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How to find the perfect first home in Spain?

Our definitive guide to find the perfect property matching your expectations.

In this article, we give you the best tips on how to search for your ideal first home in Spain. 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 first home search in Spain

   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 first 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 (see step 5)
   Step 5 List your criteria for your ideal property: create a list of the best location criteria: What is the perfect location for your Spanish property? After that, create a list of your ideal property criteria. In order to assist you, we gave you hints for those two lists in the next two sections.

   At the end of our article, you will find our easy to use downloadable form allowing you to rank different properties.

    

   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 14 location criteria for your new home to relocate to Spain

   1. A lively neighbourhood 12 months per year, yes, you don’t want to live in a dead village 10 months or 12 months per year.
   2. Commuting time to work and Schools should be less than 40 minutes for yourself, your partner and your children
   3. Do you have many shops in the neighbourhood? Are most of those within walking distance? Are the big supermarkets within 20 minutes by car?
   4. What about the transport network? Are you living in the middle of nowhere? Road network is the first transport of course, (Which motorways are toll-free in Spain?) but what about busses, rail, biking network which could be equally important for your family members,…
   5. Is the cost of life of the city fitting with your desires and your wallet? Read more on that here: Which are the cheapest cities to live in Spain?
   6. Is the weather as you want when you will go (winter months?)? Check our monthly weather statistics for the top 20 Spanish cities
   7. Most of the time we don’t need it but when you need it but the proximity of the hospital or care centres is important.
   8. Is the neighbourhood nice, do you like it? Are there green areas and parcs for children?
   9. Make sure that you have all the sport infrastructures close to your new home and no more than 20 minutes by car away.
   10. Within 45 minutes of the Airport by car, yes, you are living in Spain now but many of your relatives and friends will visit you as they don’t have that chance.
   11. Are restaurants close to your home? Friday and Saturday evening, we all love to chill-out.
   12. If you play golf, are golf courses within 20 minutes by car? Yes sure, you don’t want to relocate to Spain just to work even more, do you? Work better is the message.
   13. 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
   14. Most of the time you want to relax with your family, so recreational and family activities should be available in the region.
   15. Consider renting first (with purchase option)? You don’t have to buy “day 1”

   This is our top 14 criteria, make this list yours and adjust this list with your location criteria for your ideal Spanish first home. Have a look at our downloadable pdf available at the end of this section for an exhaustive list of criteria and our ranking system for your future first homes.

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

3. The top 20 property criteria for your ideal Spanish first home

   1. Your personal feeling. Of course, it is your new home so it should be as you dreamt about it.
   2. Is the number of sleeping rooms & bathrooms corresponding to your expectations? Take it big enough as you will always have friends visiting ;).
   3. Is the size of the property as you want? Build space and plot if a villa
   4. Are the outdoor spaces corresponding to what you want? Garden, Terrace,… You will be enjoying the nice weather, so make sure you can live outside.
   5. Is the quality of construction correct? How old is the property?
   6. If you want a pool, yes the pool is important the refresh during hot summers. Is the size as you want?
   7. 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. It’s your first home, so yes, you should get it as you want but as it is your first home, you could need to sell it soon, don’t overpay!
   8. Is the layout of the property sound? Natural light correct?
   9. Is the size of the kitchen as you want? > 15m²
   10. Are the size of the sleeping rooms as you want?
   11. Air conditioning? Could seem normal, but it is not always the case
   12. Buying within a community? Check how are you spaces fitted? Concierge, pool, garden, terrace, dog park, picnic area, children area, Fitness space, indoor workspace,…
   13. Garage or parking space large enough
   14. Eco friendly? Insulation, Solar panels, Water
   15. Yearly maintenance costs, property average maintenance time /week
   16. Yearly taxes
   17. Yearly community costs
   18. May I rent the property short term? Is it legal? Why not get some extra funds during summer months?
   19. Security: fence and/or entrance gate, alarm?
   20. Any fire alarm?

