Costa Brava Archives - How to buy in Spain

Review some of the last properties bought by our local property hunters everywhere in Spain (at the bottom of the article).

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Buying your property in Spain?

STEPHANE — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 04:57:54 +0000

Click on any flag to get an automatic translation from Google translate. Some news could have an original translation here: News Nouvelles Nieuws Noticias Nachrichten

Are you buying your dream property in Spain?

Since we started to invest in Spain in 2012, we have built a network of local real estate experts in Spain and became the one stop shop solution for foreigners looking for help to buy a property in Spain.

Foreigners ourselves, we have built this network first to find the solution for ourselves… then we wanted to share our network and our experience with other foreigners.

In two years, our readership grew to more than 140,000 and are coming from more than 210 countries around the world! We are really pleased with that.

It is cheap and easy to buy a property in Spain if you are assisted by the local experts speaking your language. Check our interesting articles:

The experts from our network are active in ten fields:

We get many requests flowing in every week as 130.000 foreigners bought a property in Spain in 2022 and the growth is continuing.

Check the feedback we have received lately from our customers:

“Thank you for your help.”

“Your website is really a very interesting source of information.”

“We found the help we wanted for purchasing our property.”

“Thanks to your website, I got the ins and outs of buying a property in Spain.”

How did we help our customers during the last months?

Our activity is strong and we can’t update this page regularly as we have to manage the requests coming in. We receive the most requests from England but actually they really come from all over the world. This is why we love it so much.

What are the services people are looking for? Property finders in Spain, mortgage financing thanks to our partnership with a mortgage broker negotiating with all the biggest banks in Spain, legal and tax advice and currency hedging. We started our partnership for your holiday home insurance in Spain in 2019. Last but not least, we have a survey partner if you need any technical review of a property before buying it.

Here is a quick overview of some requests we got in during the last months:

We got close to 300 Requests in 2022!

Here are a few samples of how we helped our customers in 2022:

A couple from America is looking to invest in Valencia or Barcelona and find their future retirement home

Region: Valencia / Barcelona

Requests:

-Get in touch with our property hunter in the region of Valencia and our property hunter in the region of Barcelona

–Find a lawyer in Valencia and a property lawyer in Barcelona speaking English to assist with the purchase of the property in Spain. May I buy a property in Spain?

–How to finance my Spanish property? as I want to keep my current property for 5 more years before retiring.

–How to hedge currency risk while I purchase my property in Spain as I am American?

A young manager from Soudan is looking for a new life in Spain.

Region: no precise idea: Valencia / Barcelona ?

Requests:

–How to get a Golden Visa for Spain?

–Find a lawyer in Valencia and a property lawyer in Barcelona speaking English to assist with my Visa application the purchase of the property in Spain

A couple from Belgium is looking to buy a family house in the Costa Brava

Region: Costa Brava

Requests:

-Get in touch with our property hunter in the Costa Brava region

A couple from South Africa is looking to invest in Barcelona and find their future home

Region: Barcelona

Requests:

-Get in touch with our property hunter in the region of Barcelona

– Find a property lawyer in Barcelona speaking English to assist with the purchase of the property in Spain.

– A tax adviser in Barcelona to review my tax situation with the property

–How to finance my Spanish property? as I want to keep my current property for 5 more years before retiring.

–How to hedge currency risk while I purchase my property in Spain as I am Not European?

A Dutch couple is looking to invest in Valencia for a holiday home close to the beach

Region: Valencia

Requests:

-Get in touch with our property hunter in the region of Valencia

–Find a lawyer in Valencia speaking English to assist with the purchase of the property in Spain.

–How to finance my Spanish property?

A Luxembourg real estate investor is looking to invest in Madrid for rental income.

Region: Madrid

Requests:

-Get in touch with our property hunter in the region of Madrid.

-Get in contact with a local partner for a mortgage in Spain, get a better understanding of the minimum down payment needed to buy a property in Spain.

Example of customers’ other requests:

A customer from Belgium found his holiday home in Andalusia and wanted to make an official bid with a lawyer

Our tip: never make an offer or sign before your lawyer saw the offer.

Region: Andalusia, Costa de Almeria

Requests:

-Get in touch with our property lawyer in the region of Costa de Almeria

-Check all the paperwork

A couple from America looking to retire in the Valencian Community in 2019

Region: Valencia, Valencian Community

Requests:

-Get in touch with our property hunter in the region of Valencia

–Find a lawyer in Valencia speaking English to assist with the purchase of the property in Spain.

–How to get a mortgage in Spain as a foreigner?

–How to hedge currency risk while I purchase my property in Spain?

An Australian couple looking to get the Golden Visa in Spain and buy a property in Barcelona

Region: Barcelona, Catalonia

Requests:

-Get in touch with our property hunter in Barcelona

–Find a lawyer to assist with the property purchase and with the Visa procedure.

–Money Transfer/currency risk: the purchaser needs to exchange Australia Dollars into Euros

An English couple looking to know how to proceed to get a mortgage in the Valencian Community

Region: Valencia, Valencian Community

Requests:

-Understand how to get a mortgage in Spain as a foreigner

A customer from England toured Spain during a full month looking for a horse-property to retire in Spain and found it in the region of Tarragona.

Region: Tarragona, Costa Daurada

Requests:

-Get in touch with our property lawyer in the region of Tarragona

-Find an architect in the Costa Daurada for assisting with a first survey of the property

–Money Transfer and currency hedging: the purchaser is from England and needs to exchange Sterlings into Euros

A customer from Denmark is looking to buy a luxury property in Barcelona as a second home

Region: Barcelona, Costa de Barcelona

Requests:

-Get in touch with our property hunter in Barcelona

-Learn more about the legal and tax aspects of purchasing a property in Spain as a foreigner

A Saudi investor had a budget to invest in a property in Madrid for rental income.

