Sell property in Barcelona and on the coast
I run the sale from end to end: from the price the property will actually hold to the signature at the notary. Barcelona, the Maresme and the Costa Brava — including for owners who live outside Spain and cannot come for the sale. In Russian, Spanish and English.
The price decides everything else
A property listed above the market does not sell for more. It sells for less, later. The first two or three weeks after publication carry the heaviest traffic: the listing is new and everyone watching the district sees it. If the price put them off in those weeks, the property is afterwards shown mostly to people who already saw it once and did not come. The price has to come down, and further down than it should have started: by the fourth month a buyer starts looking for the reason it is still there.
So I start with the price, not the photography. I look at what comparable homes in the district actually closed at, not at what they are being asked for — the asking price and the closing price diverge, and only closed sales show the gap. To that I add what statistics never carry: the floor and whether there is a lift, the outlook, the state of the building, street noise, the community charges, how long the cédula still runs. What comes out is a range, not a single figure, and with it the time it realistically takes to sell inside that range.
That valuation comes before any agreement and costs nothing. If the figure does not suit you, you owe me nothing.
Find out what it is worthThe sale at a glance
- Time to a deposit
- Usually three to seven months from publication to the arras deposit. A property priced in line with the market sells faster; one priced above it waits longer.
- Valuation
- A reasoned valuation within one to three days. It usually needs a visit to the property, so that the figure rests on what I have seen and not on the paperwork alone.
- Negotiation
- If the asking price is in line with the market, the reduction at negotiation is minimal. I do not quote a percentage: it depends on the property and the moment.
- The agreement
- Exclusive or not, as you prefer. An exclusive sale agreement usually runs six months, and sales under one tend to go faster because the whole agency works on the property. Once the six months are over you can end it if the agent has not met the guarantee points in the contract.
- If you live abroad
- You can sell without coming to Spain: through a power of attorney, with a lawyer and a gestor.
How the sale runs
Valuation and price
I look at the property, the paperwork and the district, and give you a range and a timescale. Free, before any agreement.
Documents
We gather what the sale cannot happen without: the nota simple, the cédula de habitabilidad, the energy certificate, the community no-arrears certificate. Some of it takes weeks to obtain, and starting on the day a buyer appears is how a buyer is lost.
Preparation and photography
What to clear, what to fix, what to leave alone. Professional photography, a floor plan, a description in three languages. Published through the CENTURY 21 network and on the portals.
Viewings and screening
I show the property myself. I check the buyer before the property comes off the market: what they are paying with, whether a mortgage is approved, how soon they can complete. You get a report once a week, whether or not there is news.
Deposit and notary
I negotiate, draw up the arras deposit contract, agree the date with the notary and check the tax and withholding figures before the signature rather than after it. I am there at the signing.
If you live outside Spain
You can sell without coming to Spain. Four things have to be known in advance, and dealt with before a buyer appears rather than after.
- Power of attorney
- Granted before a Spanish consul in your country, or before a local notary with an apostille and a sworn translation. It is the slowest item on this list, so it is the one to start with.
- NIE
- There is no sale without it. If you obtained the number long ago, it is worth checking that it is still in order.
- Tax and withholdings
- A sale by a non-resident is taxed differently from a sale by a resident, and by law part of the settlement falls on the buyer rather than on you. I do not quote figures: a tax gestor works them out from your own documents — what you paid, when, and which costs you can evidence. That happens before the signature, not after, so you know in advance what you are left with.
- A Spanish account
- You need one to receive the money and to close the utilities. Opening one as a non-resident takes longer than people expect.
On each of these I tell you what to do and in what order, and handle them together with a lawyer or a gestor brought in where one is needed.
What you get
- A price with a calculation behind it, not an opinion
- A range and a timescale, not one optimistic figure.
- One person for the whole sale
- Not a call centre and not a different agent at every viewing — you deal with me throughout.
- Your own language
- Correspondence, documents and explanations in English or Russian, while the paperwork itself stays Spanish and correct.
- A buyer who has been checked
- Before the property leaves the market, not after a mortgage falls through.
