Buy property on the Costa Brava — real cases from practice
Anonymised examples of how buyers arranged a mortgage and financed their property on the Costa Brava.
In short
How much can non-residents borrow?
Banks finance non-residents up to a fixed share of the bank or purchase value depending on country and profile; the remainder plus acquisition costs is equity.
Why is a seasonal location valued cautiously?
Where the market lives for three months a year, comparable sales are thin, so the valuation drops below the purchase price more readily — the missing part comes from equity.
Is transfer tax the same as the Costa Blanca?
No — Catalonia applies its own banded ITP scale, so the cost calculation looks different and comes entirely out of your own funds.
Across the 10 financings documented here, purchase prices ranged from €455,000 to €1,780,000. Every figure appears in the individual case report.
What is different about financing a retirement home on the Costa Brava?
Almost every report from the Costa Brava is about permanent living rather than a holiday property. Step-free access for later years, room for family and a home office, year-round use: that shifts the financing question. Yield is not the point. The point is an instalment that still works after working life ends. Which puts the term at the centre. Spanish banks tie the term to the borrower's age at final repayment, so a younger co-borrower can ease the instalment considerably. Both borrowers go on the title deed, the smaller share at least 10 percent; the co-borrower does not necessarily need qualifying income of their own. Renovation is usually planned from the start in these cases rather than added later. That matters, because the Spanish bank does not co-finance renovation: it belongs in the overall plan and is covered from equity or a loan against German property. Purchase prices here range from 455,000 to 1,780,000 euros. In Catalonia the transfer tax is staggered by purchase price, between 10 and 13 percent.
Property financing on the Costa Brava
The following case reports show, in anonymised form, how different situations on the Costa Brava were financed for non-residents. Creditworthiness, the property and the bank's loan-to-value are always decisive.
From our practice
Apartment in Roses at 60+ — renovation planned in
Sea view with modernisation from the start
Townhouse in Empuriabrava — self-employed developer
Living permanently by the water with well-considered overall financing
Detached house in Begur — architect couple relocating
Mediterranean living between the old town and the coast
Penthouse in Palamós — retiring after the handover
Comfortable living with a view of the marina
Terraced house in Platja d'Aro — family of four
Family life on the Costa Brava with long-term planning
Apartment in Cadaqués — dentists nearing retirement
Living permanently in one of Spain's most extraordinary coastal settings
Villa in Tossa de Mar — after selling the business
Mediterranean living with a long-term financing strategy
Financing a detached house in Lloret de Mar
Living year-round with room for family and home office
Frequently asked about financing on the Costa Brava
How much can non-residents borrow?
What does the consultation cost?
What does a seasonal location change about the financing?
Is transfer tax on the Costa Brava the same as on the Costa Blanca?
A similar situation in Spain? Let's talk.
Every financing in Spanien is an individual case. In a free initial consultation I will tell you honestly what is feasible and which bank fits.
Book a free consultationAnonymised individual case, not a binding statement for other projects · Siegfried Perini for the owner Olga Nikushkina · §34i GewO · no tax or legal advice · no financing commitment; conditions depend on creditworthiness, loan-to-value and bank
What is different in this region
The Costa Brava is a seasonal market with a year-round core — and banks tell the two apart very precisely. An apartment in Roses or Empuriabrava is valued differently from a townhouse in Girona or Sant Feliu, even at the same price.
- Seasonal locations are valued more conservatively. Where a market lives for three months of the year, comparable values are thin and the valuation drops below the purchase price more readily.
- Catalonia has its own transfer tax. ITP is set regionally, so the cost calculation looks different here from the Costa Blanca — and it comes entirely out of your own funds.
- Proximity to France. A substantial share of demand comes from France. For your financing that matters only in so far as prices in sought-after locations can run away from the comparable values — which brings you back to the valuation.
Market and rules: the Costa Brava in detailWhy the valuation decides