Region: Madrid

Requests:

-Get in touch with our property hunter in the region of Madrid.

-Get in contact with a local partner for a mortgage in Spain, get a better understanding of the minimum down payment needed to buy a property in Spain.

A Dutch looking to retire in Alicante

Region: Alicante, Costa Blanca

Requests:

-Get in touch with our local property lawyer in the region of Denia

-Get in contact with a local partner for a mortgage, get a better understanding of the minimum down payment needed to buy a property in Spain.

An institutional investor looking to invest in Madrid and Barcelona

A Dutch looking to retire in Barcelona

Region: Barcelona, Costa de Barcelona

Requests:

-Get in touch with our local property lawyer in the region of Barcelona

-Understand the aspects regarding the Spanish NIE, why do I need it as a foreigner?

A Brittish looking to retire in 6 months in Spain

Region: Many regions

Requests:

-Where can I find the most for my money?

-Rent my property 6 months per year to get some revenue

A customer from Switzerland looking to buy in Andalusia

Region: Andalusia, Mijas

Requests:

-Get in touch with our local property lawyer in Andalusia

-Get in touch with our property hunter in the Andalusia

-Get in contact with a local partner in Spain for a mortgage

Another customer from Switzerland looking to buy a second home in the old city centre of Girona

Region: Girona, Costa Brava

Request:

-Get in touch with our property hunter in the Costa Brava

So don’t hesitate, ask us, ask our property experts in Spain.

5 Reasons why you should work with our experts?

We work with the best local professionals having the highest standards and speaking your language!
We do the follow-up with our customers. We want to be sure that they are happy with the service provided.
We ask our partners to provide the best service at a competitive price.
Our partners are part of our network and want to stay partners with us: they will continue to do everything to remain part of our network.
We confirm every year if the partners remain members of our network.

Looking for a property lawyer in Spain? Follow the link and get one of our local lawyer.

Looking for another real estate expert in Spain: Mortgage, Insurance, Survey of property, Property hunting, …? Ask us directly one of our 100+ local partner!

Know everything on the Costa Brava: its Airports, its AVE stations, its Cities and villages, its shopping places: Traditional & Flea markets, Outlets and shopping malls. What should you visit? The Unesco sites, the parks for kids, the golf courses, the universities and last but not least the top beaches.

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Costa Brava property hunting, a house in Begur

STEPHANE — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 13:18:44 +0000

Click on any flag to get an automatic translation from Google translate. Some news could have an original translation here: News Nouvelles Nieuws Noticias Nachrichten

In order to get closer to the market in Costa Brava, we asked our independent local property finder, Séverine, to write about her latest activity there. Should you need more information, you can contact her from her profile.

Case Study: A wonderful semi-detached house in Begur

History, tradition, culture and incredible beauty are perfectly combined in the wonderful Costa Brava. Long beaches, small hidden coves among the flora, incredibly clear waters,
medieval villages, beautiful coastal paths and fascinating cuisine are some of Costa Brava’s greatest attractions.

The weather, the environment and the cost of living contribute to making this Spanish region one of the favourite destinations of people from different countries, attracting both tourists and residents throughout the year. This coastal area is also considered one of the best investment places in Spain to buy a holiday house inasmuch as it provides very interesting rental investments.
Begur is known as one of the most beautiful treasures of the costa brava Located in the heart of the Empordà, the Begur town and its beaches make up one of the most wonderful places on the Costa Brava. It is formed by a set of hills called ¨Macizo de Begur¨ and an extensive coastline covered by the Mediterranean Sea.

First, let’s discover the Costa Brava

Located between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean sea, Costa Brava is one of the most beautiful areas of the Western Mediterranean. Its mild climate, with an average temperature of 17 degrees, and its more than 300 days of sunshine per year make it an excellent place to live. To find out more about the weather, check our infographics with the monthly weather statistics of the 18 biggest cities in Spain.
With more than 240km of coastline, it is the ideal holiday destination for all your water sports, sightseeing or cycling. Its infinity of virgin coves and great beaches attract millions of tourists worldwide each year.

To discover more about the Costa Brava, read our paper: Everything you should know about the Costa Brava.

Begur: a nice small coastal town in Catalonia

The old town of Begur is formed by multiple monuments such as the small Romanesque nucleus of Esclanyà which have remained a legacy of the most significant moments in its history. The eight coves and small beaches that belong to Begur make up a set of landscapes and environments unmatched.

A pedestrian street in Begur

What is the current situation for the real estate market in this region?

Whether it is a purchase to spend your retirement, a family second home or acquisition of real estate for rental purposes, the investment in this region appears to be a very interesting option because the prices per square meter remain attractive to this day. Of course, weather statistics could be a little bit colder in the winter months but they remain very warm if you compare to many northern countries. If you love nature, this is as well a fantastic region. As Catalonia is close to the French border and as real estate is cheaper than in France prices are close to the Spanish average and well supported. So, real estate is more expensive than on Costa Blanca but not too expensive. Interesting to note as well is that the cost of life in Spain is much lower than in France.

Here is a quick look at the real estate price evolution in Girona, the capital of the province, over the last 20 years

Girona property prices: €1,690 /m² (end March 2022), +10.6% yr/yr

Transactions for the real estate market in Girona: 14,700 +41%

Prices in Girona followed the national prices as if Girona was the national market really funny! Check these two charts!

