# Buying a house in Spain



## Spike1306 (Jan 20, 2021)

Hi Guys

On average how long does it take to buy a house in Spain from say putting in the offer to actually getting the keys.

We have a retirement plan for the near future but we are selling up to release the funds then moving down and going to rent till we can buy, so starting to get all the finances in order so just need a rough guid line as to how long we would need t rent for.
Thanks


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

This depends on a few things. In theory, if you are buying cash (no mortgage) then it can be very quick - as long as it takes the notary to draw up the papers. Obviously it´s advisable to do some checks on the house, either yourself or, if you are not fluent through a representative. Things like infractions, obtaining a nota simple (simplified version of the deeds), getting it valued/inspected and so on but those things can be done in a matter of days usually. 

If you are buying with a mortgage then expect the process to take at best a month but on average 6-8 weeks from initial offer to signing at the notary.

When you do buy, if it´s through an agent they will often want some money to start negotiations (to prove you are serious - refunadble if you don´t reach a deal) and then a chunky deposit to take the house off the market. When you sign the reservation contract, make sure that the time period to complete is adequate for you. For our house the contract stated 1 month to complete but we were buying with a mortgage so I insisted that they gave us 3 months just in case - actual time was 6 weeks including Christmas and new year so all in all quick!


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## Spike1306 (Jan 20, 2021)

Thank you for the reply.
We will be mortgage free as selling our house here in Guernsey and then moving down to buy. we will have found a few properties to look at over the internet before we leave to keep options open.
I was reading a lot on the different contracts and almost every where I look it says not to give the agent any money up front till you have made a deal and signed? They say to walk away and find another agent that has a house you like.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

When I bought my first house in 2003, it took 5 weeks from signing the original contract to completion. I sold that house in 2017 and the sale completed 3 weeks after the buyers agreed to purchase. I bought another property in the same town and that purchase was completed within one week. All the transactions were done via lawyers, and the first one involved a small mortgage from a Spanish bank. If there are no issues thrown up by the necessary checks and both parties involved are in a position to agree, completion can be very quick.


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## Spike1306 (Jan 20, 2021)

Thank you Lynn R


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Spike1306 said:


> Thank you for the reply.
> We will be mortgage free as selling our house here in Guernsey and then moving down to buy. we will have found a few properties to look at over the internet before we leave to keep options open.
> I was reading a lot on the different contracts and almost every where I look it says not to give the agent any money up front till you have made a deal and signed? They say to walk away and find another agent that has a house you like.


I think also it depends on the agency and their integrity. In Spain it´s common that multiple agencies can be selling the same house and often buyers play one off against another to try to get the price down. Likewise, in my property searches I was shown some houses by agents who were not even the registered agent for the house but were part of a network of agents with access to other agents houses too. 

In my case, when I did buy, the agent (who was a long established local agent with offices etc) said that he would take my offer and talk to the sellers but as were elderly and historically slow in thinking about things, if I paid 1000 euros deposit to make the offer he would remove the house form the marketing, website and window until my offer was either accepted or rejected.

The contract for this stated quite simply that if my offer was rejected they would return the 1000 euros and if accepted but I changed my mind I would loose 1000 euros. I was not concerned as the contract, all signed and sealed was very clear. Some agents do this, some no.

Then, once the the offer was accepted I was asked to pay 10%. Now, this is negotiable (in the end i reduced it down to 7%). This is very normal in Spain and is referred to the Contrato de Arras (downpayment/reservation contract). This contract should state that you are paying X amount (including any earlier payment if applicable) to reserve the house for an agreed price. It will state a time limit that you have to complete and, most importantly it protects both parties. If, after this point you change your mind then the seller keeps the money you have paid and you loose it. If however the seller changes their mind (refuses to sell, accepts a higher offer etc) they must refund you DOUBLE the amount you have paid.

