After months of dreaming, searching and doubting, the moment had arrived: we had our own apartment in Spain! ✨
A beautiful penthouse in Las Terrazas de la Torre, with pool views, a sunny terrace and a great price of only €62,500. But before we could really enjoy it, we had to go through the Spanish paper mill as well as completely furnish the apartment.
An adventure in itself… 😅
🏦 The purchase: How does buying an apartment in Spain work?
Once we tied the knot, we had to settle it financially. First of all, we had to pay a deposit, to reserve our apartment for us. Since we didn’t have just €62,500 in our account, we immediately talked to our bank KBC in Belgium. Fortunately, we have a house with that value already paid off, so we were able to get a loan smoothly & quickly.
📌 This is what you need when you buy a property in Spain:
✔️ An NIE number (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) – This is an identification number for foreigners in Spain. Without this, you cannot buy a property.
✔️ A Spanish bank account – It is not a must, but may make life just a little easier. You need this to pay utilities, taxes and fees. We ended up closing our account at Sabadell, because banks in Spain are expensive! And we chose to open a Revolut account. So that Spain’s finances are in a different account than Belgium’s.
✔️ A lawyer or gestor – Not mandatory, but definitely recommended & useful to get the papers in order and avoid surprises. They do what a notary in Belgium does for you, i.e. check everything & work out security.
✔️ The bank guarantee & payment – Full payment must be transferred to the selling party on time.
The paperwork took longer than expected – because hey, we’re in Spain! Finally, in April 2023, just before the Easter vacations, we received the redeeming message:
🔑 “Felicidades! The keys are waiting for you.” 🎉
The time had come. We were going to furnish our dream apartment!
🛠️ Decorating & remodeling: from bare space to cozy home
Because the apartment had been vacant for years, it needed quite a bit of work:
🚪 No water & electricity – We had to wait for the connection to be fixed. This caused some stress as it was not fixed until two days before our departure!
🖌️ Painting – We retouched the walls where needed, with help from my parents. What a difference!
💡 New lighting – From loose electrical wires to cozy lamps (and yes, that was still quite an adventure in the Spanish stores! 🤯).
🛋️ Putting furniture together – IKEA rounds, endless screwing and puzzling…. but I love it!
🛍️ Shopping in Spain: IKEA, JYSK & other challenges
Furniture and decoration shopping in Spain is not always efficient…. 🙈
💡 IKEA: lifesaver! We made countless trips to IKEA Murcia – from cabinets to kitchenware, we found everything here.
⏳ JYSK: What a disaster! Orders that didn’t come through, deliveries that were delayed…. Patience is a virtue. 😅
🛒 Local stores: Nice finds, but not always the best quality or service.
Fortunately, lunches on the terrace in the sun and the help of my parents made everything a lot cozier. 💛
🏡 Our apartment will become a vacation home!
While we were putting the finishing touches on the decor, the first rental requests were already coming in via Instagram! 😍
Before we were well and truly ready, the apartment was booked for the summer! We decided to rent out the apartment through Airbnb & Booking.com, and the first guests raved about it.
💬 “Beautiful view, lovely quiet and a perfect location!”
Fast forward nearly two years later:
✔️ The apartment is a great investment!
✔️ All the apartments in our resort are now sold – the value has increased to €125,000!
✔️ We ourselves love coming back in the school vacations – it remains our place under the sun.
The adventure began with a dream, but it became much bigger than we ever imagined!
📍 Discover the wonderful Murcia
Murcia is an incredibly diverse region. That’s why we’re working on a travel guide full of tips on the most beautiful places, tastiest tapas and best hiking trails. 🏞️
Curious about our favorite spots in Murcia? Save this blog & come back from time to time for our future travel guide!
💬 Have you ever considered buying an apartment in Spain? Or do you have questions about living in Murcia? Let us know in the comments! 👇
