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The 18 things to do after buying your property in Spain

Congratulations! Did you buy your dream property? So, don’t miss our useful tips to enjoy your property from day one and to keep everything under control.

This article is the last one from our detailed series: Our ultimate guide to buying your property in Spain.

1. Take insurance to cover your property

   It is very easy to insure a property. In case of an accident, you will be covered should anything happen to the walls, the furniture, and your personal effects as well as your civil liability.
   The civil liability guarantee is fundamental because it protects you and your family from any material or immaterial damage caused to a third party.
   When should you do it? As soon as you paid the first tranche of the property, you should check that. You can even do it before going to the notary. By doing this, you can cover your property for any event that would happen as soon as you become the owner of the property. Quite often, it means that you are the owner as soon as you signed the purchase act at the notary.
   So, don’t forget to insure your property.
   We have a very good partner that will provide you with competitive quotes for any property in Spain: follow this link to learn more: insure your holiday home in Spain. In that article you will learn how much does it cost home insurance in Spain? Why you should take home insurance in Spain? and how to choose the best home insurance in Spain?

2. Copy all your purchase documents

   It is wise to keep a copy of the purchase contract, the notary act, the proof of payments,… Keep those in a safe or at least on the cloud. Those documents could be useful to prove that you are the owner of the property, to get some service running, … and at a later stage, when you will sell the property you could have to pay a tax on your capital gain. More on that here: tax for property owners in Spain. Another use is that many countries are looking to finance deficits and you could need to prove from where your cash is coming and could need to prove your funds comply with anti-money laundering regulations.

3. Get local experts

   If you bought this property and are living abroad: it is not your first home but it is a holiday home or an investment property. In this case, our advice is that you don’t try to manage everything alone. Distance management is nearly impossible and is stressful. Get the help of some local partners: renovation works, property management, tax filling, so many items that you could delegate to a reliable local partner and that will change your experience into a successful one.
   Good to know: many services will be much cheaper in spain than in your home country, so try it, you will be surprised.

4. Buying in a multi-unit property?

   If you are buying an apartment or a property with many units in the same property, you will have a community manager. This company manages the property for all issues common to all the owners: stairs, garden, roof, facade, pool,… If you hired a lawyer for your property acquisition, most of the time, he will check the situation of the property and the building with the company managing the property. In any case, you need to contact the community manager to make sure he has your details and can contact you.

5. Security checks

   It is very important, from day one, to secure your property by changing locks and eventually add or upgrade the current Alarm system. Nowadays you have complete solutions allowing you manage the property access, manage the utility settings and secure your property. Of course, a webcam is quite obvious and doesn’t cost a lot. One of our partners installed a full system allowing us to control access remotely (by phone) and to check outside the property.

6. Connect utilities

   Get utilities back and running is important to be able to live on your property. Internet connection, water, gas and electricity is a must. Remember to check payment options, nowadays, you can organise automatic payments.
   Interesting to know: utilities are one of the rare things that are more expensive in Spain than the rest of Europe, so make sure you have a good contract and don’t consider it free! Read more on that in our detailed article: The cost of living in Spain.

7. Water heater, gas installation and electrical appliance check

   You are not aware of that I guess but if the gas installation was cut for a while, when you want to reopen it, you will need your installation to get certified. It is a good time to check any electrical appliance if any in the kitchen or anywhere else on the property.
   Our tip: you will have outdated systems consuming a lot of electricity, as already said electricity is expensive in Spain so it could be wise to upgrade your fridge for a new “A” one and reduce your consumption? Do the math for all your electrical appliances!

8. Smoke and Carbon monoxide detectors

   Some EU countries have to have those in your house. Some don’t but it is important to think about those easily available tools that could save your life. Of course, those detectors are even more useful if you have a fire or any apparel that would emit smoke or Carbon monoxide in your property. To our knowledge, it seems that they are not required in Spain by law. We would advise you to check the current regulation with local authorities.

