The pandemic may have prevented us getting there for long periods within the past two years but it’s official: the British are the biggest group of foreign buyers in Spain – again.
The British have been the biggest single nationality of buyers for several years, despite the hurdles of Brexit, with the Germans only overtaking them in the third quarter of 2021 – a short-lasting trend that may partly be explained by the divergent travel restrictions in place between the UK and German governments last summer.
But in the first quarter of 2022, there were 2,603 properties bought by British buyers in Spain, above the 2,049 by Germans, 1,525 by French and 1,255 by Moroccans, according the Registrars Association of Spain, reported by the market analysis website, Spanish Property Insight.
With Spain relaxing its rules for British travellers – allowing non-vaccinated passengers to enter – this will no doubt encourage further travel for both holidays and property hunting. Make sure you read our viewing trip guide tips if you are thinking of heading off this summer.
Yet Spain is attracting a diverse array of buyers from across Europe - with the biggest increase in purchase levels show by the Dutch, Poles and Norwegians – with estate agents predicting that 2022 will be an even better year than 2021, a record year (since the boom year of 2007) for many.
According to the Registrars association there were 73% more foreign home sales in the first quarter of 2022 than in the same period of 2021 – with last year’s winter lockdown a major reason although sales on the back of remote viewings have been continuing since April 2020.
Where are they buying? Most Spanish regions popular with foreign buyers showed increases in activity, with the islands showing the most impressive increase in transactions. In fact, the level of Spanish home sales in the first quarter of 2022 was the highest since 2007. Showing the impact of a constrained supply in the islands – where the coastlines are generally much strongly protected and less heavily built on - the biggest growth in the Canary Islands (+45%) and the Balearic Islands (+21%).
But the most popular Costas were also up this spring: 23% in Andalusia (the Costa del Sol) and 21% in the Valencian region (home to the Costa Blanca).
Whilst these locations feature very strongly in our own website traffic and property searches, how do they compare elsewhere? According to the property portal, Rightmove, six of the 10 most searched overseas locations in April 2022 were in Spain. Top of the list was the Costa del Sol, followed by the Dordogne, Mallorca, Alicante, Tenerife, the Algarve, Malaga, Costa de Almeria, Brittany and Paphos.
If you are planning on buying in Spain read our guide here, or search for properties, or find out about how long you can stay in your Spanish holiday home.