Acquire a resale?

More and more foreign buyers are in search of a pied-à-Terre to stay on holiday or in search of an investment for rental purposes. Whatever the purpose is, most of the time, it will require renovation work.

On the one hand, the significant economic advantage of buying a resale makes it possible to acquire cheap housing. On the other hand, renovation provides the advantage of adapting the property according to the tastes and desires of each other.

Let’s review the property: A beautiful semi-detached house

Objective with the property

Rental investment and enjoy Costa Brava some weeks per year.

Buyer profile

A couple From Philadelphia with 2 children. They decided to buy this wonderful house in Begur because they really love its authenticity in terms of its great preservation of green
spaces, crystalline waters and coastal paths. They wanted a place with summer life, closer to beautiful beaches or coves and with pretty views which gave them good rental
profitability and Begur was that perfect place to invest.

Property description

A beautiful semi-detached house with 3 bedrooms and a swimming pool. The house is distributed as follows: you have access to the house from the street level to a nice living room
and a large space that could be used as a garage or storage area. On the main floor, there is a fully equipped open kitchen and a living-dining room that gives access to a pleasant
terrace with wooden decking that connects to the pool area by stairs. On this level, it also has a living room and a toilet. On the first floor, there is a double bedroom with pool
views, another double bedroom and a full bathroom with a shower. On the top floor, there is a double bedroom with views of the pool and a loft used as a storage room.

This house was completely renovated in 2005, and it is ideal as a first or second residence due to its excellent condition and location within the town. it is accessible to go on foot to
all the comfort services. In addition, typical details of this house have been preserved such as the stone walls and the Catalan vault.

Beautiful modern house in Begur, Costa Brava

Neighbourhood

The property is located in Begur centre, close to the beach ¨el Racó¨ and all the amenities. In the area, there are some supermarkets, bars, restaurants and banks. The house is located within a five-minute walk of the castle, el Mirador Carmen Amaya, the church of Sant Pere, Indian houses and the defence towers of Begur.

Wonderful cove close to Begur

Budget

The clients had a budget in mind of 550.000€.

How do we help you?

It is true that doing the work for yourself, can help you to save more money, but it is so probably that you will encounter difficulties along the way due to the fact that each country
has its own process at the moment of selling or buying a house. For this reason, our real estate project emerges with the purpose of making a feasible, pleasant and efficient
purchase process. In this way, you feel so sure and comfortable as if you were buying a house in your own country.

Once you put in contact with us, we activate all our professional work in order to fulfil your request. In this sense, we make a study of your project, it means, a deep searching of the
real estate market in the area you want; consequently, we make visits to the place in order to support you to translate, to represent your interests, to close any deal or to negotiate
when it is required and to formalize your purchase; and finally, we also accompany you for all administrative, legal and practical procedures. We aim to please and make you enjoy
your home quickly and with complete peace of mind.

Ask our network at HowtobuyinSpain.com

In addition to our local property finders, How to buy in Spain has developed a network of local renovation teams.

If you are looking to buy in Spain, we would suggest that you read our earlier paper on Property hunting: 6 essential reasons for loving your Spanish real estate shopper. This paper is very interesting and gives you some of the important reasons why working with a property hunter is very useful for foreigners looking to buy in Spain. You will find specific samples our independent local partners worked on in Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona and Madrid. Here are our other “Case studies” written in Madrid, Barcelona and Tenerife: Property hunting “Case study” in Madrid, Property hunting “Case study” in Barcelona and Property hunting “Case study” in Tenerife written by our local independent property finders.

Séverine, our local independent Property finder in Costa Brava

Looking for a property hunter, a lawyer, an architect,… a local expert in Spain? Ask our network of independent local experts directly!

Check the full team of HTBIS or check our independent local partners

Local independent partner of HTBIS Network

The post Costa Brava property hunting, a house in Begur appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

Discover the best things to do in the Costa Brava

STEPHANE — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 07:02:30 +0000

Automatic translation from Google translate:

Everything ever wanted to know about the Costa Brava

Located between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean sea, the Costa Brava is one of the most beautiful areas of the Western Mediterranean. Its mild climate, with an average temperature of 17 degrees, and its more than 300 days of sunshine per year make it an excellent place to live. To find out more on the weather, check our infographics with the monthly weather statistics of the 18 biggest cities in Spain.
With more than 240km of coastline, it is the ideal holiday destination for all your water sports, sightseeing or cycling. Its infinity of virgin coves and great beaches attract millions of tourists worldwide each year.

The village of Cadaqués

A little bit of history and culture of the Costa Brava

The geographical location of the Costa Brava has been, over the centuries, a passageway and settlement location for many peoples and cultures and a gateway to the Iberian Peninsula from Mediterranean Europe. An example of that is in Ullastret, where we find remains of an Iberian settlement (the people who were on the peninsula before the arrival of the Greek and Roman civilizations), or in Empúries, where we find one of the most important sites in Spain about the Greek and Roman colonizations.
Although you will not find a lot of medieval footprint on the Costa Brava, in Girona, the medieval footprint is very present in its old quarter, with one of the most well-preserved Jewish neighbourhoods in the country and you will discover as well the Cathedral of Santa María. There are also declared World Heritage by UNESCO, as is the architectural ensemble of the Benedictine monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes. In total, the Costa Brava boasts more than 150 sites that are part of the heritage and monuments.
Nor should you forget its gastronomy. The passion for cooking lives in every corner, as evidenced by hosting some of the world ‘s top chefs such as Ferran Adrià (his restaurant El Bulli in Cala Montjoi of Roses), or the Roca brothers (his restaurant Celler de Can Roca is open in Girona).

