How can a foreigner sell their apartment in Spain remotely?

How can a foreigner sell their apartment in Spain remotely?

You need to consider some things when selling your Spanish real estate like how to evaluate the property, pay taxes, and make the sale process as short as possible. In the age of advanced information technology, you can sell real estate in Spain remotely. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the major stages of selling Spanish housing from abroad and how a foreign national can do this without having to travel to the country.

Content:

The main stages of selling Spanish real estate from another country

Selling real estate in Spain includes the following steps:

1) Real estate valuation in Spain

You should calculate the cost of a home before you sell it. A real estate expert can help you do this.

The real estate valuation means looking at these things:

  • Location (distance to the central districts, number of residents, infrastructure, transport interchange, etc.);
  • Housing condition (size and building materials, when it was built, what direction it faces, etc.);
  • Everything around the house (are there open spaces, terraces, or garages?).

2) Contract with the agency for the sale of real estate

As soon as you decide to sell an apartment in Spain without traveling to the country, you need to find a reliable agency and draw up a contract with them. You must only work with one organization so that they are responsible for controlling visitors, keeping the apartment in a good state, managing the paperwork and selling the apartment well.

To find a trusted agency, you should check out reviews from past clients and its reputation in the housing market.

Documents for the sale of real estate

You need these documents to sell a property without traveling to Spain:

  • Nota simple is an official extract from the Spanish Property Register (Registro de la Propiedad) confirming who the property owner is;
  • Energy certificate;
  • Apartment plan;
  • Housing habitability assessment (this is only needed in some communities);
  • ITE certificate (building technical inspection);
  • Charter of the residents' community;
  • IBI payment receipt (tax on real estate in Spain);
  • Agreement of Intent;
  • Recent utility bills;
  • No real estate debt;
  • Real estate purchase and sale agreement.

3) Key handover

The next step is to give the agent access to the flat to personally examine it, make a photo report, organize cleaning, and show it to potentially interested clients. Keys can be sent by courier, by mail or through a relative or friend. The seller can also give written consent to the agency to change the lock.

4) Searching for a buyer

The first step of putting an apartment up for sale is looking for a buyer and setting a price. The agency publishes ads for sale on various resources, looks at the number of views and reports to the owner. The primary price of real estate is changed based on this information from ads.

5) Agreement of intent with the buyer

As soon as you find a buyer, you’ll need to start preparing the contracts and documents. First, you sign a contract of intent to book the apartment, remove the ad, and give the seller time to prepare all the right documents.

There are online services that help you draw up contracts remotely without traveling to the country. Often, a contract of intent can be agreed to and signed by e-mail.

6) Power of attorney for the agent

If the homeowner cannot come to Spain to conclude a contract, they can issue the power of attorney to the agent.

A power of attorney is a public document with legal weight. It allows or authorizes a third party to represent the seller during remote sale of real estate in Spain.

The power of attorney has to be notarized to be valid.

What documents you’ll need to get a power of attorney:

  • Application form to obtain a power of attorney.
  • A valid identity card or passport of the person granting the right.
  • A copy of the identity card or NIE of the authorized person/s.
  • A power of attorney to conduct business in court.

The cost of the service ranges from 25 to 50 euro.

The document can be given at the Spanish Consulate in your country. A power of attorney by a notary of another state is recognized in Spain if it has the Hague apostille and has been translated into Spanish by a sworn translator.

7) Completing the transaction

The agency, based on a power of attorney and an agreement of intent, represents the interests of the seller and performs all the formalities at the notary.

8) Money transfer to the seller

The money paid by the buyer for a house in Spain can be transferred to a pre-opened account with the seller in Spain.

What taxes do you have to pay after selling a home?

Selling an apartment in Spain involves paying 2 taxes: personal income tax (IRPF) and municipal value-added tax (plusvalía municipal). The first depends on the profit from the sale and the second is based on the difference in the home’s purchase and selling price.  The real estate tax (IBI) is not related to the sale but the seller has to pay it unless the contract says otherwise.

We’ll help you sell a property in Spain

Would you like to sell an apartment in Spain and you’re not in the country? You can do it remotely and save your time and money.

Spain-Real.Estate experts are always ready to help you sell Spanish housing. Get in touch with us for quick and professional results!

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