Selling an apartment or house in Spain can proceed much faster than in the Netherlands if the sale is well-prepared. Here are the 7 essential steps to sell your real estate in Spain.
Preparation for the Sale of Your Property in Spain
1st Step: Gather Essential Sales Documents
To save time, collect or have a real estate agent gather all essential sales documents in advance:
- The property title.
- The “nota simple” of the property (a legal document with information about ownership, legal status, ongoing charges, and debts).
- The statutes and regulations of the building.
- The floor plan of the property.
- The ITE certificate (Technical Inspection of Buildings) confirming the building’s compliance (available from the municipality).
- If applicable, building permits and necessary permits for changes or expansions to the property (these documents are available from the municipality).
- The “cédula de habitabilidad” confirming that your property is considered “habitable” (this certificate is also available from the municipality).
- The energy performance certificate (obtainable through an expert).
- The last IBI receipt, i.e., your last property tax (for more information on property tax in Spain, we have prepared a video on IBI).
- The last electricity and water bills.
2nd Step: Assess the Value of Your Property
Have your property appraised to align with market prices. A poorly appraised apartment does not sell well. For this, you need to:
- Conduct an analysis of the real estate market: educate yourself about prices in the region where your property is located. These can vary significantly from city to city and even from neighborhood to neighborhood.Our advice: Entrust this crucial step to a real estate agent. They have the tools to know the prices in your area.
- Consult a professional appraiser. This expert is responsible for valuing real estate. Their expertise can help you determine a competitive selling price.
3rd Step: Physically Prepare the Property
If your property is outdated or has minor defects, update it: decoration, minor repairs. These expenses make a difference and allow potential buyers to better visualize. You will sell faster. Prime Estate offers a homestaging service (optimizing your interior). Contact us for more information.
If your property needs it, carry out renovation work yourself. This can increase its market value.
Thorough cleaning: declutter, clean, etc. Ensure the property is well-maintained before potential buyers come for viewings.
4th Step: Choose the Sales Method
- Sell through a real estate agent.Advantages: Agents handle the appraisal, the sale (photos, videos, selection of sales channels, etc.), they provide more visibility, select qualified buyers, guide viewings and negotiations. They guide you through the entire process up to the notary on the day of key handover. Prime Estate can handle the sale of your property, make an appointment with our specialists for more information.The seller can choose to offer their property for sale exclusively or non-exclusively.Our advice: Opt for exclusivity. This guarantees you quality service and straightforward communication. It is not true that you sell faster if your property is promoted by several agents. The opposite is true, for a simple reason: agents highlight the properties they have exclusively.Disadvantages: This service has a cost. This is agreed upon between the chosen agent and the owner.
- Direct sale by the ownerAdvantages: You save on agent fees and have full control over the sale.Disadvantages: You have to go through all the steps in the sales process yourself, including obtaining all the above-mentioned documents, the appraisal, the presentation (photos, videos, writing the ad and posting it online), promotion, negotiations, and the administrative steps needed to formalize the sale