Make sure in your contrato de arras that there is a clause for unforeseeable things. That´s to say that if you go ahead with a downpayment prior to completing all of your checks on the house and later during the process anything comes up that can cause you a problem (like the house is illegal for example) then you are able to pull out. In mine it stated that if the valuation was not enough to secure the mortgage, or, if the bank, during their checks on the house foudn any reason not to offer finance on that property then I would be able to cancel the contract without loosing any money.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Just to add a further note if you are worried about handing over money, in my case (for a mortgage), we already had a verbal agreement from the bank manager that we could have a mortgage but when we actually called to say "we found a house we want to buy", the first thing that we were asked for was the contrato de arras so that they could see the sale contract and begin their calculations and checks on the house etc


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## Spike1306 (Jan 20, 2021)

Ah right ok I got you now, If it was all contracted that is different, I was refering more to agents who want a fee before they will do anything for you.
We wil be getting a lawyer before we do anything anyway so as to protect ourselves as much as possible, there are too many horror stories about buying in Spain, but if done right it is a pleasure.


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## xgarb (May 6, 2011)

Avoid houses with multiple owners on the deeds if you want to move quickly. Ours took 3 years because some were dead and others hadn't completed inheritance paperwork. Often there are arguments about who gets what and one party will refuse to sell.

Renting before buying is a great opportunity to check you like certain areas and the house you like isn't where the rubbish is left each night for collection.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Spike1306 said:


> Ah right ok I got you now, If it was all contracted that is different, I was refering more to agents who want a fee before they will do anything for you.
> We wil be getting a lawyer before we do anything anyway so as to protect ourselves as much as possible, there are too many horror stories about buying in Spain, but if done right it is a pleasure.


Of course, if someone askes for any money without a properly done contract then run for the hills but as part of the actual official process it is certainly normal and expected to commit with money!

A lawyer is indeed a very good idea and frankly essential if you are a) not 100% knowledgeable on all the potential issues that need to be checked, and b) good at Spanish. Especially when you are paying in cash. I didn´t use a lawyer, simply because i do speak spanish (married to one too) and also, with a mortgage, the bank do a lot of their own checks on the house as do the gestorias that they use so we were able to ensure all was ok but otherwise its certainly worth the money to get a lawyer!


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

xgarb said:


> Avoid houses with multiple owners on the deeds if you want to move quickly. Ours took 3 years because some were dead and others hadn't completed inheritance paperwork. Often there are arguments about who gets what and one party will refuse to sell.
> 
> Renting before buying is a great opportunity to check you like certain areas and the house you like isn't where the rubbish is left each night for collection.


Very good advice. We wanted to buy one and it was owned by 4 brothers and sisters after the parents died. Two were lovely and perfect and just wanted a sale, one was emotionally attached to the house and kept changing his mind and the final one had an embargo and wasn´t willing to sell until he had sorted that out... we gave up and kept looking!


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

xicoalc said:


> Very good advice. We wanted to buy one and it was owned by 4 brothers and sisters after the parents died. Two were lovely and perfect and just wanted a sale, one was emotionally attached to the house and kept changing his mind and the final one had an embargo and wasn´t willing to sell until he had sorted that out... we gave up and kept looking!



All good advice but do remember this is Spain and although there are always horror stories out there on the whole it is much better than it used to be. If purchasing without mortgage it can be very quick ( especially if it's out of the season). You definitely need a good lawyer and they will do everything for you. Expect a 10 % or less deposit to take off market. If you pull out you might lose this!!. Main delays come from agreeing price. If you inclined to always want the best deal then be prepared to have to go through the process a few times. Spanish owners enjoy a haggle and like to take their time so can sometimes take a week or so for them to respond. You can expect about 5- 7% lower offer. Dont do a "guiri" insult and start at 20 %. You might get an agreement later on with buyer but they will have taken an instant dislike to you and will possibly do or not do things after you have agreed. Good luck


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## Jgh777 (Sep 13, 2020)

xicoalc said:


> Just to add a further note if you are worried about handing over money, in my case (for a mortgage), we already had a verbal agreement from the bank manager that we could have a mortgage but when we actually called to say "we found a house we want to buy", the first thing that we were asked for was the contrato de arras so that they could see the sale contract and begin their calculations and checks on the house etc


Really helpful advice in both posts as I start into the purchase over the coming months. Thanks


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Just another thing to keep in mind... you probably know this but remember to budget the costs on top of the purchase price. Depends on the area as to the rate of tax but this will be between 4 and 10% of the purchase price (and if a new house it will be IVA instead, which is 10% anyway). Later the notary will charge a fair amount (notaries all charge the same regulated price but you are talking anything from 600 to 1000+, lawyers fees, and then all the little things along the way.

