Our top five UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Spain

With more than 40 places declared World Heritage by UNESCO, Spain occupies the third place of the podium in this classification behind China and Italy. Here is a summary of our top 5, of course, you should visit all those sites, not only this top five!

The Alhambra

Located in Granada, Andalusia, it was one of the first places declared a World Heritage Site in Spain. This palace was an Islamic Palatine city that belonged to the Nazari Kingdom. This kingdom occupied part of the south of Spain during almost all the Average Age until the Catholic kings culminated with the reconquest in 1492. Due to the great influx of visitors, the accesses to the Alhambra are limited, that is why it is recommended to book in advance. The ticket price is € 14.

The works of the architect Antoni Gaudí

The Sagrada Familia, Palau Güell, Casa Milà, Casa Batlló, Parc Güell and much more have been awarded the distinction of UNESCO. Barcelona is the city that houses the largest number of works by the Catalan architect, although you can also find some outside Catalonia such as Casa Botines de León, Castilla y León, or El Capricho de Comillas, Cantabria. Check this beautiful picture of the pilasters of the Sagrada Familia,… like trees in the forest.

The Escorial

Located a little more than 50km from Madrid by car, this monastery was built by Philip II (16th century) to bury the remains of his father, Charles V. The complex has several buildings that have served as the royal residence, Crafts and hospital workshops. In addition, it has a library containing more than 40,000 books among which are Latin codices, Arabic, Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. El Escorial is open from 10 to 6 in the afternoon from October to March, and from 10 to 8 in the afternoon from April to September. Admission costs € 10.

Historic Centre of Cordoba

One of the main cities of Andalusia, Cordoba has one of the most beautiful centres of the whole peninsula. The cathedral mosque is the most emblematic place of the city and an example of the different cultures that have inhabited in Spain throughout the centuries. In addition, right next to it is the Roman bridge, the Synagogue, the San Basilio neighbourhood, the Fortaleza Tower or the “Alcázar de Los Reyes Cristianos”. Most of these places open from 9 or 10 in the morning, and close between 3 and 8 in the afternoon, depending on the site and the time of year. Ticket prices range from € 4 to € 10.

Santiago de Compostela

The capital of Galicia, apart from hosting the end of the road to Santiago and which has recently been declared a World Heritage Site, has been a place of pilgrimage throughout the centuries and symbol of Christianity in Spain. In addition, its old town is one of the most beautiful urban areas of Europe with its Plaza del Obradoiro as its epicentre. The old town is very easy to walk and you can also eat some of the best Galician food delicatessens such as the Galician octopus.

Read more and find all the sites on our page: “10 reasons why you should buy in Spain” at the point 10.

Are you looking to book holidays in Spain? Read our interesting paper on that: Our best ideas for planning your holidays in Spain! Our top 2017 papers!

Enjoy those with the whole family, the howtobuyinSpain.com team!

Looking for an expert in Spain? Ask us directly!

Stéphane

Senior analyst and strategist at HTBIS

Check the full HTBIS team here

The post Summer Edition: Our top 5 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Spain appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

Sareb launches a new edition of its “Casas de Estreno” campaign and put 3716 properties on the market

The campaign data are the following:

• They will sell 3716
• It will last 3 months
• Properties are: Apartments & single-family homes
• It is spread over 16 autonomous communities: Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla y León, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, Comunidad de Madrid, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Murcia and Navarra.
• 650 properties located in the Mediterranean arc
• Prices will range from 17,700 euros for a flat in Sayago (Zamora) to 394,417 euros for a 220 square meter villa in Das (Girona).

