How buying a property works

It all starts with a non-binding consultation, the aim of which is to properly understand your ideas and needs and to familiarize you with the entire process of selecting and purchasing a property.

Every area has a character of its own that cannot be transplanted, and everyone is looking for something different. We know the Spanish coast well, because we have lived here for years. We will point out what is particular about each area, along with the advantages and drawbacks it may hold for you.

Before you set off for Spain, we will pick out a number of specific properties together and visit them during your trip, so that you have something to compare and a real choice.

We will help you organise your trip to Spain — finding a suitable flight, accommodation and transport — so that you have nothing to worry about.

We appreciate it if you agree the dates with us in advance, so that we can devote ourselves to you fully on those days.

We schedule the viewings so that they follow on from one another and your time in Spain is well used. The aim is not to see as many properties as possible. Everything follows from the careful shortlisting done at the start of our work together: the better the brief and the clearer your idea, the easier it is for us to find the property you are dreaming of. Between viewings we stop at interesting and relevant places, which can matter a great deal while you are making up your mind.

If you choose an apartment or a villa during the viewings, the first step is to make an offer to the seller. Once it is accepted, a reservation deposit is paid to take the property off the market until the preliminary contract (Contrato de Arras) is signed. The reservation fee depends on the value of the property and is usually a few thousand euros.

In the next step we will put you in touch with our team of lawyers, who will represent you legally throughout the purchase. Everything is handled under a power of attorney and, as the client prefers, in Czech, Spanish or English.

The legal services cover communication with the seller, checking the legal status of the property, opening an account with a Spanish bank, obtaining the foreigner identification number (NIE), drawing up the purchase contract, filing for registration with the Land Registry, arranging the transfer of funds, insuring the property, transferring the utilities, and preparing and filing the tax return.

Obtaining the NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjeros, the identification number for non-residents) is an important point in the buying process and afterwards as well — you will need it for most administrative matters, for setting up direct debits, for paying taxes and so on.

The next important step is opening an account with a local bank. We will open it for you as part of the legal services described above. We work with well-established Spanish banks that have the densest branch networks and user-friendly terms overall. Most often we open accounts for clients with Banco Santander, the largest Spanish bank, or with Caixa, BBVA or Banco Sabadell.

Within two weeks to two months of paying the reservation, the funds needed to buy the property should be in your newly opened Spanish account.

Before the final purchase contract is signed we usually carry out a second viewing (with the client present or on their behalf) to check the condition of the property once more. If all is well, the contract is signed before a notary, the funds are transferred and at the same time you receive the application for registration with the Land Registry, together with all the documentation and the keys to your new property.

In Spain — unlike the usual practice in the Czech Republic — taking possession does not wait for the entry in the Land Registry. The signed purchase contract and the application for registration entitle you to use the property immediately.