Buying a flat in Barcelona

So you have decided to buy a house in Barcelona! I assume that you have consciously thought about it, but do you really know what to expect? Let us give you some advice about buying a flat in Barcelona!

Let’s begin with the easiest question: why do you want to buy a house in Barcelona? You have to think about the fact that Barcelona is just as wonderful as chaotic. Millions of tourists come to visit it every year so, unless you are already working here or you have another reason to stay, you already know that this city rarely stops.

Once you are sure that you want to buy a flat or a house, you have to choose the area. Eixample? Gothic? Sarrià? Gracia? Poblenou? You should choose the one that fits you the best! And not only the area, but also the type of property that you are looking for. The number of rooms, the size of the house, the distance to a specific place, etc. All this has to go according to the amount of money that you want to spend on your new flat.

You can start by doing a search online. You have many webpages such as Idealista, Fotocasa and Habitaclia in which you will find different options. This kind of webpages are really useful in order to buy properties, because they let you use a really big amount of filters and even select the area that you want to live in. Also Properties Agencies are another good option, not only because they also have many options but because they usually have advisors that can give you their opinion in case you can’t travel to visit the flat in person.

Once you are ready to buy the flat, you have to think about which documents are needed. The NIE (Número de Identidad Extranjero) is necessary for foreigners. Moreover, you will need a Spanish bank account, not only to pay for the property but also for the fees, the taxes, etc.

The next step will be to sign a reservation agreement with the seller and carry out all the necessary checks on the property to ensure that the sale is legal and that there are no debts secured against the property, because if you didn’t know already, in Spain, a debt secured by a property can be passed on to the new owner.

If everything is right, you’ll be able to go the notary and sign the contract. The Escritura Pública (full title deeds) can take a few months to process.

If you are an expat and you are unsure about the Spanish bureaucracy, then we definitely recommend for you to contact a Professional Assistant, or hire a lawyer that can speak both English and Spanish or even Catalan in order to help you. Buying a house in Spain and in Barcelona is not especially easy, so even though you will have to pay an extra, it will save you from many headaches.