The village of Llafranc

Demography, transport and nature

The main towns on the Costa Brava are Blanes (40,000 inhabitants), Cadaqués (3,000 inhabitants), Palamos (almost 20,000), Pals (2,500 inhabitants), L’Estartit (3,500 inhabitants), Platja d’Aro (over 10,000 inhabitants) and Sant Feliu de Guixols (22,000 inhabitants).
The very good road network connects the different towns in the area with each other and other points beyond. From Blanes, it is possible to get to Barcelona by motorway C-32 (it is possible to cover the journey in just over an hour). Also, the AP-7 highway passes near the Costa Brava across the province of Girona and connecting at both ends with France in the north, and the province of Barcelona, in the south.
It is also possible to reach the Costa Brava in high – speed train stopping at Girona and Figueres. The high-speed network connects with France (and from there with other European countries), with Barcelona, Madrid and other cities of the Peninsula. It is also possible to reach the Catalan capital with commuter trains (R1 line) from Blanes.
As for airports, the main airport in the area is Girona-Costa Brava, with connections to companies low cost to many places in Europe, although the Barcelona airport is between one and a half and two hours drive depending on the area of the Costa Brava where you are.

The Castle of Sant Joan

The Costa Brava is a nice place for pensioners

There is a wide range of all types of properties to suit all budgets (from small apartments, houses or apartments on developments) in all the villages of the coast of the Costa Brava, from Sant Feliu de Guixols to Cadaqués.
The very agreeable climate, an extraordinary gastronomy, good health care coverage and good communications features make the Costa Brava one of the most desired destinations among retirees.
All the populations of the area have CAPS (Primary Health Care Centers). CAPS are essential centres where basic health care is guaranteed. Equally, the Costa Brava has hospitals where other types of ailments can be treated, such as the hospitals of Girona, Figueres or Palamós. It should be remembered that Barcelona is about two hours from the area in case you need to go to a hospital in the Catalan capital.

Download our pdf map on the Costa Brava

with the main cities, Airports, AVE train Stations, Unesco sites, Natural parks, Beaches, Traditional markets, Kids parks, Golf courses,…

Families with children do love the Costa Brava

Costa Brava also is a place for families because all villages and cities have schools for children. In Girona, you have one of the best University of Catalunya: the University of Girona which offers a wide variety of programs.
Its beautiful nature (beaches, mountains, parks, etc.) make the Costa Brava a dream place for family enjoyment. Some family activities are: walk through the medieval town of Pals, tour the rice fields of the area, visit the Montgrí Natural Park, have fun in the Adventure Park of the Costa Brava or enjoy some of the waterparks as is the Aquadiver.
Although most activities are for the summer months, winter can also be entertaining thanks to the proximity of the Pyrenees, where you can enjoy snow sports on its many ski slopes.
Its proximity with Barcelona makes it easy to live on the Costa Brava and work in Barcelona. For example, Blanes is located 70km from the Catalan capital and is also well connected to it with the highway network, so you can reach it in an hour by car.
In addition, Costa Brava has some of the best golf courses across Europe such as the PGA Golf de Catalunya (green fees between 70 and 150 €), Club Golf d’Aro – Mas Nou (green fees between 70 and 100 € ), the Emporda Golf Club (green fees between 68-79 €) and the Golf Club of the Costa Brava (green fees between 50-80 €)Play with the best golf clubs sets in Spain thanks to our local partner.

How is the real estate market in Costa Brava?

The recovery of the sector is quite obvious in this area, for example, in Palamos, prices for second-hand flats have increased by 17% in 2016. Roses has seen almost the same increase of 16%. If we move away from the coast, in towns like Figueres, the increase has been lower and is close to 5%.
The privileged area in which the Costa Brava is located with exceptional beaches and the proximity to one of the main cities in Europe such as Barcelona make its attractiveness to invest in the real estate market very large.
Although prices have increased, there is a notable differentiation depending on which area wants to buy. In the Alt Empordà region, the area close to Roses, the price per square meter is almost € 2,000, while in the Baix Empordà, the region close to Girona, the price rises to almost € 3,000 per square meter.
In terms of nationalities, most are ‘French and Dutch‘ as says Marie Amardeil of real estate Sweet Home Costa Brava. Although there are buyers of other nationalities, the French presence in the area is very large, such as in Roses, where ‘95% of the buyers are French’, notes the realtor Nathalie Goldbaum.
In terms of prices paid, ‘the budget varies between 200,000 and 2 million euros’ according to Marie Armadeil. In addition, ‘most prefer properties with sea views’. If you want to look further on the real estate market, check our summary article “Analysis of the real estate market for the top 20 Spanish Cities” for a full overview and analysis of the main cities like Girona. Remember our paper on Girona: “The door to the costa brava and the Pyrenees”. Check the monthly weather statistics for Girona if you want to make sure, that the weather will be fine in January for instance.

Check the real estate price evolution for Catalonia, Spain and Girona since 1995

Costa Brava is in the north part of Catalonia. Of course, Girona is the biggest city in the Costa Brava.

Read more: Real estate prices in Girona and the Costa Brava property prices available in our Spanish property report updated quarterly.

The village of Calella

Are you looking for a property hunter on the Costa Brava or a property lawyer on the Costa Brava? Don’t hesitate to ask us directly.

