A seller's agent feels free. An independent buyer's agent asks for a fee upfront. Here is exactly what that fee buys you, what it does not, and why the arithmetic usually favours the buyer who pays it.
Most buyers who ask us about our fees are not really asking about the number. They are asking why they should pay anything at all, when every other agent at every viewing they have attended so far has been free. It is a fair question, and it deserves a direct answer.
Fixed fee. Orientation and market briefing before you commit to a search.
Fixed fee. Full search, negotiation and purchase representation.
Fixed fee. Complete plus relocation, settlement and 12 months of aftercare.
In Spain, as in most of Europe, the agent standing at the door of a viewing is almost always paid by the seller. Their commission, typically 3 to 6 percent of the sale price, is built into the asking price before you ever see it. You do not pay them a separate invoice, so it feels free. It is not. You pay it inside the price of the property, and the agent's legal and financial obligation is to get the seller the highest possible number, not to protect your interests.
This is not a criticism of selling agents. They are doing their job correctly. The issue is structural, not personal, an agent cannot represent both sides of a negotiation with equal loyalty, and in Spain almost every agent you meet during a property search represents the seller, even when they are friendly, helpful and genuinely knowledgeable about the area.
An independent buyer's agent inverts that structure. You pay the fee, so the agent's only client is you. There is no commission tied to the sale price, so there is no financial incentive to push you toward a higher offer, a faster decision, or a specific developer.
Depending on the package, the fee covers a combination of the following. We break it down here so the number attaches to something concrete rather than staying abstract.
A full search across the open market plus off-market opportunities through our network and Baerz & Co, rather than the small selection any single selling agency happens to have listed. Most buyers who search on their own see a fraction of what is actually available, because listings are fragmented across dozens of local agencies that rarely share inventory with each other.
Before any offer, we tell you what a property is actually worth relative to the local market, not what the listing price suggests. Negotiation is then handled on your behalf, without the conflict of interest that comes from also being paid by the seller. On a single villa purchase in Mijas or a new-build unit in Fuengirola, a properly negotiated price can move by tens of thousands of euros, often several times the fee itself.
Every Aluma client is introduced to a trusted independent lawyer before the search phase begins. We coordinate timelines between your lawyer, the notary, and if relevant your mortgage lender, so nothing falls through the gap between professionals who do not normally talk to each other.
Developer sales teams work for the developer. When Aluma represents you on a new-build purchase, we review the contract, the payment schedule and the delivery guarantees on your behalf, and flag anything that favours the developer over you before you sign.
| Package | Fee | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | €1,995 | Structured market orientation and briefing for buyers still exploring the region and deciding where and how to search. |
| Complete | €3,995 | Full buying journey from search to key handover, including negotiation and coordination with lawyer and notary. |
| Premium | €5,495 | Everything in Complete, plus mortgage coordination, NIE assistance, relocation support and 12 months of aftercare. |
All fees are quoted excluding IVA (21 percent Spanish VAT), which applies to clients based in Spain and other EU member states. Fees are agreed in writing before any work begins, and paid upfront rather than as a percentage of the purchase price. In certain transactions Aluma may also receive a commission from the selling party, and where that applies it is disclosed to you in advance, always.
Why fixed, and why upfront: A percentage fee, even one paid by the buyer, still rewards the agent for a higher purchase price. A fixed fee, agreed before the search begins, removes that incentive entirely. It also means we are not paid faster by rushing you into a decision, since the fee does not change whether the process takes six weeks or six months.
The honest comparison is not "pay a fee" versus "pay nothing." It is "pay a fixed, disclosed fee" versus "pay an invisible cost baked into every part of the transaction you cannot see from the outside." That invisible cost usually shows up in three places.
Independent representation makes the most sense for buyers who are financially serious, reasonably decisive once they have the right information, and who want one accountable point of contact rather than piecing together advice from a selling agent, a lawyer they found online and a forum thread. It is not the right fit for buyers who are only casually browsing with no real timeline, since the Complete and Premium packages assume an active search.
A seller's agent is only free to you because their commission, usually 3 to 6 percent, is built into the asking price and paid by the seller. That agent's legal duty is to get the seller the best price. An independent buyer's agent charges you directly so their only duty is to you, and their fee is fixed regardless of the price you pay.
Aluma works on fixed, published fees agreed in writing before any work begins, so there is no negotiation once you choose a package. This is deliberate, a fixed fee removes any incentive to push you toward a faster or more expensive decision.
The Essentials package is a paid orientation service regardless of outcome, since it covers market briefing and guidance rather than a completed purchase. Complete and Premium are structured around an active search and purchase, and the scope is agreed upfront so there are no surprises either way.
In some transactions, yes, a selling-party commission may be received in addition to the buyer's fee. Aluma discloses this in advance for every transaction where it applies, so you always know exactly who is paying what before you commit.
Book a free call and we will walk through your timeline, budget and priorities, no obligation.