Investing in Spain from Germany: buying a holiday home in Costa Brava

Buying property in another country can be tricky, especially when dealing with foreign real estate law and all related bureaucracy. Stefan and Vivien were on the lookout for a second home in Spain and found one in Empuriabrava, often dubbed Spain’s Venice, located on the beautiful Costa Brava.

The goal: buying a holiday home on Costa Brava from Germany

Stefan and Vivien, a German couple, decided to buy a holiday home in Empuriabrava on the Costa Brava. 

After signing the initial purchase agreement (contrato de arras), they faced challenges with the two banks they approached on their own. The banks dragged out responses, and the attempts to negotiate the mortgage conditions didn’t work out well. 

The solution: Homevest, the digital service that speeds up the process of obtaining a mortgage from abroad

Besides providing a unified platform to consolidate your mortgage application, Homevest connects customers with banks, ensuring they find their ideal match and the most competitive mortgage offer tailored to their financial needs.

Homevest’s role was to assist Stefan and Vivien in getting the best loan for their property investment. Stefan was keen on a speedy process, and we knew which bank was suitable to secure the most competitive deal in the short timeframe. 

From the bank's perspective, Vivien being an entrepreneur and owning her own company also complicated the mortgage assessment. For this, the bank required specific documentation and guidance from the Homevest team and clients themselves to understand her personal income sources, which added complexity and slightly postponed the process.

“Homevest did an outstanding job! Within a few weeks we had our real estate financing in place”, says Stefan. 

As a result, the entire process with Homevest took only 6 weeks, and we helped the customer save almost 3,000 EUR by negotiating a reduced commitment fee, not to speak of the competitive interest rate margin of 0.95% that will contribute to savings for the client in the long run.

The outcome: A variable interest rate mortgage loan

Just two days after applying through Homevest, the clients received their first offer from Sabadell. After brief negotiations, the client obtained a 3% fixed interest rate for the first year, transitioning to Euribor + 0.95% thereafter, without an additional opening commission.  

“Thanks to Homevest we secured favorable terms at Sabadell, even the notary pointed out that the loan conditions are good. Homevest deserves the compliments for this, they made all the difference in our Spanish property-buying journey”, says Stefan.

When applying for a Spanish mortgage with a co-applicant, lenders consider the applicants' combined income, potentially increasing the borrowing amount and the likelihood of approval. While many Spanish banks do not impose restrictions based on property value or the nationality of buyers, every application is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.   
 

Continue reading to discover everything you need to know about getting a mortgage in Spain with your partner.

If you're considering buying a holiday home in Spain, check out our guide to find the best places, how much they cost, and other important info for buyers from outside Spain.

We recommend obtaining professional or specialist advice before taking or refraining from any action based on the content in this article. The information in this article does not constitute legal, tax, or other professional advice from Homevest Limited. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. We make no representations, warranties, or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content in this article is accurate, complete, or up to date.