Why buying a house in Spain works differently than back home

You've bought a house in the Netherlands or in Belgium before. You know the estate agent, the notary, the bank, the order of things. In the Marina Alta it works differently, and that's not because things are more complicated here. It's simply a different system, with its own customs that you're better off knowing beforehand than discovering halfway through.

The NIE comes first

As a foreign buyer you need an NIE, an identification number for foreigners. Without that number, you buy nothing: no notarial deed, no bank account in your name, no registration. You apply for it at the police station or through the Spanish consulate in your own country, and that takes time. We always say the same thing: start this as soon as you're seriously considering buying, not as soon as you've made an offer.

An estate agent works differently here

In the Netherlands you often have your own buyer's agent alongside the seller's agent. In Spain the agent usually works for the seller, even when he's the one showing you around and thinking things through with you. That's not a problem, as long as you know it. At TREE we're open about this: we represent the homes in our portfolio, and we want you to make an offer with a clear understanding of whose interests we serve, not with the wrong impression.

The reservation contract and the arras

Once you agree on the price, you usually sign a reservation contract first, followed by a private contract with a deposit, the arras. That deposit is often around ten percent, but the exact percentage and conditions vary from sale to sale. Important to know: if you as the buyer pull out, you generally lose that deposit. If the seller pulls out, they usually have to pay back double. These are agreements you have drawn up by a notary or a lawyer, we don't arrange that ourselves, but we make sure you're in touch with the right people in time.

The notary plays a different role

A Spanish notary checks the identity of the parties and the legality of the deed, but doesn't check everything a Dutch notary would as standard. The substantive check of debts, permits and easements falls more to the buyer and their lawyer. That's why most buyers in Spain work with an independent lawyer, separate from the agent and separate from the notary. We recommend this for every purchase, however small the property.

A structural survey isn't automatic

In the Netherlands a structural survey is almost standard. Here that's far from always the case, even though the difference between a villa from 1975 and a new-build project from 2023 is significant, especially in the Marina Alta. We have our own building surveyor on staff. Before you make an offer, we can carry out a technical inspection with a rough estimate of any repair costs. That's not a full design or a detailed budget, that comes after the purchase, but it gives you a realistic picture before you sign anything.

Permits and land status

A house with a pool, an extension or a veranda isn't automatically legal, even if it's been there for years. In the Marina Alta, with many detached villas on rural land, this comes up regularly. We check the land registry details and the building file before we offer a property, and we tell you honestly if something is missing or unclear. That's not always a problem, but you need to know it before you fall for the view from that veranda.

Taxes vary by municipality and by situation

Transfer tax, notary fees, registration costs: the amounts and rates vary by municipality and by type of property, new-build or resale. We deliberately don't mention percentages here, because they change and differ per situation. A good gestor or lawyer will calculate this for you based on the current rules, and that's exactly what you need at that point: a specific figure for your purchase, not a general number from a blog post.

Why we approach it a bit differently

We've been based in Jávea since 2022 and work across the whole Marina Alta, from Dénia to Calpe and inland around Jalón and Orba. Alongside the agency we have TREE Constructions for building and renovation work, and Sani-Kitchen Projects as our regular partner for kitchens, bathrooms and tiling. That combination means that if you buy a property that needs work, we don't just say it's possible, we can also show you what it involves and who carries it out.

Buying a house in Spain isn't the same process in a different language. It's a different process, with its own steps and its own pace.

The steps are manageable once you know what they are. We'd rather walk through them with you, in plain language, without promising anything we can't deliver.