All the latest news from Valencia Property

A different and depressing post this week after the huge storm that affected inland Valencia on Tuesday and brought disastrous flooding to a huge area to the south and west of the city. A storm front got stuck over the mountains to the south and west of the city and torrential rain fell for hours. Usually the rains of this type are limited in time as the storm moves but this was a chain of storms fed by the heating of the Mediterranean Sea making it longer, wetter and more deadly. Our thoughts, donations and help are with all of those affected

I really wanted to call this article "The Valencia Property Market now... After erm... That". But then realised that the "THAT" in the title could refer to two things and be confusing for the majority of our readers and that the word "erm" in a title isn't great. So yes, we are referring to the flooding and at the same time of course, the death of hope and loss of sanity in the States and we are looking at what both mean for the Valencia Property market. We took a week and a half out of posting on social media, of promoting good properties and generally of being happy out of respect for the people who lost their lives or their possessions or everything in the floods and for those facing up to losing their rights in the States, but for those who can, life goes on and for others putting together a life that works now is a priority.

We have just completed one of the quickest purchases for an overseas client ever. The whole process from arriving in Valencia from Australia to completion took just 15 days and today we want to tell you the story of how that happened and how it is even possible. Also the application for a Golden Visa has been made and will be accepted in the next couple of weeks as we have managed to do everything required to beat the clock as it counts down to the end of that particular visa. First though we'll answer the question how long does it take to buy a property in Valencia normally and then we'll tell you what we did to make this happen so quickly.

It's not often that I'm shocked, at least by things in Spanish real estate. Other things for sure; The state of the World, who people will vote for, the belief that if you don't drink water every ten seconds you'll be dehydrated, terrible own goals and the like yeah, but not things in Spanish real estate, been there seen that etc... However there's a new scam in town and I think you should know about it because you as a buyer, your lawyer, your notary and your seller need to know about it. It's quite ingenious and involves hacking, illegality and the potential loss of millions of Euros without there being anyone to really hold responsible, so take note.

With rental prices through the roof and purchase prices reaching their highest levels seen it's very difficult for young people to get on the property ladder in Spain. In other countries mortgages of up to 100% are available meaning that people have more of a chance of buying without having to save the lump sum required, not to mention the costs involved in purchasing. (You can read about what you need to save in this post from last month) However, if you are in a position to help out your children then there are various ways you can help them get their own place. Let's take a look at five possible ways to help your child get a property.

Living in Valencia I have never seen anyone walking about in a flamenco dress, I don't know any bullfighters, not everyone you see is a foreigner, the place doesn't close down in the winter and we don't only rely on tourists to have anything resembling an economy. Valencia is the third biggest city in Spain and it is a totally first world, modern, thriving city on the Mediterranean coast.

As we suggested last month when the law was finally taken to the Parliament for approval the withdrawal of the Spanish Golden Visa was definitely going to have an end point this month and now we know what it is. The 3rd of April 2025 will be the final date for the Golden Visa. Applications made up to and before this date with all of the correct paperwork will be accepted even if they are not resolved beforehand.

In 2021 we wrote this exact article and looked at how much you would need to earn or have in passive income via pensions, investments etc to live a comfortable life in Valencia. Since then we have had a lot of inflation in the system the World over post-Covid and the supply chain shocks that came as a result. Therefore we have been asked to update the article for 2025 and today we will look at how the cost of living compares in Valencia compared with 2021 and also once again compare Valencia with other popular international destinations.

Earlier this week the leader of the Spanish government Pedro Sanchez announced various measures to ease the problems of the Spanish Property Market. Most of them were well thought out and reasonable, whether they will work or even be put in place is another matter. However one of them sent shock waves through our commnity here, not to mention our company. In this post we will take you through what may have been proposed and what effect it will have on you as a potential buyer of Spanish property along with what you can do to avoid having to face the potential consequences.

