Buying property in Spain is perfectly possible, even if you don't live there. The process just works differently from what many buyers are used to. It isn't the house that makes it complicated, it's everything around it: the bank, the lawyer, the agent, the notary and sometimes the contractor. Each handles their own part, at their own pace, for their own client.
No one keeps an eye on the whole. That's where most of the time is lost, in the gaps between the steps.
This guide walks you through it, from preparation to ownership. Each phase shows what to check before the next step arrives too quickly. Read it all here, or take the 2026 edition with you as a PDF.
Want to translate this general process into your own situation? The Spain Purchase Plan is the logical first step.
Most mistakes don't happen because buyers are careless. They happen because the Spanish process moves faster than you expect: first viewing, then offer, then signing. If your basics aren't ready by then, every step gets tighter.
No NIE application in progress. No picture of what you can realistically borrow. No lawyer identified. Then a property comes along that you want to make an offer on. Something has to happen fast, while your basics still aren't ready.
Read the phase →The agent represents the seller. That's their job. But their interests and yours diverge. An independent lawyer isn't an extra cost. They spot problems before you're tied to them.
Read the phase →Time pressure feels real. Sometimes it is. But the Contrato de Arras is the moment you commit. Signing before the legal check is done is the single biggest financial risk in the purchase. A few days for a check is almost always possible.
Read the phase →In Catalonia, ITP is 10% of the purchase price up to €600,000; above that the rate rises progressively to 11%, 12% and 13%. Notary, registration, lawyer and gestoría come on top. On a €500,000 purchase, those costs run to €55,000–65,000. Buyers who haven't budgeted for it come up short at the wrong moment.
Read the phase →IRNR. IBI. Possibly wealth tax. Utility bills that keep running. A community of owners that makes decisions while you're away. Owning property in Spain isn't passive. Most buyers only notice that in year two.
Read the phase →Already looking at a property?
Then you want to know whether the order is right before you proceed. Want an overview first, start with a Spain Purchase Plan. Have your eye on a specific property, have it scanned with a Document Check.
Some steps run in parallel. Others have to be done before you commit. Read top to bottom, or jump to the phase that's relevant now.
Almost everyone starts by searching. The NIE, the financing and the lawyer come later. That works fine, until a property comes along that you want to make an offer on. From that moment, everyone wants something from you. So sort out these four things first:
the pre-assessment is often left until there's already a property. Then you search on instinct, sometimes too low, sometimes too high. And once that one property is there, you no longer have the time to work it out.
At a viewing, you look at the property. The biggest surprises usually aren't in the property itself, but in the documents behind it: permits, debts, land classification and arrears. Work through this before you make an offer:
unlicensed extensions are common on the Costa Brava. Some have been there for decades. The valuer won't count them, and on resale they cost you money. Catch it early and you won't have to renegotiate later.
An offer in Spain is often put in writing quickly. From that moment, you want to know exactly what you're committing to. The Contrato de Arras is binding. Read what's in it before you sign.
in popular areas, time pressure can also be part of the picture. A property can genuinely sell fast. But a few days for a legal check is almost always possible. Ask for it.
Found a property and unsure what to probe before you sign? A Document Check (€199) records, per document, whether it has been supplied, whether it is legible, and where details differ between sources.
Many buyers think the most stressful part is over once the arras is signed. In practice, this is where the investigation starts and most surprises come to light: debts, missing permits, or differences between the property and what's officially registered.
in inheritance or co-ownership cases, it can take time before all parties are clear. The later that becomes visible, the less room you have to respond. Ask your lawyer to check this first, not last.
If you apply for a mortgage as a non-resident, a Spanish bank asks more of you than of someone who lives in Spain: more documents, lower financing, a longer timeline. What you need:
LTV is the ratio between the mortgage and the appraised value (tasación). Banks typically finance non-residents to 60–70%. Plan on bringing 30–40% equity, plus acquisition costs on top.
banks return an incomplete file without reviewing it. Each round costs two to three weeks. And it's rarely the obvious documents: a missing apostille, a tax return that doesn't quite cover the period, a bank statement three weeks too old. Start with a complete file, or don't start.
Mortgage advice in Spain falls under Ley 5/2019 and may only be given by an adviser certified for it. That advice, and the decision on the application, sit with them and with the bank.
Not sure if your financing is realistic? A Mortgage File Check gives you a first feasibility picture within 2 working days of your completed intake, before you spend months searching with the wrong budget.
Many properties in Baix Empordà come to market cheaper because they need work. That can be interesting. But only if you know before the purchase what that work really involves.
obras menores (cosmetic, non-structural) usually take weeks. obras mayores (structural, extensions, façade) require architect drawings and take 1–4 months, sometimes longer.
older Baix Empordà properties almost always include some work that was once done without a permit. That's the norm, not the exception. The question is how significant it is. Get it checked before the arras. And expect more than the estimate: in practice, final costs run 15–30% higher. Budget generously, not optimistically.
The notary draws up the deed and verifies who the parties are. The notary doesn't check whether the property is legally sound. Your lawyer has already done that.
Expect 10–14% in additional costs. In many standard Catalan files you land around 11–13%. New-build: IVA (10%) instead of ITP, plus AJD (~1.5% in Catalonia).
on a €500,000 purchase, acquisition costs run to €55,000–65,000. Work these numbers before you make your offer, not on completion day.
At the notary, you become the owner, but you're not finished. A few things need arranging straight away, some with hard deadlines. And not everything runs through your lawyer.
the 30-working-day ITP deadline goes faster than you expect, especially from abroad. Miss it and you face penalties and interest. Have your lawyer or gestoría handle it immediately, and check that it's been done.
Many buyers see completion as the end of the process. In practice, the annual part starts after that: the municipality, the Spanish tax office, the community of owners, insurance and maintenance.
Even if you don't rent out the property, you owe non-resident tax on deemed rental income. The taxable base is typically 1.1% of the cadastral value, or 2% for certain older valuations. The tax rate is then 19% for EU/EEA owners and 24% for non-EU owners.
the IRNR filing is what gets left most often. It's required every year, even when the property is empty. We see this most in the first year, when your head is somewhere else. Miss it and the penalties add up.
When we bought our own property in Baix Empordà, we expected the hard part to be finding the right house.
It wasn't.
The hard part was everything around it. Documents arriving late. Information that turned out to be incomplete. Three different parties giving three different answers to the same question.
Since then, we've seen it come back with other buyers. Rarely anything dramatic. They're small things, and they usually only become visible once the time pressure is already there:
None of this has to become a crisis. But someone has to see it early.
What we deliver is written buyer-side work. We work exclusively for the buyer. That's a role with clear limits, and those limits matter: the legal judgement stays with your lawyer, financing with the bank and your own adviser, and the building work with the contractor. See how that differs from an estate agent or a lawyer.
Honest. Personal. Independent. That's what we're here for.
How Spanish mortgages work for non-residents: LTV, documents, timelines.
Read the guide →Permits, costs and coordination for renovating on the Costa Brava.
Read the guide →The points where non-resident buyers lose money or time — from before the offer through to after the notary.
View checklist →Want to translate this general process into your own situation? A Spain Purchase Plan is the logical first step.
Or see all prices.
Already have your eye on a specific property? The Document Check records what has been supplied and what is missing around that one property.