Distribution in the regions with the highest concentration of assets:

• the Region of Valencia is the region with the largest offer, with 816 units for sale. Alicante is the first region by the number of assets in the Community (359) and also hosts the cheapest in this community: a promotion of four tourist apartments in Mutxamel, each available for 26,300 euros.
• Castilla-La Mancha is the second region by a number of assets on sale this campaign.Of the 666 units offered, half are located in Toledo. The most economic price of this region is in Burujón (Toledo) and corresponds to a floor of 63 square meters.
• Andalusia contributes 537 homes to the commercial initiative of Sareb.Almería is the province that has a greater offer (201). It is also where the most economic asset of the region is found. A promotion of El Ejido has a floor of 62 square meters and a room, which goes to the market for 30,000 euros.
• In Castilla y León are located 474 homes.Half of the offer is concentrated in Valladolid, due to a large promotion in Arroyo de la Encomienda. Meanwhile, in Sayago, Zamora province, the cheapest apartment of the entire campaign (17,700 euros) is located.
• Murcia has an offer of 244 homes, with prices ranging from 33,000 euros for a flat in Torre Pacheco to 269,000 euros for a home in Murcia capital.
• Of the total of 227 homes that go on sale in Galicia, 80% are distributed between A Coruña and Pontevedra.
• The provinces of Gerona, Barcelona and Tarragona are almost equally distributed almost all of the 168 assets located in Catalonia that enter the Sareb campaign.
• Cantabria has 141 homes priced between 50,500 euros for a one-bedroom apartment in the municipality of Solares and about 316,897 euros for a three-family single-family residence in Ribamontán al Mar.
• Badajoz concentrates most of the 100 homes that go on sale in Extremadura, due to the completion of major developments in the city of Badajoz, Alange and Mérida.
• Of the 66 homes that go to the market in Madrid, the most economical is an apartment in Villalbilla that reaches a price of 58,000 euros.The most expensive is a four-storey townhouse in Colmenar Viejo, which is marketed for 339,006 euros.
• In Aragon, there are 90 homes for sale, of which two-thirds are concentrated in a single residential development in Calatayud (Zaragoza), which also offers the most economical price of assets traded in the region: 67,300 euros for a two-room flat.
• The cheapest housing of the 81 that go on sale in La Rioja is a flat of 44 square meters in Villamediana de Iregua, which is priced at 32,068 euros.The most expensive is a three bedroom apartment in Calahorra, for 171,300 euros.
• A flat of 43 square meters in Oviedo – whose price stands at 65,800 euros – is located as the most economical housing of the 65 that are located in Asturias.On the other side, there are single-family houses in the municipality of Noriega with a price of 242,000 euros.
• Almost all the homes that go to the market in the Canary Islands (28) are in a promotion of San Nicolás de Tolentino (Las Palmas), whose prices range from 33,000 to 80,000 euros.In Santa Cruz de Tenerife you can find 11 apartments, among which is the most expensive asset of those that go on sale in the Islands: 100,000 euros for a two bedroom apartment in the Las Rosas – Las Galletas area.

The details of all the houses included in the commercial initiative are available at www.SarebCasasDeEstreno.es. In this website, it is possible to consult the characteristics of each asset, its location and how to obtain more information.

The sale of the properties is carried out through Altamira Asset Management, Haya Real Estate, Servihabitat and Solvia, the four servicers in charge of management and commercialization of the assets of Sareb.

Have a look at our post listing all the bank portals listing bank properties for sale in Spain and here is our page of all those Spanish real estate bank portals.

Don’t forget, another big positive with those properties are that most of the time you can have a mortgage up to 100% of the value! Not bad.

For financial investors, here is how you could invest on Spanish bank repossessions without buying any yourself: “Are Spanish bank repossessions a good investment opportunity?”

Read the full press release in Spanish here.

Looking for an expert in Spain? Ask us directly!

Stéphane

Senior Analyst and Strategist at HTBIS

Check the full HTBIS team here

The post Sareb launches a new “Casas de estreno” campaign with 3716 properties on the market appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

Spanish Government will help young people for buying real estate from 2018

The Minister of Development, Íñigo de la Serna, has announced a new aid package for young people under 35 years who want to access a home starting 2018.

Here are the details on the project pending approval:

1. For both purchasing or renting a home
2. For people under 35 years
3. Starting in 2018
4. An aid of up to 10,800 euros.

