Do you want to buy a vacation home in Spain? Avoid nasty surprises when buying your dream home in Spain. Don’t stink and keep in mind the pitfalls below. We list them for you, the most common mistakes while buying a house in Spain:

1. Not putting everything on paper…

During purchase negotiations, things often come up that are put off until later. For example, painting work that still needs to be done, or an appointment with “we’ll do that later” as the answer. It’s fine to improve things about the home, but mention them on paper – that way you avoid discussion in the future!

2. The first down payment: don’t rush it

Consider carefully whether you really have negotiated everything you want or need before making a payment to the seller. Once you have paid, it becomes more difficult to get things that work out in your favor. Once the seller has already received part of the purchase price, you are in a weaker position in any additional negotiations.

3. Check whether the selling party already owns the property

Are the sellers really the owners? Or is it the heirs who have yet to become owners? Or does the property come from a company that no longer exists and the ownership register has not yet been updated?

Unpleasant surprises afterwards when buying a house in Spain are not pleasant. It takes time and money to resolve them. Don’t let it happen to you.

By properly finding out and solving the above points, you reduce the chance of unpleasant surprises afterwards. Therefore, always hire an experienced real estate agent to help you with this. Good advice is half the battle and indispensable.

4. Parcel area insufficiently checked

The areas of the plot and the house are often insufficiently checked. These should correspond to the areas listed in the property register. Discrepancies are common and need not be a problem. But the discrepancies must be corrected by the seller at the time of transfer.

5. Forgot to ask: is major maintenance planned?

This is important when you buy an apartment in a complex. If there is major work planned on roof or facades, it is known to the owners’ association. These things are useful to know before you buy. The amounts involved can be large, depending on the amount of overdue maintenance.

The Next Step

Do you have questions about buying a house in Spain? Or would you like to know more about the top 5 most common mistakes made when buying a house in Spain?

Then be sure to visit the Second Home expo in where several estate agents can provide you with appropriate advice. Do you want to start your search for a second home in Spain right away? Check out the offer.