    

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

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

   1. 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

   Spanish first homes

    

   Download our form, 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 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

   Our downloadable pdf form for ranking your different first homes to relocate to Spain.

   How to compare two Spanish second 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 The best 41 tips for finding your best home for moving to Spain appeared first on How to buy in Spain.

Why and how to relocate to Spain?

1. Why is Spain one of the best countries in the world for working remotely?

Many people will look at opportunities to increase their quality of life and are ready to make big changes due to Covid-19.

We will help you to understand why Spain is a strong candidate if you are looking to increase your quality of life and work remotely at the same time once the Covid situation will settle.

2. How will work habits change due to Covid-19?

People used to work from offices and travel long hours for commuting.

It will change! All of a sudden people are aware that they can live another life: rather than the classical “home, Subway, work, Subway, home”.

At the same time, priorities of people are changing as well: Enjoy life, take care of your health, don’t take any unnecessary risks, take care of your family members,…

As we wrote earlier, Coronavirus has a big impact on people:

The pandemic creates a lot of uncertainties

• The time to develop and produce a vaccine can range from 9 months to 5 years.
• The coronavirus pandemic is likely to last as long as two years
• It is unknown whether or not you are immune once you have had the virus.
• The long term health effects on survivors are unknown.
• Covid-19 is highly contagious, spreading across populations in days.
• It’s deadly

Shelter-In-Place orders have big impacts as well on people

• They have to stay and live where they were with their relatives:
• No possibility to go outside except for necessary shopping
• Depending on the length of the Shelter-In-Place orders, a lot of people suffered many indirect (psychological) impacts of this.

So, all those lead to a new trend:

home is the new office

… which means

New real estate criteria for house searching in Spain post Covid: bigger inside, more light and garden or terrace.

The Spanish housing market post covid-19: our full review!

Important to note: those are two scare attributes in city centres. So, due to Coronavirus, we can notice an exodus from the city centres towards the countryside both in Spain and in other countries. Read our extended articles on that: What are the new dream homes for Spaniards in a post-Covid-19 world? and The ideal Spanish property for foreigners in a post-Covid-19 world.

Of course, many jobs are easy to be carried out from home as management positions or “service” jobs but some are of course impossible to execute from home. Furthermore, some jobs asking creativity could benefit from working from home but others requesting team interaction could see some negative impacts from working from home even if those could be managed thanks to videoconferencing.

In this environment, many people ask themselves the question:

3. Do I live the life I want to? Do I live where I want?

Have a look at our extended article we wrote: Your 7 positive life changes after the Coronavirus which could be very useful to draw a quick analysis of your personal life and should help you to make the correct choices for your future.

The big advantage we have is that we live in a connected world. Of course short term, Covid-19 is disturbing the world but longer-term people’s work habits will change forever thanks to easy transport, good internet connection and last but not least, as people will notice that they work more efficiently in a healthy environment: that’s why we see that in a very short term future many people relocate to countries like Spain.

Before looking at Why should you work remotely from Spain? and How to pick the perfect city to relocate to in Spain?” and finally, What will be your criteria to pick your sunny dream working home?

Let’s have a look at the advantages and disadvantages of working from home or an office.

The (dis-) advantages of working from home

What are the advantages of working from home?

1. One of the biggest benefits of working from home is no more commuting time lost
2. This could increase your work-life balance a lot as you have more flexibility for your work:
3. organize your work schedule as you want
4. organize your work from where you want but it is not always the case if you are under pressure from your employer or can’t stop working while at home.
5. We feel that productivity could be increased as you are more focused, but agreed, it could be a big issue if other family members are around as children or partner working in the same space.
6. You are more available for your family and housekeeping tasks but of course, this has to be managed properly to remain efficient long term.
7. You are more available for social activities, but this has to be organised by yourself: meet friends, sports activities, learn new things,…
8. Better teamwork? As more video conferences are organised, we could assume that long term it helps to spread the information between all people equally. On the downside, less face to face interaction could diminish the efficiency of meetings.
9. Another advantage of home working for the employer is of course the lower costs of this solution!