9. Air conditioning check

   Many properties have AC installed but many don’t have one in Spain. If you have one, check if it is running smoothly, change filters and eventually get a visit from an expert. From time to time, you will have outdated systems consuming a lot of electricity, as already said electricity is one of the rare things to cost more in Spain than at other places in Europe. Check our article on that: The cost of living in Spain.

10. Renovation works? Refresh painting? Interior architect?

    Before moving in, it is the perfect time for a quick (or not) renovation and to refresh wall paintings. So much easier now without furniture. In Spain, you can find a lot of qualified professionals at good prices. Always better to work with references. As we are active in Spain, we could help you to find some qualified professionals, check it here: find qualified partners for renovation works in Spain.

11. Deep clean of your property by a team of professionals

    Before moving in, the last thing you should do is a deep cleaning of your property. Why not ask a team of professionals?

     

12. New place, time for new furniture?

    Why not get some fresh air and change a few pieces of furniture that will fit better with your new space? Either you will get more space or less space but you will need to fit it properly with furniture. Why not take the opportunity to change this old sofa and invest in a new one? The dining table could as well be too large or too small or maybe the composition of the family changed over the years. Make sure to have those two places as comfortable as you want.
    Last idea: Time for changing your mattresses? Get some comfort! Calculate the price per night of any mattress, it is not too expensive and surely less than going to a doctor. Remember: you are spending a third of your life in your bed.

13. Create a maintenance schedule

    This is the perfect time to create a maintenance schedule for your property: a property needs regular maintenance: cleaning, paintings, Security, Alarm checks, electrical appliance checks,… We all know that a quick regular check will diminish the long term costs of maintenance of your Spanish property. Why not create a dedicated agenda or checklist for your property?

14. Meet your neighbours

    Meeting your neighbours is nice and could be useful for both of you: who doesn’t need someone for picking up mail or watering plants while on holidays? At the same time, you will live close to each other, it is always easier to discuss potential issues in a positive context.

15. Time for your housewarming party

    Now that you did all the work, it is time to organize the housewarming party you dreamt of for ages. Don’t forget to invite your neighbours and keep them aware of the extra noise. Always better to start nicely.

16. Do you want to get some extra income?

    Short term rental?

    Do you have an extra bedroom? You are leaving for a few months? You are on holidays? So many opportunities to get some extra cash if you are living in your Spanish property. Of course, if you bought a second home it makes even more sense. We live in a world where it is so easy to get some extra income thanks to Airbnb and other services. There are a lot of regulations around short term rental in Spain, so check it first with our real estate lawyers. Remember that those regulations are different in all the Spanish regions. Don’t forget, managing a property could be a full-time job. To help you out, check the services of our partner assisting all our property owners everywhere in Spain for their holiday rental management.

    Long term rental?

    If you bought your property as an investment property, you can prefer long term rentals to short term rentals. It would mean less turnover with your tenants and could mean a higher occupancy rate. Don’t forget to take the time to screen your tenants. Remember as well to check the landlord-tenant regulations with our real estate lawyers.

17. Taxes

    Investing means taxes. Where should you start? Register to the local city hall or “ayuntamiento” in Spanish and you can give paying instructions for the local taxes called “IBI” which is an abbreviation of “Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles”. Those are collected quarterly and are fixed according to the value of the property. They could increase slightly year on year. Another tax is the tax you have to pay to the finance ministry or “hacienda” in Spanish. If you are living abroad it is form 210. Don’t miss our earlier article on that: What taxes do you have to pay on your Spanish property? Need help? Check it first with our real estate tax advisors. Last but not least, don’t forget the taxes due in your home country.

18. Keep some savings

    Last but not least, a house is full of maintenance costs, small ones in the short term but big ones in the long term. Expected ones and unexpected ones. Always better to keep that in mind.

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:

1. Property finders
2. B&B
3. Lawyers
4. Tax
5. Architects
6. Money Transfer
7. Mortgage
8. Holiday rental management
9. Insure your Spanish property
10. Property survey
11. Renovation

Looking for an expert in Spain? Ask us directly!

