A complete guide to buying property in the Málaga Region

Step 1: Understand the full cost of purchase

When buying property in Spain, you should budget for approximately 10–13% on top of the purchase price to cover purchase tax (ITP for resale, 7% in Andalucía), notary fees, land registry fees and legal costs. For new builds, IVA (VAT) at 10% applies instead of ITP.

Step 2: Get your NIE number

A NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) is required for all property transactions in Spain. It can be obtained at a Spanish consulate in your home country or at a police station in Spain. Your lawyer can also do this on your behalf with a power of attorney.

Step 3: Work with an independent advisor

Most agents in Spain work for the seller. An independent buyer advisor works exclusively for you, helping you navigate the market, negotiate the price, and manage the legal process without any conflict of interest.

Step 4: The buying process in Spain

Once you have found a property: reservation agreement and deposit (typically €3,000–€10,000), due diligence by your lawyer, private purchase contract (contrato de arras, typically 10% of purchase price), completion at the notary (escritura), and registration at the land registry.

Aluma guides clients through every one of these steps, in their language, with complete transparency.