Sometimes we don’t know what we are missing until we are not living in a place and we get as the Spanish say “Nostalgia” otherwise known as "Homesickness". However, the reverse is also true, you can discover some new delights when you move to live in a place and Spain has plenty of delights for you of course. So for your delectation today I went back to a post I wrote back in the good old days of the early 2010s to let you know some of the things you can look forward to when you come to live in Spain or even when you buy a holiday home over here. Take a look and tell us some other things you would add.

If you have been looking for a medium term rental in Valencia then you will know the world of pain that can be involved. There is little available, the owners won't accept foreigners, prices are off the scale or you have to pay ridiculous fees to the platform (Looking at you Airbnb) Luckily a couple of years ago we solved the problem for many people through our sister company Stepping Stone Rentals. Today we are going to look at some of our available properties on the website as we move more deeply into 2025. First though let's go into the advantages of Stepping Stone Rentals for your Valencia medium term rental.

As we are now into February we thought it was time to give a little overview of the current market. This won't be a full investigation into everything that is happening but it is a quick look of what we are experiencing at the moment in the Valencia Property market and what we have learnt from other agents' experiences when talking to them.

Every property transaction in Spain is signed, sealed and delivered at the notary's office. It's where you buy your property and get the keys handed over (usually). It's the end of the process and for many the start of a new life. However, notaries in other countries are rare birds, only seen in specific areas of law and not really a part of the real estate process at all. Here in Spain they are essential so it's important to know what they do for you and also what they do not do because some people think they shouldn't be using a lawyer because the notary will sort it out. First though, let's look at what the notary does.

Last week we had a sale in Valencia and we spent five hours sorting out the final signing in the notary because banks are useless. Or rather in this case one particular bank is useless and in this post we are going to tell you what happened and why it's important to choose the right bank and of course why that bank should never be ING Direct!

You look online and you want to find your ideal place in Valencia (or even beyond) and you keep seeing the same thing in all the properties for sale; the Billy Bookcase, the Hemnes Bed, the Ektorp Sofa (Apparently now RIP but I'm sure I saw one there recently), the usual IKEA decoration touches and one of those obligatory tea candle holders. Yes we are all being Hygged, we are all being Abba'd we are all turning into Swedes while eating meatballs and pork knuckle. But it doesn't have to be this way.

When you look online at the various Spanish property portals you will find a wide range of prices for what seem to be, at first sight, similar properties. You might come to the conclusion that someone has just picked a number out of the air and decided to list it at that price and at times, you'd be right. Many times the owner says "I want X" and the agent says OK. No pushback, no valuing, no advice on the market value, nothing. They list the property in the hope that someone comes along and buys it fresh off the banana boat and at times it works.

As Valencia continues to grow in terms of its importance for foreign buyers looking to establish residency in Spain we often hear the mantra "We don't do it like this back home" or "Why is this happening? I've bought loads of places back home and it wasn't like this". Get used to it. This isn't back home. This is Spain and things are done differently in the process of buying property here and also of course in many aspects of daily life. When you are looking to purchase property in Valencia or anywhere else for that matter, the importance of understanding those cultural differences can be critical in getting your purchase over the line because "We don't do it like this back home!" carries no weight with a Spanish seller or indeed with the Spanish system of property purchase. Today therefore it's time to learn about navigating those differences without destroying your potential purchase, get to know the nuances to ensure a smooth process, or even better just rely on our 25 years plus of experience to guide you.

Every month, every week and every day the number of properties available to buy or rent in Valencia and elsewhere drops. In the last three years supply of properties for sale has dropped by 70% and the speed with which properties sell has also dropped, some never even get advertised. This creates a dilemma for buyers, less choice and having to make very quick decisions. It also creates a perfect market for sellers to be, let's say, awkward. Therefore you need to be ready to get your offer in and have the ability to buy and today we are going to go over what you need to do in order to be ready, working hand in hand with us at Valencia Property, because as Bob Dylan famously said "The times they are a changing" and he has never been more right than he is now.