The difficult part of buying a home in Spain is often deciding which familiar assumptions to leave behind. A property record is not a building survey. A mortgage conversation is not a completed lending decision. A reservation payment is not automatically refundable. Start with those distinctions and the process becomes easier to organise, whether you are relocating or buying somewhere to visit.
Decide how the house will work when you are there
A holiday viewing rewards a sunny terrace and a short walk to dinner. Living in the same house may require a quiet workroom, winter heating, accessible parking and a reliable route to school. Write a normal Tuesday schedule before compiling your shortlist. If you will visit occasionally, think about who can attend a leak, accept a delivery or ventilate the house while it is empty.
Test the area independently of the sales appointment. Walk the approach at night, check the gradient with shopping bags and visit in a different part of the day. Ask what stays open outside the main holiday season. Make a list of things that can be changed inside the property and things that come with the location.
Work backwards from available cash
Your maximum offer is not the total you are comfortable spending. Leave room for acquisition taxes, professional work, finance-related costs, moving and initial repairs. Keep a separate cash reserve after completion. If your savings or income are in another currency, a change in the exchange rate can alter what is affordable before the purchase price moves at all.
Ask a lender what documents it needs for your circumstances and when it can assess the actual property. Do not build a deposit deadline around an assumed approval date. Our guide to the full cost of buying in Spain sets out a practical budget structure without using a single tax percentage for every region.
Understand the different checks you are commissioning
| Check | The question it should answer | What to request |
|---|---|---|
| Property records | Who owns what, and what recorded burdens need addressing? | A current registry extract and explanation |
| Planning and occupation | Does the documented position match the house and intended use? | Relevant local records and permissions |
| Physical condition | What is defective or likely to need work? | A written inspection scope and report |
| Contract | What am I agreeing to before completion? | Advice on the actual wording and conditions |
Ask each adviser to describe their scope rather than assuming one appointment covers everything. An independent legal adviser, a building professional and the notary have different functions. Agree how unanswered questions will be reported and who will follow them up. A neat folder of documents is useful only if somebody checks what those documents mean for this purchase.
Make the records match the viewing
The nota simple is the commonly requested information extract from the Land Registry. Ask for an up-to-date copy and compare the seller, property description and listed burdens with the proposed contract. The Catastro is a separate property information system. Put any differences in area, boundaries or buildings on your question list rather than assuming that one record cures an omission in another.
A converted garage, roof terrace enclosure or extra guest building deserves particular attention. Request the relevant project and permission records and have their position checked locally. If the attraction is a large plot or possible extension, do not pay for that potential until it has been assessed. The guide to buying land for a building project explains the questions to ask about development assumptions.
Ask for the energy certificate and the relevant occupation or habitability documents. Spain regulates energy certification through Royal Decree 390/2021, subject to its scope and exemptions. Use the certificate as an energy information document; it does not establish that the roof, drains and structure are sound.
Use your second viewing to remove uncertainty
Take measurements for furniture that matters, listen with the windows open and closed, and inspect spaces excluded from the first visit. Ask to see the roof access, service equipment, storage and parking arrangement. Record concerns as questions, such as where a water stain came from and what evidence supports the repair. An attractive repaint is neither proof of a defect nor proof that one has been solved.
If substantial work is part of the plan, commission an inspection before committing to that plan financially. Our renovation-property assessment helps separate necessary repairs, optional improvements and unknown scope. For shared buildings, the apartment and community checklist adds the financial and practical issues beyond your own front door.
Know what happens when money becomes committed
Request the proposed reservation or private purchase contract before arranging a payment. Have the property, parties, deadlines, payment recipient and conditions checked. Ask a direct question: if the loan is declined, the documents reveal a problem or the seller cannot complete on time, what does this specific agreement require? Read the separate guide to reservation and arras agreements before relying on an informal explanation.
For completion, agree who coordinates the draft deed, bank arrangements, funds and any required identification formalities. If you cannot attend, discuss representation and document requirements early. Verify payment instructions through a trusted contact, particularly if the bank account changes in an email.
Build a handover plan before booking your move
Arrange a final inspection, an inventory where relevant, meter readings and a complete set of keys. Confirm who handles tax filing, registration and utility changes, and ask for evidence when each task is finished. Keep purchase documents somewhere you can access from abroad. These small arrangements save confusion when the removal company arrives.
Once a property reaches your shortlist, work through its nota simple land-registry extract. If you expect to sign from abroad through a representative, resolve the scope and formalities of the purchase power of attorney early.
Your next useful action is to write a one-page buying brief: intended use, locations, total budget, financing position and move date. Share those details with CASA i CASA to describe the property search you want to pursue, including any deal-breakers a listing photograph will never show.
Sources and further reading
Sources checked on 19 September 2026. Your property documents and local requirements determine how the guidance applies to your project.
