In a Nutshell: When you sign a document before a Notary Public, the Notary confirms your identity to be sure you are really the person signing. Easy. But what if the Notary Public is a fraud or not really a Notary? That’s where the Apostille comes in. It confirms that the Notary’s identity. The Notary confirms the Signer, the Apostille … Read More

The Buyer’s Total Cost for Property in Barcelona This post outlines the Buyer’s TOTAL COST for property (a house or flat) in Barcelona, including taxes and fees. It’s divided into three sections: A. The TOTAL COST when paying in Cash B. The TOTAL COST when paying with a Mortgage C. The COSTS related to Owning Property  A. Property’s Total Cost: Paying … Read More

The Basics on How to Buy Property in Barcelona including:   I. Understanding the Property’s TOTAL Cost II. Evaluating a Listed Price III. Calculating your Opening Offer IV. Negotiating the Price   The Buyers’ Number One Question: “Is the listed price for this property fair?” It depends. There is NO ‘market price’ for apartments, flats or houses in Barcelona. Property is too … Read More

Property Buyers – Understand the ‘Arras’ Contract   Arras means deposit. An Arras contract contains the important terms of a property agreement. When the Buyer signs, they must pay a deposit. Thus, only sign if you are absolutely sure you’re ready to buy. 1) How it works a) Buyer. At signing, the Buyer pays 10% of the property’s purchase price. If … Read More

Prepare a Will for Each Country Where You Own Assets WHY? It will make things a lot easier for your Heirs. Only Spain can transfer title of your real estate, and other assets, located in Spain. They CANNOT dispose of your assets located in another country. This is true world wide. Courts can only touch assets located in the country or state … Read More

Basic Information about NIE’s The NIE registers Non-Spaniards with the federal, regional and city governments in Spain. It’s a Foreigner’s Identification Number or in Spanish: ‘Numero de Identificación de Extranjero’. It’s like a USA social security number. IMPORTANCE. It’s difficult to live in Spain without one. It’s needed to hire utilities, internet service, accept employment, attend school, pay taxes, buy property, … Read More

Buying Property in Barcelona   The ‘Reserve’ is the first document a Real Estate Agent will show you. It’s does NOT reserve the flat for you. The Reserve is incorrectly titled and terribly misleading.   The Reserve   Contents: It contains a blank line where the Buyer writes their offer. It contains other items too, some very tricky and one-sided. It must … Read More

Strike while the iron’s hot. According to real estate experts the prices of apartments, flats and houses in Spain has bottomed out. “Foreign investors buy one of every eight residential units that are sold in Spain. This increases to 33% in some provinces.” Spain’s Government Land Registry Office “It’s important to highlight that the initial phases of a recovery are … Read More