Preparing a property search brief

Essentials and preferences

A search brief is a short document used to shortlist homes and explain decisions. If everything in it is mandatory, every option fails on something, and the debate about whether a viewing is worth it starts over each time.

Keep three essentials. Write everything else down as preferences and mark what you would give up. Phrase each criterion so it can be checked: not "a convenient area" but, for example, "no more than 30 minutes to work by public transport at 8:30"; not "a bright flat" but "living room windows face the street rather than an inner courtyard". A checkable criterion filters fast and makes it easy to explain a no.

What goes into the brief

• Purpose. Living there, letting it out, or both. The purpose drives the criteria, the tax and the risks.
• Area and alternatives. One main area and one or two backups, each with a reason: school, work, transport.
• The home. Bedrooms, floor, lift, balcony or terrace, parking. Mark each item as essential or preferred.
• Budget. A maximum price for the property and, separately, a maximum for the whole purchase including tax and costs.
• Timing. When you can pay a deposit, when you need the keys, when you can travel for viewings and signing.
• Decision. Who in the family approves the choice, who signs, and who can stop the deal at the last step.

Budget: asking price versus total cost

The listed price is not what you will pay. On a resale home in Catalonia the buyer pays ITP (transfer tax): 10 % up to a value of 600,000 €, with a scale of 11, 12 and 13 % on the portions above that. A new home bought from a developer carries IVA (VAT) at 10 % plus AJD at 1.5 %. Notary and land registry fees come on top under official tariffs. Details: purchase taxes in Catalonia.

Reduced ITP rates exist for certain buyers of a main residence, and a large residential owner (gran tenedor) pays 20 %. Keep tax figures in the brief provisional until a tax adviser has looked at your situation.

The purpose changes the criteria

If you plan to let the home, say so from the start. Barcelona City Council has decided that tourist flat licences will end in 2028 and will not be renewed; official sources say nothing about new ones being issued (more in letting to tourists). For long-term lets, Barcelona is a stressed housing market area where new rents are capped. Any income forecast built on these assumptions should be modelled separately and checked by a specialist.

Buying a home does not give you residence: the investor visa articles of Ley 14/2013 ceased to apply on 3 April 2025. If your move depends on a permit, choose the route separately and compare its duration with how long you plan to own.

Timing and paperwork before you search

You need an NIE (foreigner identification number). Barcelona City Council calls it a legal requirement for buying and recommends opening a bank account in advance. If you do not have one yet, plan it before the deposit; from abroad you apply through a Spanish consulate. The full sequence: buying property as a non-resident.

The city's website says the deed is usually signed at the notary about two months after the deposit contract (arras). The law does not fix the deposit amount; according to the City Council around 10 % of the price is usual. Write down when that money will be in your account: it decides which homes are worth viewing.

Using the brief

Check each option against the brief before and after the viewing. When you change a criterion, note the date and the reason, so you can tell a deliberate shift from a reaction to one particular flat.

The brief does not replace due diligence. Legal questions about a property go to a lawyer, its condition to an architect or building surveyor, and tax to a tax adviser. A good brief helps you ask them precise questions.

Last updated 26.10.2026.