Stéphane

Senior analyst and strategist at HTBIS

Check the full HTBIS team here

The post The 18 things to do after buying your property in Spain appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

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

How to find the perfect holiday home in Spain?

Our definitive guide to finding the perfect property matching your expectations

In this article, we give you the best tips on how to search for your ideal Spanish holiday home. If you want to read further on the subject, it came from our detailed series:

Our ultimate 2021 guide to buying your property in Spain and more specifically the third article The best searching tips for buying your Spanish property.

1. 5 easy steps to start your Spanish holiday home search

   Step 1 (optional) Hire a local property hunter from our network to save money and time and make the process smooth.

   Step 2 Hire a local Spanish property lawyer speaking your language from our network.

   Step 3 Define your budget: How much own funds available? Should be at least 45% of the property value, ideally 70%. If you need a mortgage, have a quick look at our paper: our ultimate guide to your Spanish mortgage.

   Step 4 Define the property use: Second home, first home, home to retire in Spain or investment property. Here it is a second home, a holiday home but don’t forget it could change in the future. If it will change, your set of criteria for the ideal property will change as well.

   Step 5 List your criteria for your ideal property: create a list of the best location criteria: Where should your property be in Spain? After that, create a list of your ideal property criteria. To assist you, we give you hints for those two lists in the next two sections.

   In section 5, you will find our easy to use downloadable pdf allowing you to compare different holiday homes in Spain with a preset list of criteria that you will need to adjust with your own criteria to make it yours. When you will complete this easy to follow process, you will know for sure, which property is your ideal holiday home.

    

   Holiday means more pleasure, time to enjoy your family and doing things for yourself. Chill out… Doing nothing… As you will notice, most of our top location criteria will have this meaning.

2. The top 13 location criteria for your Spanish second home

   1. Within 45 minutes of the Airport by car. We all know it: we only need 3 hours to fly to Spain but yes, the quicker, the better. When leaving at the end of your stay, being close to the airport could be an asset and even more for early flights.
   2. Is the weather as you want when you will spend time at your holiday home in Spain (winter months?)? If you love to spend time in Spain in January, for instance, and you love hot weather, there is only one place to go: Canary Islands. Check our monthly weather statistics for the top 20 Spanish cities and you will know in advance if you are searching in the proper Spanish region.
   3. Is the beach close to the property? 90% of foreigners buying a property in Spain want to be close to the beach. The Spanish countryside is very nice as well and it real estate is much cheaper. If you are on a tight budget, don’t hesitate to check it. Read our famous article on that: Which are the top 10 Spanish cities where foreigners are buying properties?
   4. If you play golf, are golf courses within 20 minutes by car?
   5. Discover the best new build projects located on a golf resort
      New build for sale in Spain € 350,000

      3 beds 2 baths 106 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 273,000

      2 beds 2 baths 83 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 368,000

      3 beds 2 baths 103 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 315,000

      2 beds 2 baths 90 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 245,000

      2 beds 2 baths 83 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 335,000

      3 beds 2 baths 98 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 250,000

      2 beds 2 baths 90 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 420,000

      2 beds 2 baths 81.7 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 475,000

      3 beds 2 baths 101.9 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 490,000

      3 beds 2 baths 119.8 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 540,000

      3 beds 2 baths 129.2 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 530,000

      3 beds 2 baths 106.9 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 370,000

      2 beds 2 baths 88.9 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 440,000

      3 beds 2 baths 106.9 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 585,000

