Villa Alicante · Costa Blanca

Why foreign property buyers choose Zenith

01

Buyer-only advocacy

We never represent sellers. As your buyers advocate in Spain, our only obligation is to you: maximising your outcome, not a commission that grows with the price you pay. Our fee is set on the asking price before we negotiate, so every euro off the price is yours.

2%

Of the asking price, minimum €7,500
homes from about €300,000

02

Local market depth

Local agents, notaries and banks we work with: the access an independent property consultant builds over years and an outside buyer cannot assemble alone. We work with an on-the-ground team across the Spanish markets we cover: IEAF-certified real estate credit informers (Informador en Crédito Inmobiliario, ICI®) and local specialists, 4+ years in Spanish real estate.

8

Markets we cover

03

Legal & tax navigation

We introduce your lawyer and arrange your mortgage in-house, coordinated with the NIE and the notary, so taxes, fees and the legal check are clear before you sign rather than after.

Vetted

Lawyers we introduce

04

Time & effort saved

Still looking? We narrow the whole market down to a shortlist. Already found the one? We start at your offer, and your lawyer runs due diligence before you sign arras, coordinated by us. Either way, viewings, negotiations and paperwork: your property buying agent runs all of it.

3

Homes in each shortlist round

05

Multilingual team

Your buyer’s agent in Spain works in English and Spanish, both native, and speaks conversational French. No miscommunication in contracts or negotiations.

2

Languages, native

06

Investment-grade insight

Rental yield data, capital growth forecasts, and renovation ROI: the numbers to size the purchase before you commit. See a sample on a real Alicante flat (PDF)

5–7%

Gross rental yield, Costa Blanca (Idealista, 2025)

Listing agent or Zenith?

Listing agent + lawyer Zenith + lawyer
Works for The agent works for the seller We work only for you
What you pay Usually nothing to the agent: the seller pays them 3–6%, though some charge the buyer too. Plus your lawyer Nothing to the listing agent. 2% of the asking price to us, minimum €7,500, no IVA, plus a lawyer from our vetted list
Homes you see Their own listings The whole market, including private sellers and off-market homes
Already found the home? You negotiate with the seller's agent yourself We start at the offer: negotiation, your lawyer's checks, the bank, the notary. Same fee
Viewings When the agent can show it Live or recorded video tours that show the faults too. In person: a local agent we work with, or our leadership at €500 a day, up to five homes
Negotiation Pushes for the seller's price We push for your price. Our fee is set when we make the offer, so every euro off stays with you
Legal checks Your lawyer, once you find one Your lawyer, from our vetted list or your own, before you sign arras
Paperwork You coordinate the lawyer, NIE, bank and notary We coordinate it all; you follow every step in your portal

Where we operate

Eight markets, from the Balearics to Madrid, each with different price levels, buyer profiles, and rental dynamics.

Also on request the Basque Country (San Sebastián, Bilbao), Cantabria (Santander), Málaga city, Murcia and Seville

Buying somewhere else in Spain? We also take on purchases outside these eight markets, case by case. Tell us where

One side of the table. Yours.

Your client portal

Watch your search, live

Every property we find, visit or turn down appears in your private portal, and every no comes with its reason. You always know where the search stands and what happens next.

Client portal · Sample buyer

PhaseSearch
Latest updateTwo visits booked for Thursday

Sourced

Penthouse · Estepona

3 bed · €450,000

Visit booked

Townhouse · Mijas

4 bed · €420,000

Shortlist

Apartment · Estepona

3 bed · €385,000

Apartment · Casares

2 bed · €298,000

Discarded

Villa · Benahavís

4 bed · €690,000

Why not: Asking price 14% above recent sales nearby

Apartment · Marbella

2 bed · €345,000

Why not: Fourth floor with no lift, against your brief

  1. Kickoff
  2. Market brief
  3. Shortlist
  4. Offer
  5. Arras
  6. Keys
Sample data for illustration. Not a real client or listing.

Process of working with a property buying agent in Spain

01

Discovery call

We learn your goals, budget, timeline, and lifestyle requirements in a focused 30-minute session.

02

Market brief

A focused report on the best-fit regions, current prices, and legal considerations, sent within 2 business days.

03

Property shortlist

Want help finding it? We identify and vet three viable properties a round matching your criteria, including off-market listings. Already chosen one? We go straight to your offer, and your lawyer runs due diligence before you sign arras, coordinated by us.

04

Viewings

We video-tour every shortlisted home and give you an honest read beyond the brochure. If you want someone in the room, a local agent we work with can show it, or our leadership travels to the property personally: €500 a day, up to five homes.

05

Negotiation & due diligence

We negotiate price and coordinate your lawyer’s contract review to eliminate surprises.

06

Keys & beyond

We coordinate the notary, registry and handover with your lawyer, plus a checklist for utilities and registrations.

The simplified view: see the full 10-step process.

PDF report

The 2026 Spain Buyer’s Report

Everything international buyers need to know: taxes, NIE, mortgages, common traps.

Or work out your own numbers first: estimate your purchase costs.