1. Best Professionals 2. Follow up 3. Competitive pricing 4. Partners 5. Qualitative Check

Costa Brava Infographic information

Airport: Girona – Costa Brava
Ave stations: Girona, Figueres
Cities: Girona (98,000 inhabitants), Figueres (45,700 inhabitants), Blanes (40,000 inhabitants), Cadaqués (3,000 inhabitants), Palamos (almost 20,000), Pals (2,500 inhabitants), L’Estartit (3,500 inhabitants), Platja d’Aro (over 10,000 inhabitants) and Sant Feliu de Guixols (22,000 inhabitants).
Top beaches: Cala Senyor Ramon, Platja de s’Agaró, Cala Futadera, Platja del Castell de Palamos, Cala Boadella
Kids Parks: Adventure Park Costa Brava, Aquadiver
Shopping Malls & Outlets: Gran Jonquera (La Jonquera), Cavallers (palafrugell), El Corte Inglés (Girona), Espai Girones (Girona)
Traditional & Flea markets: Fish Market (Palagrugell), Covered Market (Roses)
Top golf courses: Golf de Catalunya (green fees between 70 and 150 €), Club Golf d’Aro, Mas Nou (green fees between 70 and € 100), the Emporda Golf Club (Greenfees between 68-79 €) and Club de Golf Costa Brava (green fees between 50-80 €) Play with the best golf clubs sets in Spain thanks to our local partner.
Natural Parks: Natural Park Montgrí, Cap de Creus
University: Universitat de Girona
Hospital Universitari Dr Josep Trueta

Find all our other articles and maps on the Spanish Costas:

With our team of more than +100 local real estate partners, HowtobuyinSpain helps foreigners to buy real estate in Spain.

The experts from our network are active in all the fields you need:

Senior Analyst and Strategist at HTBIS

Check the full team at HTBIS here

The post Discover the best things to do in the Costa Brava appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

A countryside villa close to Barcelona and Tossa de Mar: Costa Brava property investment

STEPHANE — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 18:55:56 +0000

Click on any flag to get an automatic translation from Google translate. Some news could have an original translation here: News Nouvelles Nieuws Noticias Nachrichten

To get closer to the market in the Costa Brava, we asked our independent local property finder, Séverine, to write about her latest activity there. Should you need more information, we will put you in touch with her, she is our local independent partner of howtobuyinSpain.

Case Study: A countryside villa in Tossa de Mar

First, let’s discover the Costa Brava

To discover more about the Costa Brava, read our paper: Everything you should know about the Costa Brava.

Know everything on the Costa Brava: its Airports, its AVE stations, its Cities and villages, its shopping places: Traditional & Flea markets, Outlets and shopping malls. What should you visit? The Unesco sites, the parks for kids, the golf courses, the universities and last but not least the top beaches.

Tossa de Mar is one of the oldest coastal town of Catalonia

Tossa de Mar is a municipality in Catalonia, on the coastal Costa Brava, about 103 kilometres north of Barcelona and 100 kilometres south of the French border. It is accessible through Girona Airport.

Tossa de Mar beach Castle ruins – Catalonia

What is the current situation for the real estate market in this region?

Whether it is a purchase to spend your retirement, a family second home or an acquisition of real estate for rental purposes, the investment in this region appears to be a very interesting option because the prices per square meter remain attractive. Of course, weather statistics could be a little bit colder in the winter months but they remain very warm if you compare to many northern countries. If you love nature, this is as well a fantastic region. As Catalonia is close to the French border and as real estate is cheaper than in France prices are close to the Spanish average and well supported. So, real estate is more expensive than on the Costa Blanca but not too expensive. Interesting to note as well is that the cost of life in Spain is much lower than in France.

Here is a quick look at the real estate price evolution in Girona, the capital of the province, over the last 20 years

Girona property prices: €1,535 /m² (end december 2020), -1% yr/yr

Transactions for the real estate market in Girona: 10,321 -15%

Prices in Girona followed the national prices as if Girona was the national market really funny! Check these two charts!

Acquire a resale?

The significant economic advantage of buying a resale makes it possible to acquire inexpensive housing while the renovation provides the advantage of adapting the property according to the tastes and desires of each other. A modern touch in a historic building is often a nice mix.

Let’s review the property of : A countryside villa, close to Barcelona and Tossa de Mar

Objective with the property

Rental investment and to enjoy Spain a few weeks per year.

Buyer profile

A Swedish retired couple

Property description

Magnificent two-story property with private pool and garden. Distribution:
Groundfloor with 3 double bedrooms, 1 bathroom with bathtub, kitchen and living room with direct acces the the barbecue aera. First floor: 2 bedrooms and a toilet ( this area is an auxiliary area perfect for kids or young people). Wonderfull garden with artificial turf, barbecue area with full bathroom with shower and fenced pool area with pergola. Parking open inside the property. Panoramic views on the mountains and a lot of privacy.

Countryside villa in Tossa de Mar

Neighbourhood

The property is situated in Can Fornaca Area, with facil access to the AP7 motorway, 1 hour from french border, 1 hour from Barcelona city center, and 30 minutes from wonderfull beach city of Costa Brava like Tossa de Mar.

A pool … a must for the summer

Budget

The customers had a budget in mind of 190.000€

How do we help you?

Carrying out work in a property is often synonymous with anxiety for the owner of the premises. We are aware of this and we manage for some of our customers on site renovation with local teams and make sure it runs smoothly.

