How to buy a property in Spain

How to buy a property in Spain, the buying process.

How to buy a property in Spain. As is the case in all countries, Spain has a unique procedure for buying property. The process will probably be unfamiliar to you and involve professionals who perhaps don’t play a part in property transactions in your home country. It’s therefore important to take advice from us your Red Rose Property Spain real estate agent. Together with our law firm we are able to provide you the right way to buy a house in Spain.

But to give you an idea of what to expect when you’re buying a property in Spain, this article provides an overview of the main steps involved in the process. From the initial property searches to key handover when you become owner of your new home in Spain.

Realize that as NON-EU resident ( like the British citizens ) there are some requirements about the VISA ( entry Spain ). Buying a property in Spain as NON-EU resident is possible for everybody !

How to buy a property in Spain.

Set your budget – Do some careful maths and work out your budget. Don’t forget to add between 10 and 12% for taxes and fees.

Pinpoint your chosen area – Decide where you’d like to live in Spain. You may have a good idea already from previous research or visits or maybe need some pointers. Ask your real estate agent for advice on which places offer what you’re looking for.

Prepare a must-have list – Once you have your location and price target, make a list of what you want in the property. Bear in mind that you may not find a home that ticks all your boxes but with the help of our property finder wish list you should be able to source one that gives you almost everything.

Use a property finder – Make life easier for yourself and save time and stress by contracting the services of Red Rose Property Spain as your property finder. Let us source homes that fit into your requirements and budget as well as having the right location.

Survey – Depending on the state and/or age of the property you’re buying you might want to get a survey. The survey findings may affect how much you want to pay – for example, to compensate if the property requires extensive refurbishment.

Make an offer – When you find your ideal home, you might want to make an offer on the price. Most property owners are open to offers, although they’ll expect it to be a serious one reflecting several factors including the current market, state of the property, whether you’re a cash buyer etc. Ask us as Real Estate Agent what can be a sensible or reasonable offer.

Once your offer has been accepted, the purchase process starts. At this stage of the procedure, you should do the following:

Contact a lawyer – Do this before you pay a deposit or sign any legally binding paperwork on the property. Instruct your lawyer to carry out basic legal checks on the property.

Sign the reservation contract – In order to make sure you’re the one and only being able to buy the house. This reservation contract is normally between €3.000 and €5.000 and will be refundable when there are legal issues with the property or any other legal problem. This contract needs to be sirned by buyer and seller.

Sign the Contracto de Arras / purchase contract – This document secures the property for you and outlines the terms and conditions the transaction including the deadline for purchase. The contract is signed by the buyer and the seller (or their representatives) and the buyer usually pays  in total 10% of the purchase price ( minus the reservation amount in the contract ) on signing. If the house is being sold with fixtures and fittings and/or furniture, the contract should have an inventory attached, which is signed by both parties.

Mortgage application – if you need a mortgage to buy the property, now is the time to start the application process. Ask your bank how long the application will take to approve and make sure the pre-purchase contract factors this timeline into the purchase.

Legalities on the house – meanwhile, your lawyer will carry out a comprehensive checklist on the property to make sure it’s 100% legal. These checks include:

  • Property register checks – to ensure the property description and legal owner match and to find out if there are any charges or encumbrances.
  • Planning checks – to ensure the property was built with the appropriate building licence and planning permissions. Or in the case of an off-plan property, to make sure the developer has all paperwork in order.
  • Tax checks – to ensure the current owners are up-to-date on payment of all taxes related to the property.
  • Community checks – to ensure the property is up-to-date with payments to the community of owners.

Buying a property in Spain.

Sometime after you sign the pre-purchase contract – usually between two to eight weeks – it’s time to complete.

Sign the deeds – Both parties sign the title deeds in the presence of a Notary Public. Your lawyer should check the deeds and make sure everything is in order as well as provide you with a verbal translation of their contents.

Payment – Together with signing the deeds, you make the final payment for the property. The usual method of payment is through a banker’s draft.

Key handover – Once the title deeds have been signed and final payment made you receive the keys to your new home.

Registration – Your lawyer will take care of registering the property in your name at the nearest Property Registry (Registro de la Propiedad).

Payment of taxes – Your lawyer will also pay the appropriate taxes and fees on your behalf.

Utility supplies – Your lawyer will arrange for the connection of utility supplies or the transfer of utility contracts to your name. They will also set up direct debit with your bank so that bills are paid automatically.

Contact us now when you're interested in buying a property in Spain.

get in touch with us now when you’re interested to buy a property in Spain and we will start helping you inmediatly. When you can’t find what your looking for at this moment then please use our property finders wish list and we’ll get back to you with a possible interesting offer.

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In need for a mortgage when purchasing a property in Spain ?

We make life easrier for you, you can now apply online for a pre-approved Spanish mortgage. Just fill in the form and the bank will get back to you with a ( when needed ) pre-approved mortgage.

Buying a house in Spain with Red Rose Property Spain.

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