The 2026 Spain Buyer's Report

Frequently asked questions

No. We regularly represent buyers who complete entirely remotely. We handle viewings via video, coordinate power of attorney for signing, and manage the full process on your behalf.

No. We built the service for buyers coming from abroad, and it works the same for foreigners who already live in Spain and for Spanish buyers. Whoever you are, we work only for you, never for the seller.

Yes. You get the same service without the remote steps: we search the whole market, off-market homes included, view homes with you in person or by video, negotiate the price, and coordinate your lawyer, the bank and the notary. Your residence card or DNI already covers the NIE step. If you need a mortgage, banks usually lend residents up to 90% of the value.

Yes. The search is optional, and the fee is the same either way: 2% of the asking price, with a minimum of €7,500. If you have already chosen a property, we start at the offer and run the negotiation, contracts and notary for you, with due diligence by your lawyer before arras. If you want help finding one, we search the whole market, off-market listings included.

Yes, within a purchase we run with you, not on its own. If you have already found the home, we start at the offer: negotiation, your lawyer's checks, the mortgage and the bank, and the notary, for the same fee. Our in-house team applies to several lenders for you and you choose the offer: banks usually lend residents up to 90% of the value, and non-residents 70–80%. There is no extra charge for it, and we take no commission from lenders.

2% of the asking price, with a minimum of €7,500 and no IVA on top. The fee is fixed on the asking price the day we make your offer, so every euro we negotiate off the price stays with you. It pays for our own work: the search if you want one, the shortlists, the negotiation, and running the purchase for you from abroad. If you need a Spanish mortgage, our in-house team applies to several lenders for you and you choose the offer, at no extra charge. You pay it in three parts. A €2,500 opening fee when you sign with us starts the work on your purchase; it pays for your first deliverable, sent within 21 days of signing (the search brief, a cost model and the first shortlist, or the cost and risk review of a home you have already found), and comes off the fee, not on top of it. The balance is split in two: half at the arras signing, once your lawyer has cleared the property, and half at the signing of the Escritura. Your lawyer, NIE and notary bill you directly, and you see their quote in writing before you instruct them. You can use the lawyers we work with, who are used to buyers living abroad, or bring your own. Taxes (ITP or IVA) and the Land Registry fee are set by the authorities and paid separately. We usually work on homes from about €300,000; below that, ask us.

The listing agent is contracted by the seller: their commission grows with the price you pay. We hold no listings and take nothing from sellers, agents, developers, banks or lawyers. Our fee is 2% of the asking price (minimum €7,500), fixed before negotiation begins, so every euro we negotiate off the price is yours. Everything after the €2,500 opening fee is paid at arras or at the notary, and your own lawyer, not us, clears the property before arras.

The agreement runs for three months from signing. If a purchase is under way when it ends (an offer accepted, arras signed or a notary date set), it extends automatically until that purchase is done. You can cancel at any time. Cancel before we deliver your first deliverable and the €2,500 opening fee comes back, less the work already done; once it is delivered, the opening fee is earned. If you have reached arras, the part of the arras payment not matched by work we have done comes back to you. The term can also be extended in writing if we both agree, for example when you are still searching or arranging a mortgage at month three.

It depends on when and why. Before arras, you have paid us only the €2,500 opening fee, which covers the work already done; if your lawyer's checks rule a property out, we move to the next one with no new opening fee. After arras, if the purchase falls through for a reason that is not yours, such as the seller backing out or your lawyer finding a serious problem, what you paid us at arras (€2,750 on a €400,000 home) is credited toward a replacement property bought under the same agreement, while it runs (three months from signing; once the failed purchase is over, more time needs a written extension). If you cancel the agreement instead, the part of it not matched by work we have done comes back to you. If you are the one who walks away, we keep only the part that matches the work done and refund the rest. The final half of our fee is due only on the day of the notary signing, so a purchase that never reaches the notary never owes it. The deposit you pay the seller at arras is separate and follows the arras contract you sign with them.

We coordinate your purchase and run each step with you. Your own lawyer is responsible for the legal checks on the property, and the notary, gestoría and bank each answer for their own work. We are not an estate agent, a lender or your legal representative, and we cannot answer for what a seller does, what a bank decides, or defects that were not visible on a viewing. If we get something wrong, our liability is capped at what you have paid us, except for gross negligence or wilful misconduct.

About 2–3 months end to end for a cash buyer if we search for you, and 3–6 months with a mortgage. If you have already found the property, offer to keys usually takes 30–60 days for a cash buyer, longer with a mortgage. NIE registration and mortgage approval are the longest steps, so we run them in parallel.

Yes. Non-EU buyers face no restrictions on residential purchases. You'll need an NIE number, which we help you obtain early, before or during the search if we run one.

No. Spain abolished its real-estate Golden Visa in April 2025 (Ley Orgánica 1/2025). Non-EU buyers now typically secure residency through the Non-Lucrative Visa or the Digital Nomad Visa.

Yes, with extra diligence. We vet developer track records and inspect builds at key milestones; your lawyer reviews the stage-payment schedule and verifies the bank guarantees.

Still have questions?

Speak with an advisor
Speak with an advisor