This link shows the tax levels in all parts of Spain. It´s in Spanish and also talks a lot about mortgages but you will get the idea



https://www.idealista.com/news/finanzas/hipotecas/2017/09/20/748073-los-gastos-e-impuestos-que-debes-afrontar-al-comprar-una-vivienda-tras-los-cambios-mas


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Spike1306 said:


> Hi Guys
> 
> On average how long does it take to buy a house in Spain from say putting in the offer to actually getting the keys.
> 
> ...



As others have posted, it varies as to the amount of time needed.

We viewed the place we are now in, in late Jan 2019 and we got the keys in mid March. All the paperwork was done with POA including the signing at the notary, as at the time I was flying here there and everywhere for work.

Things you MUST do are.

Ensure you have an NIE you cannot buy without one.
NEVER use the same lawyer, solicitor etc that the agent recommends or even in the same town (we used the same solicitor that sorted our NIE the year before.) and even in our case the agent was a family friend we used one he didn't know.
NEVER hand over any money, none of the agents we viewed with (there were about 10) asked for any money to hold a property. *Its not like its a sellers market.*
ALWAYS go back to the area the property is in at different times of the day (one we looked at had hordes of kids playing in the street when we went back later in the day)
If anyone insists on an initial deposit, lodge it with your solicitor, they will then supply documents to the agent or seller (we didn't because it wasn't asked for) but the one we used does this and its accepted as a guarantee.
HOUSE SURVEY. Not something that is done here, we purchased a fairly new flat and spoke to a couple of other owners to find out about any issues. This bit is up to you. 
You will have to pay the 10% deposit (unlike the Uk where this has become something that rarely happens any more)
Dont forget that the purchase will also incur taxes (we live in the Alicante region and the tax is 10% of the purchase price) factor this in.
Your solicitor or lawyer will if asked transfer all the utilities to your name, you must have a spanish bank account now. BUT you must ask for this to happen. The couple in the next block to us moved in this July and didn't ask. They were then left with sorting themselves. They will also sort the IBI out as well (council tax)

Do not expect things to be done, you will have to ask questions. Otherwise the process will go through the quickest and simplest way. 

Other than that, for us it was a smooth process and I would recommend the solicitors and the agent we used.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Barriej said:


> As others have posted, it varies as to the amount of time needed.
> 
> We viewed the place we are now in, in late Jan 2019 and we got the keys in mid March. All the paperwork was done with POA including the signing at the notary, as at the time I was flying here there and everywhere for work.
> 
> ...


About utilities.. I would always ask for a breakdown of prices when using a lawyer. I know one woman who was charged something astronomical (cant remember how much, but a few hundred) to change electric, water, IBI and bin tax and really they are extremely simple things to organise (as long as you have all the papers for the house in order which you should have if you used a lawyer to check it all for you.)

Electricity - I called iberdrola and it was done over the phone, (I think they emailed me and I had to send a copia simple) didn´t even need to give a meter reading as they are all connected up now. Later to get the potencia increased after the rewire, I did that on their website - I was expecting that to be a hassle, wanting to see the boletín etc but nope (aparently they just check the register at the local authorities and can see the boletín).Did the request late on the Monday night and on Wednesday morning the engineer came to reprogrammed the meter

Water - I went to the local water office, they asked to see my ID, escritura, and the cedula for the house - again, changed in the moment

IBI - You can pop into an office - take ID and escritura (or copia simple)

Basura - Ayuntamiento, very quick

All i am saying is that you should be careful as agents/lawyers will often offer to change things over for you but make a lot of money for what is a few minutes work. Somtimes cheaper just ot pay a translator for a couple of hours to go with you if you are unsure.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

The other complication for the forseeable future, of course, is that because of pandemic security precautions it's impossible to just pop into any public offices to try to organise things, they all require that you either make an appointment in advance (which in some cases can take weeks before an appointment is available) or do things online, which for non Spanish speakers just moving here can be daunting.


