What are the costs of buying a home in Barcelona?

Before you start buying a home in Barcelona, it is important to understand the costs involved.

Property Transfer Tax (ITP) when buying a resale property (second or later transfer).

Up to €600,000: 10%

From €600,000 to €900,000: 11% (on this portion)

From €900,000 to €1,500,000: 12% (on this portion)

From €1,500,000 upwards: 13% (on this portion)

Example:

Purchase price: €750,000

Up to €600,000 (10%: €60,000)

Remaining €150,000 (11%: €16,500)

Total: €76,500

A reduced rate of 5% is available for people aged 35 or under who meet certain income requirements, as well as large families, single-parent families and

people with disabilities buying their main home. A foreign buyer purchasing a second home cannot benefit from this reduced rate.

VAT instead of ITP when buying a new-build home (first transfer).

For the first transfer of a new-build home, such as a newly completed property, VAT is charged at 10%.

Please note that additional parking spaces and commercial premises are taxed at 21%. Up to two parking spaces linked to the home can be included in the purchase and taxed at 10%. Any further parking spaces are taxed at 21%.

In addition to VAT, you must pay Stamp Duty (AJD) at an extra 1.5%.

Using our previous example:

Purchase price: €750,000

VAT: 10% (€75,000)

AJD: 1.5% (€11,250)

Total: €86,250

If the seller is a company and you want to buy commercial premises, an industrial unit or offices rather than a home, it may make sense for tax purposes to set up a company for the purchase and waive the VAT exemption. Contact us

if you would like more information.

Notary fees

To complete the sale and register it afterwards, you will need to sign before a notary. Notary fees are based on the sale price, plus other items such as the number of pages in the deed and registry checks.

The cost is usually between €600 and €2,000.

For our example, it would most likely be between €900 and €1,500.

Land Registry

After signing the purchase deed, it must be recorded at the Land Registry. The cost is usually a little lower than the notary fee. Like notaries, registries apply fees set by law on a sliding scale.

For our example of a €750,000 apartment, the cost would be around €700 to €900.

Administrative agent

An administrative agent handles the tax payments and registration of the property. The cost is usually between €250 and €600.

This service is not strictly required, as the buyer can complete these steps, but it is highly recommended, especially if you are not a resident.

Valuation

A valuation is not required unless a bank mortgage is involved. However, it can still be useful to understand how a professional values the property. The report also usually highlights conditions and warnings that may reveal possible issues

with the home.

The cost depends on the value of the property and is usually between €300 and €1,500. If the expected valuation is high, we recommend agreeing a maximum fee with the valuation company in advance. Many valuation companies are

approved by the Bank of Spain, so it is worth asking about the cost before going ahead.

For our example, a fee of €600 would be quite realistic.

Estate agency

You will probably buy through an estate agency. If so, it is important to know that commissions are not regulated. They can range from 3% to 6%, although we have seen cases where they reached 10%.

So, if the fee were 4.5% of the sale price in our example, the amount payable would be €33,750.

And be careful: this fee does not always include premium advice or full oversight of the process. In many cases, buyers reach the notary with missing documents and avoidable practical risks.

Home insurance

This cost is often overlooked, but it is important to have home insurance ready on the day you sign. In particular, make sure it includes third-party liability cover in case, for example, a water leak affects your neighbours.

The cost can range from €200 to €500.

Summary of costs for a €750,000 resale home

ITP: €76,500

Notary: €1,400

Land Registry: €800

Valuation: €600

Administrative agent: €300

Estate agency: €33,750

TOTAL: €113,350

What would be the ideal option? Finding a home directly from the owner. This could reduce your costs considerably. For example, if you hire us, for a fee of 0.85% of the sale price we can review, audit and manage the whole purchase process while looking for the most competitive prices.

In our example:

ITP: €76,500

Notary: €1,200 (we look for the most competitive price)

Land Registry: €800

Valuation: depending on the property, we may even be able to carry out our own

market study.

Administrative agent: included in the service.

Our fee: €6,375

Total: €84,875 (saving: €28,475)

If an estate agency is managing the sale, we can also negotiate a reduction in its fees. Our aim is for our fee to be covered by the savings made on the other costs.