View from your new office? One of the property listed by Taylor Wimpey on our website.

What are the disadvantages of working from home?

1. The separation between work and personal life is much smaller than before. If you have difficulties to say no or to stop working at home, this could be an issue
2. Health effects: it is a mix: The downsides are a less dynamic day as no more commute could mean less physical exercises, more videoconferencing: which could imply more physical issues like back and neck pains. At the same time, the upsides of working from home are that you have to take advantage of the hours you win to get physical and social activities.
3. Less visibility from your management: fewer rewards, less training, less upgrade for senior positions, higher risks of being laid off than colleagues at the office
4. Not to underestimate less social contacts. For many of us, social life takes place at the office, at the coffee corner or during the day.
5. IT & compliances issues could hinder working at home: People need proper IT equipment and IT support (Help desks, Supplies, Delivery network, Internet connection, IT Security,…) to solve any issue that could arise.
6. Physical space should be ready for working efficiently at home: Too small space could be negative, Interactions with family members (noise, interruptions, distractions), not enough space could be issues

The (dis-) advantages of working from an office

What are the advantages of working from an office?

1. Without any doubt, the biggest advantage of working from an office is that you get a clear separation between your personal life and your work.
2. Another big advantage of working from home is the fact that you have a better face to face interactions or group meetings.
3. Your social life could be better as well as many of us are happy with the social life they get during office hours: a conversation with your coffee or midday.
4. Your productivity could be higher as you are less distracted by noises or activities from people around you (as it could be the case at home). Work infrastructure and IT resources could be much better of course.

What are the disadvantages of working from an office?

1. The biggest disadvantage of working from an office is without any doubt the commuting time. But don’t forget that during this time, you could forget the office issues and switch back towards your personal life.
2. The second biggest disadvantage of having office hours could be for people with children of elderly family members to have less flexibility with their working hours and assume some other family obligations.
3. Another big hurdle of working from an office is that you have less creativity in a “controlled” environment.

For more on that subject, have a look at these interesting articles:

• The future of remote working according to startups
• Managers Priorities in Response to COVID-19
• Chronic stress and endless hours: Were we ready to work from home?

So, we noticed that there are many positives of working at home but it’s not a 100% “let’s do it”. So, what could be an ideal world?

How many days of remote work per week?

3-5 days look like the new normal

In this context, it becomes more and more possible to work from a London office a few days per week and work (and live) from your Spanish sunny penthouse 4 to 5 days per week.

Have a look at this interesting way of working of Telenor in Finland, the new “Tight,loose,tight” way of working.

4. Why not relocate to Spain?

Spain is one of the best countries in the world for working remotely.

There are many criteria people are looking for when looking at relocating in a new country.

They are looking for:

1. A stable political environment, a stable legal and tax environment
2. Very good quality of life with a perfect weather 320 days per year, natural surroundings, quality food, respect for the environment, work-life balance,…
3. Strong infrastructure networks: transport, internet, health care system, schools …
4. Cost of living is affordable: day to day life is not expensive (including renting)

Is it smarter to buy a property in Spain? Have a look at our detailed article for more on that: 10+ reasons why it is smart to buy a house in Spain

If we look at all those items, Spain ticks many boxes: here are some facts on Spain:

• • Spain has a very stable political environment and is part of the European Union.
  • Spain is the world’s healthiest country with its unbeatable quality of life.
  • Spain enjoys 320 days of sunshine per year.
  • Spain has the highest life expectancy in the world just behind Japan according to the OECD.
  • Spain is in fourth place in the world for work-life balance just behind the Netherlands, Denmark and France.
  • The Health Care System in Spain is ranked seventh in the world by the WHO
  • Last but not least, the cost of living in Spain is affordable if you compare Spain to other countries in the world with the same quality of life. For further reading on that, have a look at our detailed article: Which are the cheapest cities to live in Spain?

Many of those positive facts and more were described in our earlier article: 10 reasons for buying a property in Spain.

