Spanish properties for the British? Where do they buy? How much do they pay?
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