- An agency behind the sale, not a private ad
- CENTURY 21 Zona Alta is an office entered in the Catalan register of estate agents under number 13779 and carrying professional indemnity cover. A lawyer and a gestoría are not part of the service: if you need them I bring in people I have worked with and hold them to the dates, and you pay for their work separately.
Documents
A list to check yourself against. Some of it takes a day; some of it takes weeks.
| Document | What it is for | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Escritura — your purchase deed | Proves the property is yours | You hold it; a copy is with the notary who handled the purchase |
| Nota simple | Shows the buyer any charges and the mortgage | Registro de la Propiedad, ordered online |
| Cédula de habitabilidad | In Catalonia a home cannot be sold without one. It expires | The Generalitat; a technician inspects and issues it |
| Energy performance certificate | Required before the listing can even be published | A technician; registered with ICAEN |
| Community no-arrears certificate | The notary will ask for it at the signing | Your building’s administrator |
| Latest IBI receipt | The year’s tax is split between the parties | The town hall, or your bank |
| Mortgage balance certificate | If there is a mortgage, the sale cannot close without it | Your bank |
| ITE — the building inspection | Compulsory for buildings over 45 years old, which in the Eixample and Ciutat Vella is almost the whole stock | The owners’ community commissions it; ask the administrator |
I tell you what to order first, and order it myself where you have given me a power of attorney.
When selling with me is not the right fit
It is better to say so at the first conversation than after a month of work.
- You want the highest possible price at any cost
- I will not list a property at a figure the market has not shown. A price above the market costs time, and in the end money.
- The property has no papers at all
- A sale cannot close without the property’s documents. If some are missing, we first see how to obtain them; if there are none, I cannot take the property on.
- The property is occupied by squatters (okupas)
- Here the first step is not a listing but an assessment of the property and its situation: who is in it, on what footing, and what that does to its value and to a sale. Only then do we decide whether, and how, to sell.
Questions and answers
What does your service cost?
The seller pays the commission; the amount is agreed before work starts and set down in writing, with 21% IVA added on top. Your contract is with the agency — CENTURY 21 Zona Alta, S.L.U., on the AICAT register and covered by professional indemnity insurance. The valuation and the first consultation are free and commit you to nothing.
Does the agreement have to be exclusive?
It does not have to be: you can sell with or without an exclusive agreement. With one, sales usually go faster, because the whole agency works on the property. For a sale it usually runs for six months, and once those six months are over you can end it if the agent has not met the guarantee points set down in the contract. It is all agreed before work starts and put in writing.
How long does a sale take?
From publication to the arras deposit, usually three to seven months, and what decides it is almost entirely the price. Preparing the documents before publication takes another two to four weeks, and that part cannot be skipped.
What taxes does a seller pay?
A sale is taxed both by the municipality and on the gain, and for a non-resident part of the settlement falls on the buyer. The amounts depend on what you paid for the property, when, and which costs you can evidence: a tax gestor works them out from your own documents, before the signature at the notary.
Can a mortgaged property be sold?
Yes, and it is the ordinary case. The mortgage is redeemed out of the buyer’s money on the day, at the notary; you need a balance certificate from the bank, and it has to be ordered in advance.
Should I renovate before selling?
As a rule, no. A full renovation almost never comes back in the price. Small things do: lights that work, a tap that does not drip, belongings cleared out, clean windows. What is worth doing in your case I will tell you at the viewing.
Can I sell without coming to Spain?
Yes, under a power of attorney, granted before a Spanish consul or a local notary with an apostille. It is the slowest part of the preparation, so it is where to start.
Which documents do you ask for first?
The minutes of the community of owners’ meeting (acta de la junta) and the documents of your own purchase, the deed above all. The rest of the list follows, and I tell you what to order first.
How quickly will I get a valuation?
Usually within one to three days. For the detailed assessment a personal visit to the property is normally needed. The valuation is free and comes before any agreement.
Will I have to lower the price?
If the asking price is in line with the market, the reduction at negotiation is minimal. If it is set above the market, the market lowers it for you, only later.
Let us start with the price
Send me the address and the floor area and I will tell you which range the property falls into and what is worth putting right before it is published. It is free and commits you to nothing.
Or give me a call: +34 654 02 48 57
Read before you sell
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