Guides and articles on buying property in Spain
Practical information on financing, buying, and renovating on the Costa Brava. Written from first-hand experience, for international buyers.
Featured guides
The complete guide to buying property in Spain
From search to notary: what international buyers need to know.
Read the guide →Spanish mortgages for non-residents
How financing works when you don't live in Spain.
Read the guide →Renovating property on the Costa Brava
Coordinating a renovation from abroad: what works and what doesn't.
Read the guide →Location guides
Palafrugell, Calella, Llafranc or Tamariu?
Which location fits your purchase, and what does that mean for the buying process?
Read the location guide →Begur: Aiguablava, Sa Tuna, Sa Riera or Fornells?
Begur has five distinct locations. Which one matches the way you plan to use your property?
Read the location guide →Pals: historic village, golf or beach?
Pals has four very different areas. The one that fits depends entirely on how you plan to use the property.
Read the location guide →Latest articles
The contrato de arras in Spain: penitenciales, confirmatorias, and why the timing matters
The arras is the moment your offer becomes binding. The type of arras decides what it costs you to walk away, and the deadline decides whether the mortgage process still fits. The mechanics, where it goes wrong, and one concrete timing detail from our own file.
A lawyer when buying property in Spain: what they do, what it costs, and who watches what
A lawyer guards the legal part of your purchase. But no one is tasked with overseeing the whole process on the buyer's side. What a lawyer does and does not catch, what it cost us, and what fills the gap.
Buying property in Pals: medieval village, golf, beaches and the surrounding area
Two buyers can say they want property in Pals and mean entirely different places. Four areas, four ways of living — which one fits depends on how you plan to use it.
Buying Property in Aiguablava: Location, Licensing and What to Check First
In Aiguablava, you don't only buy a view. You buy the consequences of an exceptional location. Here is what to check before you sign.
Buying Property in Begur: Which Location Fits How You Want to Use It?
Most buyers say Begur. The real choice is between five very different locations. Here is what matters in each.
Buying Property in Calella de Palafrugell: What Buyers Often Discover Too Late
Most buyers fall for the idea of a place, not always the place itself. This guide helps you decide whether Calella, Llafranc, Tamariu or Palafrugell itself is the right fit.
Buying Property in Palafrugell: Calella, Llafranc, Tamariu and the Town
The municipality of Palafrugell covers four distinct areas that attract very different buyers. Here is what matters in each.
Cost of buying property in Spain: what money you need, and when
A buyer can have €200,000 sitting in their account and still run short of cash during a property purchase in Spain. The five financial moments between offer and ownership, with what each one costs and how far in advance you need to plan.
The ayuntamiento process in Spain: what actually happens
Our permit application in Calella de Palafrugell took fourteen weeks and went back three times. The bottleneck was not the ayuntamiento. It was the preparation.
Cédula de habitabilidad: when it becomes a problem during a property purchase in Spain
A missing or expired cédula de habitabilidad can delay a property purchase in Catalonia by weeks. What the certificate covers, what causes delays, and how to check whether a property has one before the process starts.
ITP tax in Catalonia: how the new progressive rates work
Catalonia no longer has a flat 10% ITP rate. Since 27 June 2025, a progressive band system applies. How it works, what you pay at different purchase prices, and why many online calculations are out of date.
Fixed vs variable mortgage in Spain for non-residents
For non-residents comparing a fixed vs variable mortgage in Spain, the rate type is rarely the most important decision. What the dossier looks like, how income is assessed, and how much uncertainty you can carry alongside a foreign property — that shapes the rest.
Buying property in Spain as a non-resident.
The full purchase process, phase by phase — what to check, where it goes wrong, and what it costs. Read it here, or download the free 2026 PDF.
Tools
Work through the numbers that come with buying in Spain yourself. Every tool works without an email address and shows where its figures come from.