      3 beds 3 baths 162 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 348,000

      3 beds 2 baths 220 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 631,000

      3 beds 2 baths 123 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 345,000

      2 beds 2 baths 154 m²

      New build for sale in Spain € 430,000

      3 beds 2 baths 116 m²
   6. Are restaurants close to the property?
   7. Most of the time you want to relax with your family, so recreational and family activities for all ages should be available in the region.
   8. Is the neighbourhood nice, do you like it? Neighbourhood in Spain could vary a lot (as anywhere in the world actually) so it is very useful to spend some time where you plan to buy your property at different time of the day and ideally of the year.
   9. Is the cost of life of the city fitting with your desires and your wallet? Have a quick read at our detailed paper: Which are the cheapest places to live in Spain?
   10. What about the transport network? Are you living in the middle of nowhere? Road network is the first transport of course, but what about busses, rail, biking network,…
   11. Do you have many shops in the neighbourhood? Are most of those within walking distance? Are the supermarkets within 20 minutes by car?
   12. It is your holiday home so, you will love a nice and peaceful neighbourhood filled with green areas.
   13. On holiday, you will want to be active and practise some sport, make sure you have all the sports infrastructures close at no more than 20 minutes by car.
   14. Most of the time we don’t need it but when you need it, you will be happy to enjoy the quality and the proximity of hospitals and medical infrastructure in Spain.

   This is our top 13 criteria, make this list yours and adjust this list with your location criteria for your ideal Spanish holiday home. Have a look at our downloadable pdf available at section 5 for an exhaustive list of criteria and our ranking system for your future holiday homes.

   If you don’t know where to start searching for your Spanish holiday home, don’t miss our detailed article on that: Where are the best places to buy a property in Spain?

3. The top 18 property criteria for your ideal Spanish second home

   1. Your personal feeling
   2. Is the number of sleeping rooms & bathrooms corresponding to your expectations? Take it big enough as you will always have friends visiting ;).
   3. Are the outdoor spaces corresponding to what you want? Garden, Terrace,… You will be 90% of your time outside.
   4. Buying within a community? Check how your spaces are fitted? Concierge, pool, garden, terrace, dog park, picnic area, children area, Fitness space, indoor workspace,…
   5. If you want a pool, yes the pool is important to refresh during hot summers. Is the size as you want?
   6. Is the quality of construction correct? How old is the property?
   7. Is the layout of the property sound? Natural light correct?
   8. Is the size of the property as you want? Build space and plot if a villa.
   9. May I rent the property short term? Is it legal?
   10. Is the property price aggressive vs the market? Real estate agents in Spain love foreigners… That’s why a property hunter will get you better prices.
   11. Yearly maintenance costs, property average maintenance time /week.
   12. Yearly taxes.
   13. Yearly community costs.
   14. Security: fence and/or entrance gate, alarm?
   15. Any fire alarm?
   16. Air conditioning? Could seem normal, but it is not always the case in Spain.
   17. Eco friendly? Insulation, Solar panels, Water.
   18. Garage or parking space large enough.

    

   If you plan to buy a new build property, we wrote this specific list that will guide you to your ideal new build holiday home in Spain. Don’t forget to add those criteria to your list.

4. The top 9 property criteria for your ideal new build Spanish holiday home

   1. The reputation of the builder. Have you checked other projects realized by the same builder?
   2. Design & standard set of specifications
   3. Possibility to personalize to my taste
   4. Bank warranty
   5. Advanced technologies, fire alarm, security
   6. Delivery date
   7. Payment schedule
   8. Detailed plans for the property
   9. Community spaces finishes

   Read more on that subject: What are the advantages of buying a new build property in Spain?

    

   Discover the best new build projects in Spain, direct from our partners with a €5,000 discount!

