This is a website for buyers, owners, and sellers of property in Spain, offering reliable information and resources to help you get things done with confidence. It is run by Mark Stücklin, author of the Spanish Property Doctor Column in The Sunday Times (2005-2008), and the book ‘Need to Know: Buying Property in Spain’ published by Collins.
Mark Stücklin
The number of Spanish homes purchased by foreigners declined by 7pc in 2023 but it was still the second best year on record.
The Land Registrars of Spain have published fourth quarter figures that provide a picture of the full year when combined with their other quarterly reports in 2023. Pending confirmation in their annual report the figures show that 87,365 property sales involved a foreign buyer in 2023, down 7pc on the previous year, and the second best year on record, as illustrated in the chart above.
Looking just at the fourth quarter there were 19,637 sales involving a foreign buyer, down 11pc year-on-year, but also the second best final quarter of the year on record.
By nationality, the British were the biggest market as usual, with 8,326 acquisitions in the year, followed by the Germans and the French. All three markets declined compared to the previous year with the Germans down the most (-24pc), followed by the British (-15%) and the French (-5pc).
The biggest growth in demand came from the USA (+154%) followed by Italy (+11%), which includes Argentine buyers with Italian passports.
In the fourth quarter buyers from China increased the most (+13pc) followed by the USA (+9pc) and Russia (+9pc). German demand declined the most (-30pc), followed by Sweden (-26pc) and the UK (-20pc), as illustrated in the chart below.
