Everything about buying a home in Spain

The purchasing process typically involves four main steps: Property Selection & Reservation: Signing a reservation agreement and paying a small deposit to remove the property from the market. Legal Due Diligence: Your lawyer verifies title deeds, building permits, and outstanding debts. Private Purchase Contract (Arras): Signing the main contract and paying a 10% deposit. Completion at the Notary (Escritura): Signing the final deed before a Spanish public notary and receiving your keys.

To protect your investment, a thorough legal check must ensure the seller is the registered legal owner, the property is free of unpaid debts or mortgages, all structures are legally registered in the Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad), and the property has a valid Certificate of Occupancy (Cédula de Habitabilidad).

On average, the entire process takes 6 to 12 weeks from the moment your reservation offer is accepted. If you require a Spanish mortgage, the process may take closer to 8 to 12 weeks due to bank appraisals and financial checks. Resale transactions with cash buyers can sometimes complete in as little as 4 weeks.

No. If you cannot travel to Spain for completion, you can grant a Power of Attorney (Poder Notarial) to your lawyer or buyer's agent. This allows them to obtain your NIE number, open a Spanish bank account, sign the final deeds, and set up utility contracts on your behalf.

As a property owner in Spain, you will pay two main annual taxes: IBI (Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles): The local municipal property tax, usually ranging from €200 to €1,000+ per year depending on the property's cadastral value. Non-Resident Income Tax (IRPF for Non-Residents): If you do not rent out the home, you pay a small deemed income tax on the property's cadastral value. If you rent it out, you pay income tax on your net rental earnings.