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

xicoalc said:


> About utilities.. I would always ask for a breakdown of prices when using a lawyer. I know one woman who was charged something astronomical (cant remember how much, but a few hundred) to change electric, water, IBI and bin tax and really they are extremely simple things to organise (as long as you have all the papers for the house in order which you should have if you used a lawyer to check it all for you.)
> 
> Electricity - I called iberdrola and it was done over the phone, (I think they emailed me and I had to send a copia simple) didn´t even need to give a meter reading as they are all connected up now. Later to get the potencia increased after the rewire, I did that on their website - I was expecting that to be a hassle, wanting to see the boletín etc but nope (aparently they just check the register at the local authorities and can see the boletín).Did the request late on the Monday night and on Wednesday morning the engineer came to reprogrammed the meter
> 
> ...


Agreed, and good advice.

I think when I asked about the services our solicitor said they were included as part of the charges. And why I mentioned the need to ask questions not just go along with it because its a foreign country. It seems people tend to do things with their holiday heads on. 

Iberdrola are quite good, however my FIL has just tried to change his usage plan and its been a pain, his house initially was not connected and anytime he needs to do something its trips to the office, i think his meter is an older type. 
I changed ours online to the reduced 8 hours bit without issue. I think it all depends on how old the property is and what type the meter is.

Water for us is controlled by the town hall, they have a hot line to the office in the foyer. 

IBI all done online. I don't like going to places to pay, get it done automatically.

From memory we paid around 800 euros for the solicitor including giving them POA to go to the notary for the purchase. 
Cheaper than the last time we moved in the uk by a couple of thousand.
Ive since used the same solicitor to do our residency and my driving licence exchange (still waiting for the appointments but oh well)


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Lynn R said:


> The other complication for the forseeable future, of course, is that because of pandemic security precautions it's impossible to just pop into any public offices to try to organise things, they all require that you either make an appointment in advance (which in some cases can take weeks before an appointment is available) or do things online, which for non Spanish speakers just moving here can be daunting.


good point...


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

Lynn R said:


> The other complication for the forseeable future, of course, is that because of pandemic security precautions it's impossible to just pop into any public offices to try to organise things, they all require that you either make an appointment in advance (which in some cases can take weeks before an appointment is available) or do things online, which for non Spanish speakers just moving here can be daunting.


Good point.

As long as the contract has been changed by the solicitor and you have the paperwork it was easy.
And I signed up to both water and electric online in English as you can set the websites language.


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## xicoalc (Apr 20, 2010)

Barriej said:


> I changed ours online to the reduced 8 hours bit without issue. I think it all depends on how old the property is and what type the meter is.


I changed mine to 8 hours online, was easily.. but then we got into the habit of leaving the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer ready to turn on during the 8 hours, always forgetting and then using all the electric in the expensive time...🤣 so went back to standard plan jajaja


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

xicoalc said:


> I changed mine to 8 hours online, was easily.. but then we got into the habit of leaving the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer ready to turn on during the 8 hours, always forgetting and then using all the electric in the expensive time...🤣 so went back to standard plan jajaja


So true. We have tripped our electric every night this week, cause the washing machine was on, I put the heaters on and then the kettle. OOPs all dark..... 
Ive set ours at 2pm to 10pm at the moment so we can have the heating on in the evening. Will change it to the morning in the summer.
Only reason I did it was because the 16 normal hours were 2c cheaper a unit than our standard plan when we moved in so Ive saved 2c a unit for 16 hours and 10c a unit for the 8. 

Once Ive been round this place fixing the gaps and sealing the rubbish double glazing, I should save more next winter.


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## Spike1306 (Jan 20, 2021)

Thanks guys for all the info. all good to know, Like I said this is a retirement plan so its not happening this year. I know things might change but it does give me a great insite to start and budget, we have done a lot of reading on how it all works but not on time sclaes.
Hopefully we will be visiting again this year all going well, we spent our honeymoon down near Jerez 11 years ago and that is one of the places we will be going back too this time around to get a better insight of the houses.
We are going to be looking at a property outside of a town/village on its own if possible, seen a few online that we like the look of and the style so we know what we want its just a case of picking the right town/Village to go to, which is the point of this holiday this year.