Have a look at the interesting report from the OECD “measuring well-being” before picking your ideal country.

5. Where should you relocate to Spain?

How to pick the perfect city to relocate in Spain?

Here is our easy to use checklist:

1. Easy access to Airports: 1-hour drive from one of the biggest Spanish Airports: Here are the top Spanish airports: Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona, Gran Canaria, Malaga, Tenerife, Palma, Alicante
2. Yearly weather statistics corresponding to your expectations: Check the monthly weather statistics of the 20 biggest Spanish cities.
3. Of course, if your budget allows it: we would start with the biggest cities in Spain: Madrid and Barcelona but other regions like Valencia or Málaga should be considered if you are not looking for a “busy” city.

To help you, here are the 8 biggest cities in Spain sorted by decreasing order.

• • • Madrid
    • Barcelona
    • Valencia
    • Seville
    • Zaragoza
    • Málaga
    • Murcia
    • Palma

Have a quick look at our detailed reports on the Spanish Costas if you want to get a first look at any Spanish region, first select your region by clicking on the corresponding infographic then click on the article describing the region in detail at the bottom of the page: Everything you should know on any Spanish Costas.

Here are our must read guides on the Spanish Costas:

Find all our best Spanish Costas infographics: Costa Brava, Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Costa Barcelona, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands,…

How to check the cost of living of your new Spanish city?

Have a look at our detailed article we wrote on that: Which are the cheapest cities to live in Spain? To compare the different real estate markets, have a look at our detailed quarterly real estate report on the top 20 Spanish cities with price evolution.

Don’t miss our other articles on the same subject :

• The top 10 Spanish cities where foreigners love to buy properties!
• Who are the foreigners buying properties in Spain in 2019?

6. What will be your criteria to select your sunny dream working home?

How to get the perfect “remote working experience” from Spain?

Let’s start with a question:

What are your expectations?

Have a look at this interesting article our B&B expert wrote for selecting the perfect B&B in Spain and use the same process to select your dream home.

Think about criteria like those (please adjust with your criteria):

Criteria about the location

1. Proximity to airport
2. Proximity to a big city centre
3. Proximity to the beach (usually a must for foreigners)
4. Proximity to golf courses
5. …

Read our detailed article for more on that: The best 41 tips for finding your best home for moving to Spain

Discover the best new build projects in Spain available right now

Criteria about the property

1. New build or resale? If it is a new build, you are looking for, check the new build properties listed on our website, otherwise, get the best deals with our local property hunters.
2. Space inside
3. Outside Space: Garden / Terrace?
4. Swimming pool
5. Kitchen size
6. Sleeping rooms size
7. Number of rooms
8. Garage
9. Lift
10. Security: fence and/or entrance gate, alarm systems, …
11. Energy efficiency: Solar panels,…
12. Property maintenance costs
13. Personal feeling
14. …

7. Is it easy to relocate to Spain?

How to get my VISA to relocate to Spain?

All our legal partners in Spain will assist you for that, don’t worry.

What do you think? Are you ready to start your new life?

We are foreigners who love Spain and have invested in Spanish real estate to enjoy the Spanish quality of life and take advantage of the investment opportunities. Don’t hesitate to ask us, we have built a network of 100+ qualified local experts all over Spain, ready to assist you in your language.

Here is how we have helped our customers.

Don’t miss the core of our research: our in-depth analysis of the Spanish Housing Market post-Covid-19.

Don’t neglect the basic recommendations to keep yourself and others safe:

• • 2. 2. 1. 1. 1. 1. • maintaining a social distance of 2 m,
                      • regular hand washing,
                      • cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze,
                      • avoid touching your face after touching hard surfaces where the virus can live.

Looking for a mortgage or a local expert in Alicante, Malaga, Valencia, Madrid, Barcelona,…? Ask us directly!

Stéphane

Senior analyst and strategist at HTBIS

Check the full HTBIS team here

The post Relocate to Spain: Spain is one of the best countries in the world for relocating & for working remotely appeared first on How to buy in Spain.