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REWIND to the arrival of the new millennium, and Spain’s capital Madrid was not high on the list of destinations for international tourists, visitors or those seeking to buy a property. But that has clearly changed in recent years, with tourism from the US booming and the city now appearing fourth on the list of...

UNDETERRED by the dark clouds of Brexit, Brits are still leading the pack as the most significant foreign buyers in Spain’s property sector. In spite of only being able to visit the country for three out of six months at a time, they make up a leading 15.5% of foreign mortgage applications in Spain. But...

A BRITISH couple’s retirement dreams have been shattered after their Spanish lawyers failed to pick up an ‘outstanding’ property tax that only emerged 26 years later. John Stephenson, 75, and wife Kathy, 78, are stunned that the ‘unfair’ €11,200 levy was taken from them last year. The ‘theft’ by the Hacienda tax authorities actually applied...

YOUNG people could get the opportunity to fix up some of the abandoned homes in the Upper Town and revive Gibraltar’s heritage, a housing activist has said. Henry Pinna of Action for Housing believes ‘neglected’ areas in the old town still have a part to play in the Rock’s future. He is mainly referring to...

ANDALUCIA is bucking the downward trend in the Spanish housing market as property prices continue to soar on Spain’s south coast. The southern region witnessed a 4.6% increase compared to the previous year, with asking prices rising by a searing 8.5%. Notably, the demand in prime locations like Marbella and Sotogrande remained robust, with asking...

WITH the data in hand it looks like the Spanish housing market enjoyed a soft landing in 2023 after a remarkable mini-boom that followed in the wake of the pandemic. There are no obvious reasons to see why the market might lurch up or down in 2024, with it more likely to track sideways at...

EVER fancied living like a king? Now’s your chance as an impressive 19th century castle has just gone up for sale in Spain. The French chateau-style home, located in Girona, Catalunya, is an official Cultural Asset of National Interest and was built in 1894. Available on Idealista, the sweeping €3.49m property boasts 19 bedrooms, 17...

MORTGAGES are set to become less of a burden for millions of families this year, the Bank of Spain has said.  Governor Pablo Hernandez de Cos said on Thursday that the European Central Bank (ECB) is set to reduce interest rates – unless there is an unexpected shock.  This, he said, will have a particularly...

BUYING property can be inaccessible for many, with the financial burden of putting down a deposit too heavy for some would-be-buyers to bear.   However, thanks to a new mortgage scheme enacted by the Spanish government last year, legal residents of Spain – no matter where they are from – will soon be able to apply...

THREE British nationals and three Spaniards went on trial on Monday over a €17.3 million real estate scam involving UK citizens buying property in La Manga de Mar Menor. The case is being heard at the Murcia Provincial Court in Cartagena. The Prosecutor’s Office wants each defendant jailed for five years and to pay a...