Investing in a property to be renovated requires the assurance of being accompanied by professionals with a perfect knowledge of the market and the profession.
On the one hand, after having found the ideal property corresponding to the expectations of our customers, we guarantee the buyer peace of mind throughout the entire process by providing him with the competent companies with which it has already collaborated in order to take into account the loads the work to be done.
On the other hand, we also offer our customers the possibility to budget the amount of work by drawing up a precise diagnosis and making various estimates in order to have an overview and to allow the total amount of the property to be assessed after works. In addition to that, in order to offer maximum peace of mind to buyers, the agency can also take care of the entire administrative aspect of the process (authorizations, permits,…). Time and deadline management is a priority for us, which ensure to supervise the process and can set up, thanks to its partner law firm, a contract between the agency and the company carrying out the work in order to provide the ideal protection conditions and get an exhaustive execution of the latter (precise estimate, completion date, etc.).

Adding contractual penalties in the event of partial non-performance or delay of the contractual agreement due by the service provider company, is as wel part of the job
We are committed to supporting our customers before, during and after the purchasing process in order to provide a complete service and ensure regular follow-up to enable buyers to make a successful and secure transaction with complete peace of mind.

Ask our network at HowtobuyinSpain.com

In addition to our local property finders, How to buy in Spain as developed a network of local renovation teams.

If you are looking to buy in Spain, we would suggest that you read our earlier paper on Property hunting: 6 essential reasons for loving your Spanish real estate shopper. This paper is very interesting and gives you some of the important reasons why working with a property hunter is very useful for foreigners looking to buy in Spain. You will find specific samples our independent local partners worked on in Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona and Madrid. Here are our other “Case study” written on Madrid, Barcelona and Tenerife: Property hunting “Case study” in Madrid, Property hunting “Case study” in Barcelona and Property hunting “Case study” in Tenerife written by our local independent property finders.

Séverine, our local independent Property finder in Costa Brava

Looking for a property hunter, a lawyer, an architect,… a local expert in Spain? Ask our network of independent local experts directly!

Check the full team of HTBIS or check our independent local partners

Local independent partner of HTBIS Network

The post A countryside villa close to Barcelona and Tossa de Mar: Costa Brava property investment appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

A mountain-view detached villa in Calonge: Costa Brava property investment

STEPHANE — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 18:05:15 +0000

Click on any flag to get an automatic translation from Google translate. Some news could have an original translation here: News Nouvelles Nieuws Noticias Nachrichten

In order to get closer to the market in the Costa Brava, we asked our independent local property finder, Séverine, to write about her latest activity there. Should you need more information, we will put you in touch with her, she is our local independent partner of howtobuyinSpain.

Case Study: A mountain holiday house in Calonge – Catalonia

First, let’s discover the Costa Brava

To discover more about the Costa Brava, read our paper: Everything you should know about the Costa Brava.

Know everything on the Costa Brava: its Airports, its AVE stations, its Cities and villages, its shopping places: Traditional & Flea markets, Outlets and shopping malls. What should you visit? The Unesco sites, the parks for kids, the golf courses, the universities and last but not least the top beaches.

Calonge is a nice small coastal town of Catalonia

The town of Calonge is 113km North of Barcelona and comprises two parts: a medieval hill village and a seaside town. The original village is about 4 km inland from the bay of Sant Antoni. Calonge has a lot of remains from history: the towers and walls of Calonge castle date from the thirteenth century.

Calonge beaches – Catalonia

What is the current situation for the real estate market in this region?

Here is a quick look at the real estate price evolution in Girona, the capital of the province, over the last 20 years

Girona property prices: €1,535 /m² (end december 2020), -1% yr/yr

Transactions for the real estate market in Girona: 10,321 -15%

Prices in Girona followed the national prices as if Girona was the national market really funny! Check these two charts!

Acquire a resale?

The significant economic advantage of buying a resale makes it possible to acquire a cheap housing while the renovation provides the advantage of adapting the property according to tastes and desires of each other. A modern touch in a historic building is often a nice mix.

Let’s review the property of : A mountain-view detached villa in Calonge

Objective with the property

Rental investment and to enjoy Spain a few weeks per year.

Buyer profile

A Belgian couple with 3 children

Property description

Beautiful villa overlooking the mountains with sun all day long, located in Calonge in the elegant neighborhood of Vizcondado de Cabañas. The Villa is located only 2/3 kilometers from the village and 4/5 kilometers from the nicest beaches of Costa Brava.

The villa has a total of approximately 190 square meters and is divided into two floors: 4 bedrooms ( 3 doubles and 1 room for 2 up to 4 persons if punctual need), 3 full equipped bathrooms, an open kitchen, a large and nice living room, several terraces and porch, nice Mediterranean garden and private swimming pool. The house has central heating, a parking space ( it is also very easy to park on the street in front of the

house) and a garden with beautiful mountain views.

Beautiful Holiday home with a pool

Neighbourhood

The property is situated in Vizcondado de Cabañas, a elegant neighborhood located about 5 minutes driving from the city center of Calonge and the beach “Torre Valentina”, also very close to Palamos ( less than 10 minutes driving) and Platja d’Aro ( less than 10 minutes driving)

Mountain view from the property in Calonge

Budget

The customers had a budget in mind of 450.000€

How do we help you?

Ask our network at HowtobuyinSpain.com

In addition to our local property finders, How to buy in Spain as developed a network of local renovation teams.

If you are looking to buy in Spain, we would suggest that you read our earlier paper on Property hunting: 6 essential reasons for loving your Spanish real estate shopper. This paper is very interesting and gives you some of the important reasons why working with a property hunter is very useful for foreigners looking to buy in Spain. You will find specific samples our independent local partners worked on in Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona and Madrid. Here are our other “Case study” written on Madrid, Barcelona and Tenerife: Property hunting “Case study” in Madrid, Property hunting “Case study” in Barcelona and Property hunting “Case study” in Tenerife written by our local independent property finders.

