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Guide to Selling a Property in Barcelona

The 4 Steps to Selling a Property in Barcelona are the following:

1. Appoint a Real Estate Agent

Eliore Properties is a leader in home sales to international buyers, specialising in the sale of properties in Barcelona. We are recognised for our professionalism, market knowledge and experience. We have a dedicated team of multilingual estate agents who are motivated to sell your property quickly and at the right price..

At Eliore Properties we can offer you the following services:
– Market valuation of your property based on our access to professional real transactions data
– High quality property photos
– Creation of property floor plans
– Revision by Eliore Properties of all documentation relating to the sale of your property (Cedula de Habitabilidad, Property Registry Certificate called Nota Simple)
– Listing on our multi-language website
– Listing on leading national and international portals and social media
– Property alert email sent to our registered clients
– Regular feedback in your own language
– Simulation using renders of a renovation project
– Processing the Occupancy Certificate (Cédula de Habitabilidad) and Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) (Certificado de la Eficiencia Energética)

2. The Formal Offer from a Buyer

An offer on your property from a potential buyer will be presented to you in writing by your dedicated real estate agent. At Eliore Properties we will ask to the buyer to make a deposit to Eliore Properties account and sign a formal offer, to the seller with the price and deadline to complete.

Upon acceptance of the offer by the seller we will remove the property from the market. The amount is usually around 1% with a minimum of €5,000 and usually valid for 7 days. If the offer is rejected by the Seller the  deposit payment is returned to the Buyer.

3. The Arras Contract (Contrato de Arras)

This is an agreement between the Seller and the Buyer in which the Seller agrees to sell the property and the Buyer agrees to buy the property at the price agreed. The Arras Contract (Contrato privado de arras) will contain all key relevant details such as a description of the property, the purchase price, the payment structure and the completion date. This is usually signed within 2 weeks after accepting the offer.

Upon signature of the Arras Contract, the Buyer will be expected to make a downpayment of usually 10% of the price directly to the bank account of the seller.

In the case that the Buyer withdraws from the sale the Seller will retain the full downpayment of 10% if it was the percentage paid. If the Seller would withdraw from the sale the Buyer is entitled to receive double the downpayment as compensation 20% if it was 10%.

4. The Public Purchase (Escritura de compraventa)

On the completion date usually within 2 months after signing the arras contract the balance of the purchase price must be paid to the Seller.

Any existing mortgage loans from the previous owner existing on the property must be cancelled, usually by going to the bank of the Seller t cancel the previous mortgage after going to the notary to sign the transaction. Sometimes the Seller’s bank may subrogate the mortgage to the new Buyer who will then become the existing mortgage holder.

The Seller and the Buyer sign the Public Purchase Sale Deed (Escritura de compraventa). The Buyer will then receive the Public Purchase Sale Deed in front of a Notary Public, who certifies the property transfer, and a copy of the Public Purchase Sale Deed will be passed to the Spanish Tax Office and on to the Land Registry.

The Buyer and the Seller should be physically present for the signing of the Public Purchase Sale Deed before the Notary. If one of them is unable to attend they can make a Power of Attorney to a lawyer, spouse or representative to act for them.

For any questions you may have feel free to contact us on +34 930 185 648 or email us at [email protected].