   New build for sale in Spain € 320,000

   2 beds 1 bath 61.3 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 313,000

   2 beds 2 baths 61.3 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 540,000

   3 beds 3 baths 191 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 520,000

   3 beds 2 baths 109 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 345,000

   2 beds 2 baths 97 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 435,000

   3 beds 2 baths 114 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 350,000

   3 beds 2 baths 106 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 273,000

   2 beds 2 baths 83 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 368,000

   3 beds 2 baths 103 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 315,000

   2 beds 2 baths 90 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 245,000

   2 beds 2 baths 83 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 335,000

   3 beds 2 baths 98 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 250,000

   2 beds 2 baths 90 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 420,000

   2 beds 2 baths 81.7 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 475,000

   3 beds 2 baths 101.9 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 490,000

   3 beds 2 baths 119.8 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 540,000

   3 beds 2 baths 129.2 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 530,000

   3 beds 2 baths 106.9 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 370,000

   2 beds 2 baths 88.9 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 440,000

   3 beds 2 baths 106.9 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 367,000

   3 beds 3 baths 177 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 262,000

   3 beds 2 baths 84 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 242,000

   2 beds 2 baths 72 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 277,000

   2 beds 2 baths 73 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 255,000

   3 beds 2 baths 85 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 220,000

   2 beds 2 baths 71 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 240,000

   2 beds 2 baths 80 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 280,000

   3 beds 2 baths 88 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 585,000

   3 beds 3 baths 162 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 348,000

   3 beds 2 baths 220 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 355,000

   3 beds 2 baths 100 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 385,000

   2 beds 2 baths 76 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 325,000

   3 beds 2 baths 97 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 269,000

   2 beds 2 baths 81 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 631,000

   3 beds 2 baths 123 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 345,000

   2 beds 2 baths 154 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 430,000

   3 beds 2 baths 116 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 730,000

   3 beds 2 baths 149 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 529,000

   3 beds 2 baths 133 m²

   New build for sale in Spain € 319,000

   2 beds 2 baths 87 m²

5. Download our exclusive PDF form and compare your holiday homes

   Now that you wrote your own list of location and property criteria, it is time to download our form so that you can rank and compare each property.

   Print it as many times as needed: one per property, one per partner.

   Fill the forms:

   How to fill this table? How to compare different Spanish holiday homes?
   1. List (location & property) criteria for the ideal Spanish holiday home with all the persons involved
   2. Give a WEIGHT for each criterion between 1 and 10. (10= important, 1= not important)
   3. Print a list for each person involved in the project
   4. Visit the potential properties and each person involved give RATINGS between 1 and 10 for all the criteria. (10= criteria met perfectly, 1 = bad)
   5. Compare the total scores for each property, rank them and compare them with the results of other persons involved in the project.
   Criteria WEIGHTS (1) are the same for all the properties while Criteria RATINGS (2) are specific for each property.

   If you want to read more on how to use this ranking system, please go to section 9 of our detailed article

   Follow this link to get the downloadable pdf for ranking your different Spanish holiday homes.

   How to compare two Spanish holiday homes?

6. How much does it cost to buy a property in Spain?

   Depending on the fact that you are buying a resale or a new build, the cost will be different but a good rule of thumb is 14%. Read more on that in our detailed article: The cost of buying a Spanish property.

7. How much does it cost to own a property in Spain?

   A good estimate is 0.7% as we wrote in our detailed article: The cost of owning a Spanish property.

8. How do our partners help you with those first steps?

   • We have a local mortgage broker dedicated to getting mortgages for foreigners. Ask for a free mortgage quote.
   • Our property hunters are there to assist you to find the perfect property more on that in the 3rd article: “How should you search for your dream property?”

    

   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:

   1. Property finders
   2. B&B
   3. Lawyers
   4. Tax
   5. Architects
   6. Money Transfer
   7. Mortgage
   8. Holiday rental management
   9. Insure your Spanish property
   10. Property survey
   11. Renovation

    

Would you like to read further?

Last year we wrote detailed property buyers guides custom made for any nationality. Here are our FREE pdf property buyers’ guides written for all the foreign nationalities looking to buy in Spain: Click on your country flag, you will find your pdf report at the end of each article.

Looking for an expert in Spain? Ask us directly!

Stéphane

Senior analyst and strategist at HTBIS

Check the full HTBIS team here

The post Buying your holiday home in Spain? Get our 40 tips appeared first on How to buy in Spain.