Spain is an excellent choice for a second home, a place to retire to or for a holiday home. With many expat communities, expat home comforts and people to help with the Spanish house-buying process, you are in very good company., 

Numerous days of sunshine, fantastic food and wine, beaches and lakes as well as friendly locals and often a lower cost of living compared to northern Europe, Spain is an excellent choice for all! Here is a short guide to buying a property here.

Estate agents
All of our properties are available for sale through an estate agent, which helps to protect your purchasing rights and guide you through the process. Once you have chosen your new home, you will need to pay a (mostly 10%) deposit to reserve it in your name. At this point the property is yours in principle, subject to legal contracts being signed. Should the vendor pull out of the sale they have to pay a fine which is equivalent to 20% of the value of the property, and as such it is not worth them pulling out of the sale.

Lawyers and notaries
A lawyer who is registered with the Spanish Bar Association can help you to check the contracts and ensure that the owner of the home is the one you are purchasing the property from indeed. A notary will also be involved in the end, to ensure that searches for debt, outstanding mortgages and legal building as well as new development plans in the surrounding area are covered or sorted out before you officially own the property. A notary will also check that all of the taxes due on the property are paid.

Property Surveyor
If considered necesary, a surveyor could check for you that the house is habitable, that the roof is intact, that there are no insect infestations and that the structure meets building regulations and the plans for the house before prepareing a "cédula de habitabilidad" which confirms that the house is habitable. You also need this for amenities contracts such as gas, water and electricity.

Things to do in between signing contracts and passing by the notary
In between signing the reservation contract and signing before the Notary, you will need to organise two things.

The first of these is a Spanish National Insurance or tax number, known as a N.I.E (Número de Identidad de Extranjero). This enables you to register as a European citizen in Spain and can generally be organised through your broker.

The second thing you need is a Spanish bank account, to be able to transfer the remaining value of the property on the date of purchase.

Other local charges
Once you own the home you will be responsible for paying the "Impuestos sobre Bienes Imueble", an annual tax on property and if you buy within a complex, for the communal maintenance fees, which are normally paid by the year or every month. These are for the upkeep of the buildings and land they are on.

Get in touch now to start looking for your home in the Spanish sunshine! Start your search overhere on ImmoVario to contact local agents.