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## Amardanan (Sep 13, 2021)

be careful while saling/buying of a house because you can face violation of the contract when buying a house


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Spike1306 said:


> Thanks guys for all the info. all good to know, Like I said this is a retirement plan so its not happening this year. I know things might change but it does give me a great insite to start and budget, we have done a lot of reading on how it all works but not on time sclaes.
> Hopefully we will be visiting again this year all going well, we spent our honeymoon down near Jerez 11 years ago and that is one of the places we will be going back too this time around to get a better insight of the houses.
> We are going to be looking at a property outside of a town/village on its own if possible, seen a few online that we like the look of and the style so we know what we want its just a case of picking the right town/Village to go to, which is the point of this holiday this year.


Be very careful when thinking about houses outside of towns or villages if they are close to nature. Whilst fires are not uncommon in the hot months and fairly well con trolled , this year has seen very bad fires which are impossible to stop. Greece was an example and Spain this week has had a terrible incident near Malaga. Many people ( firefighters in particular) are suggesting a pattern emerging that indicates this might be to climatic change- meaning this kind of thing could become more frequent and more devastating


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## sniko (7 mo ago)

Barriej said:


> Agreed, and good advice.
> 
> I think when I asked about the services our solicitor said they were included as part of the charges. And why I mentioned the need to ask questions not just go along with it because its a foreign country. It seems people tend to do things with their holiday heads on.
> 
> ...


Thanks for sharing this. Would you mind providing your solicitor details?


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## dancingspider (Mar 4, 2018)

kaipa said:


> Spanish owners enjoy a haggle and like to take their time so can sometimes take a week or so for them to respond. You can expect about 5- 7% lower offer. Dont do a "guiri" insult and start at 20 %


What nonsense!

I bought and sold all my life and buying houses is no different! What you are dealing with is human nature. It is very predictable and it reacts the same way, when it comes to negotiation, regardless of what item being bought or sold.

Basically, if you are the buyer and the seller agrees to the offer price without too much protest at your measly offer, you are offering too much.

You need to hear the seller express pain and protest, then you know you are starting to hit rock bottom.

So your initial offer should be pitched low...!

If you buyer still engages then you are dealing with a distressed seller or someone who needs to cash fast, or a quick sale. Then you know you have leverage!

It is only then you pull out the 'defects', to knock them further.

If the seller does not play along or anyone representing them does not align, then be prepared to walk away, and not look back.

Be sure to engage professional throughout the process and seriously don't skip on that! Use lawyers and surveyers and ensure that all the required checks are done meticulously! That part I will not skip on!

Being a "guiri" has absolutely nothing to do with about wanting to chase the best possible deal...!


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Believe it or not some people are decent souls who arent out to always get the better of another. Some set a price that is fair and reasonable and are happy to accept it. It doesnt mean they are idiots. My experience of buying ( 4 times plus ex- wife worked for lawyers brokering deals) is that if you come in at a ridiculously low price it is seen as insulting and disrepectful this often results in the other party being suspicious of you and in some cases not wanting their home to go to you. Not everyone thinks money money money!!


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## dancingspider (Mar 4, 2018)

You are noble in your desire for a ‘fair deal’, but your sense of decency is misplaced, in my opinion.

Consider a buyer who paid 600k at the peak and now the value is 300k.

In this scenario what do you consider a ‘fair deal’? You want to meet in the middle and offer them 450k, 300k above the current market value? That is how ludicrous the ‘fair deal’ logic is!

There are two cases of a business relationship you need to consider. The one-off deal where you try to get the best price and the cast where you are building a long-term relationship and the ‘fair deal’ concept does matter, to build the relationship. So, in the former case it is simply irrelevant. If the seller gets the hump with the offer, so what move on! I most certainly am not in the business of subsidising the lifestyles of other, but do care for and take care of my own, part of that being providing financial security, which in my mind means always securing the best deal possible, regardless of what is being bough or indeed sold. I don’t understand how you can even suggest that it might be disrespectful or how suspicion could be interpreted.

It is a negotiation and business transaction, if agreement is reached, period.


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