Séverine, our local independent Property finder in Costa Brava

Looking for a property hunter, a lawyer, an architect,… a local expert in Spain? Ask our network of independent local experts directly!

Check the full team of HTBIS or check our independent local partners

Local independent partner of HTBIS Network

The post A mountain-view detached villa in Calonge: Costa Brava property investment appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

Costa Brava property investment: A sea-view apartment with pool in Platja d’Aro

STEPHANE — Thu, 01 Apr 2021 16:14:26 +0000

Click on any flag to get an automatic translation from Google translate. Some news could have an original translation here: News Nouvelles Nieuws Noticias Nachrichten

Case Study: A sea-view apartment with a pool in Platja d’Aro

First, let’s discover the Costa Brava

Located between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean sea, Costa Brava is one of the most beautiful areas of the Western Mediterranean. Its mild climate, with an average temperature of 17 degrees, and its more than 300 days of sunshine per year make it an excellent place to live. To find out more on the weather, check our infographics with the monthly weather statistics of the 18 biggest cities in Spain.
With more than 240km of coastline, it is the ideal holiday destination for all your water sports, sightseeing or cycling. Its infinity of virgin coves and great beaches attract millions of tourists worldwide each year.

To discover more about the Costa Brava, read our paper: Everything you should know about the Costa Brava.

Know everything on the Costa Brava: its Airports, its AVE stations, its Cities and villages, its shopping places: Traditional & Flea markets, Outlets and shopping malls. What should you visit? The Unesco sites, the parks for kids, the golf courses, the universities and last but not least the top beaches.

Platja d’Aro is a nice small coastal town in Catalonia

Castell d’Aro is located in the heart of the Costa Brava, 80 km north of Barcelona. You will love Platja d’Aro and Castell d’Aro, an ancient village built around a medieval castle, you surely good the meaning of “Castell” in Catalan ;). “Platja” in Catalan means “beach”. Platja d’Aro, is a coastal city, 3km from Castell d’Aro. It is located between two towns: Palamós and Sant Feliu de Guíxols which stretches along a large 2 km beach. Like many towns on the coast in Spain, originally Platja d’Aro was a small fishing village converted into a major coastal resort. Of course, you will meet Catalans and French tourists.

Seafront at Platja d’Aro – Catalonia

What is the current situation for the real estate market in this region?

Here is a quick look at the real estate price evolution in Girona, the capital of the province, over the last 20 years

Girona property prices: €1,535 /m² (end December 2020), -1% yr/yr

Transactions for the real estate market in Girona: 10,321 -15%

Prices in Girona followed the national prices as if Girona was the national market really funny! Check these two charts!

Acquire a resale?

Let’s review the property: A sea-view apartment with a pool in Platja d’Aro

Objective with the property

Rental investment and to enjoy Spain some weeks per year.

Buyer profile

A french couple with 2 children

Property description

90 square meters apartment with a 25 square meters terrace with panoramic sea view, the apartment has 2 double bedrooms with 2 bathrooms, an independent kitchen and a large leaving room. The residence also has a nice garden area with 2 swimming pools.

Beautiful community pools within the parc

Neighbourhood

The property is situated in Pla de Palol, a very peaceful neighbourhood located about 5 minutes walking from the city centre of Platja d’Aro and the beach ( small creek Cala Rovira)

Sea view from the apartment of Platja d’Aro

Budget

The customers had a budget in mind of 199.000€

How do we help you?

Carrying out work on a property is often synonymous with anxiety for the owner of the premises. We are aware of this and we manage some of our customer’s on-site renovation with local teams and make sure it runs smoothly.

Investing in a property to be renovated requires the assurance of being accompanied by professionals with perfect knowledge of the market and the profession.
On the one hand, after having found the ideal property corresponding to the expectations of our customers, we guarantee the buyer peace of mind throughout the entire process by providing him with the competent companies with which it has already collaborated in order to take into account the loads the work to be done.
On the other hand, we also offer our customers the possibility to budget the amount of work by drawing up a precise diagnosis and making various estimates in order to have an overview and to allow the total amount of the property to be assessed after work. In addition to that, in order to offer maximum peace of mind to buyers, the agency can also take care of the entire administrative aspect of the process (authorizations, permits,…). Time and deadline management is a priority for us, which ensures to supervise the process and can set up, thanks to its partner law firm, a contract between the agency and the company carrying out the work in order to provide the ideal protection conditions and get an exhaustive execution of the latter (precise estimate, completion date, etc.).

Adding contractual penalties in the event of partial non-performance or delay of the contractual agreement due by the service provider company is as well part of the job
We are committed to supporting our customers before, during and after the purchasing process in order to provide a complete service and ensure regular follow-up to enable buyers to make a successful and secure transaction with complete peace of mind.

Ask our network at HowtobuyinSpain.com

In addition to our local property finders, How to buy in Spain has developed a network of local renovation teams.

Séverine, our local independent Property finder in Costa Brava

Looking for a property hunter, a lawyer, an architect,… a local expert in Spain? Ask our network of independent local experts directly!

