There’s lots of great reasons to buy a home in Spain and in a recent blog we published we’ve described the process of buying a home in Spain, but what about those who are selling their home here on the Costa del Sol?
Why Sell Your Costa del Sol Home?
At Winkworth, we’ve worked with countless clients to sell their home in Spain quickly, easily, and at the best price. Often, homeowners here are looking for a new home that better fits their family or lifestyle, have discovered a beautiful new area along our coast or beyond to relocate to, are moving abroad, or simply want to cash in on an initial investment property. But no matter what the reason, Winkworth Spain is here to help with local, professional, experienced real estate agents who know the local community, the real estate market, and the best ways to market, advertise, and show your home to potential buyers so that your home, apartment, or villa for sale in Spain gets not just a lot of attention but the right attention from the right audiences. We’ll also guide you, step by step, through the selling process so you know that every detail is taken care of, making selling your home in
Spain as fast and stress-free as possible.
Steps to Selling Your Spanish Home
Step 1: Find the right real estate agent. With the large expat community here on the Costa del Sol, finding an English and Spanish-speaking real estate agent who is familiar with both local and UK markets can save you both time, energy, and money when it comes to selling your home in Spain. At Winkworth, we have a long, proud UK history which has -thanks to amazing rapport with our clients, expanded into Spain, meaning we can offer the best of both worlds. All of our real estate agents are Spanish locals who know their community, local authorities, and Spanish rules and regulations but have close ties to the UK industry and both Spanish and UK real estate markets.
They’re all bilingual too, meaning nothing will be lost in translation, including all the legal aspects of buying or selling a home in Spain.
Step 2: Advertise your home. You can advertise your home for sale in Spain yourself, of course, but with the help of a great real estate agent, you can wash your hands of all the staging photos, initial listings (and updating of them), and countless enquiries that come from them. Your estate agent will know how to best showcase all aspects of your home for sale, will know which features are the most desirable and how to emphasise them, where to find the most (and best quality) buyers to advertise to, and filter out the inevitable spam that results from having your contact information publicly available. Strong ties to the local community also means that if there are minor repairs to be made or professional photos to be taken as part of the advertising process, they can recommend the best value for what you’re after, even oversee it all so you don’t have to take on that extra burden of selling your property.
Step 3: Get a solicitor and notary. In theory this is also an aspect of selling your home in Spain that can be done yourself, but we never recommend it. The legal process here is long and complicated, fraught with bureaucracy and contradictions. A local real estate professional, together with a local, experienced solicitor, will know how to cut through all that, making the process of selling your home easier and much more manageable. They will gather all the documents you’re legally required to present to the buyers for due diligence including the property’s title deeds, copies of utility bills, proof of IBI payment, your NIE or residency paperwork, home inspection or furniture inventory contracts, community fees or requirements information, etc. and represent you throughout the process, always with your best interests in mind.
Your solicitor will likely work closely with a notary, so you needn’t find both, but keep in mind that
if you do decide to go it alone and skip hiring a solicitor, you are still legally obliged to hire a notary.
Step 4: Accept a deposit. Once the buyer is ready to proceed with the purchase of your property, you’ll sign a deposit contract with them which signifies their intent to purchase. You will also receive a mutually-agreed good faith deposit at this time, usually between 1-10% of the purchase price. You will be required to return this deposit amount should you decide you no longer want to sell but will not need to refund it if the buyer backs out of the sale.
Step 5: Sell you home. You, the buyer, and your respective solicitors will meet together with the notary to sign the final purchase contract, under witness. The notary will then take over the sale process by informing the Land Registry of the sale. The final amount owed to you for the purchase of your home will then be transferred to you in exchange the keys to the home, and the selling of your Spanish home is complete!
Selling Your Home with Winkworth
At Winkworth, we’d love the opportunity to help you sell your home and can get started with a free, no obligation property valuation so you know just what your home is worth. Then, if you decide to sell, we’re then more than happy to discuss in detail how we can market your home to get the best price as quickly and hassle-free for you as possible. We specialise in local Costa del Sol markets including Sotogrande, Estepona, Guadalmina, San Pedro de Alcantara, Nueva Andalucia, Puerto Banus, and Marbella and are confident that we have the right combination of local knowledge and international experience to offer you the best option when it comes to choosing a real estate agent and selling your home in Spain.
Call us at +34 952 880 941 or +34 600 115 728 or email us at info@winkworth.es to get started on selling your property in Spain.