Among the conditions:

1. The aid must not exceed 20% of the total price of the apartment
2. an annual salary that does not exceed 22,365.42 euros a year
3. not already the owner of a house
4. if rental, the aid will cover maximum 40% of the monthly rent (which should be of 900 euros maximum per month)
5. a maximum aid of 2400 euros per year per household

This aid to buy or rent a house for young people would be available in all the Autonomous Communities of Spain, as it is a Housing Plan sponsored by the Ministry of Development. Thus, it should be available in Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla la Mancha, Castile and Leon, Catalonia, Ceuta, Extremadura, Galicia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla, Murcia, Navarre, Basque Country And Comunidad Valenciana.

Find the official press release here.

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After your reading, don’t forget to read our most updated article of December 2017 on the same topic: The top 10 Spanish cities where foreigners love to buy properties!

Check our full Quarterly Report updated as of December 2017 on the foreign Real Estate activity in Spain.

Full analysis for Spain, for the Costas & Islands and for the different cities

Spain Analysis

During the last year up to September 2016, Foreigners bought 17,4% of all properties sold in Spain according to the “Ministerio de Fomento”.

This is half a percent more than one year ago. Foreigners bought 77 451 properties vs 67436 last year: i.e. a 14,9% Increase. At the same time, the number of transactions in Spain increased from 398 631 to 443 997 last year: i.e. an 11,4% increase.

Real estate analysis for the Costas & Islands: Foreigners buy Sun and beaches!

In our infographic studying second home buying in Europe, one of the top attributes for the ideal property is being near to the sea!

It’s the third attribute after being close to an airport and having a “Scenic Location“. Other attributes are getting a good value, have a good resale potential, have the possibility for renting, have the ideal number of bedrooms, have a minimum size of 100 square meters and of course a hot climate. Check our full infographic below.

So you won’t be surprised by the following statistic: 85% of properties bought are in regions close to the sea: either on a “Costa” or on the Balearic or Canary Islands! If you subtract the sales for Madrid, which enjoy its own international reputation, you get the even more impressive number of 92%!

For sure, Foreigners come for the sunny beaches of Spain. Please check our Infographic for the many reasons why people want to buy a house in Spain.

The “Costa Blanca” is the first “Costa” with 23,4% of transactions, the “Costa del Sol” is the second with 14,2% of transactions and the “Costa Dorada” is the last one with 10,7% of the transactions. All those three regions continue to benefit from strong interests of foreigners. Interesting to note, the “Costa Calida” has a Year on Year growth of twice the average of growth of properties bought by Spain with 30%!

Remember, if you want to buy a property in Spain, you need a NIE, check our paper on that: Your ultimate guide to your Spanish NIE number.

Table 1 Activity by Costas & Islands analysis: Last year up to September 2016.

Real estate analysis for the Spanish Autonomous Regions

No surprise to see that the “Comunitat Valenciana” is the biggest Autonomous Region in term of transactions with close to 30% of the transactions. Andalucia and Catalonia are second and third with 20% and 15%. Check our infographic on this:

Table 2 Autonomous Regions analysis: Last year up to September 2016.

Real Estate analysis for the Spanish Cities

The first city region to be blowing is Alicante with 23% of the transactions done last year! That means that more than 18 thousand properties were bought there.

Malaga is the Second one with 14% of the properties sold and Barcelona is third with 8%. The Growth is impressive and above 10% for all the top 8 Cities. The two strong growth areas in the top 10, in terms of transactions, are Santa Cruz de Tenerife with a 26% growth. The region of Murcia grew by 30%. In the less traded markets, the region of Cantabria, Huesca and Jaen all noticed growth higher than 45% versus the same period of last year.

Table 3 Cities analysis: Last year up to September 2016.

Read our update of December 2017 on the same topic: The top 10 Spanish cities where foreigners love to buy properties!

Check our full Quarterly Report on the foreign Real Estate activity in Spain.

Source: Ministerio de Fomento. Data updated up to September 2016.

Looking for an expert in Spain? Ask us directly!

Stéphane

Senior analyst and strategist at HTBIS

Check the full HTBIS team here

The post Where are foreigners buying Real Estate in Spain? appeared first on How to buy in Spain.