Check the full team of HTBIS or check our independent local partners

Local independent partner of HTBIS Network

The post Costa Brava property investment: A sea-view apartment with pool in Platja d’Aro appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

Happy new year. Discover in 2019, the must do activities on all the Spanish Costas

STEPHANE — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 01:03:38 +0000

Click on any flag to get an automatic translation from Google translate. Some news could have an original translation here: News Nouvelles Nieuws Noticias Nachrichten

In 2018, we wrote our 13 articles on the Spanish Costas with everything you should know about them: Airports, AVE stations, the biggest Cities, Traditional & Flea markets, Outlets, Shopping malls, Unesco sites, kids parks, Natural parks, Golf courses, Universities and top beaches.

You can find and download all our Spanish Costas infographics from our “Resources” section “Infographic on the Spanish Costas“.

Know everything on the Spanish Costas: Airports, AVE stations, Cities and villages, shopping places: Traditional & Flea markets, Outlets and shopping malls. What should you visit? The Unesco sites, the parks for kids, the green parks, the golf courses, the universities and last but not least the top beaches. Download our infographics.

Here is the list of all our Spanish Costas articles ranked by # of views

1. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Costa de Barcelona

2. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Canary Islands

3. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Balearic Islands

4. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Costa del Sol

5. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Costa de Valencia

6. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Costa Blanca

7. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Costa de Almeria

8. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Costa Calida

9. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Costa Tropical

10. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Costa Azahar

11. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Costa de la Luz

12. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Costa Daurada

13. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Costa Brava

Not a big surprises, the Costas with the biggest interest are the same where foreigners buy properties: Here is the article we wrote on that subject in November this year: The top 10 Spanish cities where foreigners love to buy properties!

The post Happy new year. Discover in 2019, the must do activities on all the Spanish Costas appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

Enjoy all the Spanish Costas: get the best out of it: our top papers of 2017

STEPHANE — Thu, 28 Dec 2017 06:16:02 +0000

Automatic translation from Google translate:

Our series of articles on the Spanish Costas (just started, more in 2018): learn everything about your favourite Costa!

Find the downloadable versions of all our Infographic on the Spanish Costas here.

Here is the one we did on the Costa del Sol

Of course, check our >weather infographics with the monthly statistics of the top 20 cities in Spain:

Monthly Weather Statistics on top Spanish Cities

The post Enjoy all the Spanish Costas: get the best out of it: our top papers of 2017 appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

Girona, the door to the Pyrenees and the Costa Brava

STEPHANE — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 05:23:34 +0000

Translate this page:

Girona, the gateway to the Pyrenees and the Costa Brava

Few cities in Spain can boast of being the capital of a province with the sea (the Mediterranean) and high mountain (the Pyrenees). In addition to that, its urban centre is one of the most beautiful that can be found in the country. Its fame is also international because Girona has been the scene of different chapters of the popular series “Game of Thrones”.

Why Girona?

The colourful houses of the river Onyar (which divides the city into two), the cathedral, the Jewish quarter, the Benedictine monastery of Sant Pere Galligants and Sant Nicolau, the ramparts, the Arab baths or the old university are some of the jewels which can be seen in the city.

In addition, as we pointed out at the beginning, next to Girona you can enjoy some of the best beaches of the Mediterranean on the Costa Brava. But if you like snow, some of the largest ski resorts in the Pyrenees, such as La Molina or Masella, are an hour’s drive from the city. And for lovers of culture, there is Figueres, the hometown of the famous painter Dalí who also hosts a museum in his honour.

How is the real estate market?

Earlier this year the average price per square meter in Girona was € 1,477. The average price of housing in 2016 was over 200,000 €, and housing sales increased by more than 15%. Forecasts for this year are similar.

Real estate prices in Girona are very close to the national averages as you can see on this chart

As for foreign investment, in 2016 it represented 35% of the market (only a slight increase of 0.13% with respect to the previous year). According to Alla Maksimmova of the real estate company Casa Girona

“Canadians, Irish and French are the main buyers in the city, being the first ones that have increased their investment in the last months.”

Where to live in Girona?

The city has about 100,000 inhabitants. It is a small town, which makes it very easy to get to any corner on foot.

The Jewish quarter, in the centre, is a jewel in cultural terms because it has been preserved as it was since the last Jews left the city in the sixteenth century. In recent years, new buid apartments have been developed in this area, which has shops, supermarkets and schools.

The surroundings of the Cathedral square are another good area if you want to live near the centre. In addition, one can find a great diversity of shops, restaurants and cultural attractions.

If you are looking for a quieter area, but with all the services, there is the Pericot area, an area with open spaces and green areas.

Getting around in Girona

In total there are 11 bus lines leading to any point in the city. Thanks to its size, it is a very comfortable city for cycling. There is the public bicycle service “Girocleta”, which for a fixed price year you can take your bikes to all the neighbourhoods of the city.

Girona has the airport Girona-Costa Brava only 10 km away. There are flights, mostly low cost, to the main cities of Spain and Europe. The city also has a high-speed train station that connects with Barcelona and France.

The road network allows you to reach any point of the province (either the mountain or the sea). There is also the AP-7 motorway that connects with Barcelona and France.

If you want to read further on the Costa Brava, have a look at our very interesting paper we wrote on the Costa Brava: Everything you ever wanted to know about the Costa Brava.

Find all our other detailed maps on all the Spanish Costas and the Costa Brava.

If you want to invest in the Spanish real estate market in Spain, don’t hesitate to read our special report with the 10+ reasons why you should have a look at the Spanish property market.

Have a look at the yearly weather statistics of Girona and of the 18 biggest cities in Spain.

Have a look at our ePostcards before planning your next holidays in Spain.

Get our insights right to your mailbox? Register to our newsletter: https://howtobuyinspain.com/en/newsletter/

Senior Journalist and writer at HTBIS

Raimon